Dear Editor,
I am definitely sure that the doctors on Sint Maarten do not need me to defend them when it pertains to doing their job. I am reacting because of the lack of tact displayed by member of Parliament La Croes who during a meeting claimed to be sceptical of the way our doctors diagnose and evaluate drivers sixty years and older in connection with the renewal of their driver’s licence.
I have mentioned it before and I will repeat it. This is what you get when you make it possible that any Dick, Harry or Peter can, without knowing the fact, go grand standing in Parliament believing that the people of Sint Maarten will be impressed.
Did Parliament member Lacroes do any research to know if and when these drivers over sixty years visited their doctor, were in condition to drive or not? Why did government extend the retirement age to beyond sixty years?
Is it possible that a driver over sixty, can be in good condition to drive today, and his health deteriorates shortly thereafter?
What is stipulated in the Public Transportation Ordinance concerning the maximum age that a permit holder is allowed to drive a bus or a taxi?
In my last letter to you, I mentioned it and I will repeat it. It is time enough that members of Parliament realise that a great deal of voters read and write English well and also have a higher education than several of those fifteen members of Parliament. Because "being overqualified" was a scapegoat, that does not mean that everybody else are "dummies".
Russell Simmons
