Dear Editor,
Once again were experiencing dump fires which are polluting the air we breathe and causing havoc in our body because of the toxic fumes. What saddens me and what our population is not aware of, is that these dump fires could have been prevented since 2013 when an agreement was signed between the Government of St. Maarten represented by then PM Mrs Sarah Wescot-Williams and the municipality of Amsterdam represented by the then Mayor Eberhard van der Laan. This agreement will be published because it’s of importance that the St. Maarten people draw their own conclusions after reading that document and the advice given by the Social Economic Council on this matter. For those who cannot read the Dutch language a free translation will be added so that they too can get an idea of what is going on. St. Maarten people need to be informed in order to make the right decision at the polls. Now we are talking about your health and what that is worth to you.
The agreement was signed on October 16th, 2013. The Social Economic Council brought out their advice on “Better Waste Management for Sint Maarten”, December 21st, 2016. Three years after said agreement was signed. This agreement expired on the 16th of October 2017. A good month after being devastated by hurricane Irma. Our government never did anything with this agreement, which would have had a major impact on cleaning up our waste issues prior and post Hurricane Irma. This unfortunately is further evidence of how much this government cares about the well-being of the people. But don’t take my word for it. Read the documents yourself and decide if these are the people you want to cast your vote on come February 26, 2018.
Beverley Gibbs
Your number 5 candidate on the SMCP slate
