Dear Editor,
As you know I am a strong advocate of government taking over the public transportation. One would ask why is Russell constantly hammering government on this issue? Simple. Public transportation belongs in the hands of the public. And should not be run by any private union.
“It is difficult to fix.“ An answer I have been getting from government officials, including a Minister of TEATT [Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunication – Ed.], members of bus drivers union, multiple bus permit owners, bus company permit owners, you name them.
My response to that is consistent: Ask Holland for help! I must have written this ad nauseum, but it is worldwide known that Holland is among the top countries in the world, if not the top country, where the public transportation regulation and infrastructure is concerned.
Is it really that difficult to get it fixed or is it difficult for those who have been in government and have manipulated the system to acquire umpteen permits and formed bus companies to have to relinquish those, in my opinion dubiously acquired, permits?
I am still at a loss why public entities should be in the hands of private citizens. In an interview with Lady Grace (January 24, 2018) one of the candidates vying for a seat in Parliament, when asked why does not government take it over, answered that government can’t handle it, prompting Lady Grace to request a confirmation on the answer given to that question, which she got.
But is it in line with the opening headline of this letter? Also does not the fact that government does not place bus stop signs along the routes which would at the least help to avoid buses from stopping at random, and too often at least three times within thirty meters to pick up or let off passengers causing frustration to other drivers, underscores that?
I did not follow the whole interview, but I did not hear any effort to work on getting it regulated if that candidate was elected.
I will not pose one of my famous questions this time because that person is not in government. I had a late friend who used to tell me as long as you’re not lying you should write it and let whoever the shoe fits wear it, but when I can avoid that I still do.
In the course of time someone asked me if I thought that Holland would refuse to help us. If so be the case then more reasons to tell the Dutchman that in this case also he is just as guilty as the rest, but I have not heard that we asked.
Of late more and more we are hearing what I would classify as embarrassing words or action on the side of government or from those who were in government. This continues to substantiate my reasoning for calling for a complete replacement of those for-so-often-reshuffled members of government.
One would think that after toppling government so often and repeatedly dealing with the process of new elections in so short a period by the same group of people, that they would become efficient in doing so. No this is not the case. Like almost everything else, beside regulating exorbitant salaries and gratuities for themselves, again another blunder was committed by those in government.
My question to that is: Have they become so complacent with getting away with murder that it is taken for granted so that they now totally disregard the Constitution of Sint Maarten (remarks from Bosman comes to mind) just like they have been doing with the people of Sint Maarten? Is not all of what have happened over the years, and what continues to happen lately, enough reason to call on the people of Sint Maarten to replace all the old ones with new blood? I think so.
Russell A. Simmons
