Dear Editor,
It came back to me that the decision of government to compensate (ex) members of government who were not reelected for two years after, must have hurt me, because I repeat it often in my letters to you. After God, the two most important people in my life are no more on this earth, so nothing else can hurt me. That decision, even though they know it was self-serving, is dictatorial.
I would challenge every one of those who took part in that decision making to take a good and personal look at the overall standard of living, and in good conscience say different. I do not expect them to be moved, because they did what they intended.
People in government concocted a deal with non Sint Maarteners in constructing a government building. The deal was botched and as has become common practice, the people's money ends up being used to bail out government. In this case it was: We are going to lend you the money to pay for the building, but you have to pay us back begin
July 2017.
It seems as if government is not able to live up to its commitment to SVB. It was even rumored that expressions like “collect the outstanding casinos’ moneys and pay back the SVB" were made. I cannot confirm that, but I know that seniors cannot get an increase in that measly pension because government is continually using that money to bail, so-called, government out of botched deals.
So yes, to elude to it again, I would suggest that government use that money that they are paying to those not reelected ex members of Parliament to live up to government's commitment made to SVB. I believe that then we will see who is hurt. If they lived before without it, during those four years that they earned a whole lot more, they should have saved some for a rainy day. Like two years after.
The seniors have endured and are still enduring; should not the younger ones be able to endure also? Again it did not hurt, it is dictatorial.
Russell A. Simmons
