Dear Editor,
I commend the Marlin Cabinet for looking into projects that during the last minute before the swearing in of the new Cabinet were signed off by the former Minister VROMI without a plan being in place.
The new Minister of VROMI will also pay attention to these matters. As a representative of the people and a former Minister of VROMI, I was very amazed by the outgoing Minister of VROMI’s list of accomplishments in his thank you letter to the people since being Minister of TEATT and Minister of VROMI. This is not a tit for tat, but the people should know what is what.
It is sad to note that all his accomplishments were for ongoing projects and for most of them he changed the plan since I was Minister about 11-months ago, and all he could have done was to initiate them for 11 months instead of completing any of these projects for the people. My question is, what was he doing in the 11 months in office other than changing former plans and listening to others make decisions for him.
As a Member of Parliament, and I would like the new incoming Minister of VROMI to look into this; if a decree and letter was given to a hotel developer for 4’300 square metres of land at Kim Sha Beach in return for developing the joint sewage plant project for the area of Cole Bay and Marigot?
Government has a responsibility to protect our beaches and not give them away. How can we give away 4’300 square metres of our beach to a hotel developer if this is indeed the case? As the school children are saying, the hotel developer that has received the land has apparently informed La Bamba (a tourist and local hot spot) that they need to vacate the area once they get the people’s beach. This is simply amazing coming from the former Minister of VROMI who should be protecting small businesses instead of closing them down, if this is really so.
As a representative of the people, I am pleased to hear that the Prime Minister is carrying out an inventory of all these outstanding projects that the former Minister praised himself about in a thank you letter to the people and take them back for the people among other matters and decisions that were taken.
Government needs to look at the other alternative plans with other local landowners for the joint sewage plant for the island in which the agreement between the Dutch and French side should be finalized in December 2015.
This Government will be getting back to basics. We have to stop giving away our beaches, historical parks and landfill, and start working in the general interest of the people.
We need to start making firm decisions not for self-interest, but instead in the general interest of the people of St. Maarten.
Maurice Lake
Member of Parliament
