Dear Editor,
Do allow me the space to respond to the article of Mr. Sneek published in The Daily Herald, dated December 5, 2016. To begin with, Mr. Sneek, I must acknowledge that you developed the game of “pointing finger” into an art, forgetting that the other three fingers are pointing squarely back at you.
When I took office in July 2013, in your archive you left behind, I found the final proposal between the then administration and KPN, spearheaded by you as the Commissioner of Telecommunication. It is the same document I dealt with since governing is continuation.
I rejected the proposal in the meeting with KPN for the following reasons, namely:
1. KPN would take over Eutel NV without any interference and input of the local authority, and
2. The right to go over to downsizing personnel to reduce the personnel costs. These conditions were unacceptable to me and I am proud to say that on behalf of the people of Statia, I rejected those conditions.
Mr. Sneek, this was your proposal and it was ready for signing at least three months before you were voted out of office. Seeing that the document was finalized, why did you not encourage the Executive Council to sign off on it? On the other hand, without any hesitation, you insinuated that there was self-interest on the part of the then governor on this matter. One would wonder to what extent your self-interest as a businessman played in delaying the signing of the document.
Seeing the fire with which you are trying to convince the people of Statia whose fault it is that UTS is in Statia, tell the people why you did not finalize this agreement with KPN. By the way, 4G streaming was not part of the package, but understandably you needed to balance out your frivolous argument.
Mr. Sneek, since you are coming out of a culture that developed over the centuries from grabbing and milking others through overpowering, hence the attitude of KPN, I must assume that you never had the privilege to develop the sense of self worthiness. l can fully understand that words as patrimony, self-respect and cultural heritage are meaningless concepts in your mind. We on the other hand, brought up by the village, were exposed time and time again to these fabrics of community/society togetherness and for that I am thankful for the ability of perception to value my fellow man over the years.
KPN, not a dominant telecommunication company in Europe, was only interested in dealing with Statia for their bigger plan, namely, getting a foot in the door to the Caribbean for expansion. This policy development was in line with the just landed and finalized fibre optic cable, the gateway to the Caribbean. So if KPN really wanted to provide our people with all the goodies as you so eloquently put forward, why the need for full control?
Mr. Sneek, I rather do with less than have more and be at the will of a third party, and that is what I meant with “I will never sell Statia’s patrimony,” something that you will never come to understand in this life time.
Reginald C. Zaandam
