Dear Editor,
Over the weekend I listened to several sermons and thought that there was a theological consensus because all the sermons that I heard were based on envy, jealousy and greed (Genesis 4, Matthew 14) and to what extent one would go to satisfy those urges.
My desire remains for those leaders in government who have been there for years, and have not done anything to prevent strangers from entering our kitchen, to leave. I believe that this is because of greed.
Growing up my grandmother, who was an exceptional cook and who fed the village, would always say, “I will feed you but I don’t permit any strangers in my kitchen.” In 1956 my grandmother immigrated to the USA and 25 years later (1981) I heard Betico Croes say the same thing during a political discourse. If I can remember well, Dr. Claude Wathey also used to advise the same to the people around him.
Of late there are so many strangers in the kitchen that the owner of the house can’t even get in herself. Lately I have and will continue to advocate for change until those 15 in Parliament realize that the government is actually in their hands and that they should get together to do great things for Sint Maarten.
I will not comment on the newly formed government and the last set of newcomers, but regrettably I have to say that the majority of those 15 have permitted greed to get the better part of them and, just like the rest, want to know “what’s in it for me?” And because of what is becoming common practice nowadays my answer is “Jail time.”
Someone told me that my hope for them coming together is wishful thinking and asked me if I had forgotten my Dutch proverbs. He reminded me of “Vele varkens maken de spoeling dun” (Where the hogs are many the wash is poor). In the past I would mention “know better, do better.” I would blame the Dutch for not correcting right away, but laying and waiting.
During the course of time, however, I found out that stubbornness on our part played a big role in us not getting the adequate help. It was a case of when I was under your roof you could tell me what to do, but now I am in my own house so you don’t have a thing to tell me.
The Dutch being older and wiser with a lot more experience of how things go, knew that we would stump our toe and suffer the consequences. Of late the consequence is jail time.
What I never understand is that we do not discern what is good for us. Over the years thousands of Antilleans have gone to Holland and established themselves there, paying their taxes and adhering to the social laws. Many of them came back and let us down here know how good things have been up there.
Instead of copying the good things as I always say, we down here let greed get the better part of us and we cannot enjoy each other like the original St. Martiners did. We do not have time to pick up each other’s clothes off the line anymore when we see the clouds forming. Our guilty conscience would not permit us to look each other in the eye and in so doing we could not and cannot stand together and let Holland know “You shall not divide and conquer.”
If we define who is a Sint Maartener, the next step would be just as the neighboring islands have determined for themselves, their people first, the Sint Maartener first. And Holland should not be reluctant to stand by us with that because that is where the word “allochtoon” originated.
Russell A. Simmons
