Dear Editor,
Just like empathy, integrity is hardwired – you either have it or you don’t. For this mere fact, the population must bear in mind that most people are predictable in their choices; therefore, individuals who are imbedded in the principles of integrity do not entertain dishonesty. And, those who are entrenched in trickery will always wrestle with the laws of integrity.
The recent handling of the Code of Conduct was received with mixed feelings as this important issue got very little attention from the MPs who were in attendance. Imagine, the Chair of the committee had to beg for their participation and it took them roughly one minute to start the deliberation. Was this not a continuation of their open rejection?
There is this constant pushback and unwillingness to embrace this vital principle. Nevertheless, one MP put it best when he described the situation as “The wish of many but not a desire.” How appropriate! But, was it a genuine statement, or was he flirting with the public’s trust, in the hope to change their perception of him?
This dishonesty is the motivating force that has crippled our parliament and the many governments over the years. It is also the method that several politicians have used to divide the people – some with their predatory smile, while others capitalize on their ability to articulate the message.
The meeting also reminded me of the situation that Abraham Lincoln faced when his friends deserted him because they wanted to select another nominee for an opposition convention. As he assessed their move, he remarked, “I have faith in the people. They will not consent to disunion. The danger is, they are misled. Let them know the truth, and the country is safe.”
Politicians have failed to present the people with the facts, which has allowed them to make too many decisions in isolation and for self-gratification. Therefore, the population demands that the Code of Conduct reflects the core values of the people and not the wishes of crooked politicians and their unscrupulous associates.
This transparency deficiency that has infiltrated the government apparatus for decades must come to a halt, to increase the country’s prosperity, through the principles of integrity. For this reason, more checks and balances are needed, especially when contracts are awarded. Why do some MPs feel that preference should be given to their friends and family, even if they are incapable of doing the job?
Since 10-10-10, some members of parliament have set a dangerous trend in condoning the actions of politicians who were condemned by the court. Even MPs who have censured the disgraced politicians are praising them today. So how does the population expect them to apply any form of maturity towards the principles of integrity?
How about the many classified discussions that are held behind closed doors and later debated on air? So, what was the real purpose of these private meetings and doesn’t this kind of conduct breach the integrity of parliament? Likewise, since 10-10-10, countless meetings have been postponed due to a lack of quorum and, sad to say, all at the expense of the taxpayers. But what do they care? Their salary and pension are fully secured, whether they choose to work or hang out somewhere.
In some instances, an incoming minister would be forced to accept cabinet members from a defunct government. Why should a minister be subjected to such control? Similarly, is it not a violation of integrity that the executive management team of Princess Juliana International Airport and other government-owned companies were forced to occupy the building of a disgraced MP, even though the rental agreement at the airport was still valid?
This is a classic example of why Juliana Airport is bankrupted today – the evil hands of outside forces are in play, controlling the government and dictating to parliament. It is high time that politicians secure the people’s patrimony and stop making a mockery of integrity.
Joslyn Morton
Dear Editor,
The hypocrisy that prevails in this country is unbelievable. One minute we say locals should be at the helms at certain companies and the next minute the same persons are being crucified. Some of the MPs are emulating the call to unite for George Floyd and even “black out on Tuesday” to only use the parliament meeting of Friday, June 5, 2020, to discriminate and belittle our own. What is the difference between what’s going on in the United States by officials there and our elected officials here?
The behavior sickens me so much that I can’t breathe. So many important things to be done and here are our parliamentarians grandstanding to belittle persons as opposed to helping.
Please focus on the things you said you were going to do:
Lay the foundation to give us the 1,000 homes.
Fix the jail for our inmates, because they too have rights.
What is really being done for our elderly?
Is the landfill no longer a concern?
Where is our economic recovery roadmap?
Ann Gumbs
Dear Editor,
St. Maarten was not happy with the conditions given by the Dutch. For this reason, many have suggested independence from the Netherlands.
However, independence is not an indispensable solution to our current problem. This is because our problem is not the conditions presented to us by the Dutch. In actuality, our problem is the inability to take care of ourselves from a fiscal standpoint. As this present crisis continues to unfold in this reality, it becomes more evident that this has been a long-standing issue. Therefore, it is no fault of any particular faction or any current person in government. In fact, given the political instability, no government has sat in office long enough, from 10-10-10 to effect real change.
Many scholars, as well as the OECD [Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development – Ed.] in 2009, have heeded that small island developing states (SIDS) face several challenges regarding their economic development. St. Maarten, much like many of its SIDS counterparts, also encounters similar economic issues.
Firstly, St. Maarten is considered small, both in the territory and in population. As a result, there is low economy of scale and higher production cost for goods and services for the government. Additionally, there is a low (or an unknown) level of tax compliance.
Another notable point is the fact that St. Maarten is vulnerable to external shock; we are highly impacted by what is going on in the global market, particularly the United States. Therefore, our economic success is highly dependent on the policymakers and their ability to anticipate, mitigate, and manage these potential shocks.
St. Maarten also faces environmental vulnerability, that is heightened by climate change. The most recent being Hurricane Irma in 2017. This is a reminder of our vulnerability and its impact on the single-pillar economy, thus presenting one of the predominant issues: the lack of economic diversification in St. Maarten, as the island has a tourist-based single-pillar economy.
It is clear that we face many challenges, but the most significant challenge yet is the lack of relevant data. Decisions are difficult to make without pertinent data to give a better understanding of the problem. Taking it a step further, there is a lack of proper Census Data. Census data help us to understand who owns what, who lives where, and what are the needs in various communities. Furthermore, this information ensures that everyone is contributing appropriately, and the country's needs are being met.
The factors mentioned above render the economy of St. Maarten weak and vulnerable to forces beyond its control. Unfortunately, the GDP [gross domestic product] or GNP [gross national product] per capita may conceal this underlying reality.
Independence would mean that St. Maarten would have more options. However, these options often also come with conditionality. For example, the IMF [International Monetary Fund] and World Bank usually go for cuts in benefits, with minimal successful outcomes, might I add. Furthermore, with such vast external and environmental vulnerabilities, there would be many possible occasions for the island to be subjected to those conditions.
Furthermore, the more you borrow, the more debt you will accumulate; this also impacts the extent to which you can borrow or the interest rate you may be given while lending. This will ultimately provide our decision-makers with two viable options, raising taxes or reducing benefits.
St. Maarten has inherited a challenging financial situation; this is because St. Maarten assumed the debt of the Netherland Antilles. The Netherlands helped reduce that debt to the recommended 30 per cent of GDP. However, this was not enough. The following are a few general short- and long-term suggestions pending proper research and data collection:
Short-term
Eliminate wastage: Evaluate and reduce resources.
Strengthen our public financial management system by increasing transparency, accountability, and checks and balances while increasing fiscal discipline.
A strengthened procurement process for more clarity and to avoid abuse or wastage.
An environmental fee for our cruise-ship visitors to the island.
Enforcement of the policies to enable collection fees on government debt.
Increase the overall culture of tax compliance, strengthen our tax administration.
Complete a base-line study to evaluate the current development issues, for more elaborate actions and decision making.
Scope out and commit land to agriculture using local resources and knowledge base to create a sustainable livelihood and food security.
Long-term
Identify and negotiate the implementation of additional sources of revenue for the government.
Develop the agricultural sector.
Research of a tax system that works for all and can support the country's needs.
Improve data management systems to ensure tax compliance by issuing social security numbers.
Independence for St. Maarten is not an unattainable goal. However, there is much work to be done before we get there to get there. The Government of St. Maarten had to make tough decisions to get past this situation, which may impact several persons, including the Members of Parliament and the Council of Ministers themselves. However, the focus after that should be on ensuring that we are not in this fiscal position again.
Leandra Cyntje
Dear Editor,
I have attended many IPKO [Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation – Ed.] meetings and what always stood out to me is the fact that they are only of a consultative nature because the final decisions have to be carried out by the governments of the respective countries.
But it has been proven that the one who definitely has the final decision is the Kingdom Council of Minsters especially when we look at the process that takes place in connection with Articles 15 to 22 of the Kingdom Charter.
This has caused many disputes, which brings me to our famous Dispute Regulation.
As a matter of fact, former Member of the Second Chamber Mr. van Laar in 2001 and later picked up by Second Chamber Member van Oven presented a draft proposal to make amendments to article 14 and 38 of the Kingdom Charter which would give the other countries more authority as it relates to disputes within the Kingdom.
I listened to Member of Parliament Mr. Buncamper who wanted to know the status of the Dispute regulation. To my colleague let me state the following: in 2010 a new article 12a was inserted into the Kingdom Charter, giving instructions to the legislators of the Kingdom to make provisions to have disputes between the Kingdom and the countries established by kingdom law. The intention was, and still is, to have disputes handled by an independent organization. The Council of State was targeted to be such a body; however, the Kingdom Council of Ministers did not want the decision or advice of the Council of State to be binding.
Now after some 10 years of deliberations, proposals and meetings on this regulation, the Kingdom Council of Ministers have decided to put the dispute regulation on the back burner for 3 years, as in their opinion there are more important matters to be addressed.
I believe that the governments of the countries of Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten should protest against this and have it placed again on the IPKO agenda.
Another matter which I think is related is the document the “Democratic Deficit” prepared by the late Mavis Salomon and her colleagues. Former Minister of Justice of the Netherlands Hirsch Balin I believe in 1997 made reference to having this dispute dealt with.
I would like to know the status of this report. And I think it should be discussed in a meeting of parliament.
Mr. chairman, an issue that might not be related to the upcoming IPKO meeting but one that is ongoing for quite some time now. I am talking about the challenges our students who have studied in the Netherlands and received loans from DUO are facing. They earn guilders but are forced to pay their loans in the euro currency.
I understood that in Curaçao a special account was set up where these loans can be repaid in the local currency. I would like to know the possibilities of having such a system established in St. Maarten.
George Pantophlet
Entrepreneurs from different corners of the globe, including Curaçao, have joined forces in partnership to take on a global initiative, combining medical, technological and strategic workforce perspectives into account to remedy and support an ever-growing demand for mitigating the risks involved in our new COVID-19 realities.
The consortium consists of Cohortias (Mexico), a trusted and reliable clinical research organization (CRO), Azure8 (USA), a reputed medical device company specialized in COVID-related devices and equipment, Aeffect International (Netherlands and Curaçao), a strategic workforce company with the ability to locally execute large-scale people-related operations, and ITS Caribbean & Latin America (Curaçao) a Smart Mobility advisor and solution provider.
The intent and purpose of the joint collaboration is to remove or lessen the burden held by both private and public entities in their adjustments to much-needed measures in the fight for protection against the novel virus. According to the consortium, the best and only way to avoid quarantines upon arrival and build on a solid method to contain and monitor the virus is through intensive scheduled testing on visitors, people on the frontline and in the end, all citizens. The tests have been thoroughly evaluated out of more than 50 groups of tests based on validity and accuracy (sensitivity and specificity statistics).
“We have chosen a CE registered test with a sensitivity of 100 per cent and a specificity of 99.22 per cent, considered highly accurate and promising”, says Vipula Tailor, founder and CEO of Azure8. “This scheduled testing protocol combined with personal protection measures, distancing and adjustment of air treatment and ventilation systems should mitigate pressure on the healthcare system.”
“Specific to this case, we are providing an attractive alternative solution to the existing mandated quarantine in some countries including Curaçao, which could grant the government freedom and assurance to open borders urgently but safely. Visitors and tourists will contribute collaboratively into a negligible fee which in turn will welcome a happier and safer traveller. By the same token, residents and the populace of Curaçao will also feel safer and more comfortable, knowing that island visitors are tested upon arrival, throughout their stay and finally at departure, creating a safe, vigilant and enjoyable environment for everyone,” says Dr. Martin Hernandez Torre of Cohortias.
The overall medical and operational coordination and management of protocol is headed by the reputed Dr. Martin Hernandez Torre and the operational protocol conducted by CEO Martijn Wallert. Azure-8 with Vipula Tailor would oversee and coordinate the entire supply chain with local authorities and organizations such as Hato Airport and other relevant stakeholders. Aeffect International’s Hans Plesman would spearhead the local execution together with a team of residents working for the company. ITS and Luigi Scutto will provide technological support for tourists and caretakers by developing an application.
The solution will be entirely customizable based on client needs, introducing a COVID-19 Travel Passport to accommodate visitors, keep record of their scheduled testing, providing useful travel advice on hygiene, distancing, the COVID-19 virus, emergency contact information on the island, and locations of testing facilities. Persons for whom an app is not an option could use a traditional paper booklet as an alternative.
The solution is based on a well-constructed medical and operational protocol that will be tailored to guidelines provided by the well-known RIVM and TNO of the Netherlands.
Nick Miro
Project Manager at Aeffect International
