Dear Editor,

  The spirit of compromise seems to be in short supply these days. A pity really and also a bit baffling. The coronavirus does not discriminate. With few exceptions, every country, creed or color must accept that they/we are not safe from the virus. The only action that is safe requires us to stay apart; the so-called social distancing. At first, we had to “stay apart, together” to survive. This solidarity, at least from a health perspective was automatic. Economically, the situation is quite different.

  “Lockdown” has caused financial “knockdown” for most in the private sector. While the COVID-19 might not discriminate, the same cannot be said for the consequences of fighting it. Some people who can’t work because of the lockdown are feeling the pinch of no, or less money coming in. The ones without income must have a hard time understanding why their experience of “we in this together” is different than that of, for example government workers (civil servants), whose financial survival is the direct responsibility of the government. Our civil servants have yet to fear what most of us in the private sector are experiencing: “How will my boss be able to afford my next paycheck if there is hardly any money coming in due to the lock-down?”

  There is a need for over US $200 million to artificially keep the economy of our “half of the island” on life support for the next 6 months awaiting either an effective medication and/or vaccination for us to go on with life living with COVID-19. For some, or all, of this huge amount of money (and more if 6 months are not enough to invent medication to fight the virus), we turned to the only (reluctant) provider of financial support (fair or not): The Kingdom Government (read: Holland). They have made it known that, once more (like it or not), their financial support comes with conditions.

  At this point, I invite everyone to read the opinion of one Mr. Armand Hessels on page 10 of the Antiliaans Dagblad of Saturday, May 23, 2020. Those that do not read Dutch will need Mr. Google to translate and replace “St. Maarten” where he refers to “Aruba”.

  But back to Holland’s financial support: In the opinion of “Political The Hague”, everybody must give up something. For the politicians, it is 25 per cent of their compensation package (salaries and fringe benefits). The government-owned companies and subsidized entities must also cap their salaries and fringe benefit packages.

  It really should not have taken the Dutch government to demand this. Like other Caribbean countries, our local politicians should have taken the initiative. But, they did not, and now we are here dealing with the most contentious part of this imposed solidarity: the demand for a 12.5 per cent across-the-board cut on civil servant salaries. Unions do not want to hear it, civil servants are upset, and future liquidity support for government (to amongst others, pay those same civil servants) depends on it!

  We can argue all we want, but the clock is ticking, government agreed to the Dutch government’s terms and it is time to be practical and compromise. Solidarity means that we recognize the common interest. At this time, whether we like it or not, St. Maarten needs liquidity support. That support comes at a price. There is no PLAN B. As it stands, solidarity requires that those who can bear it the most, give up some salary for those who cannot.

  In the private sector (PS) where the applicable labor laws have made all the PS employees the responsibility of the businesses they work for, the employees are nervously awaiting when they can go back to work and whether or not the business where they work will be able to get SSRP support, should business “suck”.

  And let us not forget the multitude of self-employed businesspersons like our taxi drivers and bus operators, totally dependent on movement of people and the influx of tourists. Unlike the civil servants, they are not thinking about vacation pay, bonus, or legally set pay-scale increases. They just want some money, so they can put bread on their tables.

  From personal experience I know that many civil servants are of goodwill and doing their jobs when and how they are supposed to. But this is not the time to be mad at Holland. Not now. Those of you, especially in the middle and higher scales, who are not part of the essential group, should consider giving up that 12.5 per cent in order to get paid at all and to allow the cleaner and other lower-scale government workers to keep getting the little they get.

  And how about this: Instead of singing, shouting out on radio programs, clapping and honking horns to show our gratitude for those civil servants who face risks and dangers of COVID-19 on a daily basis, like our Police Force, VKS, EMS and other front-line health department workers (the ones that truly are out in the field risking their lives for all of us), why don’t we ask our Council of Ministers to identify these civil servants and on short notice propose to the Dutch providers of financial support that these civil servants should be excluded from the mandatory 12.5 per cent cut on salaries and benefits. That should be our collective “thank you” to the civil service front-line workers and our way of showing them some solidarity.

  We are all in this together, right?

Michael J. Ferrier

Theo Heyliger has been sentenced to five years in prison for taking millions in bribes and money-laundering. Theo gave his car keys to consultant Ronald Maasdam, who “mediated” on behalf of all kinds of construction companies, including the Dutch company Volker Construction (Volker Stevin). Maasdam put dollars in an envelope, folded it in a newspaper and put it in the car. Theo Heyliger is not just any politician, he is still the big man behind the current government.

  The same government that the Netherlands has to cooperate with to combat the corona crisis in St. Maarten. The Netherlands has to lend hundreds of millions to Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten, because the islands are out of money. Before we do this, however, the Dutch Parliament wants guarantees that this money will not end up in the wrong pockets.

  Politicians such as Theo Heyliger have made large profits, but have neglected the island. For example, the prison is a terrible place that does not meet the most basic human rights. It is ironic that Heyliger is locked up for five years in a prison that he himself neglected so much. That he has been convicted is the result of an investigation into the connection between politics (the upperworld) and the criminal (underworld) on the island.

  After Hurricane Irma the Netherlands allocated 600 million euros to help St. Maarten recover, but the reconstruction is dramatic. The course of events surrounding the airport is typical – 100 million euros was made available and Schiphol Airport was prepared to help rebuild the airport. A great offer for an island that is so dependent on tourism. The only requirement that the Netherlands set was that the money would be well-spent and not end up in the wrong pockets. Subsequently, local politicians suddenly tried to make this project fail.

  The Netherlands now has to lend hundreds of millions to Curaçao, Aruba and St. Maarten again, because coronavirus pandemic has hit these countries hard. State Secretary Raymond Knops made reasonable demands for this, that the politicians also need to pitch in and that the rich people on the island need to pay taxes. Members of Parliament in St. Maarten, the smallest country in the Kingdom, earn more money than politicians in the Netherlands. In fact, they have the highest salaries of all Parliaments in the Kingdom.

  All political parties in the Netherlands, from coalition to opposition and from “right” to “left”, on Wednesday supported the loans to Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten. But all parties also wanted to set strict requirements. State Secretary Knops accepted a previous proposal from me to demand discounts on the fees of the politicians on the islands. This also received broad support. The reactions from St. Maarten were predictable. Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs called the demands an “indecent proposal” and “a slap in the face” by the Netherlands.

  Still, I know that people in St. Maarten are happy that the Netherlands is finally pushing forward. For far too long, a small elite has been able to enrich themselves, at the expense of the poor on the island. The people keep getting slapped in the face by their own politicians, because of corruption and favouritism. I want to help the poor on the island and that is only possible if we also tackle the corruption. Hopefully, with the conviction of Theo Heyliger that finally started.

Ronald van Raak

~ Ronald van Raak is a Member of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament for the Socialist Party, and is a member of the Second Chamber’s Permanent Committee for Kingdom Relations. ~

To our current Leaders,

  Over the last two months we have all had a bit of unexpected extra time thrown at us and if there is one thing we have learned from all of this, it is that when not at work and at school, humans want to be healthier, more creative and more productive.

  And that Cilantro is the hardest herb to grow.

  What a shame it would be to go through this profound experience and not come out of it with improvements to our livelihoods.

  It is for that very reason, that I would like to make some proposals that could have huge consequences on the future of our little-big island.

  Firstly, please find a way to keep our additional marines and visiting officers as long as possible, maintaining the emergency status if necessary to allow us to justify the need for them. Not only are they easy on the eyes, but once our ports open, visitors will come, but ONLY if they know that St. Maarten is safe.

  The regulations that have been imposed over the last few months have had dire consequences on people’s incomes and due to lockdown, we have not yet experienced the huge spike in crime which is sure to follow. Please, maintain the police presence that we currently enjoy, in every neighbourhood, and make a one-year plan to bite down on crime in a serious manner.

  Permanently stationed controls in touristic areas like Mullet Bay, Pelican Keys, Philipsburg, Oyster Pond, Guana Bay, etc., where robberies, car theft and muggings are too frequent, should become the norm. Please create a safe environment that does not end when the lockdown eases.

  Secondly, it is very obvious that if given the opportunity, St. Maarteners want to exercise and spend time outdoors with their families. Please use the areas that are derelict and forgotten, such as the ring road which is currently being used for the storage of containers (what the heck is that about?!). Remove these illegal “warehouses” that shops are using to store their merchandise, and clean up the area, creating walkways, pedestrian bridges and signage which could include information about the birdlife and fauna.

  The areas on both sides of the Simpsonbay causeway could also be improved to allow more recreational areas for people to enjoy. Have you seen the amount of fitness enthusiasts using those areas? Let’s encourage them with additional safe environments like this to continue on their path to a healthier lifestyle.

  Enough with the building of hotels, businesses, warehouses. We need green spans and recreational areas that are centrally located, easy to access for everyone and maintained to show pride in our island. A healthier  and happier population will result in a more financially secure country. Do not miss this opportunity to do good for our future.

  Thirdly, this lockdown has proven to us that tourists are not the main contributors to garbage and littering. Our very own people are leaving an incredible amount of waste wherever they go. For the first time ever, the walking trails are full of garbage left by newly motivated hikers, and last week, Kim Sha Beach was left covered in bottles, plates, cups, etc. How sad to know that we are the ones polluting our own home, and not those visitors we continually blamed over the years.

  Having said that, a tremendous opportunity has been presented in the form of cleaning up our environment. If ministers and parliamentarians could pass legislation to maintain the 15 to 20 per cent reduction in their salaries, those funds could be allocated to a great team of legal residents needing work. They would be responsible for specific areas and report to a team leader. If that area is not maintained and kept clean, the job goes to another. Simple solution to an ongoing problem.

  In closing, please remember that tourists will not travel to a dirty, unsafe and unfriendly destination. An improvement to our environment in the way of green span creation, cleanliness and safety will make all the difference for the success of St. Maarten.

  Do not miss this opportunity to be better.

Susy Piscione

Dear Editor,

  I commend the Government of St. Maarten for making a very hard decision in order to ensure that we have the collective means in order to survive the economic crisis that this health crisis has forced on everybody.

  Reducing people’s income of individuals that are already struggling is a very unpopular decision. Unfortunately, the reality is that under this world pandemic nobody has been waived of experiencing some form of sacrifice.

  True leaders must lead by example and make the hard choices when called upon.

  Regardless how tough the conditions are we still must be thankful to the Netherlands and their taxpayers for their assistance.

  Now more than ever we need to be even more vigilant to see which neighbor may require our assistance in order to ensure we alleviate and minimize their struggle. As the saying goes, “it takes a village.”

Ricardo Perez