Dear Editor,

  A beautiful day when a friend Roberto Verdone visits from Canada; he loves to give back for his birthday gift. So, he decided to cook lasagna with Vesna and Yannick at their location of Vesna Taverna on Simpson Bay.

  So, we all met up at Vesna from 1:00pm to 4:00pm on Saturday, where everyone’s kid was served with juice, and lunch was served. Then a beautiful 65-inch TV was gifted to those kids for their living room where they can enjoy family time together.

  Then, of course, the kids loved the Atlantis Circus where popcorn and drinks were given to them as well.

  Thank you to Intermarché Palumbo, located in Laval and Montreal, Canada, that did this beautiful gesture and celebration for our kids at Mamma Webster, French Quarter!

Jeff Jhangiani

Dear Editor,

  It might seem that I am answering the writer of the letter to you with the heading “Unemployed and overqualified” personally.

  No, this is for everyone who decides to write letters to you, knowing they are liable to be printed in the opinion page of the paper. I have had this conversation with several people who tell me that they would like to write to the Editor, but they don’t want to offend anyone.

  My parents and by extension my primary school teachers impressed upon us that one should always be responsible for what one says. That was the simple way to say it. After that there would be explanations like not being afraid and if what you say is the truth and if it is not something that was told to you in confidence, no one should be offended.

  I look at it this way. If what I think was done to me was/is an injustice, then why should I protect the one who has been unjust to me? We constantly talk, text on WhatsApp and Facebook negative things about the police, who put themselves on the line for us, but we are careful not to let the people know who is not enabling us. Or we write about it, but will not add our name to the letter to authenticate it.

  I believe that by not mentioning who, or which business owners offended him/her, the writer is not exposing bad policy and in so doing these business owners will continue to do, as in this case, what he/they have been doing for years.

  Expecting that this behaviour could be exposed, in my opinion, comes with the territory. After all, should it not be up to me to accept or not to accept the terms of employment? And by the way, which employer would not want intelligent people working for him? Would not that be based on or behaving according to what is morally right and fair?

  By not adding one’s name to the letter to the editor automatically tells me that the writer is not ready to stand up to scrutiny.

   Not everyone always agrees with what is written, neither is everyone always pleased with what is written. Just make sure what is written is based on the facts. I must mention, though, that we trust in government to be truthful and forthcoming, but because of lack of transparency of government, sometimes people are misled.

  Expose wrongdoings. Again, I’m suggesting that writers add their name to their letters to you. It will give them credibility.

Russell A. Simmons

Dear Editor,

  On Sunday morning we were the victims of an accident caused by a driver who was probably under the influence. I saw him coming straight at me around a bend in the road. Luckily I managed to steer a bit to the right, thus escaping a head-on collision. Now only my mirror was gone and the car had some scratches and a flat tire.

  The lady behind me was also struck and had more damage to her car.

  Fellow drivers immediately went in pursuit of the hit-and-run man, and we were later told that he had hit another car on top of the hill, abandoned the car and fled into the bush.

  Police came to the scene pretty fast and the first thing the police officer asked us was if we were okay or if we needed medical attention. Fortunately, we could tell her we were shaken, but not hurt. Then the two officers proceeded to deal efficiently and courteously with our stressful situation. The police officers even realized that we, as an elderly couple, might not be able to change the tire and did this for us.

  We were impressed by the professional and thoughtful way the situation was dealt with. Thank you, officers. You did a great job!

Marga and Wim Hart

Dear Editor,

  I can still remember the words “You’re overqualified” being said to me when I first entered the job-market on this little island called St. Maarten. I have worked in Aruba in the past, and I have never had these words ever spoken to me. But St. Maarten in comparison to the other islands, referring to the other five islands which were the former Netherland Antilles, seems to be different.

  I soon discovered the trick behind this way of expression, especially coming from the Indian merchants, that it was a way of gently saying; “We don’t want to employ you, you’re a local and you’re not welcome here.” Foreigners, whether they are qualified or unqualified, or even much better as undocumented illegals, are received with open arms and immediately employed.

  Dear editor, I do not have a problem with people from abroad coming here to find work. People are moving or emigrating all over the world in search of a better life. But every nation will put its own people first. If I am not mistaken, according to the law, employers must accept and employ a certain amount of local workers.

  Dear editor, there are two pending issues when it comes to employment of locals on this island. For a long time this has been the continual outcry over and over again. And up to date no government has ever taken the time to resolve this problem.

  These issues are: locals getting a fair chance of finding employment, and, secondly, to put an end to continual short-term contracts.

  With this in mind dear editor, I do not blame the foreign employers, because the root cause of this problem lies in the hands of those in authority, who need to see to it that all employers or investors must respect our labor laws when it comes to hiring or employing workers. If this is not done then all opportunity, as to do as they want, will be given to employers, in reference to not employing locals.

  I do thank Minister of Public Health, Labor and Social Affairs Gordon-Carty for standing up for the locals. Her proposition was opposed by the SHTA and, of course, the Indian Merchants Association, which led to a hot topic of discussion all the way to Parliament. But to Minister Gordon-Carty, on behalf of all locals, I would say, “Thank you. Whether some might consider it right or wrong, at least you are setting an example for a long-awaited hope for us locals. An example that others have never followed.”

  To the reaction of the SHTA’s opinion of not accepting the new policy of employing more locals, where they are of the opinion that employers will then hire less and investors will invest less, is in my opinion an excuse to keep on hiring more foreigners than locals. Foreigners, because they come from poor or less-developed countries, can easily be underpaid, overworked, abused, taken advantage of, and are afraid to stand up for their rights.

  The issue, dear editor, of not wanting to hire or employ locals has become like a cancer that began to grow undetected, and continued to grow until it has spread throughout the whole body, creating now a sense of hopelessness of survival for the individual.

  Dear editor, that’s how I see the opportunity for locals on this island, as well as for their future generation. This is the reason many locals who go abroad to study, after they have finished or completed their studies think it hard to come back to this island. There are many who have returned, but because of not receiving a fair chance, or being sent to and fro, have decided to take up residence in a foreign country where they are welcome.

  Dear editor, I don’t have confidence that this situation will ever change.

  Dear editor, election season is long gone. During the campaigns many promises, including for our youths, have been made. The campaigns are now over. The promises will be put on the back burner again, until another election and campaign season sets in.

  In either way, a new government is taking over. Our local youths here and abroad are finishing their studies, and getting ready to enter the job market. So, I am waiting to see a change for our future young locals.

Concerned citizen

Name withheld at author’s request.