Dear Editor,

  I have noticed that our people in government as well as those aspiring to enter government continue to make promises.

  Promises they have never kept and because of past experience I would dare say promises they never intended to keep. More proof of what they actually did was to mismanage the people’s patrimony, causing several of them to be indicted. I find myself reacting because, because of the circumstances it slowed down, they are right back at the same thing again. Everybody, yes everybody, knows about buying votes, because those who are paid to vote set up others so that they can share with whoever they encouraged. It is nothing that can hide.

  It is done blatantly in public view. Voters come out of the polling station, go to the one who has to pay them and hand over the blank ballot. If they are not sure what to do there are others around to pass it on. Still our people in government do not think it is necessary to have election observers. Really. Which means that even though the majority of the population of St. Maarten is aware but does not agree with the concept of vote buying, it will be accused of being vote sellers. That is disrespecting the people and those who do that should be punished on election day. They have not done anything to be proud of.

  It has taken nine years and counting to get a simple law on the use of plastic bags to be passed and implemented. I would be ashamed to touch that law after so many years. It has been the same people at the helm, Sarah, William, Frans, Theo and their followers.

  It is time to get rid of them. They gave us a constitution full of holes, permitting Holland to continue to do what they want with us and now they want to grandstand. What the people did not know before a whole lot of us know now.

  Fact is, by constantly throwing down the government they exhausted their lackeys and now find themselves obliged to enhance the circle. Which means more friends who have a friend. And gradually we all have an idea what is really going on. So we do not want any promises, just give us a stable government. With people who do not have skeletons in their closets People who, like a Commissioner once said about me, people who can say “no” to anybody.

  People with integrity like Chacho, people who put country before self.

  We don’t want any promises of houses, that and the same pension story that is being made up now could have been in and out of the pipeline a long time ago if only we did not have nine governments in nine years with the same deck of cards.

  To be able to control the supermarkets we have to move the Customs and put them under the Ministry where those container movements could be controlled. Just like vote buying.

  Because it has worked for the bigger parties, there should not be any “election observers”. I would see the positive side and make use of the opportunity to welcome them and prove that my elections are clean, which would go a long way in getting rid of that stigma about St. Maarten being corrupt. But it seems that is a difficult chance to take also. This is not a question of every four years, this has become a yearly habit.

  So, let them keep their promises to themselves. If cost of living continues to rise and we are reaching a stage where there is no middle class, who will the UP be building those 1,000 homes for? Everybody.

  Why should I expect that after trying so many years to get them to look at what is happening with the pensioners, that it is going to happen all of a sudden? What they should seriously start thinking about is putting water tanks in the hills above every village. With good filtering and with the help of gravity we will be able to get water to all the homes for next to nothing.

  Not to forget that it is long past time for us to go over to solar panels. When I sat and talked about solar panels some young people told me I missed the boat and that there has already been a feasibility study made for placing of solar panels, but according to the schoolchildren those involved in the oil used by GEBE to generate electricity were not ready to entertain that idea.

  With all that we have happening with solar energy in all the other islands of the former Netherlands Antilles, including Saba and Statia which are also in the hurricane belt, what explanation will any self-respecting politician give to the people as a reason for not embarking onto solar energy?

  If they seriously want to help the people don’t promise them anything that you know that you can avoid with a silly excuse tomorrow. There is no reinventing the wheel necessary. Show the political will and let us get things going for the people. Guarantee us a stable government, come together, forget and avoid the deal-making, which we know causes jail time, and start by embarking on solar energy.

Russell A. Simmons

Dear Editor,

  What is cartel formation? Cartel formation is the illegal cooperation between individuals and/or companies to prevent competition when undertaking activities and to keep the benefits within their own group. For example, a drug cartel serves to gain and promote sovereignty over drug-trafficking and keep others, including justice, out.

Dear Editor,

  Marva was born in Aruba to a diverse family with roots throughout the Dutch Caribbean, including Sint Maarten. At age 7, her family chose to relocate to Sint Maarten, Upper Princess Quarter, and ever since she has made Sint Maarten her home.

  Marva has been an educator for over 36 years, and as such has experienced a very broad spectrum of the educational system in Sint Maarten. She started her career in education as a kindergarten teacher, and has had the opportunity to continue to develop herself throughout the years; being able to fulfil various functions from teaching children of all ages at the pre-elementary and elementary levels to adults at university level. She also provided instructional coaching and mentoring to fellow educators and functioned in various managerial positions such as school principal, coordinator of a college preparatory programme at USM, and as an administrator at the university level with UVI.

  In Marva’s own words: “My journey began with a kindergarten teacher's diploma and has led to a Master’s degree in Educational Leadership. This was not just a journey of hard work and dedication; it was also one of passion”. Along the way Marva also learned several valuable lessons; one of which is selflessness.

  It was through the dedication of love, time, energy and passion that I discovered and pursued my purpose. A purpose that, on a professional level saw my function as an educator, but on a personal level as a servant.

  Marva has also founded two children’s homes, namely Oasis of Love in Sint Maarten and Oasis of Hope in Suriname. In 2002, she joined her husband, Apostle Leyland Sam, in establishing Thy Kingdom Come Ministries International (TKCMI). In 2006, they also established the Believers’ Connection Convention: a place where believers in Christ could gather and unite so that we can be more effective in benefitting our society in its entirety.

  To be able to cater to the social and spiritual needs of the wider community as a whole, Marva and her husband established the Community Outreach Mentorship and Empowerment Centre, known as the COME Centre. According to Marva, “our goal has always been to provide a community and a sense of belonging for anyone who may need it. Through this extension of the ministry, we were able to erect platforms to serve the community in various capacities such as feeding programs, technical skill programs like sewing, literacy programs aimed to educate functionally illiterate, English and non-English-speaking adults, elderly support initiatives and other outreach activities”.

  SMCP is definitely proud to present Marva as the #8 Candidate. Her whole life can be characterized as serving the people of Sint Maarten in her various spheres of work, whether it is with children, adolescents or with our senior citizens. “Serving others has been my life’s work, so I know that we must serve if we want to change”. SMCP is asking you to give Marva Sam-Arrindell the opportunity to serve her country Sint Maarten.

Wycliffe Smith

Leader of the St. Maarten Christian Party (SMCP)

Dear Editor,

  With the political campaign for decision day January 9, 2020 well underway, 2020 will usher in a new agenda of what we all would like to accomplish in the New Year individually as well as politically.

  From the individual to the political parties currently pounding the campaign trail across the nation, goals, plans, projects and visions are being considered, debated and presented.

  Each and every year is a very important one for each one of us as individuals. Each day, month and year that goes by, we are not able to bring back or take back what has already gone and is considered history. We can only move forward and continue to do our best in bringing about national change for the benefit of all.

  There are many issues impacting our nation today, from the stagnation in the airport reconstruction and development project to the lack of public housing, the economy, environmental neglect, climate change and much more.

  Climate change presents a threat to our very existence as a nation. Climate change is happening! We have had the experience of severe weather – Hurricane Irma. The world is heating up and global temperatures are expected to rise further if trends continue bringing about wide-ranging and destructive climate impacts.

  The 2019 United Nations (UN) Climate Change Conference known as COP25 got underway earlier this week in Spain. COP25 is the Conference of the Parties to the UN Convention on Climate Change, UNFCCC, which is tasked with making sure that the Convention (aka the 2015 Paris Agreement, which strengthens the Convention), are being implemented.

  According to the latest climate chatter: “There is more evidence of the impacts of climate change, especially in extreme weather events, and these impacts are taking a greater toll. The science shows that emissions are still going up, not down.

  “According to the 2019 WMO (World Meteorological Organization) Greenhouse Gas Bulletin, levels of heat-trapping greenhouse gases in the atmosphere have reached another new record high. This continuing long-term trend means that future generations will be confronted with increasingly severe impacts of climate change, including rising temperatures, more extreme weather, water stress, sea level rise and disruption to marine and land ecosystems.”

  Some of the trends of commitments on a positive note are: “Small island states together committed to achieve carbon neutrality and to move to 100 per cent renewable energy by 2030. And countries from Pakistan to Guatemala, Colombia to Nigeria, New Zealand to Barbados vowed to plant more than 11 billion trees.”

  The Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte told COP25 on its opening day that because of climate change, “rising sea levels pose a direct threat to our very existence. None of us can escape the consequences of climate change. None of us can turn a blind eye to what is happening right now, and what will happen in the future,” the Dutch Prime Minister Rutte reportedly said. “All of us have a responsibility to tackle the causes of climate change and adapt to its impact. All of us – together.”

  The Kingdom of the Netherlands comprises four countries: the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao, and St. Maarten.

  Political parties who make up the 2020 Parliament of St. Maarten post-January 9 elections have to unite to bring about serious planning in preparation for climate change, because our own very existence as a nation-state is at stake. The words uttered by Rutte are also relevant and timely for St. Maarten.

  A Kingdom approach is required in order to chart a new future for country St. Maarten as well as the other partners within the Kingdom. This will require considerable investments to protect our very existence.

  We cannot allow disaster risk to outpace resilience. If we do not change, we will be bound to repeat disaster with catastrophic consequences, and we are now in a race against time.

  Climate change should be one of the key issues of political parties vying for a seat in the House of Parliament.

  Members of Parliament have to prepare the country’s readiness and resilience for future generations. We are entering a new decade, and there is no time for procrastination.

  St. Maarten needs a “Climate Change Adapt-Mitigate” Plan of Action, as our own very survival as a country depends on it. Investments made in a timely manner will allow us to mitigate the changes for generations to continue to develop a vibrant and prosperous country for decades to come.

  Let’s work towards preparing our country’s readiness and resilience in a time of climate change.

  The clock is ticking, and St. Maarten is in a race against time. We cannot afford to waste more time. In 2020 we need bold, decisive decision-making in order to move our nation forward.

Roddy Heyliger