Dear Editor,
I am writing about an article in the June 9 edition of The Daily Herald: “Towers employees left frustrated after meeting with management”.
My concern isn’t with the subject of the article, though I do sympathize with the “more than 60 employees” (according to your article) that are losing so much income that will no doubt result in hardships, and with the fact that they are receiving no concrete information from The Towers, their employer.
I wanted to note that The Towers is a timeshare property, and I am an owner of one week in one of the units there. However, throughout the article, the property is referred to as a “hotel”.
Many of us owners have tried numerous times to get information from the Towers management and what we do get is clearly inaccurate and misleading, and we are given the run-around, likely in the hopes that we will just be quiet and go away.
Part of the large maintenance fee we each pay annually is to cover insurance for the property. This means that there should have been a pay-out by the insurance company after Hurricane Irma, The Towers should have been repaired, the property should now be available to the owners that invested in vacation weeks there.
For a time, we were asked to pay our annual maintenance fees, but this was for a property that was essentially non-existent and not available to us. Certainly there was no maintenance and, again, insurance should have covered the damage. Most of us did pay the maintenance fee for 2018, the year immediately after Irma, but received nothing for it. We don’t know what that year’s fees were used for.
There is no communication to us from The Towers.
Instead, nothing has been done. We started hearing reports that, although The Towers was not available to the vacation owners, several staff – including Clarence Derby, General Manager – were living there. I have no problem with that in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane if housing was an issue during a crisis. However, the residency seems to have become permanent or long-term.
Then we started becoming aware of the property being used as a hotel. When we contacted The Towers for clarification, they denied it but, clearly the report was correct. The Towers timeshare owners are being kept from using their timeshare weeks, but anyone else could rent the units as hotel rooms.
We have contacted government officials, The Daily Herald, certainly The Towers and all to no avail. Mr. Ansari and his company have done as they please for their own benefit to the detriment of St. Maarteners that were employed at his property, timeshare owners that invested their vacation dollars there, and the country’s reputation. This goes all the way back to the destruction of Mullet Bay Resort by Hurricane Luis in 1995.
The government seems powerless to do anything to rectify the situation, neither for its own people that are impacted by losing jobs nor for The Towers timeshare owners that have enjoyed visiting St. Maarten year after year. I retired last year and, though I’ve only visited St. Maarten three times in the 27 years that we’ve owned – and paid maintenance fees – at The Towers (our friends also used our timeshare unit 3 times), was looking forward to now being able to spend more time there.
There is now the sense that Mr. Ansari et al are waiting us out, until we get tired of
this struggle, until we all leave.
As well, there has been a discussion (on a Towers Owners discussion board) that perhaps there is a loophole that if we don’t pay maintenance fees for a certain period, we will forfeit our ownerships. However, the paying of maintenance fees should go hand in hand with the ability to access and use the property in top condition … RCI’s Gold rating to be exact.
There has been a failure in this on so many levels. We feel mistreated and duped.
And now our timeshare property is officially being called a “hotel”.
Wishing you health and safety during these unprecedented times.
Rosemary Rudyk
Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
Dear Editor,
Each time the prime minister of St. Maarten continues to acknowledge that St. Maarten needs a multi-pillar economy. What she is talking about is an economy that relies on more than one industry. This is called economic diversification. Member of Parliament Rolando Brison, Minister Ludmilla de Weever and Minister Ardwell Irion have stated that e-commerce is an industry that can be introduced on St. Maarten. On the Prime Minister’s weekly talk show Minister de Weever briefly spoke about Fintech. Fintech is an industry that De Weever also stated that the Minister of Finance has been advocating.
In the past several years the author of this article has lobbied for the establishment of Fintech on St. Maarten. Furthermore, the author has written about the fact that Bermuda has begun taking steps way before COVID-19 to foster the Fintech industry. The Bermuda Government passed legislation to regulate this industry several years ago. Moreover, Premier of Bermuda David Burt claimed last year that 31 jobs were created through Fintech activities on Bermuda.
What is Fintech? Fintech means financial technology. This industry involves any kind of technology in financial services. In other words, Fintech pertains to transactions that can be done on the Internet such as mobile payments, software development, Go Fund me pages and cryptocurrency are some of the terms associated with Fintech.
Fintech can be used to do a lot for many businesses and persons. To facilitate an industry based online such as Fintech, St. Maarten’s internet system will have to be upgraded to accommodate Fintech and other industries based online. Legislation will have to be passed as soon as possible to establish Fintech and other industries. However, it is the only industry I am constantly hearing that the political leadership of St. Maarten is promoting. The Government of St. Maarten needs to look at other industries as well. About 10 other industries can possibly be established on St. Maarten.
This island needs as much industries as possible. Having many industries will create jobs for thousands across different sectors. It will generate possibly billions of dollars in taxes for the Government of St. Maarten. Additionally, it could provide the Government of St. Maarten a chance to save hundreds of millions of guilders in a disaster or crisis fund.
In the past two decades I have mentioned to some members of parliament about the possibility of diversifying St. Maarten’s economy. Some of them responded by asking me what is in it for them? If this country is going to diversify this cannot be in the minds of any member of parliament. All members of Parliament and the ministers must work together to ensure that St. Maarten will have a multi-pillar economy. Efforts should take place right now to accomplish this.
Kenneth Cook
Dear Editor,
The peculiar race-based history of the Western Hemisphere has bequeathed to all the people and nations of our region of the “Caribbean and the Americas” the central mission of eradicating the scourge of anti-black racism and developing societies in which the inherent dignity and worth of the black person is upheld and respected.
The people of the Caribbean region recognize therefore that the struggle against anti-black racism in our hemisphere is an inter-related one, and that we in the Caribbean are as invested in the USA, Brazilian, Colombian or Canadian components of that struggle as these nations are invested in our Caribbean component of the struggle.
Thus, whenever we witness or become aware of even isolated or random acts of anti-black racism anywhere in our hemisphere, we cringe and recoil in anguish, for we know that failure to uphold the dignity and worth of the black person in any one nation imperils the entire hemispheric mission.
And much more so is the case when what we witness are not mere random incidents, but acts that are suggestive of the continued existence of systemic, institutionalized anti-black racism.
It is against this background therefore that we Caribbean people wish to express the deep sense of revulsion that we felt when we witnessed the televised images of the callous, heartless and totally unjustified killing of the African-American George Floyd by a white police officer in the city of Minneapolis in the USA.
We suspect and fear that Mr. Floyd’s tragic death – one of a sequence of similar killings of unarmed black persons by white police officers – is evidence of the continued existence of systemic anti-black racism.
We would therefore wish to urge the Government and people of the USA – our sister nation of the Americas region – to redouble their efforts to confront and overcome this social evil.
I know that I speak for all right-thinking Caribbean people when I say that we extend our profound sympathy to the distraught immediate family of Mr. Floyd, and also to his extended African-American family who have been deeply hurt.
We would also wish to assure the Government and people of the USA that there are many organizations within our Caribbean region – a region that has confronted the scourge of anti-Black racism with some degree of success – that would readily share the insights that they have gained from our own struggle and that would be very willing to assist the US authorities in any way that they could.
David Comissiong
Government leaders and health spokespersons need to have a rational, adult discussion with the public regarding the coronavirus.
First, the truth is there is no cure for numerous viruses, including the common cold, influenza, AIDS, dengue fever, and Ebola. Even with advanced modern medicine, the search for cures, vaccines, and treatments often takes years of research and trials. Therefore, it is highly unlikely a vaccine – let alone a cure – for the coronavirus will be available soon. The reality is that we will be living with this virus for the foreseeable future. Even the World Health Organization has finally admitted as much.
Second, given that the coronavirus is possibly here to stay, it is of great importance that the public understand that “cases” does not necessarily mean illnesses. News sources report millions of coronavirus “cases” throughout the world, but often fail to acknowledge that only a fraction of these “cases” developed the illness.
A more informed understanding of the actual risks posed by the coronavirus and the many reasonable ways to manage them contrasts with the safety-at-any-cost approach of most risk assessment and public health officials. Minimizing health risks is a noble goal but until a vaccine or cure is developed, public health authorities such as doctors might never declare the world safe from the coronavirus. Should these people be dictating public policy? Delaying border openings, for example, will not make the coronavirus or any other viruses go away. One could argue it is more dangerous, as isolation will prevent natural immunity from developing within the population. Keeping one’s head in the sand hoping the problem will miraculously disappear is pointless and counterproductive.
The European Union and the United Kingdom have a combined population of roughly five hundred million. About two million more than that of the United States. The EU and UK have around 181,0001 COVID-19 deaths of late and the U.S. about 113,0002.
Despite the anti-American slant of European news sources, the math hardly adds up to the United States being the epicenter of the virus. Referring to the United States as “dangerous and too risky” as epidemiologist Dr. Izzy Gerstenbluth of Curaçao recently did is highly irresponsible. Does the good doctor really believe visitors from the U.S. pose a greater risk to Curaçao than those from Europe? The numbers suggest the opposite.
Nonetheless, whether visitors from Europe or the United States are allowed in or not will make no difference as one is not more virus-risky than the other actually. The virus exists plain and simple. Just like other viruses.
Clearly, walking back the coronavirus hysteria after months of media investment in it will require re-educating the public on what the coronavirus is and is not. It is not air-born Ebola. It will not kill you on contact. Most people exposed to the coronavirus have mild to no symptoms. The coronavirus is not the plague.
Importantly, the elderly and immune-compromised persons are at greater risk to all viruses, not just the coronavirus. The common cold virus might kill someone weak from old age if contracted too.
Irrespective of the particular virus strain, humans do what they can to lessen the impact of the outbreak, but living in a bubble should not be one of them.
Gunsor Buther
Curaçao
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
