Dear Editor,

  Today is a bitter/sweet 30th Anniversary Celebration for my person as a long- serving family member of our local university, University of St. Martin (USM). I have seen the university from its infancy grow into an adult educational institution over the years. I am very passionate to see our local university grow, but it is still to be recognized as our national university.

  I am happy to see that our local university has graduated more than 750 alumni who hold key positions in the public and private sectors of St. Maarten. USM has produced some of St. Maarten's top Directors, Managers and Leaders within our community and government. USM needs to aggressively market its success rate through its Alumni Foundation.

  Mr. Editor, I am very happy to celebrate such a big achievement, but the question that’s still lingering in my mind is the vision of where does USM go from here? Where would USM want to be in the next 5 to 10 years? Is government serious about moving forward to recognize our own national institution of higher learning on the island?

  I can't understand why government finds it so hard to recognize and support our own institution. I was very amazed by government’s decision not to run all of the World Bank funded hospitality training programs through USM in collaboration with another foundation. I have seen our own USM family who was very vocal on these same abovementioned issues forget their own university’s struggles. While they moved into government, they just left USM in the hands of the government bureaucracy with no end results.

  As a former MP, I tried my best to complete the legislation process to recognize our USM which is just stuck in the long administrative process. I am very disappointed on how we have treated our own local university over the years.

  We can't just say we love our local university and have USM struggling for 30 years with their image and to be recognized by government, while still producing the best professionals in the region. Government needs to stop the patchwork and implement a structural solution of funding to our local university. USM has lost over the years some of its best Management Team members because of the lack of vision, seriousness and sense of direction of where we want to take our local university.

  USM Board and Management also have a big role to play in revisiting their vision and social responsibility to our community. We need to get back to the vision instead of being all over the place with our curriculum and the future development of USM.

We need to get our successful Alumni Foundation more involved in marketing our university.  I find USM is too passive in their approach of marketing USM to the public. We also need to stand up to any government to recognize and invest in their own educational institution.

  USM’s Board also has to reactivate their Fundraising Committee to look for donations as other universities do with their Alumni Foundation. USM should get in contact with its Co-Founder, Ambassador Dr. Husang Ansary, and find out why he is donating millions to other universities in the United States and not helping his own local university that he helped co-found with the late Dr. Claude Wathey.

  I find it amazing that none of our local representatives, who are close to Ambassador Dr. Ansary, never questioned him why he doesn't care about his own university. We need to stand up for our own local university!

  In closing, as we celebrate our 30th Anniversary, let us start thinking of getting back on track of finally making USM the key to a brighter future. USM should be the corner stone to educate our people to become leaders of the 21st century. USM must be a top priority and not just a vision with a lot of talk without action by any government.

Maurice Lake

Dear Editor.

  We have been coming to St. Maarten/St. Martin for about 16 years and we’re writing because we want to see the island succeed and continue getting stronger. Thank you for publishing “Of National Interest,” an editorial drawing attention to the exceedingly long time that it took for visiting passengers to get through airport Immigration last week.

  We were in that crowd at the airport that your paper photographed last Friday afternoon. The line wound from the tarmac and around the building, stacked eight deep in a rope line slowly snaking toward only three Immigration booths that were available in a small, unwelcoming space inside. Each booth had two officers each, and one of the booths was devoted to residents until all were moved through. There were no welcoming or informational signs or explanations for the delay.

  For us, the process took one hour and 20 minutes. We know the Princess Juliana Airport and The Friendly Island can do better than this because we were here four months after Hurricane Irma. Devastation in the formerly beautiful roof-damaged airport was worse at that time, but arriving and departing passengers were moved through separate large tents with relative efficiency. Last Friday, the airport arrival situation was off-putting, especially for new visitors, and it is disappointing to read that it is not an unusual occurrence.

  Another concern that needs to be addressed: Lack of lighting at night on the beachside boardwalk. Nothing bad has ever happened to us on the beach, even before the boardwalk was built and extended around the bend toward the boat docks. But for new visitors, the lack of lighting deters people from visiting restaurants – some of which have closed, unfortunately, in recent months. In our state, Michigan, our current governor won the election by promising to “Fix the damn roads!” I hope that voters in the next snap election will find and support new leaders who will “Fix the damn lights!” This should not be difficult or expensive to do.

  While we’re on the subject of making visitors feel welcome – what’s with the wrecked vehicles, trucks, and now a dilapidated green passenger airplane fuselage on the walking path from the cruise ship dock? Bobby’s Marina, we’re looking at you. Please get rid of the wrecks, fix the fence, and clean up the walking path a bit. First impressions matter.

  St. Maarten/St. Martin is now competing with large island parks, such as Labadie (Haiti) and Perfect Day at Coco Cay (Bahamas), built by international cruise companies with Oasis class ships. Those experiences are fun too, but this island has hills, varied beaches, wonderful restaurants, shops, two unique national cultures and other attractions that the other islands do not have. Some creative island promotion and signs directing people to things like the two new zip lines and other attractions would help immensely.

  We are very pleased to see all the progress that has been made since Hurricane Irma. And it was good to see the St. Maarten/St. Martin Day parade down Front Street, the 12 Metre Regatta racing with three boats again, fresh paint everywhere, new shops and even the yellow classic car replacing the Irma-smashed one that was sitting in the middle of Old Street last time we were here. Please continue the progress, St. Maarten/St. Martin – our Land of Sun & Sailboats. We love you and will be back again soon.

Elaine and Terry Donnelly,

Livonia, Michigan, USA

Dear MP Emmanuel,

  Please, show a bit of respect towards the taxpayers of St. Maarten by showing some interest and sit up properly during Parliament sessions. I believe our tax money is paying you well enough to at least do the bare minimal of showing some professionalism.

  You are not in your home or on the beach. Stop lounging around during public sessions. This applies for all Parliamentarians. Please, you are a representative of your people. Show some respect and some interest for your job.

  Thank you.

A tax paying citizen

Dear Editor,

  The administration of the Trust Fund by the World Bank continues to generate much discussion and tension. And while the recent report by the Ombudsman, titled “Home Repair – A Revelation of a Social Crisis” zooms in on deeper social issues than solely housing, that report as well highlights the dire circumstances of several persons in need of urgent help with their homes.

  It could be coincidence that not too long after this report by the Ombudsman was presented, the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB) organized a meeting for applicants in the home repair program.

  What matters most to me is whether these applicants have received any definite word as to their status. Are they all eligible? When will they get the help? What percentage cannot be assisted?

  While in my opinion this project is one of the most important social projects of the Trust Fund, there are other questions regarding Trust Fund projects and programs.

  On October 24, I therefore requested a meeting of the Committee of General Affairs of Parliament to receive this update from the NRBP and the respective Ministers.

  Another topic of concern are the funds available to St. Maarten in the context of the European Development Programs. There seem to be some serious bottlenecks and it is not clear if the deadlines for these projects will be met.

Sarah Wescot-Williams

Member of Parliament