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
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. ~
Dear Editor,
It has never been my custom to request of you to publish any of my letters to you in the paper, but I feel obliged to request it of this one. On Tuesday morning I left home to get bottled water and at the same time pick up an item for my neighbor at the pharmacy.
I had just collected the water and was on my way to Over the Pond. As I turned off Sucker Garden Road into Arch Road I was obliged to stop because the driver of a small four-seat car had stopped to let three people without masks into his car while asking them where they were going. I heard this because I was obliged to stop owing to the fact that one of those people had opened the door on the street side to get in.
I travel the Sucker Garden area frequently and am familiar with the gypsy movement. I could not recognize the driver because he wore a mask. I was not able to take down the number of the car because in the meantime traffic had gathered behind me and I was not ready to block the traffic.
This is total disregard of the conditions for lifting the lockdown. I do not think that the legal buses which are now limited to a certain amount of passengers should suffer the consequences of those who demonstrate total disregard for the law.
Beside this, if through this kind of behavior, there is an increase in COVID-19 cases the innocent will again be paying for the guilty. Being on the road is not necessarily a cause for contracting the virus, but sitting with four people, three without masks, in a small car surely is.
By now the police should know that these are the types of cars commonly used by the gypsies. Short distances and quick maneuver.
Even if these people are here legally they are not working legally because “gypsy transportation” is not legal. And it should not be legalized either because this would be encouraging more people to be gypsying. The rules of the Transportation ordinance are already being trampled on with the blessings of every Minister who was in charge for the last nine going on ten years and even before that, so who really cares.
Are we really surprised that a J’Ouvert morning was illegally organized during curfew? What are we actually doing to maintain law and order in this country?
Sorry I got carried away. I’m drifting from the subject matter.
Being on the road already I decided to get some seeds for planting. When I reached where I bought the seeds and taking social-distance into consideration, I made sure and parked my car straight and between the lines.
On leaving that place of business I saw and heard four grown men, one with a mask and the other three without masks, high-fiving each other, while greeting each other. “Since this Corona thing we ain’ see each other,” etc. As I passed by I gave them a not so nice look and proceeded to my car. I noticed that someone had parked a pickup so close that it was difficult to open the driver’s door of my car and was maneuvering myself into the car.
While I was busy a man, whom I recognized to be one of the men without mask high-fiving each other just before, came to the pickup and was going to open the door of the pickup and in so doing getting close to me. So, I asked him to keep his distance. He looked at me surprised and I continued to tell him because he did not have on a mask and that he should adhere to the social distance rule.
While moving back he said to me, “You know how it is.” As I got into my car I answered him, “Yes I know how it is,” took off my mask and drove away. I avoided further conversation and getting to close to that person because winning the argument could never compensate for contracting the virus. I would be running the risk of getting to close to him.
I believe in “Know better, do better”. I left home 9:00am and was back home at 11:15am. Within that short span I encountered two what I consider blatant cases of disregard for the safety of others.
Yes, I know how it is.
Russell A. Simmons
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
Introduction.
Wars were once fought by men with weapons – but only Jehovah can fight and win this war.
I never thought
I never thought
The whole world could be brought to this sudden halt.
I never thought …
I never thought …
I can’t fathom it…
I can’t fathom it!
Is there a Supreme Being that brought us to this sudden halt?
Oh,
It is an “hard-lee, an “hard-lee”
An “hard-lee” for us to assess and turn away from the impending disaster.
Ah, this screeching halt
This daily corontine, seizes my liberty
No one understands it.
But,
- At last the line is horizontal
- Everyone one now is equal
- No special privileges accorded
- All must condone to the rules
- No exemptions
- Patrician and plebiscite must walk the same road
- Rich and poor must walk the same road
- That’s the power of CORONA 19!
Let me remind you,
“I am Jehovah
“I, only, have this power!
“Challenge it
“Buy it
“Never, never, never
“Because,
“I am the Lord
“I am the Supreme God
“Honour Me …
“Praise Me …
“Worship Me …
“I am the Alpha and Omega.”
Lena A. Gumbs
Anguilla
~ An “hard-lee” is an Anguillian cultural expression used in our National Sport-“Boat-Racing”, to prevent collision. Immediately before the boats collide, “hard-lee” is cried out. ~
