Dear Editor,
My wife and I have visited St. Maarten to vacation (at least once each year) for more than 23 years. We love the island and even visited in December 2017 to show our support and make a small contribution to the island's post-hurricane recovery. Our last visits were in December 2019 and again earlier this month, February 2020.
We have seen reasonably good recovery to restaurants and other facilities important to tourists on both the Dutch and French sides, but continue to be disappointed by the slow rebuilding of the island's most critical infrastructure, the airport.
Realizing that this rebuilding is a major and costly undertaking, it has now been nearly 2½ years since [Hurricane – Ed.] Irma, and only a small portion of the airport is open for the benefit of tourists, the island's lifeblood. In fact, as we were leaving 2 weeks ago, my wife and I heard a comment in the crowded departure area that another couple would not return because of the airport hassle, busing from/to the aircraft, etc.
We're not sure whether it is Dutch or French governments, insurance companies, or who is slowing this rebuilding, but for every week the airport is not back to full operation the island can expect to lose tourist business to other Caribbean islands.
Liz and Michael Petko
Charlotte, North Carolina
Dear Editor,
For a while now we have been hearing small talk about our Minister of TEATT, as well as criticism why we were not hearing anything from her. It is not natural for anyone to go about broadcasting to the world about their illness. Are we not aware that doctors do not go around telling the world who has what?
I read the article concerning the state of the Minister's health and I hope everyone is informed now. So, the next step is for all of us to do what I think is the right thing to do. I mentioned it before but I will mention it now again.
There is at least one church on 90 percent of the streets of St. Maarten, so no one can tell me that there is lack of prayer in our country. Now let us all get together and at some time of each day from now until we hear better news concerning the health of the Minister, say a prayer for her health.
Prayer helps, more prayer helps more.
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,
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
