Dear Editor,

  This article is to educate the electorate of St. Maarten more about money-laundering and the consequences that affect St. Maarten if our government does not do all in its powers to enforce this law.

  The term “money laundering” was only applied to financial transactions related to organized crime in the past. But today the definition is expanded by government regulators to include any financial transaction which produces assets of an illegal act, which may involve actions such as tax avoidance or false accounting. In a simple meaning, money-laundering refers to illegal or dirty money put through a cycle of transactions or cleansed, so that it comes out the other end as legal or clean money.

  Based on these facts, money-laundering is a serious problem in the new era and the laws against money-laundering are not completely effective because the biggest problem arises concerning enforcement. Launderers are continuously looking for new routes for laundering their funds. Economies with growing or developing financial centers, but inadequate controls, are particularly vulnerable as established financial center countries implement comprehensive anti-money-laundering regimes.

  Differences between national anti-money laundering systems will be exploited by launderers, who tend to move their networks to countries and financial systems with weak or ineffective countermeasures.

  What is the connection with society at large? The possible social and political costs of money-laundering, if left unchecked or dealt with ineffectively, are serious. Organized crime can infiltrate financial institutions, acquire control of large sectors of the economy through investment, or offer bribes to public officials and indeed governments.

  Most importantly, however, targeting the money-laundering aspect of criminal activity and depriving the criminal of his ill-gotten gains means hitting him where he is vulnerable. Without a usable profit, criminal activity will not continue.

  FATF blacklist: The FATF blacklist was the common shorthand description for the Financial Action Task Force list of “Non-Cooperative Countries or Territories” (NCCTs). Blacklisting is the action of a group or authority compiling a list (or blacklist) of people, countries or other entities to be avoided or distrusted as not being acceptable to those making the list. A blacklist can list people to be discriminated against, refused employment, or censored.

  My point is, any candidate who does not understand or who does not care about ensuring St. Maarten upholds and enforces the money-laundering laws is a person not credible and worthy of your vote.

  These are some of the consequences that can happen. St. Maarten’s economy is based on tourism. If St. Maarten is blacklisted and it appears to the United States of America that St. Maarten is not complying or intentionally not enforcing the money-laundering laws they can block all US airlines from flying to St. Maarten, they can establish a trade embargo, which is a governmental order to restrict trade of certain goods or all goods entirely with St. Maarten. This typically stems from political differences between the two nations or economic circumstances that make commercial trade undesirable.

  God forbid, if that happens St. Maarten’s economy will go in a freefall which will have dire consequences for the people living in St. Maarten.

  The electorate of St. Maarten, make it your business to make sure all political parties take the FATF seriously. Choices have consequences, choose wisely.

The Patriot Miguel Arrindell

Dear Editor,

  Several years ago I asked, why do our people in government continue to be unscrupulous where the throwing down of governments is concerned? At that time someone told me the answer is between those who are responsible and those who should  be held accountable. I know the saying “when you want to hide something from we people, put it in a book”. I want them to know so I am going to put it in the paper. Definition of accountable: of  a person, organization, or institution required or expected to justify actions or decisions.

  So, being the primary cause of something and so able to be blamed. Definition of responsible: Having an obligation to do something, or having control over or care for someone, as part of one’s job or role (in charge of).  The difference between accountability and responsibility is that responsibility can be shared, but accountability cannot. Being accountable not only means being responsible for something but also ultimately being answerable for your actions.

  After going over those two definitions and after reading that Minister Irion wants evaluation of SGs, I said to myself it took a while, but we are on the right track, because not too long ago another young politician mentioned the same thing to me. I told him about the responsibility and accountability. But as you know, with me is out with the old and in with the new, so hopefully this becomes a trend. Chacho started it by showing that he is a man of his word, which is the direction I think that any self-respecting person in government should go.

  It seems that all of a sudden the same things that were proposed and disregarded are suddenly being dealt with. I have always said that efficient secretaries create good bosses, but they can also cause their demise.

  But my initial intention was not for writing about SGs because I have decided years now that they should be held accountable. Wiser heads thought they knew better, but we all know what has happened in the last nine going on ten years.

  My intention is to call government’s attention to what is going on with the children of Sundial School. I do not think that using and screaming obscene language to each other from one side of the road to the other is becoming anyone much less schoolchildren, within earshot of their school. The person to whom I gave a lift said to me, “You did not  hear anything yet.” Some  bus drivers lock the bus door because they do not want them on the bus. And when you see that even the Chinese from the supermarket don’t want them in the supermarket.

  The last paragraph was hearsay, but I definitely heard the use of obscene language.  I  know that the former Minister of Education was looking for a solution for the unacceptable behavior of the schoolchildren in the St. Peters area. I think a solution should also be sought for the Sundial School area.

  Now this last week an auto mechanic asked me to explain him about the lights on a motor vehicle, because he refused two jobs to put what he thinks are illegal lights on a motor vehicle. One thing brought the next and then he asked me if I was willing to find out what will be legal during the political campaigning, because he is seeing cars with all color lights in the back as well as the front, some flashing, you don’t know whether they are turning or not. Lights flashing red in the back you don’t know if it is hazard lights or what.

  I told him he could be a traffic police, because he knew just as much about the illegal lights as I do. But his reason for asking me that was job motivated, because he explained that if all this time the police are not doing anything about those cars with all different color lights all over the cars, just now every political party is going to put on the lights the color of their party, so he does not want to lose out on cashing in for some jobs.

  So, I told him whether the police are or are not doing anything about the illegal lighting on motor vehicles, that should not  stop him from being responsible.

Russell A. Simmons

“My humble, down-to-earth character and naturally caring personality allow me to connect with people of all walks of life without prejudice”. This is one of the ways that this remarkable SMCP candidate describes herself.

Dear Editor,

  I have heard a lot of nice talking the last days and weeks by politicians.

  About care for the people and roofs on houses and helping those in need. However, I did not hear those words much before election time and now suddenly they popping up!

  Do people of Sint Maarten still have faith in politics? That is what I ask them in the talks I have. My observations can be read below.

  The (almost) 10 years of being autonomous did not show much progress, so it seems. At least for sure in the perspective of the people I speak, the common people with lower middleclass income or less. People from here, being born here.

  Did economic improvement really help them?

  More money came in indeed, but to whom did that money go? The common man did not see much increase in his income. However, a lot of the illegal immigrants did. 

  Illegal immigrants providing cheap labor from abroad, somehow seemingly not touched, being able to earn a good living soon after immigration, partly because not contributing to tax- and health premiums. Therefore making faster money than local people. Local people having to pay their taxes, health insurances and school fees for education of their children. A struggle for life. Feeling sentiments of neglect and abandonment by those who should represent them because why does it seem as if (illegal) immigrants and illegal labor are not touched?

  In fact a large group of undocumented people walking along our streets, desperately looking for jobs, a situation encouraging illegal behavior and destabilizing the labor market at the end and therewith potentially our society as a whole. And this is something that is going on for years and years. And we vote and we vote but with no indication that this important issue which touched the common man is really taken seriously.

  For example; how many times the last years did Parliament pressure the Minister of Justice and the Minister of VSA on this matter and demanded being accountable on the enforcement of regulations in place?

  That is the feeling of several people.  And that is what – in the perspective of those people – happened during all those years of governance, causing a feeling that it does not really matter if you vote and which party.

  Are politicians really contributing to the quality of life of those being from here? So far they feel being left alone, neglected and abandoned by their own representatives. Can we really expect something from the politics for the people from here? That is a basic question popping up frequently in the talks I have with people.

  It is up to the politicians to convince the people that they (the politicians) be reliable, trustworthy, accountable and really will do something concrete for the people. They have lost confidence and are tired of voting without tangible results.

  Politicians, tell the people please in what way you concretely and really will contribute to their quality of life.  It is about restoration of trust! To convince people that they may have faith in politics because from now you really will step up for points of interest of the people such as labor, immigration, health, housing, education. If you do not succeed in gaining trust, those people will feel to have no reason to vote. A bad thing in a democracy. 

Geert van der Leest