Dear Editor,
It was a pitiful moment to witness how the derailed Minister of Health Emil Lee defended the integrity of his ministry, when the vote of no-confidence became an inevitable reality. Like a drowning man, he tried desperately to grasp at the wind that he couldn’t even see, just to hold on to that ministry. But who is to blame? His lousy, combative, incomplete and sometimes non-responsive explanations have caused his tenure to reach an uncomfortable level.
Let’s roll back the curtain a wee bit. In 2014, when the minister and his party leader were quizzed repeatedly about him being a nominee for the executive branch, neither of them gave a clear-cut answer to the reporter. When the rumor was confirmed in 2015, he announced his open policy on recruitment for his cabinet. At the time, Minister Lee told this public that his chief cabinet advisor is a volunteer.
On November 26, 2015, I questioned his integrity in my article entitled “Open recruitment for cabinet, really?” After the elections of 2016, the volunteer became a paid cabinet member. Was his position advertised? No! And, all that the population got from this minister was a cocky attitude towards the press and excessive talk about constructing a new hospital. Labour and Social Affairs were totally neglected.
My article “They have become extremely cocky” of February 15, 2017, outlined his behaviour and failures in these areas.
The health situation and broken labour system just worsened under Minister Emil Lee, who was too blind to see how his lack of transparency has diminished his integrity. His constant dodging of questions from journalists and MPs [Members of Parliament – Ed.] was a testament to his behaviour. Does the population recall when the three labour mediators were hand-picked? My article “Stand up to your responsibility” of March 23, 2017, questioned the openness of these issues.
How can the public forget the numerous invitations from Parliament to this minister regarding the six-month contract? When he finally came to Parliament, the original version was completely dismantled, which left the opposition totally puzzled. Up to date, this issue remained dead on arrival. So, whose interest was he representing then and now? Is it the people or the big businesses? Assessing his mindset, I called for an immediate dismissal of Minister Lee in my article “Get rid of him” on April 12, 2017.
It was obvious that the minister has gotten very comfortable in his position and so the people did not have his attention. The weapon that he exercised a lot is his ability to pacify the population with pretty talks that lack substance. Nothing else mattered to this minister but his obsession with building a new hospital. The behaviour displayed forced me to write “Incompetence + arrogance = complete failure” on June 27, 2017.
How laughable it was to hear the minister state that if the coalition had asked him to tender his resignation, he would have gladly done so. How long have the people being demanding that the minister do the honourable thing, for failing to represent his ministry in its entirety? And to hear the same minister complain that his spouse’s business has suffered tremendously, was also ludicrous. Which is more important, politics or family?
Luc Mercelina had every right to seek the support of the opposition and send Minister Emil Lee packing. It was long overdue. The minister is the one who has created this situation. He did what pleases him and whenever the public grumbles, he pacifies us with details of the new hospital. I expected nine votes, but as usual, MP Frankie Myers is a coward. He says things that he does mean. This is why MPs are looked upon as jokers or flip-floppers.
What was also very shocking is to hear the Chairlady’s remarks pertaining to the treatment towards certain individuals. MP, look around in the various supermarkets and tell us who is considered xenophobic. What was more profound is how she graded herself, when she stated that she is not a professional, only on the level to which the people entrusted her to be. Did I hear the Chairlady correctly, or is my interpretation of a professional different from hers?
And, did I misunderstand the issue of Intaquin precisely; an entity where St. Maarten would have owned 49 per cent of the shares? Hasn’t the situation with UTS taught us anything? Chairlady, the consistent breach of integrity issues surrounding “your minister,” deserved his immediate dismissal. Get over it! A professional picks up the pieces and moves on. Be a professional.
Joslyn Morton
Dear Editor,
I have written recently some Letters to the Editor related to the solidity of our currency because I am worried that we cannot hold up the current solid connection between the Guilder and the US Dollar any longer because of the economic situation in Curaçao and its worsening financial situation over there. The result will – in my opinion – be devaluation of our currency the Guilder, being almost inevitable without strict financial efforts on the short term by Curaçao.
In that case, the prices here on SXM in guilders of goods, imported with dollars (food, cars, medicines), will increase with the devaluation percentage (approximately between 10 to 20%). Also, our loans that we have abroad or studies to pay abroad will do the same if our income is paid in Guilders. We have to think about options to avoid this.
In that perspective I came across a very interesting and clear article written by the predecessor of the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten that I like to share with you. The text is integral published below.
"According to the president of the Bank of the Netherlands Antilles, Dr. Emsley Tromp, should become dollarization a possible alternative to the monetary union between Curaçao and St. Maarten. Adopting the dollar has its advantages and disadvantages for the countries of Curaçao and St. Maarten. However, given the fragility of the islands in the current world economic order, the balance of dollarization appears to be favourable.
The islands of Curaçao and St. Maarten agreed to form a monetary union in the 2010 new constitutional structure with one central bank and one common currency. However, the vulnerability of the balance of payments forces us to consider alternatives, one of which is dollarization. Three of the five Islands of the Dutch Antilles have already the US dollar as their legal currency. Is dollarization a better monetary system for Curaçao and St. Maarten?
There are arguments on both sides of the question. Adopting the US dollar as one and only legal currency for Curaçao and St. Maarten eliminates the risk of devaluation in a possible balance-of-payments crisis. The absence of this risk will promote trade and financial investments from abroad. Also, dollarized economies can have the benefits of cheaper financial loans from abroad and lower financial international transaction cost.
One of the disadvantages of dollarization is that the authorities will lose the ability to use monetary policy to influence the economy. A second disadvantage is that the central bank loses its role as lender in the last resort for its banking system. Moreover, the central bank will lose its main source of income, namely the investment of foreign exchange reserves and the currency right from the issue of banknotes.
The first argument against dollarization can be undone by the fact that we already have limited scope under the current exchange rate regime to pursue an independent monetary policy. It has become apparent over time that small open economies such as ours rely on fiscal policy and structural measures to promote investment and growth. As for the lender in the last resort, the introduction of a bank insurance plan will address this issue. Some of the funds in such a plan may come from current reserve requirements.
With regard to the sources of income of the central bank, the majority of the Bank's profits consist of licence fees that will continue to exist in a polarized economy. The Bank's profitability can also be saved by investing its capital and reserves (including gold) at a higher yield, as they are no longer required to maintain the central rate.
In choosing the most suitable exchange rate regime for the future countries of the Kingdom, dollarization seems a viable option, given our vulnerability in the current world economic order." [end of the copied text}
This article was written by the Bank of the Netherlands Antilles in July 2009, called Dollarization as an option for the monetary system of Curaçao and St. Maarten, and can be found at: centralbank.sx/uploads/files/Persbericht%20-Dollarisatie.pdf
This is my last post about this topic. Note that if such a process is chosen, the process to have the new system in place might take almost 2 years. The year that devaluation might happen is also ultimately 2021, because it is expected that the reserves of Central Bank will by then be reduced considerably. Therefore, speed is needed to decide politically what to do because otherwise we might be too late.
I really hope that I might be wrong in this whole thing, but the current signals from Curaçao – even with an agreement decided upon between the Dutch and Curaçao today – seems not very promising (because concrete decisions and executions of it need to take place by Curacao really fast to avoid further decline, which might be a too big a challenge on the short term).
For some extra background information see my previous posts: https://www.thedailyherald.sx/opinion/letter-to-the-editor/86558-consider-and-decide-asap-please (April 5th, 2019) https://www.thedailyherald.sx/opinion/letter-to-the-editor/86751-let-us-not-wait-until-it-s-too-late (April 12th, 2019)
https://www.thedailyherald.sx/opinion/letter-to-the-editor/88166-the-solid-connection-between-us-dollar-and-naf-under-pressure-and-what-to-do-now (June 10th, 2019)
G.B. van der Leest
Dear Editor,
A sad scene played out on the Pondfill road by the old government building on Monday afternoon. Hundreds of drivers drove past a fairly-decent-sized turtle trying to cross the road. The result: someone crushed that turtle to death. It saddens that of hundreds of people passing, no one took the moment to stop traffic for less than a minute to help the turtle to the other side of the road.
We can put forward all the excuses about holding up traffic and being scared to touch a living creature, but it should be noted that a society that cares not for the welfare of living creatures is a society doomed to inflict cruelty on fellow humans.
So, please remember that we share this planet and island with all living creatures. A bit of kindness to the iguana, the kitten, a dog, a crab, that monkey or even that pigeon and, oh, man. How often do we see a turtle crossing the road? Kindness, my fellow residents of St. Maarten, for any living being would go a far way to prove that we are an island of caring people.
I look forward to seeing us as a people stopping traffic to give way to life.
A future traffic stopper
Dear Editor,
Several times I have been told that I had mentioned certain things several times in my letters to you. Sometimes I jokingly answer. As long it is well meant, as with prayers, that’s all right.
I repeat different things for several reasons. For instance, if a letter was written to you in July or August, these are school vacation months and low season in which several parents and children are off-island, so to make sure they get a chance to read it, I repeat it.
Another reason is that it makes a difference whether you read a book at 12 years old, at 16 or as an adult. The perception is different in all three periods. This is because of life’s experiences along with objective and subjective perception.
So yes, I sometimes intentionally repeat myself.
I also believe that constant dropping wears a stone. That is why I know that someone will regret acting “at will” by not dealing appropriately with our public transportation.
In your Editorial “The rule of law” I read, “When frequent infractions, no matter how seemingly small or insignificant, are tolerated too often by society, they tend to become common practice.” This part of the reason for this letter.
Someone (who, I still believe, thinks that I have D.T. symptoms) wanted to know the difference between talking on the phone while driving (using phone while operating a vehicle) and driving a vehicle with illegal tint? Both are traffic violations. He then wanted to know what the difference is between selling firearms without a permit and making a business out of putting illegal tint on cars?
In my first month in the police training school we were admonished not to embark on hypotheses while studying because that would distort the facts. The elements of the law should never be distorted. Being well grounded in the elements of the law and sticking to the facts limits the guessing game, which saves time.
Getting back to “becoming common practice”, I met a man who was here for Carnival and he told me that I should write about the way they just throw down traffic material all over the road which is confusing to people who don’t live in St. Maarten.
My answer to that is because when I say A, I should also say B, that is the responsibility of VROMI, but when I see who is carrying out those works and I know how accurate those traffic detours are laid out with the necessary signage in Holland, it strengthens what I have said on several occasions about the way we are perceived, and considered felt free to be treated. “We zullen een beetje knutselen.”
I am not a football enthusiast, but in reading the sport pages I assume that the World Cup is just around the corner. Yes, because of the way Minister Giterson was pursued after that accident, I would like to know if special patrols will be kept in the vicinity of those places of business where the games are televised and alcohol is being served.
By now we know who are the football fanatics (these days it’s cricket, Caribbean people) and how much alcohol is consumed by the supporters of the teams of their different countries, during those 90-odd minutes. Do they appoint designated drivers?
Russell A. Simmons
We, the School Bus Owners, take offence of the degrading remarks made during the budget meeting on Wednesday, June 26, by MP Silveria Jacobs, when she stated the school bus transportation is ripping off government.
We find her statement to be highly offensive and insulting towards the men and women who go out of their way to get school children to and from school safely.
Contrary to what Ms. Jacobs would like to make people believe, School Bus Owners notwithstanding their operational cost, charge a maximum a mere NAf. 75 per trip from as far as Maho to Milton Peters College, for the same price since 1987.
We would like to hear from Ms. Jacobs if there is some ulterior motive as to why she continuously bashes the School Bus Owners and through this tries to make the public believe what she has and continues to state.
For many years we have been trying to work with government in regard to school bus transportation, however, to no avail.
Our silence ought not to be misjudged. Enough is enough!
SXM School Bus Owners Association
