Dear Editor,

  As I landed in Sint Maarten and flew over the pristine beaches of the Caribbean island where many tourists are enjoying the crystal clear water, I see signs of economic recovery and reconstruction. Tourism has picked up and Sint Maarten is being hailed as a top holiday destination again. The devastation from Hurricane Irma caused gross domestic product (GDP) to fall by about 13 percent in 2017-2018, but now there are reasons for optimism. Life on the island is recovering.
  As reconstruction investments gather momentum, GDP is expected to expand by 2 percent in 2019. Faster growth means the people of Sint Maarten, including many who lost their livelihood after the storm, will see new job opportunities.

  Just a year ago, the government of the Netherlands asked the World Bank to help the Caribbean island of Sint Maarten rebuild after the storm and established the US $550 million Sint Maarten Recovery and Reconstruction Trust Fund. Now is a good time to take stock of what has been achieved.

  The first wave of emergency repairs is well underway with four projects amounting to US $128 million under implementation on disaster response, income support, training for the unemployed and underemployed, hospital resiliency, and debris removal. An additional US $170 million is on a fast track to support small and medium-sized enterprises, airport reconstruction, solid waste management, and budget support to strengthen public financial management and to maintain a new line of defense against future catastrophes.

  Emergency repairs have produced important results: recently, the roof of the Sint Maarten hospital was repaired and upgraded to withstand a major storm. Repairs were also completed at the Philipsburg and Simpson Bay police stations. In the community of Belvedere, more than 100 homes for low income families were repaired by the Sint Maarten Housing Development Foundation benefitting some 500 people who needed it most.

  The focus is on protecting the most vulnerable, who were hit the hardest by the storm. The World Bank is working with the government through the income support and training program. Over 900 people who lost their jobs after the hurricane are receiving income support, training, and certifications to sharpen their skills and get back into the job market. The program currently benefits about one in four unemployed persons in the country and will double the number of beneficiaries by the end of 2020.

  With the support of the Trust Fund, Sint Maarten is now better prepared financially to face future storms with insurance coverage against tropical cyclones, earthquakes, and excess rainfall as a member of the regional Caribbean Catastrophe Risk Insurance Facility (CCRIF), which was developed under the technical leadership of the World Bank.

  As we move from recovery to a longer-term development agenda, our focus is now on helping the people of Sint Maarten build back better, with more resilience, and to develop tailored solutions to get the best value for the funds invested. That means ensuring that taxpayers’ money is well spent and contributes to the sustainable development of Sint Maarten.

  Building back better means rebuilding infrastructure that can resist future storms. We are working with the Sint Maarten Medical Center and the Ministry of Health and Social Services to expand medical services on the island and build a new hospital resistant to a category 5-plus hurricane.

  We share the impatience of the people of Sint Maarten and agree that much more needs to be done to accelerate reconstruction efforts. Together with the government of Sint Maarten, the World Bank is engaging with other partners to deliver more quickly and closer to the ground.

  A key government concern has been to ensure that recipients meet social eligibility criteria. For example, we are undertaking door-to-door social assessments to determine eligibility for private home repairs. A first total of 135 households will start to benefit from these repairs.

  More generally, building resilience is a long-term challenge which needs to engage all partners, including the private sector and civil society.

  We are working with the government of Sint Maarten, the Netherlands, the European Investment Bank and other stakeholders to support the rehabilitation of the airport, to fully reopen the island’s tourism lifeline and strengthen the airport’s competitiveness. To restore the confidence of private investors, the government has appointed a task force to strengthen the capacity and management of the airport and its corporate oversight, following recommendations by the World Bank. The construction of the passenger terminal is currently expected to start in the fall of 2019.

  The World Bank brings over 70 years of global experience in reconstruction and development, maintaining high standards of financial management and social and environmental safeguards. At the same time, we are keeping an ambitious timeline, so we can help produce results on the ground as soon as possible. By complementing the efforts made by the people of Sint Maarten we can accelerate the reconstruction and ensure a brighter future to all its citizens.

Axel van Trotsenburg

World Bank Vice-President for Latin America and the Caribbean

Dear Editor,

  To understand the relationship between the Netherlands and Country Sint Maarten today, it is important to understand some recent history. Some crucial parts of this history are seldom exposed in the local press.

  In the 1970s and after, the Netherlands was highly involved with the issue of development in third-world countries. The efforts to stimulate development in many third-world countries did not go smoothly. Much was written and much regret about poorly-spent funds was expressed.

  Some crucial lessons stood out. Countries that did not have strong administrative institutions were unable to effectively handle development funds. Countries that took on debt in order to build infrastructure without limitation often ended up with debt they could not repay, and their available funds were consumed by interest payments that made no contribution to their development.

  When it came to the further development of their Kingdom partners, the Dutch tried to be creative and learn from the failures they experienced. So, in the Antillean restructuring prior to 2010, they included the establishment of extensive institutions in their treaties (Parliament, Council of Advice, SER, audit chamber, integrity chamber, etc.) and to avoid the build-up of debt the CFT. In the case of Sint Maarten, the rapid development of the ’80s and ’90s seemed to suggest the possibility of a very small but healthy economy and if the institutions were to be in place, the optimist would have concluded that there was a great potential for a casebook successful development strategy.

  As we all know, the various institutions, even though they have been created with all the necessary budgets, staffing, infrastructure and statutes, have not functioned in an optimal manner. In many cases there have been results, but not on the most critical outcomes needed in the country from a developmental perspective.

  Now let’s look at the picture from Sint Maarten.

  The slave-descended Sint Maartener, who lived in what was effectively a village in the first part of the 19^th century, observes rapid economic growth from the 1950s base. Instead of benefitting directly from this, the opportunities are quickly snapped up by foreign operators. The small village community sense is heavily impacted by US television, extraordinary gambling access, development of assertive black thinking and consumerism. In the civil service many of the top jobs are taken by light-skinned consultants with high salaries whose presence is justified by the need to make the agreed abovementioned institutions work. Unfortunately, they don’t.

  Use of debt, very common on the much-viewed US media that dominated Sint Maarten, is limited by the institution dominated by the Dutch known as the CFT. It seems to the Sint Maartener as if the Dutch do not want Sint Maarten to “move forward”. The word “colonialism” is heard in reference to this mechanism without there being necessarily a colonial analysis.

  The village type communications insist that there is an abundance of money (example: high number of Dutch consultants, slow-moving Hurricane recovery, but it is not going to the majority of the electorate to the degree that matches their expectations.

  The village-type media in Sint Maarten does not deal with the possible creative development strategy that was developed in the Netherlands after their experience in

third-world settings. The man in the street is not looking at the many sovereignties, many in the Caribbean, who did get trapped by debt and inadequate institutions: the eyes are on the standard of living on US TV and in the Netherlands. Neither the strategy nor the goal is on the local political radar.

  What might be a well-thought-out strategy is not appreciated by the parties who are the target beneficiaries and worse still, interpreted negatively instead of positively.

Robbie Ferron

U.S. Consul welcomes students

I want to congratulate all students in the Dutch Caribbean who have received offers of admission from one of the over 4,700 accredited institutions of higher learning in the United States. Graduates of U.S. universities have gone on to become leaders and innovators in many fields around the world, and you should be proud of the invitation to join this special and select group of young people whose lives will be changed forever by the dynamism, openness, and quality of campuses across the United States.

  Offers of admission are the product of much careful thought and hard work, both by the students who apply and by American colleges and universities that conduct a rigorous review of these applications. We recognize the energy and creativity you poured into essays about your dreams and ideas, the hard work it took to prepare for English language and other examinations, and the commitments you fulfilled to community service and extra-curricular interests.

  Over one million international students are now in U.S. higher education institutions, maintaining the United States’ long-standing position as the world’s top host nation for international students. This is a testament to the unmatched quality of American higher education in the eyes of international students and their families.

  International students strengthen ties between the United States and countries around the world, developing the relationships between people and communities that are necessary to solve global challenges. We value inclusion, and actively support students from diverse backgrounds on our campuses. Colleges and universities across the United States value international students for the unique and diverse perspectives you provide both in and out of the classroom. American universities and communities benefit from the knowledge and talents of international students, which helps prepare all of us for shared, successful futures in an interconnected world.

  U.S. colleges and universities take pride in providing safe, welcoming environments for all their students, and I want to stress how welcome you are in the United States. Many U.S. universities have sent messages of welcome to students around the world through the #YouAreWelcomeHere Campaign

(https://www.youarewelcomehereusa.org). I join them in welcoming you to the United States, where our colleges and universities offer valuable educational opportunities to help you meet your life and career goals.

  Consular officials at the United State Consulate General Curacao and at American embassies and consulates around the world continue to work diligently to process student visa requests, and information about the visa process is available at

https://travel.state.gov/content/visas/en.html or at

https://cw.usconsulate.gov.

  EducationUSA advisers worldwide stand ready to answer questions about studying in the United States. You can find an advising center at

https://educationusa.state.gov/find-advisingcenter. For those still considering study in the United States, EducationUSA advisers can provide valuable resources to help inform your decision. With over 4,700 accredited institutions in all 50 U.S. states, there’s an American college or university that’s right for everyone. There are study options at many price points, including community colleges and “2 plus 2” models that combine study at a community college and a four-year institution to earn a bachelor’s degree.

  American colleges and universities welcome you, as do the American people and communities throughout our country.

  As the U.S. Consul General to the Dutch Caribbean, I personally congratulate and encourage those of you who have received offers of admission to accept this life-changing opportunity and join your peers in experiencing the unique value of an American higher education.

Margaret D. Hawthorne

U.S. Consul General in Willemstad

Dear Editor,

  I write as someone who was (until Hurricane Irma) an owner on the French side and someone who admired many of the things Heyliger did for the Island – in particular the causeway.

  Clearly the charges brought against him need to be tested by the country’s justice system.

  But, I was astonished to read in a report in your newspaper last week that his medical condition has worsened while he has been detained in St. Maarten because he did not have access to the drugs he required more than once a day. 

  As I understand your reporting, he is being held in the hospital wing of a prison (in a first-world country) and you report he cannot be given the drugs he needs when he needs them.

  That ought to be shocking!

Paul Flaherty