Dear Editor,
I have taken note of the announcement on page 14 of Thursday’s Daily Herald that the general public of St. Eustatius is invited by “Mr. M. Franco” as “Chairman of the Island Council” to attend an extraordinary meeting of the electoral committee.
Point 03 on the agenda of said meeting is: “Approval credentials of Island Council members-elect.”
As leader of the PLP, I want to again point out the following to Mr. Franco and the Dutch Government which he represents. The first one is that, based on the people of Statia’s right to self-determination and a full measure of self-government based on absolute equality as prescribed by international law, no Dutch appointee can be Chairman of the Island Council.
Secondly, based on the same unlawful act of the Dutch Government with which they pretended to dissolve the legitimately-elected Island Council of St. Eustatius, they decided not to have the Island Council elections on Statia take place on March 20th.
For the self-proclaimed “Chairman” of that same Island Council to now publicly and officially proclaim that the approval of the credentials of Island Council members-elect will take place can’t be anything else than an act of wilful, malicious deceit and incompetence. The fact that the mistake in the statement of Mr. Franco was widely pointed out and discussed on Facebook, yet still approved and sent out under his responsibility is proof of this.
It is bad enough that the people of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba have been fooled and confused by having nonsensical elections for the Electoral Council take place.
But now the Dutch Government is displaying the exact incompetence and committing the same wrongful acts they tried to accuse the legitimately and democratically elected government of St. Eustatius of. This is a downright disgrace.
Combined with the many examples of incompetence and corruption taking place at all levels in the Netherlands in the past and present, this again demonstrates that the Dutch Government has absolutely no moral authority to rule over the people of the Dutch Caribbean or any other nations for that matter.
Recently, Mr. Franco’s Deputy, Mr. Stegers admitted to having committed an unlawful act by assigning a contract to a civil servant in violation of his own Dutch laws.
Based on this latest action by Mr. Franco, I want to caution the Dutch Government against continuing their misleading ways with these malicious and deceitful actions, for they might lead to unrest among the people of Sint Eustatius.
Clyde I. van Putten
Island Council Member,
Leader, Progressive Labour Party (PLP), St. Eustatius
To our St. Maarten “leaders”,
On Wednesday, with [Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure – Ed.] VROMI’s approval, heavy equipment removed some of the last remaining trees on Kim Sha Beach for a new project, a much-needed beach bar.
One of these is the old sea grape tree near the center of the beach which we, as children, climbed and played hide-and-seek in. It has seen many a storm and survived [Hurricane] Irma stoically, only to be cut down, without a care in the world, by the very ones appointed to protect them.
And not just one tree, but many.
You would think that any intelligent person would recognize the most basic fact that we have already lost so many trees in the Simpson Bay area due to Irma and that those few remaining would be valued for their size, age and strength, but no, VROMI sees no value in petty greenery. Let’s chop them down for more alcoholic beverages on the beach. God knows we need another bar at Kim Sha.
I am so frustrated and ashamed of those in power.
When my children were growing up, we would have a game on our way to school in the morning. “Tell me the name of our Minister of Tourism,” I would ask them, and the one who answered correctly would get a point. We would go through all of our ministers, governor, king, etc.. and by the age of 8 or 9, they knew them all. We were proud and patriotic, never missed an election and I was so motivated to be a part of our island’s future.
I no longer care who is head of which department as you, our elected officials, do not care about us. Over the last few years we have lost complete respect for you. My children no longer know your names. Your total lack of leadership has made me question why we have ministers and parliamentarians in the first place. Our money pays your salaries to do what?! What have any of you done over the last five years that has benefited St. Maarten as a whole?
Instead of thinking of the future; beautifying, improving infrastructure, protecting our animals, our wildlife, citizens and greenery, you squander our money on court cases and business deals.
I was always told by my father that when you complain or criticize, you should follow up with a solution or suggestion, so I will suggest the only thing that I can think of. Replace each of those trees you removed today with two of its exact kind.
We will be watching and waiting for you to do the right thing.
Susy Maidwell
Dear Editor,
Allow me a little space to inform of what is going on with our children’s rights.
On the 26th of March I visited the Court of Guardianship for the second time this month as my children’s child support was still not showing up on my account. Last week I was told that their system was down and that this is something that happens very often.
The Court of Guardianship is supposed to be a regulatory entity, making sure that child support is paid, among other things, and yet here we are, the 26th of the month, no child support paid (it is to be paid the first week of the month) and at 11:45am on a Tuesday, no one present who can even answer to the system being up or not.
My children’s rights are being trampled upon, and this is not right, nor fair.
We are quick to react when faced with deadbeat fathers; how do we deal with a deadbeat system?
Angèle ten Holt
Dear Editor,
I would like to tell my comrades about the amazing Alberto “Betty” Daal (February 28, 1965 to September 6, 2018).
Dear Editor,
Theo Heyliger has been on my mind this morning. Politics is really a dirty sport but it will take a few of us to rinse it. Now this is a man who has spent millions of dollars of his own money to win election after election. A man who has used his own resources on his colleagues to win elections. If St. Maarten has 10 elections in one year, all of them turned to Theo. Forget the politics for a second but in their own personal circumstances and challenges, Theo to the rescue. He has been there for them. How do I know this? You all will be surprised how much I know. You know I think back at a breakfast meeting I had with Theo at Chesterfield’s restaurant and I remember saying to him, “You are the Santa Claus of St. Maarten. You just help everybody great or small.” He just smiled. … Now fast forward …
It is so nauseating to watch the same people and party members and top-ranking officials who Theo has stood with, who the man has helped time and time again, you are all quiet. Your Judas-like characters have turned your backs on him because you figure he is sitting in a jail cell and of no use to you. Sometimes when your conscience bothers you, y’all put out a little line about, “Theo we are praying for you and your family.” Spare me. That prayer bouncing back on your disingenuous souls.
Man, how can you people be so disloyal? Can you really watch Theo in his face when he gets out of detention? Some of you were nothing and Theo made you something and you betrayed him for a few pieces of silver. Shame on you!
Mervin P. Hanley
Chief Executive Officer
THG Network
