Dear Editor,

Just a few days ago, I got the opportunity to watch the radio interview with Justice Minister Nathalie Tackling that was aired on Friday, March 21, 2025. Minister, the discourse commanded my attention, as your answers to the questions were clear, precise and very informative. I appreciated your quick responses that were articulated with such ease and a spirit of calmness. But most of all, you’ve echoed your gratitude once more, for the privilege to serve, in this esteemed capacity.

Despite the adverse remarks to disrupt and tarnish your legacy, you’ve disciplined your emotions and rose above the adversaries, and spoke to the population from a place of dexterity and sincerity. This was a very rare performance, which surfaced automatically, because of your genuine commitment to reintegrate the core values of trust, fairness and integrity, as the cornerstone of the Justice organisation.

For this reason, I applaud you for addressing the many concerns of the public. Even though some of your plans may not have yielded the results as quickly as you have anticipated and the community has expected, in due time everything will fall into place. Contrary to what some believe or wished, Napoleon Hill sums up the situation beautifully when he said, “Setbacks are not signs of weakness. They are the testing ground of your strength.”

This quote solidified the quality of your demeanor throughout the interview, because it was evident that you were not bothered by the external noise and that your approaches to the solutions were strategic and intentional. Napoleon Hill further emphasized that, “True leaders are not noisy. They are dense. They control their emotions. They learned how to feel without being ruled. They pause, instead of react. They stay focused, when things go sideways.”

As I became drawn into the interview, it reminded me of the recently concluded tennis tournaments: Indian Wells Open and Miami Open, where two rookies snatched the trophies from their idols and left them stunned. It wasn’t that the superstars were unprepared for the game; their opponents, Mirra Andreeva and Jakub Mensik approached the finals with a mindset that was meticulous and consistent, regardless of the circumstance.

I know that you are a tennis player and that is why I have inserted this very familiar terrain that can be connected to your function. With this in mind, it appeared that you have analysed your opponent well and have adjusted to the weather conditions. To be successful like Andreeva and Mensik, all you have to do is to keep at mastering your footwork and your serve (the critical aspects of the sport), as you maintain that positive and aggressive mindset throughout the match.

As indicated in a prior article, the population needs to be kept in the loop, but does not need to know your every move. When the time is appropriate, surprise us with your results. Again, Napoleon Hill coins this situation quite well when he says, “Unpredictability is Power.” He continued by saying, “The strongest power in any game are those whose moves cannot be anticipated; whose strategies are revealed only when they choose to show them.”

Minister Tackling, you cannot imagine how much the prayer group has grown. Consequently, as you proceed on your journey of exploration, may God give you abundant health, strength and wisdom, to lead your ministry in the manner that incorporates all faucets of the Justice chain, so that no section within the organisation is left unattended.

In conclusion, always be true to yourself and to the people who have given you the opportunity to serve. Once more, I leave you with words of wisdom from Napoleon Hill who says, “The power to endure and evolve lies within you. Embrace every difficulty, not as a detour, but as a design, crafted to awaken the strongest, most resilient version of yourself.”

Joslyn Morton

Dear Editor,

The mega announcement of mega tariffs around the world took place in the Rose Garden on Wednesday, April 2, at the White House in Washington DC.

Trump’s tariffs have created economic anxiety and it’s already leading to a decline in U.S. consumer confidence which is impacting how Americans are spending their money. There has been a decline in spending on airlines, hotels and other trip components.

St. Maarten received over 332,000 stay-over visitors in 2024 and close to a million cruise passengers, more than a majority from the US market. Regional and local tourism reps will be watching the figures closely for 2025, but a strategy is needed to counteract the potential decline that we are facing as a nation.

In February, according to data from Bloomberg Second Measure, U.S. consumer spending on air travel and hotels dropped by 10 and six per cent year over year. In addition, from the same source, every week in 2025 through March 24, Americans have spent less on airfares and hotels compared to the same period in 2024.

The Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten (CBCS) this week released its March 2025 Economic Bulletin which said that St. Maarten has demonstrated resilience by recording a stronger recovery from the pandemic than initially anticipated by maintaining steady economic growth throughout 2024, and this momentum is expected to continue into 2025.

St. Maarten’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was described as “moderating slightly to 3.5 percent in 2024,” and CBCS projects that real GDP for 2025 is expected to expand by 2.6 per cent.

CBCS warns that “…trade policies by the U.S. administration could result in negative spillover effects for both the global economy and the monetary union (Curaçao and Sint Maarten).” CBCS further adds that, “This scenario may disrupt supply chains and cause sharp increases in international commodity prices, further fueling inflationary pressures in Curaçao and St. Maarten.”

CBCS: “To reduce risks from tariffs and potential trade conflicts, businesses in Curaçao and Sint Maarten should diversify supply chains away from reliance on the U.S. market. The governments of Curaçao and Sint Maarten can support this by strengthening trade relations with alternative partners through, for example, collaborative advocacy with CARICOM.”

According to the U.S. Department of State, U.S. exports to the country in 2023 was valued at US $847 million. This is what local import businesses, wholesalers and others forked out. The time has come to diversify our supply chains and our reliance on the U.S. market as suggested by the CBCS.

CBCS adds that, “… promoting local production in agriculture …,” is one of the avenues that should be explored and developed. The government of St. Maarten Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) is pursuing this avenue.

With the tariff war now in full swing, small island nations like St. Maarten and others in the Caribbean will be planning a response while others may already have been planning ahead once Tariff Trump was sworn in 10+ weeks ago.

The tariff war is a wake-up call for St. Maarten’s tourism-dependent economy and sole reliance on the U.S. market for goods and products. The country’s economic diversification is more essential now than ever.

Roddy Heyliger

Dear Editor,

The state of healthcare in St. Maarten has reached a critical point, and the negligence of the Minister of VSA is exacerbating the crisis. The long wait times at the SMMC Emergency Room (ER), inefficient costs of emergency care, and the continuous financial struggles of healthcare providers paint a troubling picture of a system in distress.

Despite repeated warnings and calls for action, to this day, the Ministry of VSA has failed to implement sustainable solutions. Urgent Care services, which provide a more cost-effective and efficient alternative to the ER, remain unsupported. Patients seeking treatment at the ER are met with excessive costs, while those covered by SZV insurance suffer from delayed or denied payments, further deepening the healthcare burden.

St. Maarten’s Prime Minister has admitted that to this day the current system is unsustainable at the current rate. However, his Minister of VSA has taken no meaningful steps to address the ongoing crisis. SZV continues to complain about financial burdens while simultaneously refusing to support a more cost-effective healthcare model, leaving many healthcare operators unpaid for over a year.

Members of Parliament have urged the Ministry of VSA to support the continuation of the HAP operations since 2024, yet these calls have been met with resistance. The St. Maarten Diagnostic Center (SMDC) has been awaiting a response to HAP-related enquiries for over six months. Due to a lack of funding and government support, SMDC’s Urgent Care services have now been forced to close for the second time, further depriving residents of essential medical care. SMDC Urgent Care was the only after-hours care option for non-life-threatening cases on the island.

The contributions of SMDC, particularly the efforts of Dr. Michael Y. Dennaoui and his son, Dr. Danny Dennaoui, have been consistently disregarded and disrespected. Both doctors, with deep ties to the island, have dedicated their time and resources to improving community healthcare, only to face baseless scrutiny and defamation. Rather than receiving support for their preventive first-response care initiatives, their reputation has been unfairly put under fire.

Dr. Pedro Arrindell, in a recent interview, echoed these frustrations, stating that the ongoing neglect and apathy towards healthcare providers must end. The government must acknowledge the contributions of local healthcare professionals and take immediate steps to ensure that accessible, affordable, and efficient medical services are available to all residents.

Additionally, recent interviews have highlighted VSA Minister’s intention to enforce stricter training and qualification requirements for General Practitioners (GPs). However, it remains unclear what percentage of St. Maarten’s current GPs lack formal training and whether they will meet the new legal stipulations. If they do not, clinics may face fines or be forced to close, drastically affecting the local healthcare landscape. Many patients could be left without access to their trusted house doctors, increasing the burden on the remaining clinics and the main hospital still allowed to operate. This move could further strain an already-struggling healthcare system, exacerbating wait times and limiting available medical services.

The people of St. Maarten deserve better. The Ministry of VSA must take accountability and work towards tangible solutions before the healthcare system collapses further. We call upon the government, SZV, and all relevant authorities to act decisively and responsibly in addressing this pressing issue.

Dr. Danny Dennaoui

Dear Editor,

For many years I have heard “Woh he getting on so for, nothing ain’t happen.” In the editorial of March 31^st, I read “This concern is understandable, it has become a custom for persons to hang around the gate and offer passengers coming out their services.” And then this was added: “As long as they do it in a tactful and respectful manner this won’t cause any problems, but that is not always the case.” If I say “As long as the grown-up got the minor pregnant in a tactful and respectful manner this won’t cause any problems.”

The following is not beside the point but it was brought to my attention that there are people who come from neighbouring islands on days when there are two or more ships in shore, rent a car for the day and yes become gypsy for the day and sometimes pick up tourists from the hotels and take them on day tours etc. All of this I blame on all the governments of St. Maarten since whenever.

There is very little that remains hidden on St. Maarten and those who are responsible for the fixing of “stuff” are still turning a blind eye to all the illegalities among the people which distracts the people from seeing that they are not doing what they were elected to do.

I do not agree that a handful of police were selected to go to Miami in order to learn how to deal with the youth. In my opinion this should be part of the basic training. The police should not be seen as social workers They are there to intervene as first responders and recognise the problems in order to be able to make recommendations.

There is an ordinance which in Dutch is the Algemene Politie Verordening (General Police Ordinance). These are the laws which are actually the laws which enables the police to enforce law and order on the whole community and not only drivers. These are the laws which are there to police the whole community.

The police is not there to rear people’s children. That is the job of the parents and I would venture to say the schoolteachers. I mention this because here on St. Maarten children spend at least seven to eight of the waken hours of a day with the schoolteachers.

When you select certain people out of a group to do special things which eventually the whole group will have to do, you are indirectly separating the group. One of the things, in my opinion, that has taken away from the authority of the police and along with that the respect due, is the change of uniform which any and everybody is now imitating. There are basic things in a police force which do not change and I miss seeing them. I stated it before and I will repeat it. Experience is what should be made use of in a police force and you do not get that by selecting who (which friend) to promote.

Russell A. Simmons