Dear Editor,
How much longer will the Council of Ministers continue to strive on their immaturity and further stagnate the progress of this country? Haven’t these appointed officials come to the realisation that they are being listened to and analysed all over the world? This childish behaviour cannot be the mode in which ministers keep responding sarcastically to matters that require a simple, concise and intelligent answer.
Case in point: the Chairlady of Parliament devised the concept to have a Question and Answer Hour to accommodate the pressing inquiries of MPs and to better serve the public. Instead of embracing the idea, most ministers found that the suggestion does not warrant their time, nor their efforts to research the information and relate it to the Members of Parliament. What a sad situation and a very harmful state of affairs!
Hearing two of the meetings by chance, I expected a relaxed, casual, yet professional interchange. Instead, it was the usual combative, non-substantial discourse by a former teacher and school manager – a person who previously and desperately pursued the position of Minister of Education, but especially during the UD formation. If he was given the desired portfolio, what would be his responses to the MPs and journalists, in regard to that ministry?
Why the sarcasm? And, why does he read everything from a paper, rather than exercise his skills as a teacher? The Question and Answer Hour is a golden opportunity for him to set the tone for his colleagues to imitate, but instead, he displays this don’t care and spiteful attitude. How depressing it is to see someone who stood in front of a class and went on to be a school manager exhibit such behaviour in a position that is just temporary.
Joining the bandwagon of sarcasm is the Minister of Finance Perry Geerlings, who was so critical when he was an MP. Why does he allow Members of Parliament to irritate him when he understands their role? Why not be more professional in his deliveries and responses, rather than expressing derisive remarks and fighting with the MPs? This is plain juvenile and a spectacle of limited education.
In fact, the entire Council of Ministers has disappointed the population. Their performance is the worst ever. Two of them are competing to see who can speak the best; one mumbles everything; another speaks, reads and acts like a third grader; whatever this minister says, one has to take it with a grain of salt; one minister is intimidated by his former colleagues; and it’s quite difficult to follow the trajectory of this other minister, who has not gained traction in a field that he is familiar with.
The biggest downfall of this Council of Ministers is that they are not willing to take advice from anybody; not even persons within their own party who have the expertise to guide them through. If the ministers listen to the press briefings and their presentations in Parliament, they would realise that all of them have received a failing grade. If one has to snatch the paper from them, what kind of dialogue would they have with the press and the population?
This Council of Ministers needs to take a page from local professionals who were invited to Parliament to speak. Experts like Joane Dovale-Meit – Audit Chamber; Eileen Healy – Mental Health; Nadya Croes-van Putten – APS; and Nilda Lynch-Arduin – Ombudsman. The common factor among these specialists is that their discussions were transparent, smooth and easy to follow. Why? They understood their roles and responsibilities and then they dialogued from a place of knowledge.
Attorney Roland Duncan and Richard F. Gibson are two individuals that I missed in their capacity as ministers. They also had the ability to apply and impart their knowledge to the community unsparingly. When they spoke, even the unschooled were duly informed, because they were passionate about the portfolios that they represented.
It has been proven that one cannot express what he or she does not possess. I wish there was a way that the population could dismiss this Council of Ministers with immediate effect. It’s an ungrateful and useless bunch that feeds on their egos, rather than being indebted to the community for giving them the privilege to serve!
Joslyn Morton
Good day Soualuiga, and greetings to all,
As Christians at home and abroad celebrate this season, we are thankful to the Almighty God for the good tidings of great joy!
As a people, this year we were able to move progressively into the new Sint Maarten after Hurricane Irma passed by. At this point, many of us are sitting in a comfortable home, surrounded by our loved ones and enjoying a day off from our regular jobs. We are overcoming together and for this good news, we can celebrate even more!
Our homes, stores and streets are lined with beautiful decorations. Yet, the most beautiful decorations remain the smiles on our faces as we greet each other and the warm hugs that we freely give away this time of year.
The gifts are wrapped and waiting under the tree and many have been exchanged. I remind you that “it is better (even more blessed) to give than to receive.” You have the power to be the change that our country needs as we rebuild with a new attitude. So, let your best gift be the gift of Positivity throughout the year.
It is a marvellous sight when we look around and see all the lights! Looking ahead, when these bulbs are powered off, I encourage you to be the light in your corner of the society. Continue to shine. You are the light of the world!
There will be lots of food, prepared with joy and love. As you enjoy this time of feasting, remember those who are less fortunate among us. Maybe you will pack a grocery basket for a family, or contribute to a food drive, or even share a meal box with someone who is not be able to provide for him- or herself. Whatever way you can, please share with the needy.
We are grateful for the love of friends and family. In this final week of the year, many of us are privileged to be reunited with our loved ones. Wherever in the world you are, Sint Maarteners, we wish you the warmth of home, family and love.
Let there be peace on earth.
Let the Prince of Peace reign in our hearts.
As we celebrate this season, let us live the way Our Saviour taught us by loving our neighbours as ourselves.
As Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, I wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
Wycliffe Smith
The gendarmes Download
By the Ton load
On sandy ground Road
Becauz the people blocking
The road
While in great bay town
Tourist stuck by boatload
Cauz we problem in Marigot
Just OVERLOAD
And we country Running
Full speed down hill
on the wrong side of the ROAD
We moving fast cauz
wee going down hill
We going brake kneck
Speed
In a 70-mile zone
And everybody singing
To Ah different tune
The politicians singing
SEMSAMAR is mine
While the people saying
Nearer my God to Thee
And all ah wee
Paying the Tax fee
AND NONE AH WE
KYAN SEE
That them politicians
Play games with we
For whether te be
SEMSAMAR
SANDY GROUND
OR GRAND CASE
PLAYGROUND
THEY ARE ALL
IN THE COLLIMARE
And they all going down
Cauz we problem OVERLOAD
So we must DOWNLOAD
Raymond Helligar aka “Big Ray”
Dear Editor,
I have taken note of the media reports about State Secretary Knops’ admission to the Dutch Parliament that the government which he himself unlawfully appointed, broke the Dutch law it was supposedly sent to Sint Eustatius to uphold. In the case in question, acting Government Commissioner Stegers, in violation of the Dutch laws and the principles of integrity and avoiding conflicts of interest, awarded a construction contract to the company of the President of the Democratic Party and senior policy advisor in the Governor’s Cabinet for years.
The blatant hypocrisy of the Dutch government, which I have pointed out on numerous occasions in the past, is once again fully exposed in Mr. Knops’ letter to the Dutch Parliament. Just looking at the history of the Dutch government’s actions around the world, the many Dutch politicians who were prematurely forced out of office in disgrace the past few years, and the recent case of the exorbitant payments to Mr. Brons, the revelation that Mr. Stegers knowingly acted in violation of the same law he was supposedly sent to Sint Eustatius to uphold comes as no surprise.
It has once again been proven that the Dutch government had no legal nor moral authority outside of the Netherlands itself. Contrary to the vague and unproven allegations in the report of Mr. Refunjol, which Mr. Knops used as a pretext to unlawfully depose the legitimate government of Sint Eustatius, the case of Mr. Stegers’ violation of his own laws is clear. It was clear enough for Mr. Knops to send a long letter to the Dutch Parliament admitting Mr. Stegers’ violation of the Dutch laws. Yet, no further action is being taken against Mr. Stegers, other than conveniently changing the law.
As is usually the case when Dutch government officials act illegally, Mr. Knops first goes into a lengthy explanation of the law to distract from the real issue at hand. He then attempts to downplay Mr. Stegers’ violations, indicating that “it will not happen again”. The fact remains, however, that Mr. Stegers should have known his own Dutch laws. Mr. Knops ends his letter with another attempt to justify or downplay Mr. Stegers’ actions by indicating that he will examine if the current laws are suitable for the small scale of Sint Eustatius.
Ironically, the islands’ elected governments have been making this exact same point since the talks about constitutional reform began back in 2006. Dutch government commissioned studies also indicated that exceptions should be made to certain laws, based on the small scale of the islands. The Dutch government ignored these requests and studies, stating that Dutch law is Dutch law, and therefore applicable to the islands as well. It is the height of hypocrisy that the Dutch government is only willing to make exceptions when their own officials are caught breaking their laws.
The fact that this matter only came to light via the media, and not via the democratically- elected Island Council of Sint Eustatius, clearly exposed the reason why Mr. Knops does not want elections to be held in March of 2019.
This entire affair again exposes the unlawful Dutch occupation of Sint Eustatius as a farce. It also supports and underscores the legal cases which the legitimate government of Sint Eustatius has filed against the Dutch government.
Mr. Stegers’ actions are another embarrassment to the Dutch government, which not only unlawfully implements laws on a foreign people and kills democracy, but then turns around and knowingly violates those same laws.
In his letter to the Dutch Parliament, Mr. Knops refers to a technical advice that was prepared for the contract in question. Assuming that acting Island Secretary Mrs. Malvern Dijkshoorn-Lopes and interim Director of Economy and Infrastructure Mr. Anthony Reid were both involved
in drafting said technical advice, it would stand to reason that they should have also been aware of the violation of the Dutch law which Mr. Knops refers to.
In light of the transparency promised by the Dutch government via the so-called “cooperative Platform”, I am hereby calling for the immediate and full disclosure of the awarding process and technical advice to the people of Sint Eustatius.
Clyde I. van Putten
Island Council Member and Leader of the Progressive Labour Party, St. Eustatius
Dear Editor,
Merry Christmas and a prosperous New Year to all our visitors and the entire population of St Maarten.
Both in the private and public sectors, one love with peace; togetherness; prosperity and blessings from above.
Cuthbert Bannis
