Dear Editor,
I have taken note of correspondence received from law firm Hoeve & Rogers with some frustration, the law firm having been contracted by various SMHDF [St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation – Ed.] tenants in their Belvedere community.
Dear Editor,
I had the privilege and honour of being a member of Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley’s delegation to the 18th CARICOM Heads of Government Conference on the CSME in Port-of-Spain, Trinidad on the 3rd and 4th of December 2018.
In my estimation, this particular CARICOM Heads of Government Conference will go down in history as a major “breakthrough” conference – a conference in which the leadership of the Caribbean Community took a critical and irreversible turn towards the establishment of a concrete “production-integration” agenda for CARICOM and towards the development of the necessary inclusive economic planning and decision-making structures that MUST undergird concrete and implementable “production-integration” economic projects.
Evidence of such a burgeoning production-integration agenda may be found in the forcefully expressed commitment of our Heads of Government to the following projects:
(1) The establishment – in collaboration with the Caribbean private sector and organized labour – of a “fast ferry” maritime transportation system linking our CARICOM member states together.
(2) The delivery – in collaboration with our Caribbean private sector and organized labour – of the long planned and highly anticipated Caribbean Food Production project.
(3) The creation – in collaboration with our Caribbean private sector and organized labour – of a comprehensive Pan-Caribbean news and information network.
(4) The creation – in collaboration with our Caribbean private sector and organized labour – of new financial instruments to leverage the US $47 billion in savings that Caribbean citizens currently deposit in regional bank accounts at an almost non-existent interest rate, and to deploy a portion of these financial resources in the form of desperately needed investment capital – investment capital that will earn significantly higher rates of interest for our people.
(5) The development – in collaboration with Caribbean private sector and organized labour – of a new Renewable Energy industry.
The key phrase in all of these important production-integration agenda items is “in collaboration with our Caribbean private sector and organized labour”.
The emphasis by our Heads of Government on a commitment to collaborate with the private sector and organized labour in the planning and executing of regional economic development projects emerged naturally and organically out of the intense interaction which the Heads of Government had with key leaders of the Caribbean business sector and with the regional Trade Union movement at the very commencement of the Conference.
You see – in keeping with the wishes of Prime Minister Mottley, the Prime Minister with lead responsibility for the CARICOM Single Market and Economy – a representative grouping of Caribbean business leaders and trade unionists addressed the Conference.
The spokespersons of this private sector/labour movement grouping included Trinidad and Tobago private sector leader Mr. Christian Mouttet, Mr. Michael Annisette of the National Trade Union Centre and the Caribbean Congress of Labour, Mr. Gervais Warner of the Massy Group of companies, and Mr. Ralph “Bizzy” Williams of Barbados’ Williams Industries, among others.
Having heard from the business and trade union leaders and digested their declarations of support for the CSME project and their willingness to collaborate with regional governments and with the CARICOM Secretariat in planning and implementing regional economic development projects, the Heads of Government declared a commitment to ensure that – going forward – representatives of the Caribbean business community and of the regional Labour Movement will be included in virtually all of the planning and decision-making processes of the Community.
In addition, the Heads of Government made an extremely significant decision to amend the Revised Treaty of Chaguaramas in order to include the Caribbean Congress of Labour (CCL) and a new representative body of the Caribbean Private Sector as “associate institutions” of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM).
This new development will complement and add strength and reach to the decision that has already been taken by the Heads of Government mandating the Government of every single CARICOM member state to establish – at the national level – a “Business, Labour, and Civil Society Advisory Council” on CARICOM.
This national institution – known as the BLAC – is to be the location of consultations (at a national level) between government, the private sector, the trade union movement, and the wider civil society on all aspects of the Caribbean integration agenda.
Thus, we are finally beginning to see in our regional integration movement the emergence of a critical mechanism and methodology for inclusive regional economic planning, decision-making, and implementation!
It seems to me that we are gradually finding our way towards the indispensable economic planning mechanisms that will put us in a position to be able to establish a concrete and meaningful industrial development plan for our Caribbean Community, inclusive of a detailed and coordinated strategy to develop well planned import substituting industries to tackle our collective US $4 billion annual food import bill and our US $6 billion annual trade deficit with the outside world.
I fervently believe that CARICOM turned the proverbial corner at the 18th Special Heads of Government Conference in Trinidad. And it now behoves all sectors of our regional society to take note of this new development and to play our own roles in supporting it and taking it forward.
David Comissiong,
Ambassador to CARICOM,
Barbados Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade
Dear Editor,
The headline on page 3 of your newspaper, dated November 9, 2018, reads, “St. Maarten Day not a national holiday, persons who work to get 200% pay.” Another article on that same page makes mention of businesses permitted to be open during the holidays.
As a businessman I applaud the opportunity given by government for businesses to trade on these days. We must provide the opportunity for our cruise visitors to shop. It is one of the amenities the cruise lines require from destinations to offer. Because of this, the practice of trade during the holiday seasons is permitted by law and employees are required to work if so requested by their employers.
And besides, additional income is always welcome. Business owners expect to earn additional income during these festive holiday shopping opportunities. Government expects to collect various taxes from this practice. This is additional income that will benefit business owners and government.
The employees on the other hand, get to: 1. be away from their loved ones, 2. work for barely manageable pay, and 3. pay higher taxes due to additional income. 200% may sound impressive, but the reality of this is that the additional earnings are added on the total salary amount for that month, which increases the amount paid on taxes for that month and leaves the employee with nothing much to show for their sacrifice.
If we sincerely seek economic development, it will have to be in such a way that it truly benefits all involved. Therefore, I suggest that government provide incentives in order to motivate the employees. Let the Council of Ministers, soonest, take a decision and introduce a policy that later will be converted into an amendment to the labour law, that no taxes shall be deducted from overtime pay earnings derived from national holidays work performance. This will in no way compensate for separation of families during festive seasons, but at the very least it will somewhat provide better financial compensation for the employees who are obliged to make that sacrifice.
To the business owners I want to suggest sharing a little bit of party atmosphere with your employees on all these festive days if you do not already do so. Some snacks and soft drinks and maybe some music and friendly interaction during work, a cup of wine, a handshake or a hug and a sincere thank you before leaving work, will surely liven the spirit of your employees. In this way, everybody makes sacrifices and everybody benefits.
Now, as my article also makes reference to St. Maarten Day, I take this opportunity to write my opinion on this and another related subject. St. Maarten Day is not a national holiday. Why not? King’s Day is an official national holiday and is celebrated as such in the Netherlands and the rest of the Kingdom, and it commemorates the birthday of kings and queens of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Aruba celebrates the National Anthem and Flag Day. This is also an official national, public holiday and it commemorates the attainment of separate status by Aruba from the Netherlands Antilles. Curaçao celebrates Flag Day and Curaçao Day. Both are officially national public holidays. Curaçao Flag Day commemorates the sighting of the island and Curaçao Day commemorates the actual discovery of the island.
Yet, St. Maarten Day is not recognized as an official national holiday. We have our discovery date, let’s make it official. Let us make it our National Holliday. Many before me touched on this same subject, yet government does not see the importance of this. If for any reason our discovery date cannot be commemorated as an official national holiday, then we must identify another one.
The St. Maarten song is not our National Anthem. Why not? Or why do we not have one? Is this what we consider to be St. Maarten Strong? How can we uphold this slogan when we refuse to accept or create an identity? We have a St. Maarten song that has been debated for a while for its acceptance or not, as our National Anthem. Nothing more is heard of this. Yet we all stand for this song at our official ceremonies and other celebratory activities. Is it really so difficult to make a decision? Either accept the song as our National Anthem, or write a new one.
Do we understand why we get no respect? Do we not understand how these hypocritical decisions or lack of hurt St. Maarten and actually make us St. Maarten weak? For the sake of country and its people, for the sake of our recognition and for goodness sake, please let us build St. Maarten Strong.
Louis R. Engel
Dear Editor,
It is a well-known fact among economists and aviation professionals that the growth of a region may depend on the development of its airport. You may start laughing, but Grand Case airport and French St. Martin are no exception. Call it a secondary, underdog, relief, or satellite airport and when you’re done with your outburst of laughter, take a look at the argumentation below. Aeroport Grande Case does have a realistic potential of being developed into a player of its own unique kind. As for the expression “relief airport,” the day after Hurricane Irma's passage, the airport was operational for relief flights, despite some damage.
It will unlikely ever become an aerodrome where masses of tourists from all over will arrive. Currently three airlines (Air Caraïbes, Air Antilles, St. Barth Commuter) serve the airport with up to eight daily flights to Guadeloupe and three to St. Barth. It is an insider tip that the pricing of flying from Grand Case to Paris via Guadeloupe is worth looking into. As funny as it may sound, such is also a domestic flight since it is all about the Republique of France and even all within the European Union. Grand Case could easily handle another airline and destination preferably with the aircraft types that currently land at the airport, the ATR for up to 72 passengers.
There is another side to look at things. How about “Business Airport St. Martin/Aeroport d’Affaires St. Martin”? Recently, French President Macron arrived on a business jet, of course owned by the French Government. This aircraft type, called Dassault Falcon 7x, could fly to Grand Case and back from all cities the on the West coast of the USA and also Chicago, Atlanta, Memphis and Houston. It could come from Mexico City, Quito, Lima, Bogota. This is just to mention some cities. Let it be an eye opener. It all depends on the type of aircraft that is able to handle the current short runway of Grand Case airport.
For the development of Grand Case airport as well the economy of St. Martin, it is important that the runway will be extended to 1,500 meters, as soon as possible. When realized, the larger types of long range of business jets could come to St. Martin from all of the Americas and Europe as far as Moscow, and the Middle East as far as Dubai. Of course, also some larger scheduled commercial aircraft could land.
There is no business to do on Saint Martin for these jets to come, you may say. Not so fast! These same type of “flying machines” are used by high- and ultra-high-net-worth individuals for their leisure trips. A different kind of tourist. The word tourist may be an insult; let’s call them “elite visiteurs.” Studies have shown that the landing of one such an aircraft typically means an on-average contribution of approximately US $65,000 to the local economy. Every visitor arriving on a private jet is a potential investor in the region. They may invest in real estate or commercial property when they like the destination. And they are known to be repeat visitors who are loyal and willing to assist a community.
They are demanding and don’t accept mediocracy, but they have no problem to pay extra for excellence. They often try to avoid big airports if there is an alternative nearby. It is simply because they want to avoid masses and like things fast and easy. Their flight crews are the same, they want fast access to where their aircraft is parked. Grand Case has the advantage that it provides the ground handling services and the fueling. All the services are provided by one company, the airport. This aviation segment is lucrative for the airport, because it takes no more than two persons for the handling of the aircraft. Smaller airports can provide fast and exemplary
high-quality services when managed well. Those are all points where Grand Case can make a difference and develop a form of uniqueness.
As stated in beginning, the growth of a region may depend on the development of its airport. It cannot come from the airport alone. The region has to develop in a synchronal way. If one has an airport that stands out as business airport or as airport servicing St. Martin as a “destination élitaire,” the surroundings have to follow suit and serve the needs accordingly. St. Martin has the potential but also some shortcomings.
The unique property “La Belle Creole” that was a five-star resort devastated by Hurricane Luis is still not redeveloped and is an eyesore. It could be developed into a five-star hotel/resort complex and residences. A development that attracts the wealthy upper-class who arrive with their private jets. Not only do they contribute more to the economy because they spend more, but they also expect the services of qualified service staff or providers which results in well-paid employment. Who can be against that?
There may be reasons why the property has not been restored yet. One would tend to say that it needs a “mover-and-shaker” to get things going. There is an amount 35 million published. Just think! Serious investors expect a 10-15 per cent return of investment. That means that with every progressing year that there is no operational activity, someone loses 3.5-5.3 million annually of not-realized return of investment. And St. Martin loses out on opportunities and significant contributions to its economy. Now, it is a “lose-lose” situation that needs to be turned into a “win-win” situation
It would go too far to further get into details of how the collectivité, its business community and tourism segment should plan, act and develop. The objective here is to provide food for thought with regard to the airport development. Realism? I’ve been there. I was in charge of business aviation development for an underdog airport in Switzerland that had Zurich International Airport as its rival. Yet, I was able to make the underdog the preferred airport of the operator of the largest fleet of business jets (140) in Europe. Although the odds were against me, I was able to make a turnaround and the airport received more revenue from business jets than from commercial scheduled traffic without losing any of the latter, but rather by increasing business aviation traffic.
But, this is not about me, it is about the potential of Grand Case airport and St. Martin and creating a synchronized plan of action.
Commander Bud Slabbaert
Commander Bud Slabbaert is the chairman and initiator of the annual Caribbean Aviation Meetup conferences that will be held in St. Maarten/St. Martin June 11-13. This fourth annual international results- and solution- oriented event brings together airlift stakeholders from both the aviation and tourism industries, as well as government authorities. Commander Slabbaert’s background is accentuated by aviation business development, strategic communication, and journalism.
Dear Editor,
It is with interest, that I read the article on the front page of The Daily Herald of December 13, 2018, headlined: “Brison pays past due training bill from Tourist Office stint.” According to the article, the MP in his previous job, at the Department of Tourism, received funds from government to ostensibly attend a training course related to Tourism. Part of the amount received was earmarked to pay for that training course. Seemingly, this payment did not take place, at least not at time of the training, or when it was first due.
It seems from the article that only when the MP was called out on his failure to pay did he rush to do so yesterday, more than a year past due. Are we experiencing a Rolando Brison “déjà vu” event? Remember the missing funds when Brison worked for Winair? In that case, the good gentleman misappropriated funds as well (US$30,000-plus). Winair was gracious enough not to press criminal charges, but instead allowed him to pay back the money that went missing, only to have him renege on the deal. That prompted me to write my first Letter to the Editor dated August 14, 2016, regarding the man’s financial integrity, or rather, the lack thereof. At which point, Mr. Brison made a second deal to pay back Winair.
Starting to sound familiar? I can’t say for certain why he did what he did, but given his modus operandi, I am speculating that it has to do with politics. In the Winair case, he ultimately needed to clear the slate in order to run for political office, and in this case, he holds a political office and wants to maintain his soap box. I might add that, thanks to transparency, at least the monies got paid back to the rightful owners in both cases, albeit with some delay. If there is a moral to this story, it is that there is truth to the saying “A leopard does not change his spots.”
Michael J. Ferrier
