Dear Minister De Weever,
We are writing this letter to thank you for giving us a chance to rehabilitate and to help us with our job here in Curaçao, at the same time.
Some of us were lucky enough to try and gain from the situation we were placed in. But the blame and heat goes to the Director of Sint Maarten who lied to us inmates about the relocations where we will be gong.
We will be the first to say that in the beginning it was very hard, because some inmates never spoke the language Papiamentu, but we were mostly angry because the Director lied to us about where we were going to.
We can talk all about ourselves in which this situation turned beneficial as an inmate, or shall we say as a person. We started to learn three new languages: Spanish, Papiamentu and Dutch. When we had no lessons we asked the SDKK Activity Department to help us and they did happily knowing that we were from Sint Maarten. We showed interest and we learned what we didn’t know first when we came here.
When the first six months expired, we assumed we were going back, we the inmates were prepared to go back. But then the Director of the Pointe Blanche prison extended the time longer without contacting inmates’ family or the inmates themselves. We can say that we called the prison of Sint Maarten a lot of different times to speak with the Director, but every time they were too busy to talk. The only persons that could have tried to help us inmates and calm our minds were the social workers, Mrs. Gumbs and Mrs. Lake. No other people from the Sint Maarten prison with the means to help us.
We consent to stay in Curaçao until the prison is fixed, because that’s why they sent us to here in the first place.
After the hurricane Sint Maarten had no form of resocialization, no school lessons, no bible classes, nothing. We are now a year here in Curaçao and the SDKK prison (Sentro di Detenshon I Korekshon Kòrsou) and they provided us, on your and Minister Girigorie’s request, with jobs to help ourselves. And now some of us have a choice to go to school and learn Spanish, Dutch and Papiamentu.
Again we, the inmates of Sint Maarten, residence in prison SDKK in Curaçao, thank the SDKK staff and the whole Management Team of SDKK, but most of all Mr. Urni Floran (director, for putting his shoulder under this), Mrs. Malvina Cecilia (Head Unit Corrections, who didn’t hesitate to make this happen), Mrs. Sheila Celestina and Mr. Etienne Martis (members of the sewing department where we are located, who helped teaching us everything with care and professionalism), and most of all Mr. Carlos Gomez (sewing master from the Pointe Blanche prison, relocated in Curaçao for this special project, who is the undiscussable ongoing teacher we ever knew) for giving us the chance to work, learn and most of all for believing in us and giving us a chance in SDKK in Curaçao. Thank you people of Curaçao.
Inmates of St. Maarten in Curaçao.
Dear Editor,
I had just left UTS from paying a bill, yes, I still stand in line instead of going on line. I believe the more people go on line the less jobs become available and because it seems as if there is no incentive for the government of St. Maarten to be innovative and look for secondary means to fall back on when our tourism is not any more as it used to be, I am walking the talk. Along with that, because of increasing cybercrime and credit card and ATM schemes I believe the longer business could be handled personally I will stand in line.
Not to forget that there is very little personal contact with each other anymore. Everything is via the cell phone. Haven’t we all been complaining about the way we are being attended by those people in the government building. I believe that that good morning and good day and that smile has been replaced by the cell phone. So, I will stand in line smile, greet everyone, even though some people are surprised when one enters a building and wish them a good morning or good day with a distinctive voice.
Coming back to where I started this letter, when I ran across a long-time acquaintance who was back on the island to repair her home which was destroyed by [Hurricane – Ed.] Irma, in talking about construction the name utilities came up so the conversation turned into “where all the local hardware stores gone?” Names like Carib Lumber, Builders Paradise, Van Grieken, Wilmart, Island Material and so on were mentioned. There was some old talk so competition against the locals was mentioned.
I have mentioned several times that because of the infrastructure of St. Maarten, is so that if you are on the road long enough you will meet several people at least twice a day so once in a while a conversation may start and, as usual, depending on the relationship with each other certain information is passed on. I have learned to be a good listener and thanks to the Lord my memory is still alright. So, there are some things that come to mind in connection with government not protecting the locals against unfair competition.
Because we live in a hurricane belt and it is inevitable that we will be threatened or hit by hurricanes certain members of the St. Maarten Island Council and later Members of Parliament have made deals with persons who were willing to make deals with investors got involved in the hardware store business, sold their products at less than the purchase prices (bought for $10, sold for $8) and in no time the local St. Maarten hardware stores could not compete anymore and were obliged to close doors. Consequence is that there was no control on the prices in the hardware stores. And when government was approached by the local businessmen with what was happening the locals were told that that is free enterprise and the government could do nothing about it.
Case in point, because of price gouging by the hardware stores after Irma government was obliged to publish the maximum prices that the people of St. Maarten should pay for products at the hardware stores. So, this made it impossible for the local aspiring entrepreneur to do so. One could not take the risk to grow in one’s own country because one was not and is still not protected by government. So, I have to ask like that lady: where are all the local hardware stores?
When I told someone that I was going to write a letter to the Editor of the Herald concerning this, he said they help outsiders come in, now they themselves are suffering because things have gotten out of control. The outsiders have grown so powerful, so they themselves can’t get building material for themselves anymore so they decided to do the only thing they can do is to fool the people by publishing maximum prices which they should pay for building material.
I read that the French side accepts that they are been plagued by gypsies. When are we going to try to curtail what is happening on the Dutch side? Don’t we know that it is so blatant here that a few guys living on Anguilla are so brazen that on busy ship days they rent a car for the day and transport tourists around the island?
By the way, I still feel offended by those who voted against the “safe school plan”.
Russell A. Simmons
Dear Editor,
This topic is for people to think for themselves.
Social justice is a political and philosophical concept which holds that all people should have equal access to wealth (wealth redistribution, which is communism), health, wellbeing, justice and opportunity.
In political and social sciences, communism is the philosophical, social, political, and economic ideology and movement whose ultimate goal is the establishment of the communist society, which is a socioeconomic order structured upon the common ownership of the means of production and the absence of social classes, money and the state.
Communism includes a variety of schools of thought, which broadly include Marxism and anarchism, as well as the political ideologies grouped around both. The deception is the word equal access to wealth, you have to create wealth and that comes from individual responsibility. You cannot legislate wealth. Wellbeing is for the individual to perform to achieve his or her goal, it is the government task to provide opportunity for all.
Justice has to do with what is right and fair? It is not right to take from people who achieve more and give it to others who have achieved less. Is it right to take points away from A students and give it to D students to make it equal and so call fair? No, that is wrong.
Healthcare is a necessity but it comes with a price and a responsibility also. The best way to afford healthcare is to create wealth. That is why government has to be innovative to create opportunity for the masses to become more self-reliant. You cannot tax people to death and expect them to become more self-reliant.
Free market capitalism opens the door for people to do business and endeavor in business by entrepreneurship. To create wealth is to lower the taxes which creates more jobs in turn produce revenue so health care can become affordable. But social justice (equal access to wealth or wealth redistribution is in fact making every person equally poor. Feel free to disagree with me.
But notice, Hugo Chavez and Maduro try that in Venezuela, look at the end results, it leads to destruction.
You have never seen people from a capitalist country run to a socialist or communist country, it is always the other way around that because social justice equals communism.
Social justice has been practiced for the longest while with the deception for the common good of all. And the end result is always destruction.
The key to success is for government to provide equal opportunity but to be successful, that is the individual responsibility. Social justice tells people they are victims and that it is the other person’s fault they are poor. That ideology is a recipe for disaster. It creates hatred and jealousy and leads to anarchy.
No system is perfect, but free-market capitalism is the best, no wonder people from socialist and communist countries will walk 5,000 miles to come to a capitalist country.
The Patriot Miguel Arrindell
I have a name this I know,
Don’t call me bad names – how will I grow?
Call me honey, love and sweetie pie
Sharing kind words with me make me feel like I AM UP IN THE SKY!
I know we have freedom of expression and feelings
But let’s think before we talk, chat and discuss –
Words can hurt and have meanings!
Life is not disorder and chaos!
Think before you talk and say things
Use your brain and reasoning
If it will hurt – close your mouth
Walk away, take some time or just turn to the South
Privacy is close to our hearts
We all need to respect each other and do our part
Knock, say, “Excuse Me, Please, May I help you?”
Hello! The Rights of the Child is here for us too!
LOOK! We are NOT living in a zoo!
Teacher Camille Fahey Blackman
Sacred Heart School Saba 2018
Dear Editor,
In the paper of November 23 I was elated to read that businesses in the country will no longer be allowed to sell or serve alcohol to minors below the age of 18. I further read that one of the rebuttals was that more police officers will be required to be able to control the adherence to that law. I must admit that my first reaction was “who are these clowns?” But as I read further and, being aware of the situation in the Front and Back Street, I do not know if that was farfetched.
The jewelry stores relatively serve more alcohol to their clients than the restaurants and bars in Philipsburg. I will continue to advocate “out with the old and in with the young,” because this is another case which all those older heads have been knowing this for years.
Many years ago, when I was on patrol during the night shift, there was this youngster staggering across the road as he walked in the direction of St. Peters via the L.B. Scott Road. After stopping him and questioning him we found out that he had been drinking Schlitz beer which he punched out of the soda machine place by the Cul de Sac gasoline station. Not too long after that I noticed that there was no more Schlitz beer available in the soda machines.
I was told between the grapevine that my report in the police log reached the then Lt Governor the deceased Max Pandt who forbid the sale of beer via those machines, because there was no way the police would be able to control the serving of alcohol to minors. Yes, and many of those same older heads who are there today were there then.
I further read that “it is so that to date only the second initiative law by a Member of Parliament to be passed in Parliament since its existence” and I asked myself with what intention was that added to the article? Is this something to celebrate? Since 10-10-’10, only two initiative laws but seven toppling of government and with another one on the horizon. I also read the article on line and asked myself, what does the Lions have to do with the amendment of a law? So I am still confused.
When I worked on Curaçao on two occasions I was nominated for a citation for exceptional duty, but I refused to accept it because I was aware that every day there is some policeman who performs exceptional duties. Everyone in their own way. Beside that, that is what I was paid to do .Police people are called upon to do that which the everyday man is not called upon to do. Similarly the fireman.
So, in reading that article I told myself if I was part of this government I would be ashamed to let people know that only two initiative laws have been passed since 10-10-’10. What have the others been doing for their overblown salaries?
Work on the public transportation. Place bus stop signs in the right places. Do not permit any kind of bus association to dictate for government, and get rid of those bus stop huts which are placed strategically and used to sell commercial ads, only to disrupt traffic a little more than it already is. Change the entrances to tire repair centers which are on the main roads so that the flow of the traffic on the main roads is not constantly impeded by vehicles driving in and out of those tire repair places. Why does the already distraught public continuously have to be hampered in their movement by those who have it?
There is enough very useful work for members of Parliament to do. All they have to do is look up the articles in the Algemene Politie Verordening, drive around the country and there are many laws that could be amended to suit St. Maarten. The MPs asked the people for their vote so that they could do good things for the people, not solely for themselves.
To be ambitious is commendable, just do not be too ambitious.
Russell A. Simmons
