Dear Editor,
For many years now I have been writing letters to you as a citizen, a taxpayer and a voter of St. Maarten. If you consult your archives you will notice that what has been said and the little that is done by our people in government nowadays is what I have written about several times in the past. A little late now but it is still a good thing.
I told a gentleman once that the politician vying for a seat who wishes his opponent “good luck” is a hypocrite. “What do you want him to say then,” was his reply. I believe that “may the better man win” sounds more genuine. Because it does not matter what the situation is, when there is not enough to go around, loyalty goes out the door.
So, on reading from Miss Silveria Jacobs that after the hurricane several attempts were made to unify parties in the interest of the greater community and together stand our ground, I thought “naïve” or “cunning.” If the schoolchildren say that there was outside influence in throwing down the last government, the schoolteacher at least must have heard that. I use the word “naïve” because why would MP Silveria Jacobs still expect parties to come together when – with the aim on toppling the government of Sint Maarten – has become the reason for forming a government. The formation has to be of such that there remain one or two weak links.
I continue to say that members of government continue to govern as if they are still in an Island Council setting. By now they should know that every MP is an individual and is open to lobby other members to get policies made, and eventually put into law. I will continue to say that civics has to become a subject in which the MAVO students have to do exams. It is the basis of law, which by now everyone knows is the essential necessity for St. Maarten.
When we were growing up and going about our usual way, sometime during the day our mother would say to one of us, “You didn’t pray this morning, because if you had said your prayers, you couldn’t be doing the things you are doing.” We are constantly reminded to say a prayer for guidance of our leaders in government because of their difficult task ahead. But too often do I have to say, like my mother did, “They didn’t pray this morning.”
I read Elco Rosario’s letter to you and he is reminding us of what so many of us are constantly saying – that our people in government do not take sufficient care of the people. If such was the case I believe that the people would rally around PM Romeo-Marlin and tell Bosman to shut up and clean up his mess in Holland first before trying to tell us that we cannot voice our opinion. If he gets away with that, then, yes, we are doomed.
If the sentiment of the people that the action of the judicial force is purposeful, I believe that PM Romeo-Marlin, just like everyone else, has a right to voice her opinion and it can be dealt with and also the consequences.
It seems as if “puppet regime” is going around in the head of Bosman. If the Dutch are so keen about what we are doing, I think it is time that they live up to all their promises and when their hands are clean then they can venture to correct us. “Verbeter de wereld, begin met jezelf.”
I was taught that two wrongs do not make a right. If there is a pattern in behavior one has a right to voice their opinion about it, whether it is personal or in general. The saying on the unity monument that Elco translated says “Steuned op eigen wieken met de wil elkander bij te staan.” Assist and cooperate. Not impress on. So, to the Dutch also I have to say, like my mother use to tell us: “You didn’t pray this morning?!”
Russell A. Simmons
Dear Editor,
For people who are supposed to be so committed to the positions outlined in their petition, the United Democrats are sure moving at a snail’s pace when it comes to doing what they know they must.
A petition is all nice and cute, but why hasn’t the UD called a Parliament meeting to discuss the same and call a vote on the petition’s content? Why is the UD desperately trying to get other parties to support a march and other public actions but not calling a public Parliament meeting? The other parties, I believe, have already said they could possibly support the issues once they reach Parliament. So why are we wasting time with all this fluff?
The UD has the President of Parliament position. They also have a majority of 8 with the Christian Party. So call the meeting!
And what is the SMCP position on the content of the petition? Has any media asked them? You know, the same party who railed against corruption and said they couldn’t form with the USP out of “principles.” The same SMCP who said that if any MP found him or herself in legal issues they should do the right thing and step aside.
Yes, THAT Christian party. The same that formed a coalition with Chanel Brownbill and now Theo Heyliger. Principles apparently mean very little when power is concerned.
The old people have a saying: “there is nothing worse than a holy hypocrite.” “Pastor” Wycliffe Smith, the leader of the Christian Party SMCP, has shown that he is exactly what many thought he was before, during and after the campaign. A political opportunist and a calculating individual whose actions are dictated by the craving for power. Sounds familiar? It should, it sounds just like the rest.
So, what are the UD and SMCP afraid of? I mean, other than their own conscience … and the Dutch to whom they’ve made concessions, of course.
Name withheld at author’s request.
Dear Editor,
“As part of the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda on Sustainable Development, adopted in September 2015, the UN has recognized the importance of eradicating poverty in all forms. Poverty presents an enormous global challenge for the international community, as it is a significant threat to sustainable development. In the spirit of global solidarity, the 2030 Agenda is focused on how best to meet the needs of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable citizens and acknowledges the role that the private sector must play in supporting the various organizations who have undertaken philanthropic efforts to implement the 2030 Agenda. Poverty exists in every country around the globe, from powerful industrial nations to developing countries. It continues to affect millions of people, regardless of their social and cultural situations, and is a barrier to true prosperity and equality,” the UN website announces.
St. Maarten
Eradicating poverty is a topic well known in St. Maarten. Although defining a poverty line for St. Maarten has not been completed, income poverty exists on the island. St. Maarten does not have abject poverty, but pockets of poverty seem to exist in some neighborhoods, like in Dutch Quarter, Middle Region, Cay Bay, Over the Bank, Cole Bay areas. There are no large slum areas on St. Maarten, although there are smaller areas on the St. Maarten with a relatively high percentage of inadequate housing.
According to the Well-Being Survey done by the Department of STAT (2013-2014), more than 40 per cent of the households surveyed considered themselves in need, compared to 28.5 per cent who consider themselves poor. Socially “being poor” has a more permanent and somewhat stigmatic meaning, while “living in need” is considered a less permanent and more socially acceptable state of being. Of those living in need, more than half (54.1 percent) feel that they are poor.
What has St. Maarten been doing on the theme of poverty?
The government of St. Maarten has been tackling poverty in many ways. One way was to undergo an exercise in 2014 to determine how severe the poverty on the island is.
With the Millennium Acceleration Framework (MAF) methodology government has undertaken a desk review of available data and resources; this was followed by exchanging dialogue with stakeholders, non-governmental organizations, civil society and the private sector on poverty alleviation, on core challenges and solutions. Those bilateral consultations with stakeholders have reflected into an outcome, which is written in the MAF report. This report includes a Country Action Plan for poverty alleviation.
The government of St. Maarten intends to embrace sustainable community development for its society to contribute to poverty eradication and environmental sustainability.
For more detailed information, check out our Website for the MAF Report and Action plan to accelerate progress on Poverty Alleviation, www.sintmaartengov.org
Next to that, there are other initiatives within the several ministries, which deals with the people in need.
It is also widely known that there are a wide variety of private and collaborative initiatives, and initiatives by NGOs to hold out a hand to people in need. The amount of charity actions by those organizations has increased after the passing of the devastating Hurricane Irma on September 6 last year.
“Giving is not about making a donation, it’s about making a difference,” is a quote by Kathy Calvin that hits the nail. That is exactly the kind of spirit societies need, to cope with poverty and social needs.
An example of this on St. Maarten is the initiative of Dirkjan Jansen de Jong, Joost and friends, whereby “people helping people and give back to the community” is applied, since the passing of Hurricane Irma. De Jong says, “The storm was horrifying for everyone but after the storm so much positive things happened, and they are still happening all around the island.
“So many people who still dedicate so much of their time in helping other people, animals and the environment. We started an initiative that by eating and drinking at the Freegan Food Café, you automatically donate to the Freegan Food Lunches. Every day 100 lunches are made and offered to areas on St. Maarten where people are in need of basic essentials. Every day there will be a plant-based breakfast and lunch made with veggies.
“The Freegan Food Café (FFC) gets from (super)markets and restaurants on the island their leftovers, which are the base of our meals. Merchants market, Carpios and Kams Foodworld are our main sponsors so far. We also raise money for animal and environmental organizations. We do this because Love is a universal language and can be given and received in so many ways. With teamwork we can make the dream work.”
St. Maarten’s Department of the Interior and Kingdom Relations BAK is the designated focal point for the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 2030 Agenda on St. Maarten. Ms. Drs. L. Morales, program manager at BAK, can be contacted for the MAF Report and to be part of the SDGs process. You can reach her via government email
This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or per telephone number +1-721-527-1223.
Ministry of General Affairs
Department of the Interior and Kingdom Relations BAK
Dear Editor,
After the Committee for Kingdom Relations of the Second Chamber visited the Dutch Windward Islands mid-July they fired no less than 46 question at State Secretary Knops. These questions were answered by him on August 28. I would like to comment on two of the answers the State Secretary provided.
Dear Editor,
As I patiently observe the talk around the landfill, old and new, my level of amazement has reached new heights. From the man on the street to the people who form part of our trias políticas (Government, Parliament and the Judiciary) it is somewhat – no, simply put – amazing to listen to the discussions of the cause, action and result.
To be clear, “I born Here” and I am older than the existence of the dump. Old enough to have experienced my parents burning our household garbage in an old oil drum at home and old enough to understand that at the time the dump was started the interior and exterior territorial waters fell under the responsibility of the Central Government/The Government of the Netherlands Antilles, which therefore leads me to conclude that the start of the dump was permitted by the Central Government. At the time, probably a better solution than dumping the garbage in Back Bay or for that matter burning at home or burning in the small incinerator located on A.T. Illidge Road across where Pitusa Hotel is today.
Fast forward to the 21st century: 2008 a committee was established consisting of 3 wise men, but the solution which that committee found was terminated and followed by a court case. Several years later government established a Steering Committee to find a solution to the over-40-year-old sanitary landfill, which for over 20 years we called “Mount Luis” but has since graduated to “Mount Fire.” The sanitary landfill has expanded since September 2017, across the street where today the Irma dump is located.
The Steering Committee which was established in 2012 consisting of 3 wise men – an engineer of the Ministry, a secretary-general of the Ministry [of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure – Ed.] VROMI and a very experienced consultant who worked here for years during the rebuilding post-Hurricane Luis – was supported by a well-established law firm in the Dutch Caribbean.
The steering committee of 2012 tasked with finding a solution found one in 2013 which didn’t materialize and was eventually terminated in 2017. Then came the last solution which reached the furthest and got approval of the council of ministers back in December 2017. This proposed solution also hit a stumbling block because of the commonality in all solutions – that government changed before the process could be completed; that all choices were backed by solid advices from a reputable legal firm in the Dutch Caribbean and waste-to-energy experts from the Netherlands. Another common denominator in the solutions are the choices each of the committees made; A waste-to-energy processing plant.
Now here is an interesting observation; the new governments did not change the committee members over the years; the new governments crushed the proposed solutions they met when they assumed office and instructed the committee to come up with a new solution.
Legal consequences: The previous solution required a waiting period to avoid legal action against government which would have accompanied a hefty financial penalty. The consequence was that no action has been taken to solve the problem, which is the sanitary landfill.
We are now at solution number 3, with a signed MOU, an approval from Council of Ministers and a request from the Governor for additional information in order for the Governor to further process the decision that has reached his desk which will solve the sanitary landfill problems.
The government, which is the new government, which met the solution on the table, rather than exercise continuity in government does not take the time to provide the governor the requested information, instead the sitting government dismisses the proposal and wants to go to a new public tender.
A public tender in itself is usually the best way to get a fair deal. It takes about a year to prepare and another 6 months at best to sort through the proposals, fine tune the agreements and sign an agreement; that is, if any reputable companies will bid, because now everyone in the world knows that even if you participate in a public tender in St. Maarten or for that matter negotiate with the highest authorities on this island, there is a big chance that the government will fall and that your proposal, your efforts, your money spent will be lost because the government of St. Maarten has a notorious reputation not to exercise continuity in government.
Finally, with respect to the assistance being offered by the Dutch Government through the Trust Fund which sits at the World Bank, I have this to say. The (old) sanitary landfill is not a result of the hurricanes of 2017, and as such, while we appreciate the help, 1. it should not be a quick fix, rather a long-term solution will remove the landfill and process garbage optimally, and, in an ideal situation, even generate income and jobs; 2. The Trust Fund should focus on its intended purpose, namely rebuilding St. Maarten after the damage caused by the hurricanes in 2017; as such the Irma Dump is within your scope.
I re-emphasize: Use the reconstruction funds for reconstruction. There are solutions on the table that will not cost us significant funds, let those take their course and focus on the reconstruction.
In conclusion I would like to remind the readers of this letter of the common denominators: The Committee which has the same members throughout 3 governments; the committee brought 3 solutions to the table, all backed by solid advices from a reputable legal firm in the Dutch Caribbean and waste to energy experts from the Netherlands, a Waste to Energy processing plant are the choices each of the committees made; the proposals were left unfinished and 3 subsequent governments did not continue or finalize the solution
Suggestion: Let’s complete the proposed solution for the sanitary landfill that is currently on the table. Let us use reconstruction funds for reconstruction.
Soualiga Native
Name withheld at author’s request.
