Dear Editor,
As a community-spirited person, I saw a headline in your newspaper dated April 28, 2018, that got my full attention which stated 24 royal decorations, none from St. Maarten. In the article the main reason no-one from St. Maarten was nominated for a royal decoration had to do with the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma in September and therefore the lengthy applications process that has to be filled in by the Royal Decorations Committee before October.
Mr. Editor, I had a hard time trying to understand why our local Royal Decorations Committee chose for some odd reason not to send up any of their nominations which should have been done and vetted before Hurricane Irma. I think there needs to be more publicity carried out by our local Royal Decorations Committee on how anyone can recommend and complete an application to nominate somebody who has contributed to their community and island for a royal decoration.
The Committee then can make sure all relevant information is factual, screen and vet the potential honoree’s credibility and then send in the application to the Governor who forwards it to the Kingdom Committee. I also would like to recommend that our local Royal Decorations Committee give out the application forms to all the different community centers, public library and other easy access points where the average person has access to the forms.
I also would advise the Royal Decorations Committee to put the names of all past honorees with a text of why they have been recognized in our local museum or library for student projects and the community at large to get familiar with their local heroes and heroines. This will also teach our young people how to honor and recognize our own leaders and people who have contributed to our beautiful island in some form or fashion.
Mr. Editor, as an educator, I give my students a research assignment to write a brief report about their favorite leader or manager. To my surprise, none of the 14 students could mention a leader or manager from St. Maarten. The main reason is that they didn't select our leaders because there is not much written data in the public library about our leaders, and secondly, they are too busy to be interviewed.
St. Maarten has a lot of persons who have given so much to their community and island who still go unrecognized today. When I think about within my own family, especially my father Gordon Morris Lake, better known as “Mooch,” I can write a book about him being the best diver, the best fisherman in the Caribbean who has represented St. Maarten for several decades in tournaments all over the world. He has won swimming races to Anguilla seven times; he was a great soccer player and was the chauffeur for five Lt. Governors of St. Maarten. He has given back so much to the St. Maarten community out of a good heart.
Another person of whom I am very proud is my brother, Tony Lake who is the only St. Maartener to be inducted into New Hampshire School of Tennis Hall of Fame in the United States. You know what it is to be inducted into a New Hampshire School of Tennis Hall of Fame in another country, but it goes unrecognized in your own island.
Other local unsung heroes are Rafael Skeete, Marco London, Aston Lake, Jerry Morris, Marcia Cooke and many more too numerous to mention.
In closing, I wish our local Royal Decorations Committee much success and I hope they take some of my recommendations and points into consideration for this year. Applications of honorees and getting the community more involved by making the application forms more accessible for the average person would lead to a more exciting and transparent process.
Maurice Lake
Your Excellency!
We took note that your Excellency conducted meetings with the Secretary-General Mr. António Guterres and the Security Council last week at the United Nations Headquarters in New York which will go down in history as a “black mark,” a historic betrayal of our peoples of the Antilles as the Dutch never lived up to their agreed and signed Charter of the United Nations in 1945, which promised and comprised a freedom and equality for all people in the Kingdom.
The Dutch government orchestrated your Excellency mission to mislead and deceive the world, the United Nations, the European Union, Caricom, and the Caribbean and Antillean peoples. This moment is considered as of the same weight as the biggest Dutch lie in history when in 1955 Mr. Johan Beyen as Minister of Foreign Affairs assisted by Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles, Mr Jonckheer, misled the United Nations that they represented the free people of the Netherlands Antilles, and absolved the Netherlands from reporting obligations and removing us from the list of Non-Self-Governing Territories (NSGTs), and betrayed us, the descendants of the enslaved and colonized peoples, which inherited and acquired the full rights to freedom and equality as the Dutch in the Netherlands in Europe.
The main themes discussed or addressed at your meeting, were based on the emerging threats of climate change and the possible consequences for our islands. Furthermore, the situation with neighboring country Venezuela was questioned about which the Dutch parliament passed a motion last month to seek support from USA, France and Great Britain to build a robust defense. This action was reported by us to the Caribbean region as using us, the ABC islands, as provocation to a peaceful Caribbean seeking unity and integration, towards a possibly armed conflict: a disaster to the Caribbean, worse than the climate threat and hurricanes, as the Caribbean mostly depends on tourism as main economic pillar.
The course of events leading up to the government and the permanent representation of the Netherlands or Kingdom to the United Nations deciding to as a last resort to use our own people, your Excellency, a Prime Minister of a government which the Dutch has the total control over, through their budget, by a Commission of Financial Supervision (CFT) and total control over the Judiciary system, is a shame and mockery to democracy.
Our question to your Excellency is whether the Secretary General Mr. António Guterres was asked his view on eradication of colonialism and whether the Security Council members’ main objectives remain to protect human rights and to defend the ones that cannot defend themselves against abuses, and, if they were informed or requested an opinion:
- on the fact that the Dutch government blackmailed, extorted and overthrew a legitimate government in St. Maarten after the devastating hurricane last year and forced a new election and will only provide monetary aid for re-construction only if their limited autonomy and democracy and border control is surrendered back to the Dutch government;
- on the un-democratic unilateral action and intervention of the Dutch in Sint Eustatius in February 2018, removal, and overthrow of the legitimate elected democratic governance through abuse of legislative power with the police and military force on standby, and appointment of a non-democratic colonial ruler and government ruling the Statian people;
- on the recent mid-May adopted motion of your own Curaçao parliament majority condemning the Dutch intervention on Sint Eustatius which your Excellency’s party did not support and did not show solidarity and brotherhood towards your own Caribbean sister island;
- on the situation on your sister island Bonaire where the people are being ruled in a status against their wishes that they democratically and legally rejected and that the Bonerian people became a minority on their own island in short space of time since the open immigration and illegal annexation on October 10, 2010, and were embedded under unequal rights in the Dutch Constitution in October 2017 and are facing a systematic process of ethnic cleansing and displacement, an inevitable path of being eradicated?
These are some of the questions or issues which we wished and hoped that you would have raised and brought to the attention of the international community, the United Nations, instead of being a henchmen for the Dutch against your own people to help to destroy the Caribbean in the same way your predecessors destroyed the Antilles on 10-10-10. As silence to injustice is consenting to injustice, in your silence on the violation of your fellow brothers’ and sisters’ fundamental rights as declared by United Nations, your Excellency is consenting to crimes against humanity.
Finally, as our history has taught us that the Dutch mastered the divide-and-rule game, have institutionalized colonialism and racism, and have rewarded up today the traitors of their own people for being loyal to the Dutch government with Royal con-decorations and positions of power and income, we can only hope that your Excellency will realize that our only salvation as Antillean-Caribbean people is by uniting back with our own people and reject this new wave of Dutch re-colonization, and we hope that your Excellency as a leader, a prime minister, will respect, protect and comply with the rights of us, your brothers and sisters, the Antillean people.
Respectfully,
James Finies
Bonaire
Dear Editor,
Over the weekend I listened to several sermons and thought that there was a theological consensus because all the sermons that I heard were based on envy, jealousy and greed (Genesis 4, Matthew 14) and to what extent one would go to satisfy those urges.
My desire remains for those leaders in government who have been there for years, and have not done anything to prevent strangers from entering our kitchen, to leave. I believe that this is because of greed.
Growing up my grandmother, who was an exceptional cook and who fed the village, would always say, “I will feed you but I don’t permit any strangers in my kitchen.” In 1956 my grandmother immigrated to the USA and 25 years later (1981) I heard Betico Croes say the same thing during a political discourse. If I can remember well, Dr. Claude Wathey also used to advise the same to the people around him.
Of late there are so many strangers in the kitchen that the owner of the house can’t even get in herself. Lately I have and will continue to advocate for change until those 15 in Parliament realize that the government is actually in their hands and that they should get together to do great things for Sint Maarten.
I will not comment on the newly formed government and the last set of newcomers, but regrettably I have to say that the majority of those 15 have permitted greed to get the better part of them and, just like the rest, want to know “what’s in it for me?” And because of what is becoming common practice nowadays my answer is “Jail time.”
Someone told me that my hope for them coming together is wishful thinking and asked me if I had forgotten my Dutch proverbs. He reminded me of “Vele varkens maken de spoeling dun” (Where the hogs are many the wash is poor). In the past I would mention “know better, do better.” I would blame the Dutch for not correcting right away, but laying and waiting.
During the course of time, however, I found out that stubbornness on our part played a big role in us not getting the adequate help. It was a case of when I was under your roof you could tell me what to do, but now I am in my own house so you don’t have a thing to tell me.
The Dutch being older and wiser with a lot more experience of how things go, knew that we would stump our toe and suffer the consequences. Of late the consequence is jail time.
What I never understand is that we do not discern what is good for us. Over the years thousands of Antilleans have gone to Holland and established themselves there, paying their taxes and adhering to the social laws. Many of them came back and let us down here know how good things have been up there.
Instead of copying the good things as I always say, we down here let greed get the better part of us and we cannot enjoy each other like the original St. Martiners did. We do not have time to pick up each other’s clothes off the line anymore when we see the clouds forming. Our guilty conscience would not permit us to look each other in the eye and in so doing we could not and cannot stand together and let Holland know “You shall not divide and conquer.”
If we define who is a Sint Maartener, the next step would be just as the neighboring islands have determined for themselves, their people first, the Sint Maartener first. And Holland should not be reluctant to stand by us with that because that is where the word “allochtoon” originated.
Russell A. Simmons
Dear Editor,
Greeting to the people of this beloved island, Sint Maarten.
July 18, 2018 marks the centenary of the birth of the freedom fighter and defender of justice, Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela. Respectfully called by his clan name, “Madiba,” he rose up against an apartheid South Africa, using his intellect and non-violent approach to stand up for the right of all people to be treated fairly. In doing so, Mandela represented not only himself and his clan, but all South Africans and the large community of oppressed people around the world.
We are called to honour those who fought for our right to be free, and to be treated equally. We pay homage to those, Madiba as well as men and women like him, who have acted in the interest of the people, even to the point of self-sacrifice. We declare our appreciation for the fruits of their labour that we are privileged to enjoy.
Madiba said, “No country can really develop unless its citizens are educated.”
As we reflect on the struggles that our fore-parents endured and overcame, we must also look ahead to the future they dreamed for us. A life of liberation with unity, love and progress for all – this is the vision that still lies before us.
We have built into our DNA the spirit of resilience, to see the hope for a greater comeback after the setbacks. As the flamboyant tree blooms, so we as a people stand tall and splendorous just ten months after the worst storm to hit our island. Yes, there is yet a lot of recovery needed. Many roofs are still covered with tarpaulin, schools need further repairs, and many persons are without steady income.
This is when the true nature of our culture must shine. There is a risk of losing our identity to desperation – to revisiting the dregs of looter mentality – stealing from each other because one feels justified by his circumstances. We must resist this temptation and denounce any practice of it. As the friendly island that welcomed many to our shores, we must teach those who have joined us and our younger generations that this little island is a safe place for all. As Madiba said, “Sometimes it falls upon a generation to be great. You can be that great generation. Let your greatness blossom.”
We will look after the interests of our families and our neighbours. As the saying goes “It takes a village to raise a child,” therefore we must play our part in taking care of the next generation. They will become our crown of stars or thorns in our sides, so we must play our part. When you see a child or an adult, say “Good day,” give a smile – small gestures that go a far way. Manners takes us through the world and a smile goes a mile long.
As outlined in our Governing Program which is available to all via our Government’s website, this Ministry in partnership with other relevant authorities, will be focusing on rebuilding our schools to make them disaster ready, preserving our culture and promoting our national identity, adapting the education curriculum to meet the diverse needs of our economy, integrating technology for a smart IT market, and creating employment opportunities for our youth.
Together, we can ensure that the negativity that seeks to invade us does not take root and redefine who we are.
Together, we will educate and legally integrate those who believe they were born to be here and want to adopt the Sint Maarten Way of life.
Together, we will preserve and promote our culture and identity.
In unity, we will shine as the rare pearl of the Caribbean that we are.
On behalf of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, I wish you and your children the true joys of celebrating Nelson Mandela Day.
Wycliffe Smith
Minister of Education, Culture Youth and Sports
Ten months after the disaster with Hurricane Irma, St. Maarten is still in ruins. Between the rubble of broken houses, roads and cars, lay expensive yachts that have been thrown onto the land by the hurricane and left behind by the owners. Many of those boats were bought with illegal money, experts told me. The insurance has compensated the damage and the owners laundered their money. But they have left their mess behind. While many residents of St. Maarten are waiting for the insurance to pay, or have received too little money, these rich people seem to have left with their profit. Hurricane Irma has destroyed the lives of families, but made these rich people even richer. Partly because of the efforts of the residents, a lot of rubble has been cleared up and because of the help of companies, tourists can return to the hotels, to the casinos and to the beach. You see many new yachts coming in already. Who knows, maybe these are the same people who left their wrecked boats behind after the hurricane.
Last week I briefly visited St. Maarten, with the Kingdom relations Committee of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament. The Netherlands is investing more than 500 million euros in the reconstruction and we wanted to see if this money is being spent well. I have spoken to many people on the island who complained that it takes so long before the damage is restored. The person I unfortunately did not see during the visit is Christophe Emmanuel, the Member of the St. Maarten Parliament who wants to take me to court, because I have called him a fraud in this newspaper. That is unfortunate, because I like talking with my colleagues in the Kingdom. If Mr. Emmanuel is really hurt, he could have told me so last week. That’s better than sending threatening letters. But Emmanuel was nowhere to be seen. However, I was approached in the street by people who told me that I should not be intimidated and should continue my criticism, because many people share it. Citizens came to me with more stories about fraud and intimidation by Emmanuel.
Of course I don’t know which of these allegations are true or not. But there are enough things that I would like to investigate. I also heard people say that they are angry about the giant flag pole that Christophe Emmanuel had put up after the hurricane, as a sign of national pride. However, at this moment there is no flag, which has happened before. People say the large sum it took to erect the flag pole could have been better spent repairing their roof. We also spoke with the new St. Maarten government and I must say that I have faith in these ministers. But behind these ministers are also people I trust less. However, these are the people that are pulling the strings on the island. Politicians who have done little in the past for the ordinary people, but seem to have good contacts with the people on those expensive yachts. Much of the wealth on St. Maarten is in the hands of foreigners, who refuse to contribute anything to the island. But all those abandoned yachts must have an owner right? We could track these people and see if they have honestly obtained their boat. And we can also force them to clean up their junk.
Ronald van Raak is a Member of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament for the Socialist Party (SP), and a regular contributor to this newspaper.
