Dear Editor,
It has been one week since the beginning of the new academic year, and a beautiful opportunity for you, the students, to fulfill your dreams and leave your footprints on this society. Be aware that these tender years of your life are the most precious of all. And, as you journey on this path of discovery, it is my hope that you will view your school as a laboratory, not just to do research, but as a workroom to evaluate your strengths and weaknesses.
When you know yourself, you are capable of making positive choices that will impact your life now and in the future. Be cognizant of the fact that life is filled with challenges and this institution of learning will present you with all kinds; but it is your duty to overcome them, based on the knowledge you have acquired, your natural abilities and the support you get from your team. These challenges will help you to measure your inner strengths – the skills that you will need to stand up against anyone who wants to take advantage of you.
To reinforce my thoughts, occasionally I will inject some posts that I’ve read and I will do so by inserting them with quotation marks. One of the characteristics that you must develop and nurture in order to combat these challenges, is to be yourself, no matter how excessive the pressures may be. To underpin my belief, “Never change your originality for the sake of others. Because no one can play your role better than you. So be yourself. You are the best.”
When you have garnered the confidence to remain unique, you will have the courage and flexibility to “Be soft and cool like water. So, you can adjust anywhere in life. Be hard and attractive like a diamond. So, no one can play with your emotions.” As you assess your progress in school, you would realize that, “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.”
All of the above are important attributes to possess and are highlighted by a supporting team that values your educational journey. Therefore, realize that, “The care and attention that you get from others is a gift of your own character.” So let your personality shine because soon you will understand that, “Caring is a gift that no one can buy. It’s made up of love that roots in our hearts and creates memories not just for a while but for a lifetime.”
With all the love that has been shared, you can only acknowledge that, “Love is beautiful because it is controlled by the heart. And friendship is very very beautiful because it is a feeling that takes care of another heart.” So, be yourself. Garner the motivation to be a lover of education and choose a circle of friends that is a spotter for each other!
Joslyn Morton
Dear Editor,
I would hereby like to call on the current Dutch puppet regime on Sint Eustatius to give full disclosure about the recent out-of-court settlement between the Sint Eustatius Housing Foundation (SEHF) and Democratic Party member, Island Council Member, businessman, and former Commissioner Koos Sneek’s company Norako N.V.
On February 2, 2012, Mr. Sneek assumed office as Commissioner in the Executive Council of Sint Eustatius. Eighteen days later, on February 20, 2012, Commissioner Sneek, in his capacity of director and owner of Norako N.V. signed a Letter of Intent (LoI) agreement with the SEHF. The LoI covered the sale to the SEHF of a building complex owned by Mr. Sneek and his company in the Golden Rock area. It included a penalty clause of 5 per cent in the case that the SEHF cancelled the letter of intent unless the reason was the inability of the SEHF to acquire funding for the purchase of the building complex.
Despite having submitted proof to Mr. Sneek of being unable to secure financing, Mr. Sneek still invoked the 5 per cent penalty clause in the contract. He even went as far as taking the SEHF to court to seek payment of the US $65,000 penalty, which would eventually be paid by the taxpayers of Sint Eustatius.
He also put a lien on the SEHF’s assets, putting great financial pressure on the SEHF, and forcing the Government of Sint Eustatius to come to its financial rescue at times.
The signing of the agreement by Mr. Sneek seems to have been a blatant conflict of interest, unethical, illegal, and reeks of corruption for a number of reasons.
First of all, Mr. Sneek, being the Commissioner of Finance, knew very well at the time of signing of the contract that the SEHF was not in the position to obtain a loan of $1.3 million for purchasing the building from him and his company. Secondly, as Commissioner, Mr. Sneek knew very well that he basically signed an agreement with himself, seeing that the SEHF is owned by the Island Government which he represented.
Recently the Court ruled against another former Commissioner, confirming accusations that she attempted to hire a family member to carry out work for Government during her tenure. The Court considered that said hiring constituted a conflict of interest, and was illegal.
I am therefore asking the Dutch Government to take an official position on the settlement between Mr. Sneek and his company and the SEHF and explain to the people and taxpayers of Sint Eustatius why the actions of Mr. Sneek were not illegal, did not constitute a conflict of interest, were not a waste of taxpayers’ money, and possibly meriting a criminal investigation.
Seeing that the SEHF is owned by the Government and therefore the people of Sint Eustatius, I demand that full disclosure of all relevant documents regarding this case should be given to the general public, including the conditions of the settlement.
For the past few years, this case has been in court, and the fact that the Court declined to honor Mr. Sneek’s claims is proof that he had no legitimate case to begin with. Mr. Sneek reportedly sought to reach a settlement for a while, which is further proof that his case was a weak and questionable one.
The Dutch Government should also give full disclosure about who authorized the Director of the SEHF to sign the settlement agreement with Mr. Sneek and his company. During the past three years, the sale of homes in the Golden Rock area has been stalled, due to the fact that the former Colonial Representative in Bonaire refused to approve different candidate SEHF board members nominated by the Government of Sint Eustatius without a valid reason.
Therefore, the Dutch Government needs to explain if SEHF board members have been installed in the meantime, and if not, how it is possible for the Director to sign the settlement with Mr. Sneek and his company.
Since the legitimately and democratically elected Government of Sint Eustatius took office in March 2015, both Mr. Sneek’s Democratic Party and the Dutch Government have been criticizing it of nepotism, unethical and illegal actions, and bad governance. These accusations have never been substantiated.
They do, however, clearly seem to fit the actions of Mr. Sneek and the settlement between him and his company and the SEHF. I, therefore, call on Mr. Franco to publicly give full account to the people and taxpayers of Sint Eustatius about this matter. I also call on the Dutch Parliament and, in particular, the self-proclaimed corruption fighter Mr. Ronald van Raak to publicly question State Secretary Knops on it as well.
Clyde I. van Putten
Leader, Progressive Labour Party, St. Eustatius
Dear Editor,
An old-timer friend of mine, who liked the articles on the “Old Sandy Ground” I sent you a while back, has requested that I share some more “remembering” with him and other readers of The Daily Herald; that’s the impetus behind this effort.
Dear Editor,
A few years ago I suggested that the Council of Churches approach the government to have at least three meetings a year to speak about the things that are prevalent in the country.
Dear Editor,
One of the premier mottos of the Dutch is “voor wat hoort wat” (you got to give to get) . From in my Sunday school days I was taught that it is more satisfying to give than to get.
Tax Holiday is no stranger to investors on Sint Maarten, but with the same token, changing names of companies and managers also went along with the end of the holiday. In the paper of August 16, 2018, I read under the heading “Three tax holiday requests, exemptions alone do not generate investments.”
I am not in government, so if there was transparency of government one would not have to speculate from time to time on what government is doing. I have always been of the opinion that if giving is better than receiving then anyone who uses Sint Maarten to get should gladly give in return. So may I make two suggestion in which those who receive can give back.
Because of the results of these given tax holidays in the past, I will use the word entity. Whichever entity is going to enjoy a tax holiday should be made to adopt a responsibility apart from the reason for receiving that tax holiday. In this manner that old trick of changing business name and managers after the tax holiday is used, at the least the country would have gotten back something in return for the tax holiday.
Government is in the tax business so if government invests, government should get returns. For instance, maintenance of schools; assisting or paying for school supplies; maintenance of sections of a road; purchasing of sign boards and etc. This should be made known to the public because it is the people’s patrimony.
Tax holiday should be for the business not the owners , the owners should not be exempt from taxes.
The other suggestion is that if any hotel is going to receive a soft loan to erect a building that resists a category five hurricane, one of the conditions should be that that hotel be available as a temporary hurricane shelter. Ultimately that is what it was built for. Because the hurricane season falls simultaneously with the low season, occupancy should not be a problem. Beside that government routinely receives the occupancy lists from hotels, so to know how many people are in a certain hotel should not be a problem.
Actually this should be the task of the hurricane preparedness committee. All of this information should be on hand. Because we live in a hurricane belt, I believe that VROMI [Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure – Ed.] should have information on hand pertaining to which buildings or homes could be category five resistant. On the other hand VROMI could also know which homes are vulnerable. So making a contribution towards the reinforcement of such homes can also be in the tax holiday deal.
I do not think that I am being unreasonable with these suggestions, because these investors are not chance takers, they know the outcome of their venture beforehand. I also believe that where there is a will there is a way. In this case the people of Sint Maarten could should be able to see “what’s in it for them.”
By now we should know that those in leadership positions should be watchful and should not use their authority selfishly or unkindly for everyone will bear the consequences of their deeds, whether good or bad. To give is more satisfying than to receive.
Russell A. Simmons
