Dear Editor,
Some questions are very obvious to be asked, but aren’t asked anyway – like the question why Wouter Bos led the conversations to form a new government in 2012.
The former PvdA Minister of Finance became a partner at KPMG after his departure in 2010. It’s a good thing if politicians quickly get a new job after their political career, but I thought this position was remarkable. With this transfer, a lot of sensitive information from the Ministry of Finance came into the hands of this international accountancy firm, which advises companies on how to bend the financial rules.
This kind of information from a former minister is only valuable for a short amount of time because the rules are soon outdated, but in 2012 the KPMG consultant got another opportunity to take a look behind the scenes of the government when he led the formation of the Rutte-Asscher government.
Many (former) politicians have worked at KPMG, including Jeanine Hennis-Plasschaert (VVD), Eddy van Hijum (CDA) and Rita Verdonk (TON). KPMG also likes to employ former politicians such as former MPs Laetitia Griffith (VVD) and Jolande Sap (GroenLinks), who should supervise the auditor as a supervisory director.
In the other countries of the Kingdom, in Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten, the connection with politics is even closer. KPMG not only checks the books of the government, but also advises them and is closely involved in public businesses. In Curaçao KPMG engages with almost all government companies, such as the port, oil, healthcare, energy, pensions and telecom. Especially the latter sector is interesting, because telecom company UTS makes illegal gambling possible worldwide – a criminal sector in which billions are laundered, probably also with money from international drug trafficking.
Two years ago I asked extensive questions about the relationship between the accountant KPMG, Curaçao politics and the international gambling mafia, but those parliamentary questions are still not answered, despite my perseverance with the various governments of Curaçao. The publicity that my questions generated at the time did lead to the announcement by telecom company UTS that it would stop facilitating illegal gambling sites – if that actually happened, I do not know. I do know that local media are pressured by KPMG if they dare to report negatively about the company.
The head office of KPMG is located in Amstelveen, where they keep a close eye on the activities in the other countries of the Kingdom. I have asked KPMG in the past for clarification, in particular Commissioners Laetitia Griffith and Jolande Sap, who, as former MPs, should know that my job is to ask questions like this. From the head office, however, there was a deafening silence, except for the denial that KMPG Netherlands would have anything to do with KPMG on Curaçao – a strange point of view, because it’s all KPMG.
Last week the Public Prosecution raided KPMG in Amstelveen, at the same time as a raid at KPMG in Curaçao, because of a case where hundreds of millions of dollars would have been laundered, again in the gambling industry. The invasion was done by a special team that investigates the connection between the gambling mafia and politics on the island. We will have to see what all this will bring. But a multinational who likes to surround himself with former politicians will also have to answer the questions of politicians.
Staying silent about the criminal activities in the Caribbean will not help, the can of worms at KPMG will open anyway.

Ronald van Raak

Dear Editor,
I am not sure how to initiate this topic. Not because people would assume it is ticklish, because a topic being ticklish does not deter me. I believe in telling it like I see it, but I also definitely believe that everyone has a right to their opinion, though many years ago my father explained to me that exercising a bit of caution while expressing my opinion cannot hurt, because not everybody can deal with the truth. My question is: what is the relationship between the Immigration Office and the security companies on Sint Maarten?
On Friday last I went to the supermarket and while in there for about 10 minutes four different people, three females and one male, walked in with four different security uniforms. Each one of them spoke with a foreign accent so again they are likely not from here. One might ask: why is not being from here a problem? I know what a whole lot of people think about this because that is one of the most frequent requests I get from people who would like for me to write to you about. But like I always say, I am not going to put someone else's opinion on paper for them, because it is their opinion, not mine.
My issue with all these foreign security guards is that they do not know Sint Maarten nor its people. Because of this I pay keen attention. I will not pinpoint anyone, because I do not think that those people brought themselves to Sint Maarten and put themselves in those positions.
On several occasions I have heard them, in talking to people, speak about not killing themselves for that kind of money. I have seen them misuse the number system by GEBE, a simple system which they can easily claim that there was a mix-up. On a busy day when the security permits someone who just reached to pay a bill, and does not have a number, to enter before those waiting with numbers, that is not a mix-up, that is intentional.
I have witnessed a lady make a serious face and ask three people who she had noticed came after her but were permitted to enter before her, what number they had and told them that her number gave her the right to go before them and took up her rightful place just behind me.
From experience I know that the amount of different security uniforms visible in the country causes more confusion than order. The tourist will quicker seek information from a person in uniform and I know that a whole lot of those people in uniform do not know anything about our country. I would like for the Immigration, which is again part of the Police Force, to check how many police officers are on the Sint Maarten Police Force compared to the constantly growing amount of Security officers on the island.
While on the topic of security let me ask this. Why do the banks continue to demand that no cell phones be used in the banks when in promoting online banking the bank personnel self assist their clients in downloading that app on their phone, so that they can have the information handy when doing their banking? How perfect is our internet system? Is it not that because of hacking possibilities and other glitches in the system, clients still find themselves obliged to go personally to the banks with their information in their phones? So, when are the banks going to have their security use a little more tact when approaching a client who is using the phone to get information for the teller?
In closing. I was asked if those security guards don't have to take an oath. I do not think so. I think it is exacted of people employed by government or for government, but because of so many inconsistencies i cannot give an affirmative answer.

Russell A. Simmons

Dear Editor,
On February 26, the people of St. Maarten went to the polls to elect fifteen members to the Parliament of St. Maarten. Most people felt that this election was not necessary and, in the beginning, indicated they were not going to vote. However, they realized that throughout the world there are people who can’t vote, and some are fighting to be able to cast their first vote. Therefore, 62% of the voters went out and cast their vote in the last election.
But here we are some three months and three days since the election on February 26, and to date we don’t have a new government in office. Those of us who were on the campaign trail for the last election have heard how disappointed the voters were to have to go back to the polls not even two years after the 2016 election. Most voters have indicated that this election will make no difference in the governing of this country. Low and behold, the UD and SMCP are proving them right.
Our elections have become a mockery to our people, and in the eyes of our brothers and sisters in the region. In most countries in the region, the winners of the election take office the same day. As a matter of fact, just last week the people of Barbados voted, and their new Prime Minister has already taken the oath of office. Today I would like to congratulate all the people of Barbados living in St. Maarten and the new government of that country. They do have a gigantic task ahead of them, but they have received a clear mandate from the people and they must work in their interest.
After the February 26, 2018, election, Mr. Theo Heyliger, the largest vote-getter and leader of the largest faction in Parliament was appointed formateur. In one of his first statements, he mentioned he was not going to rush to form a government. But now that the UD and SMCP have formed a government, all indications are that they are having a difficult time finding qualified people to fill the various ministries. Besides that, those who they have presented for screening are not able to pass the screening, it is rumoured.
In my opinion, it is a crying shame that persons who made themselves available on a list can’t pass the screening. People are constantly asking when we will have a government that the people voted for and not an interim government. It is time that formateur Heyliger comes out and lets the people know why after all this time he can’t present his government.
Who are those persons who are being presented and can’t pass the screening? What are some of the reasons they can’t pass the screening? He has been screened before and therefore he knows what to expect and should have informed those whom they selected. Or was it a matter of letting them go through the same thing he went through, so that it can be said it is not only he who can’t pass the screening, but others fall into that same category?
But let the public know if it is their taxes, criminal or some other area. Or is the screening too rigid that most people will not pass it? There are some people who know that having an interim government is not good for our investment climate and our economy, but they try to defend it by stating that it took Holland many months to form a coalition government after their last election. To that I say there were differences in policy vision and ideology of those parties in the Netherlands. But there are no differences in policies between the UD and the SMCP; they are cut from the same cloth.
A bleak hope will be given to the people when a new government is sworn in. Barbados is a good example, their people are now living in hope, something that our people are falling short of.

Lenny F. Priest

Dear Editor,
Eight years after 10-10-10 it is clear that the present Dutch coalition government is prepared to finally establish a social minimum. While the responsible state-secretary Van Ark has recently announced that the presentation of the study into the social minimum to parliament will be delayed, the chairman of the Kingdom Relations Committee of the First Chamber is demanding to receive the report no later than July 1st. Also the representatives of CDA and D66 factions in the Second Chamber have stated that social benefits for the three BES islands [Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba – Ed.] have to be increased by January next year. This even without knowing what the outcome of the study will be. This is definitely good news.
Some are questioning the need of the establishment of the social minimum. It is, however, extremely important in order to prove how the present social benefits and the minimum wage relate to the minimum amount that our people actually need to live on and whether they have a within-the-Netherlands-acceptable level of service and that adjustments have to be made. Seeing the urgent call that is now coming from parliament, it appears that the political will is there to establish the social minimum as well as to take the next, and just as important, step to come with proposals to also guarantee that our people actually have this minimum amount at their disposal.
There is in my opinion a comprehensive approach needed to arrive to this social minimum for everyone. First comes to mind, of course, to just raise the minimum wage and the social benefits. Since social benefits are tied to the minimum wage, you cannot raise one and not the other. I guess that raising the social benefits is the easiest one, especially when the political will in The Hague is there.
The extra moneys needed for this will come from the budget of the national government. In order to keep the amount for the benefits under control, however, measures may be introduced to bring down the cost for our households. Hereby we can think of the introduction of subsidy on house rent and finding ways and means to reduce cost for other essential expenditures such as for electricity, water, telephone and internet, bank interest, insurance, just to name a few.
Purposely I left out of this list the cost for foodstuff. Although I am aware of the cry by some for price control in this area, a recent study in the prices has established that the net margin for supermarkets is a mere 3 per cent. This means that there is not much room to cut the food prices without this having a negative effect and may result in closures of supermarkets or much-needed food items that fall under the control will no longer be offered.
When social benefits have to go up, also the minimum wage needs to be adjusted. Here some caution is required, because an increase in minimum wage does not come from the budget of the national government, but has to be paid by our mostly small local businesses. It is therefore extremely important to establish if the local businesses can carry an higher minimum wage and as a result an increase in their payroll cost. If this is not the case the measure may lead to business closures and the loss of jobs, which will make it counterproductive. Another logical effect may be that the businesses are forced to raise their prices, whereby the value of the wage increase will dissipate.
In the tourism sector the higher operating cost as a result of the increase of the minimum wage may negatively affect the competitive position of the sector when these costs in the rest of the Caribbean are much lower and consequently will result in less tourism and less income for the sector. It is also important, in order to measure the impact, to identify in which business sectors minimum wage is being paid. Although to my knowledge no official research has been carried out, I believe that in Statia, for instance, by supermarkets, other retail stores as well as in the hotel and restaurant sector minimum wage is common.
It is therefore unavoidable that with the increase in minimum wage an incentive or compensation package needs to be introduced to reduce the effect of the increase of payroll cost to the businesses as much as possible. This can be done for instance by reducing taxes and premiums the businesses have to pay. The tripling of the amount of taxes collected in the Caribbean Netherlands since 2011 should allow enough room for this.

Koos Sneek
Democratic Party St. Eustatius