We Are Disregarding Our Environment at Our Own Peril
It is four in the morning and we have just crossed the Anegada Passage on a forty foot sailing boat. I’ve just spent three days racing in the BVI Spring Regatta and we are delivering the boat back to Sint Maarten. It was an excellent few days, with sailors supporting the British Virgin Islands in their first regatta since the disastrous 2017 Hurricane Season, just as they did in Sint Maarten a few weeks earlier for the Heineken Regatta.
It is a beautiful evening; we left in the late afternoon for the thirteen hour haul across the Drake and then the Windward Passages. The sea is calm and the wind favorable as we sail past Necker Island, the once luxurious home of Billionaire Philanthropist Sir Richard Branson, now a shell of splintered wood completely gutted by Irma and Maria. The sun set in the fiery glow of optimism that this time of day brings and the rising of the stars guide our way home across the Northeastern Caribbean. Before the moonrise we can see the bioluminescent organisms organize their own stellar constellation in our wake. And then, finally, the unblinking eye of the moon watching over us as we make our way overnight to Simpson Bay.
After about eleven hours we can just make out the lights of Anguilla ahead of us as we start to see the colors in the East softening with the rising dawn, and a breeze is picking up out of the Northeast. Suddenly, on that same breeze that has blown for centuries over our humming islands, a scent so acrid and chemical is being carried. A scent that burns our eyes and scratches our throats. After eleven hours smelling fresh air at sea we are confronted by our terrible post-hurricane reality. We have just been welcomed back by that which has been the defining aspect of Sint Maarten; the toxic, poisonous smoke of the Philipsburg Landfill.
We have barely one month to go before the start of what is predicted to be one of the busiest Hurricane Seasons in seventy years. Not good news for an island still reeling from the last season, but especially not good news in terms of an island failing in terms of resiliency, sustainable development and responding to our environmental disaster.
Make no mistake; Hurricane Irma and her aftermath are environmental disasters. The storm was fueled by the environmental effects brought on by Climate Change. The storm has impacted and affected our environment, and in turn, it has impacted our economy. Despite the total disregard for the environment on Sint Maarten the past few months, whether in terms of recognition from the highest decision makers of the land or the ‘small man on the street,’ the protection of our natural resources is the only way to recover from this event. Yet, the environment is again taking a back-seat on Sint Maarten. And this time it will be at our own peril.
Right after the hurricane the environment was the hot topic; the Nature Foundation received calls, emails, messages and requests of information from our community and from the tourism industry to get a status update on our defining tourism product: the beautiful nature of Sint Maarten. Cruise Ship companies and tour operators depended on clean beaches good water quality for guests to return. It were the updates on the health of our environment immediately after the storm that helped form the decision for tourism to return to the island. Scuba divers and snorkelers wanted to know the status of our coral reefs, a resource that provides fifty-million dollars to our economy annually.
But now that the dust has settled we are again struggling on the environmental front: water quality is an issue at our swimming beaches; wetlands are being filled-in and mangroves removed; sewage is being recorded everywhere; the work of environmental and conservation organizations are being largely ignored, under-financed and under-appreciated; littering and solid waste issues are on the increase; and we are being poisoned daily by the landfill.
If there is anything the past few months should have taught us is that our environment and our economy are inexorably linked, and the conservation of our natural resources coupled with the social support of our populace and the diversification of our economy are the only ways to ensure our survival.
The only way we can overcome this challenge, this major test of our resolve and of our love for this island, is to make our environment and the conservation of our resources a priority. Splitting Environment from the rest of the VROMI Ministry is something which has been suggested by various international organizations that visited Sint Maarten in the aftermath of the Hurricane, making the observation considering the environmental challenges that we face and the lack of attention it receives.
We are small yet diverse enough, and have enough dynamic minds on this island, to focus our rebuilding energy on sustainable development. We need to focus on the looking after of the social needs of our population (so many still without roofs, without jobs), the diversification of our economy, the protection of our natural resources and the support for renewable energy. We are contained enough as a community to ban the use of single use plastics, to protect our terrestrial ecosystems and to start to have a concrete and swift resolution to our solid waste issues. We need a national campaign regarding the beautifying of our neighborhoods, taking pride in our place and in our identity. Only then can we truly be St. Maarten Strong for to be Strong is to be Resilient and Prepared.
We are tying up the boat now to the dock in Simpson Bay, looking forward to have a solid breakfast and get some hours of good sleep. Hopefully, by the time we awaken from the nightmare that Irma has left us in, Sint Maarten will be at the pinnacle of sustainability in the region. And no longer will sailors smell us before they see us.
Tadzio Bervoets
Cole Bay
+1 721 5864588
Dear Editor,
I would like to extend my sincere condolences to Mrs. Loretta Richardson and the rest of the Richardson family as you mourn the loss of Joe Richardson, a man that was well admired by all over the years for his humble and steadfast personality. St. Maarten has lost a hero!
On the 3rd of August, 1973, I was just 20 years old when I had the privilege to cast my first vote for this great man fondly called “Joe for so”. He was devoted to the upliftment of this beautiful Island and he was selfless in his pursuit for growth on St. Maarten. He was determined to change politics positively, a goal which he attained eventually.
In 1979, I also had the opportunity to work with Joe after he recruited me. I ventured into politics for the first time as a candidate on the UPDG slate with other members like Chester York, Rafael Boasman, Reynold Groeneveldt and Ramon Marlin. We were a group of young men who Joe felt could bring the much needed change to St. Maarten at that time. To this day, I do not know what he saw in us, but we were his chosen few.
That same year, despite much preparation for the elections “Joe for so” decided not to participate in it. The party members decided to forge ahead without him by continuing with the elections but on election night, we realized that without Joe at the helm of the UPDG party, we did not stand a chance. The UPDG never partook in another election after that. Joe remained loyal to the Democratic Party and went on to be Commissioner.
We remained close friends throughout the years and in 1985, Joe became the Commissioner of Sports and I was the president of the St. Maarten Basketball Association. Our board which consisted of some well-known persons like Bobby Ottley, Elton Jones, Eddie Hodge and Merlyn Meyers had embarked on a rather ambitious plan to build a Sports Auditorium on the property next to the Youth Centre now known as the John Larmonie Center. Joe Richardson gave our plan his blessings and after taking the matter to the Executive Council to discuss our proposal, we contacted our bankers and that dream became a reality. Indoor sports had a place to hold tournaments and international shows at last! We couldn’t have achieved our goals without his effort and support. He believed that we could attain our goals as St. Maarteners.
In July 1985 the Great Bay Sports Auditorium was officially opened. It was the start of the LIBA tournament. The SBBA proudly hosted 7 Caribbean counties. It was the first time that St. Maarten did not only participate but became a serious contender in this tournament. Eventually our squad was tied in second place but due to the point difference, we were placed third.
Joe! You were a true St. Maartener and your love for St. Maarten triggered your mission to help it grow. You were always cool even when under pressure and you never gave up on anyone. You saw the good in everybody and managed to always give of yourself and in return, that charisma was reciprocated by those who came in contact with you.
Rest in perfect peace, my mentor and friend. You will be missed!
Don R. Hughes
Dear Editor,
I would like to make known the abuse of the Western Union operating in the change point in Marigot, French side.
The change point is abusing the people by telling them they can only send money in euros. If a person has dollars, he or she must change them to euros first at the highest rate. This is something new, because everywhere on the French side accept dollars and I never had to change dollars to euros anywhere.
The charge to send money is three times higher than the rate Western Union charges because of the exchange rate they are using. A person can choose to get money in dollars or euros; taking it in dollars would require it to be changed from euros to dollars at the highest rate ever; taking it in euros will be the same charges.
I asked them why are there so much charges for exchange and such a very high fee to send and receive money? I was told if I don’t like it then don’t come there.
So basically, they know that they are abusing the people.
But I must say seeing the situation on both sides of the island, it’s a shame that people can use this kind of situation to abuse people.
Name withheld at author’s request.
Dear Editor,
The Board of the Sint Maarten Christian Party (SMCP) would like to extend sincere condolences to the wife, family and friends of the late Joseph Emmanuel Richardson, affectionately known as Joe.
As leader of the SMCP, I have a strong connection to Mr. Richardson, who was always a source of inspiration and encouragement to me, Smith said. Joe was the youngest person in the Netherlands Antilles to be appointed as Administrator, which inspired me to eventually also pursue a career in government.
In October 1969, the well-known Ebony magazine published an article about Joe, entitled “Saba’s Youngest Ruler” with as subtitle: “Administrator of remote volcanic island is only 24”. As a teenager I read and re-read this article many times. Several years later, even though I did not make it in the Ebony magazine, the headline of one of the Dutch Antillean newspapers read: “Saba’s First and Youngest Lt. Governor at age 34”.
Joe was a man who was able to stand above politics and reach out across party lines. After entering active politics, whenever I met Joe he would always have a word of encouragement for me. I remember clearly his last words to me the last time we met. We talked about politics at bit and then he looked at me, smiled and said, “If I wasn’t committed to another party I would join the Christian Party”. Sint Maarten has lost a political icon who was committed to his country, Sint Maarten.
Therefore, on behalf of my brother and sisters, the members of the Sint Maarten Christian Party, and the people of St. Maarten, I hereby extend my sympathy to the family and friends of the late Joseph Richardson. May his soul rest in peace!
Wycliffe Smith
Leader of St. Maarten Christian Party (SMCP)
Dear Editor,
The following message is for our government representatives.
Now that the Great Bay Hotel is being demolished to be rebuilt, why not take this opportunity to return the Fresh Pond outlet to its original condition. By doing that you would eliminate the idea of opening the present outlet only when it rains cats and dogs. And the seawater in that area would not be unfit for bathing; the hotel could use it as a tourist attraction. And fishes would swim in and out freely. Consequently, the pond water might even get cleaned. As former Prime Minister William Marlin would say, “It’s a win-win situation.”
Another topic of concern: whose foolish idea was it to put bus shelters 50 feet apart, behind a lamppost? Worse yet, three feet from the road they have been built. The present bus stops have ample parking space; yet the buses do not use them. What makes you think that the bus drivers would pull off the road in the area of the bus shelters? It is a good idea, but it is a case of bad planning.
Marvin Philip
