Dear Editor,

I am usually awakened out of a sound sleep with my heart pounding which always results into a bursting headache (Advil is my new norm of life which with long usage can damage to the kidneys) by the sound of loud music penetrating my bedroom. This loud music comes from 721 on the airport road (the place that burnt down a few months ago and was recently rebuilt).

There is no consideration or respect for the neighbors, the elderly, the sick, the school-age children or the working class.

How can anyone function when they lack or is deprived of sleep not of their own accord but due to the self-interest of others.

Whenever 721 is operating I end up having to pace for hours in my home and I am unable to fall asleep again. Many times I have called the police station after 2:00am pleading for help. The dispatchers are always extremely sympathetic to my plea.

I applaud the ministry of TEATT [Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication – Ed.] for taking up the cause; this has become unbearable for us the seniors living in the surrounding area.

Andrew Dick, please take note that Cappucino restaurant does not cause (us) the nearby residents sleepless nights; if they do play music it is at a level whereby it is only heard inside their establishment.

I do not understand for the love of me how 721 could re-open under the same conditions with endless complaints from the surrounding neighbors. The fact that previous ongoing complaints and signatures have been filed with ALL relevant authorities and again we are faced with this.

I am pleading to the authorities to intervene on our behalf, the sick, the elderly, the school-going children and the working class. Lack of a good night sleep is detrimental to our health, our ability to function and concentrate properly (think of the school-going children).

Deprived of my right to a good night’s rest.

J. Christian

Initial used at author’s request.

Dear Editor,

Not every single candidate could have captured the hearts of the electorate. But some were predicted to do well, and missed the mark. Realizing this reality, what really went on in the minds of the voters to reject certain candidates, who have contributed significantly to the community? Is it that they were unaware of their work in and out of Parliament, or these contestants just did not appeal to them?

Many may disagree with my choice to highlight two such candidates, who do not get the recognition that is due to them. But a good way to start is to evaluate what they have done to improve the lives of others within the society, prior to postulating themselves. However, the election results on Tuesday, August 20, 2024, painted a completely different picture – a view that warrants analytical revision.

Case in point: I was stunned by the small number of votes that former MP Claudius Buncamper received. Several questions flooded my mind as I tried to substantiate this shortfall, but nothing concrete came to mind. Flashing back: When the MP was elected to Parliament back in 2020, he was a formidable force to tussle with, as he held every minister accountable, whenever they were summoned to Parliament to report to the people.

I would dare say that during his tenure, every minister wished that he was absent that day, because he was well-prepared and ready to challenge any discrepancies regarding their presentations. His counterpunches were well-researched and delivered with a force. Even when the ministers tried to wiggle their way out of some embarrassing situations, he backed up his responses with facts, and their only recourse was to submit to his blunt deliveries.

Unfortunately, half way through his term, he was dismissed, pending the outcome of his court case. But this dilemma did not stop him. He continued his trend of researching and presenting as if he were still an MP. Sadly, the electorate did not consider his efforts to re-elect him to Parliament. On Election Day, a friend called to ask who she should vote for, and he was one of the names that I recommended from a pool of three candidates.

Even though I am not a part of his social media following, his podcasts always pop up on my phone. He detailed each subject with advanced knowledge, passion, confidence, and vigour. Then, he challenged anyone to prove him wrong. These elements kept the viewers engaged, from the beginning to the end, because the information received is like attending a workshop, filled with interesting statistics.

His willingness to share has gained the respect of many, particularly his ex-colleagues at Public Works, who treasure his expertise and do not hesitate to seek his assistance, when needed. It takes a professional to make himself available to members of a team, from which he was discharged.

Another candidate who has been overlooked is MP Hyacinth Richardson, because of his passive mannerism in Parliament. However, there are times when an MP performs poorly in Parliament, but within his community, he demonstrates a completely different persona. It is true that former MP Hyacinth Richardson, sat in Parliament and said nothing for most of the deliberations.

From my observation, he appears to be an extremely shy individual, who has not worked on this weakness that has plagued him over the years. This limitation has suppressed his ability to communicate effectively with his colleagues and the general public, during the parliamentary meetings.

But, on the flip side of his shortcoming, for years, he has committed himself to visit with the constituents on a regular basis and has contributed financially and otherwise, where necessary. It doesn’t matter if it’s weekdays or weekends, his dedication remains the same. Despite the defeat, there aren’t many persons within the community, who can match his kind and compassionate heart.

To both of you: Not every loss is a failure. This bleak circumstance is teaching you to take a diagnostic view of the situation, which will allow you the opportunity to extract the obstacles, and then come back with a transformed mentality.

Joslyn Morton

Dear Editor,

I’ve watched and listened to many elections results, but none has ever captured my attention like the recently held elections of Monday, August 19, 2024. Previously, I focused mostly on which parties acquired enough votes to come into consideration for serious negotiations, the allocation of seats, and which candidates were selected to become part of the legislature.

But when Chairlady Nathalie Tackling of the Main Voting Bureau announced the preliminary findings in the wee hours of Tuesday morning, and indicated that objections could be made on the following Monday, I was curious to see which party would challenge the outcome.

Monday, August 26, arrived and MPs Omar Ottley (UP), Silveria Jacobs (NA) and candidate Chris Weaver (URSM), took the opportunity to express their observations at several polling districts and then asked that these stations be looked into, to clarify any misconceptions.

Knowing this, I was extremely grateful that these requests were made and granted, because I learnt a great deal about the mechanisms of the Main Voting Bureau, through this recounting process. I had no interest in this process before, until the Chairlady explained some of the procedures, and at the same time, she connected the laws that reinforced the process, which ultimately uphold the integrity of the Bureau.

Even though in the initial stage there were just a few polling stations slated to be recounted, eventually this initiative was changed to the recounting of all 20 polling stations. This was done primarily to maintain the practices of transparency and integrity. I deeply appreciated this persistence to validate any error and to have everything squared off, in order to present a more accurate result in the end.

Throughout the three long days, I enjoyed the non-stop humor and the camaraderie amongst the group, which exhibited the leadership skills of Chairlady Nathalie Tackling. But her subordinates were very attentive. When an error was made, due to the tedious procedure, they assisted quickly to avoid any misconceptions and kept the process moving.

As the hours seemed to crawl, what a brilliant shift by Chairlady Nathalie Tackling to speed up the counting process, by involving the entire group to open all the packets of a specific polling station at once, rather than having one member assigned to that specific task.

Despite the many teaching moments that occurred throughout the recounting of the ballots across all polling districts, the highlight of this entire exercise was when I watched all of the members sit on the floor opening the packets like little children. This was the icing on the cake!

When I saw this, I rolled several times on my bed and laughed out loud and said to myself, “I’ve never seen this before. This is not happening for real, on live television.” You all really made my day, just to watch that unusual display. Even now writing this article, I’m dying with laughter. It was so funny! It’s a sight that I will never forget.

All jokes aside. But on the flipside of this interesting task, it has really underscored the leadership skills of Chairlady Nathalie Tackling. If her face wasn’t familiar to the viewing public, it was difficult to identify who was in charge, because every member was working together as a unit, and the Chairlady did not display any form of seniority. This is an image that will stay with me for a lifetime.

Regarding the bet as to what time the final count would have been, I was on target with the approximate time of 11:45pm. So, Madam Chairlady, you owe me some snacks! In the meantime, continue to educate and always preserve the principles of transparency and integrity.

Joslyn Morton

Dear Editor,

“Mr. X, we appreciated the work that you did during the past schoolyear but unfortunately our budget will not be sufficient to be able to pay your salary for another schoolyear.” Reason given by the head of the schoolboard of the PSVE for not renewing the contract of the Security Council and Guidance Coach of the PSVE in 2007.

When a certain schoolteacher asked Mr. X how did the meeting go and was told what was explained to Mr.X , that schoolteacher replied, “B.S. She told us that Mr. X walked in here like a one man gang, putting order in the place, making the teachers look bad. We told her that the passing percentage went from 57% the year before to 87% that year. and that was the reason Mr, James wanted some one like Mr. X and not to forget that the police only had to come by the school four times while Mr. X there.”

What the sad part of this all is, is that that schoolboard head knew and still knows how valuable that task that Mr. X performed was for the students, the parents and for the teachers. Which is still the case today. Even also after all these years of negative and unacceptable behavior that schoolboard head has not made an effort to encourage the powers that be to have an SC&GC in the schools.

Now this. While growing up in the Village in San Nicolas, Aruba, we used to have a saying “He walk in here like ten Tarzans.” While reading that letter to you on page 35 of the paper of August 26, that saying from years ago in the Village crossed my mind. “Ms Joslyn Morton walked in there like ten Tarzans.” Even though I would have preferred for these types of letters not to be necessary, it is good for the archives. And I don't want to say the same thing in a different way, because it will be messing with the taste and the vigor. This happens when those of us who relinquish our integrity to get things.

Which brings me to this. If, according to I Timothy 6:10, the love of money is the root of ALL evil, and one does his/her utmost to get money no matter how, isn't he/she qualified to be considered evil? I believe that this applies to all who love money.

95% of the streets of St. Maarten have an average of three churches per street. Therefore I believe that I can conclude that more than 90% of the population of St. Maarten believe in God. On our money it tells us “In God we trust” and that “God is with us”. So why are those (you know who you are) who do their utmost to in some form or the other (try to) scam the people of St. Maarten out of their hard-earned money, in order to satisfy their personal greed, surprised that they do not lead/have a peaceful life?

Thanks again to Ms. Morton, she did not insult anyone, nor did she use curse words.

Russell A. Simmons