Dear Editor,
As I have said many times, Sint Maarten is a young country and entitled to make mistakes.
That, however, is not a license to make the same mistakes over and over again. Especially when it involves fair well policy and willful integrity breaches and actions that are in conflict with duties and obligations that are imposed on politicians. Whether it involves incorrect use of BTP monies or wrongful issuance of parcels in long lease, those violations must be condemned both during and outside election time. In order for Sint Maarten to make Sint Maarten more mature, the law must be upheld all the time.
When we look at the law, and the role in it for politicians, we read that all ministers have sworn the following (section 41 constitution of Sint Maarten): “I swear (promise) allegiance to the King and the Charter of the Kingdom, that I shall always help to uphold the Constitution of Sint Maarten and that I shall champion the interests of Sint Maarten to the best of my ability.” This oath, just like the ones that parliamentarians give (section 56 Constitution of Sint Maarten) includes championing the interest of Sint Maarten.
Championing the interests of related Sint Maarteners clearly does not mean upholding the constitution and neither championing the interests of Sint Maarten. Although some tend to sympathize with the lawbreakers probably because they either profit from the decisions or feel that others in the past have acted likewise, our country does not grow if the constitution and the laws of the land continue to be trampled upon.
I truly advocate and will demand insofar such will be within my scope, no matter which politician is involved and from which party, that from now on the following remedies will apply without exception:
* nullification of the wrongful acts and decisions;
* holding the persons involved personally liable and putting a lien on their political pension if damages are not repaid;
* filing a criminal complaint.
I also believe that one has to be banned from holding a ministerial office in the future if one was involved with a law-breaking farewell policy in the past, for it shows lack of integrity and disrespect for the laws of Sint Maarten.
In closing, also in our young country the rule of law prevails, as such distinguishes us from banana republics. Mistakes may be made, but willful gross violations must at all times be rectified and not to be made again. Thus, a harsh response by government and law enforcement is imperative.
Member of Parliament Perry Geerlings
Dear Editor,
I would like to respond to the findings of Minister of VROMI Miklos Giterson regarding the leased land on the ring road that was given out by the previous administration’s Minister of VROMI.
The people that know me well know that I will always fight for my people. For all my years in government, and as a business owner it has always been my highest priority to empower our people. I work with them, I believe in them, I have always promoted them, and I shall always be in support of locally owned businesses. I’m a product of grassroot St. Maarten, and of a family that’s been here for many generations, and I will fight tooth and nail to make sure that all the people who wish to contribute positively to this country, are never left out of anything.
But having that said, it’s also my responsibility to ensure that we are not setting up citizens to fail, and it’s hurtful to see that not everyone is following this same basic principle. If we want to help our very people, we must encourage and guide young entrepreneurs through the process of setting up their own companies in a proper fashion.
Being an entrepreneur comes with a great responsibility, and instead of teaching young aspiring businessmen and -women to circumvent rules and go for the quick wins and low-hanging fruit, we must encourage them to follow the rules, set long term goals for the company so that their companies can be sustainable and viable, and make Sint Maarten proud with good quality products and services.
In light of the recent integrity breaches, several young Sint Maarteners will become unintentionally exposed to the scrutiny of the law which may have far-reaching consequences. Now – more than ever – we need to do the right thing, by doing things right!
Having true love for the country and its people means protecting them from harm as well. The actions and the defence of the NA further demonstrates why the Integrity Chamber is so needed. We must realise that sometimes the right thing to do is the hardest thing to do.
Member of Parliament Franklin Meyers
Dear Editor,
It is astounding that with all the publications on the COCI land issue that anyone to this day can believe that the issuance of land in long lease to COCI can be compared to the land issued in long lease by outgoing Minister Emanuel, to entities/persons who were either not established and/or did not have in land requests in (this based on the newspaper publication).
Dear Editor,
For the last couple of weeks, I have been visiting some neighborhoods in Sint Maarten to listen to the concerns of the people.
What strikes me the most is the situation of so many women on Sint Maarten. I am, like them, very concerned about the youth and their education, the migration situation and the struggles of the women to make ends meet on Sint Maarten.
Sint Maarten has many single women taking care of their children. Most of them are in an all-day-long working situation, sometimes working shifts or 10 to 16 hours a day to make ends meet, every month again. The consequences are, that our youth is left alone and can get involved in negative attitudes or even in crime. This has a negative effect on our social development, our economy and at the end our culture.
We have still a way to go to empower our women and make them more independent in life and to make it possible they spend more quality time with their family.
Some things can be done to break this vicious circle, which is affecting our social welfare negatively. Government needs to join with stakeholders to come up with programs to strengthen our women with handicraft-skills and entrepreneurship training and guide them in such a way that they can create their own jobs.
Government needs to look deeper into the 6 months labor contracts in the light of the labor rights.
There needs to be a match of people’s skills with what is needed on our labor market.
Furthermore, specific attention needs to be given to equality versus equal rights for women in comparison with the men. Equal treatment needs to be given to women when it comes to opportunities and salary.
The youth can be strengthened with more guidance and facilities and education to reach their full potential. We need to bring more sports activities in the lives of our youngsters, so they can maintain a proactive attitude in life.
In the National Alliance Manifesto, we strive for strengthening the youth and women! As a matter of fact, this is part of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development of the United Nations, which gives Latin America and the Caribbean the direction to go to reach a more stable and inclusive social and economic development.
With a dynamic group of young professionals in combination with more experienced people, we are steady and ready to serve the people of Sint Maarten with the Good Governance principles on our side.
Lucrecia Morales
Candidate #15 on the National Alliance slate
My extensive political platform makes me different to most
Dear Editor,
As Candidate number 5 on the National Alliance slate, I appeal to all eligible voters of St. Maarten to cast their votes on February 26, 2018.
I am the candidate who has been championing for the establishment of District Community Councils (DCCs), whereby each District on St. Maarten would host campaigns to elect community leaders to represent them and take pertinent matters to Parliament on a quarterly basis.
Often neglected issues such as raw sewage running in the streets, and dark roads due to improper or lack of lighting to give late night workers the comfort needed to get home safely after work are just a few of many items the DCCs would bring to our elected officials. I believe that if these District Community Councils had been in place after the devastating Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the communities' cries would have been better attended to via a structured system.
In addition, I also propose the implementation of an “Essentials Card” as an ideal way to assist Government with supplying the unemployed with basic essential food items to feed themselves and their families. The Essentials Card system would eliminate food vouchers and allow Government to update the account linked directly to the card with a monthly allowance. This then provides those registered as unemployed the ability to visit supermarkets and purchase what is needed to maintain their households.
Now that many of the hotels have been damaged and are subsequently closed, my aim as an elected official tasked with representing the people of St. Maarten will be to connect people from St. Maarten with the cruise lines in a streamlined process to go onboard the vessels to work. The people of St. Maarten must play a vital role in helping the island rebuild stronger with more structure.
I believe that jobs on cruise lines will provide many benefits for those willing to take up the opportunity. Motivated persons will be able to visit various countries around the world as well as have their professional skills sharpened with onboard trainings. The most obviously attractive benefits, however, will be the ability to earn a promising salary while the job opportunities here at home are few to none, and the chance to send monies home to help families rebuild their lives.
I have an extensive political platform that makes me identifiably different to most candidates while still matching my will and determination with the National Alliance, in their fundamentals of being a Socially Democratic Party focused on the welfare of our society.
Visit my elect page on Facebook.com/voteanna to learn more. Elect Anna Rabess-Richardson on Monday, February 26, 2018.
Anna Rabess-Richardson
Candidate number 5 on the National Alliance slate
