The proof is adding up
Dear Editor,
Again more proof why we need to get rid of the old and in with a complete new breed of politicians to govern St. Maarten.
I continue to say that fairness should prevail. Here again we are reading about what in St. Martinees we call “spite work.” Two wrongs do not make a right.
Romans 12:19, I Peter 3:9 and Deuteronomy 32:35 are among the many books in the Bible which deal with revenge or vengeance and all of them remind us that it is of God.
The public transportation is a mess (yes, any time people in government publicly accept that it is difficult to fix it, that means it is a mess) part for the greatest because some of those bogus Ministers of the past seven plus years, whether out of greed, self preservance or vengeance decided to issue bus and taxi licenses to any and everybody as if they were going out of style And today they are asking the people to permit them to make a fool of the people again.
We know who was involved in the ring road and who had manufactured government land for their own convenience. We also know who is awaiting his chance to get back at the government. But instead of others going in there and making sure that the right thing can be done they retaliated in a revengeful way by giving out land similar to how bus and taxi licenses were given out. The Minister involved openly admitted that he did it and why he did it.
Whether or not it was done according to procedures does not matter, but he too is asking for the people to put him back in government so that he could do the same thing again. Is not that blatant disrespect for the voters of St. Maarten? Does he really believe he deserves our vote?
All of this is totally not in the interest of the people of St. Maarten but solely in the interest of a chosen few. I will repeat, the SMCP was never in government, but have capable young people. If the people give them four seats St. Maarten will be on its way to be saved and respected again.
Russell A. Simmons
Europe trip waste of taxpayers’ monies, 50 million loan brokered by NA-led Govt.
Dear Editor,
The recent trip to Europe by Minister of Finance Michael Ferrier and Interim Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin was a total waste of taxpayers’ monies as the 50-million-guilder loan agreement signed days ago between St. Maarten and the Netherlands, was already brokered by the National Alliance-led government, while it had been in office.
It was nothing but a pleasure trip for public relations purposes, wasting taxpayers’ monies, while taking credit for the hard work put in by the National Alliance-led government.
The 50-million-guilder loan agreement that Minister of Finance Michael Ferrier and State Secretary Raymond Knops signed off on had been brokered by former National Alliance Minister of Finance Richard Gibson Sr.
The trip was not necessary as Finance Minister Richard Gibson was the one who negotiated for that loan for St. Maarten, but nowhere is this being mentioned. The government ministers are making PR trips to make it appear as if they are working on getting things done. Interim Prime Minister Romeo-Marlin is calling from the Netherlands to say that they have accomplished something, while it was already in place waiting for them to just finalize the process.
The Parliament of St. Maarten just needed to approve an amended budget before the loan agreement could have been signed off on, but before this could have occurred, the former government left office.
The current government had no hand in this. The meeting was held while our government was still in office.
I urge government to stop the PR stunts just because it’s an election season.
William Marlin
Former Prime Minister of St. Maarten
Dear Editor,
Again more proof why we need to get rid of the old and in with a complete new breed of politicians to govern St. Maarten.
I continue to say that fairness should prevail. Here again we are reading about what in St. Martinees we call “spite work.” Two wrongs do not make a right.
Romans 12:19, I Peter 3:9 and Deuteronomy 32:35 are among the many books in the Bible which deal with revenge or vengeance and all of them remind us that it is of God.
The public transportation is a mess (yes, any time people in government publicly accept that it is difficult to fix it, that means it is a mess) part for the greatest because some of those bogus Ministers of the past seven plus years, whether out of greed, self preservance or vengeance decided to issue bus and taxi licenses to any and everybody as if they were going out of style And today they are asking the people to permit them to make a fool of the people again.
We know who was involved in the ring road and who had manufactured government land for their own convenience. We also know who is awaiting his chance to get back at the government. But instead of others going in there and making sure that the right thing can be done they retaliated in a revengeful way by giving out land similar to how bus and taxi licenses were given out. The Minister involved openly admitted that he did it and why he did it.
Whether or not it was done according to procedures does not matter, but he too is asking for the people to put him back in government so that he could do the same thing again. Is not that blatant disrespect for the voters of St. Maarten? Does he really believe he deserves our vote?
All of this is totally not in the interest of the people of St. Maarten but solely in the interest of a chosen few. I will repeat, the SMCP was never in government, but have capable young people. If the people give them four seats St. Maarten will be on its way to be saved and respected again.
Russell A. Simmons
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
Europe trip waste of taxpayers’ monies, 50 million loan brokered by NA-led Govt.
Dear Editor,
The recent trip to Europe by Minister of Finance Michael Ferrier and Interim Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin was a total waste of taxpayers’ monies as the 50-million-guilder loan agreement signed days ago between St. Maarten and the Netherlands, was already brokered by the National Alliance-led government, while it had been in office.
It was nothing but a pleasure trip for public relations purposes, wasting taxpayers’ monies, while taking credit for the hard work put in by the National Alliance-led government.
The 50-million-guilder loan agreement that Minister of Finance Michael Ferrier and State Secretary Raymond Knops signed off on had been brokered by former National Alliance Minister of Finance Richard Gibson Sr.
The trip was not necessary as Finance Minister Richard Gibson was the one who negotiated for that loan for St. Maarten, but nowhere is this being mentioned. The government ministers are making PR trips to make it appear as if they are working on getting things done. Interim Prime Minister Romeo-Marlin is calling from the Netherlands to say that they have accomplished something, while it was already in place waiting for them to just finalize the process.
The Parliament of St. Maarten just needed to approve an amended budget before the loan agreement could have been signed off on, but before this could have occurred, the former government left office.
The current government had no hand in this. The meeting was held while our government was still in office.
I urge government to stop the PR stunts just because it’s an election season.
William Marlin
Former Prime Minister of St. Maarten
