Making tourism work for you

Dear Editor,

  Tourism can and should do more for our people and our communities. We just need people who can translate St. Maarten’s tourism product into real economic opportunities for all. My platform is built on ideas and initiatives that I believe can truly and finally make tourism work for more of my fellow citizens and open up opportunities for industry entrepreneurs. I have a passion for tourism. It is now a billion-dollar industry for St. Maarten. But how many of our people really benefit from that?

  A good tourism product works best in a diverse economy. Although I’m for tourism I will also be talking about economic diversification, because if we over-saturate the product and over-depend on it, it could lower the quality of the product and make it harder for us to ensure it benefits everyone. So making tourism work for you is also about economic diversification, getting technology as a business, getting agriculture, sports etc. involved, it all translates into jobs and direct economic benefits.

  Over the next few weeks my campaign will elaborate on all plans using all media and my campaign website. I intend to release a video about each plan every Thursday via social media, while simultaneously uploading the details of each plan to my campaign website. It is not only important to tell people of your plans for change or improvement, but my team and I intend to focus on how these plans can be accomplished. 

  Topics that will be elaborated on in the coming weeks:

  District-Based Tourism: Tourism development on St. Maarten is now necessary to compensate for the large product-loss suffered after Irma. There is a growing sentiment on the island that tourism does not benefit individuals, but rather large corporations. The country needs to find new ways to have tourist dollars reach the less fortunate and developing entrepreneurs. Bringing tourism to the districts is one such way.

  A Sustainable Development and Economic Diversification Committee for Parliament: St. Maarten has recognized its need to diversify its economy, especially in the wake of Irma where the island has taken a hit in tourism. While St. Maarten will always have a tourism product, identifying other industries that can be sustainably developed on the island, with minimal leakage (as much money as possible stays within the economy) and to the benefit of its people, this should be a number 1 priority by both the legislative and executive branches of government.

  Junior Tourism Authority: To compound the fact that tourism is not a prominent subject in schools (see related goal for Tourism in Schools), our youth have very little involvement in tourism initiated by government. The youth often feel that they do not have a voice about what they think tourism means to them, and what the island should look like in the future from a tourism perspective.

  Tourism Support for Sports: There has been a lot of talk about sports tourism being an important tourism development that needs to take place. However, the issue has been that sports itself must be developed on the island first – so your product development –  before it can be promoted internationally as a viable product. The problem with marketing sports tourism is that if tourism funding does not also partially go into the development of sports itself, then the product will never be attractive enough, and your marketing dollars will be wasted.

  Tourism in the schools – retired hospitality veterans or displaced hospitality: St. Maarten’s primary and secondary schools do not all currently teach tourism as a subject in school. This is quite surprising to think about when we know that almost 90 per cent of our GDP is derived from tourism dollars. Not having a population educated in even the most fundamental aspects of tourism industry may lead to the population not having enough of an appreciation of the industry to give the right service, but also learn the ways in which the tourism industry can work for them, bettering their own lives.

  Technology Free Zone: St. Maarten is in urgent need of diversifying its economy. The island must attract new investors, but as we know, new investment comes at the price of having to offer something in return. We have to find a way to attract businesses that will employ local labor at good wages, that can get up and running relatively quickly, and that government can benefit in multiple ways rather than just taxation.

  I will also be releasing his ideas for Mullet Bay to which he will devote quite some time and a Hospitality Certification for the service industry to create a standard for tourism service to ensure “we are all on the same page on how to treat both our locals and guests in the service sector.”

Rolando Brison

Head of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau (STB)

United St. Maarten (US) party’s #4 candidate

Dear Editor,
First of all I wanted to state that we love St. Maarten and have gone from a 2-week stay 7 years ago to staying for almost 5 months every year now. This past weekend someone stole a laptop and an iPhone 7Plus from us and we wanted to report the theft to the police in the event that our property showed up someplace. This is what transpired and I felt obligated to let people know what goes on:
Sometime Saturday, January 6, afternoon until Sunday morning our laptop and phone were stolen out of our house on Pelican Key. (We are quite certain that it was gone before 2:00am Sunday morning because of phone usage at that time). We also learned that around 2:00am on Sunday morning a skinny black male in a hoody tried to break into one of the other houses right next to us – and when he was confronted he just left the property and gave the residents the finger. A few people have told us they know who he is – but we don’t personally know who.
Sunday 10:12am we noticed the missing items and called the police (operator in Philipsburg) and she said to come down Monday morning to report the incident.
Monday, 1/8/18: We drove down to the Philipsburg Police Dept. around noon on Monday. Called on the phone in the lobby area for a detective but got no answer. We then went to the window and were given a number to dial on the phone. When we finally got through on the phone we were told to go back to the window. When we told the officer at the window that we were redirected back to him – he laughed and walked away.
Then another officer (all in blue with a handgun and utility belt) returned and asked us why we were there. We told him that our phone and laptop were stolen from inside the house. He asked if we knew who took it and we said no. We said we wanted to file a report and he asked what the reason was for the report ... and we weren’t quite sure what he meant ... then he asked if we needed to report it for insurance. (To be honest I hadn’t thought about that at the moment). I said no we weren’t reporting it for insurance. Then he said that there was no reason to file a report. We were clearly taken back by that comment as we had brought with us all our paperwork, configuration of the laptop, serial numbers, phone numbers called by the thief, etc., but he didn’t want any of it. So we just said “thank you” and left.
Tuesday, 1/9/18: We decided to investigate ourselves. I got the call logs of mobile data usage that the thief had used with our phone. There were 5 calls of some sort from 1:53am to 9:00am on Sunday the 7th. I contacted AT&T and they said that the calls were placed through UTS Federal in Curaçao (59997771155). When we contacted UTS they said the calls would have to be tracked through UTS in St. Maarten. We contacted St. Maarten UTS, told them about the calls, and they said that for “privacy” purposes they could only provide that information to the Prosecutor’s Office in Philipsburg. Somewhat astounded by this I asked if I could come down and verify the phone was mine – they said only the Prosecutor’s Office could do that. So, I asked where that office was and decided I would go down there.
While driving down toward the Prosecutor’s Office a friend called and suggested I stop and see one of the detectives in Philipsburg that she knew and that this Detective would help. So, I first went to the police station, again, and contacted the Detective’s office. Once there I contacted the Detective’s office and someone came down and I was told to wait and someone would be down to see me shortly. After waiting almost an hour I tried to call the Detective but she was tied up and I couldn’t get through. So, I decided to go to the Prosecutor’s Office and before I went I informed the Detective’s associate that I was going there.
When I arrived at the Prosecutor’s Office I explained my situation to the person at the window. She got up and went back into the office and then came back and said that I had to have a police report filed before they could help me get the phone numbers that were called on my phone on the 7th. I clearly explained again that I had been to the police station to file a report two times, both of which were unsuccessful. She then informed me that there was nothing they could do – and they could not help me get the call logs from the calls that were made on my stolen phone.
I am not surprised that thefts occur on St. Maarten as they do anyplace. However, the real crime to me is the failure of the Police Department and the Prosecutor’s Office to take any responsibility for doing their assigned jobs. If crime statistics are not reported, and police are indifferent towards crime, and the Prosecutor’s Office has no interest in catching criminals or monitoring a police department that doesn’t even attempt to solve crimes – this is a very sad state of affairs for St. Maarten.

Mark Reynolds

Short-term measures needed for Pond Island landfill

Dear Editor,

  This week the Nature Foundation announced that due to the landfill on Pond Island which has been burning for over a month, the non-governmental organization (NGO) has called on nearby communities to start wearing facemasks in order to protect themselves from the fumes. The NGO on Thursday distributed masks to students and staff of a school on the Pondfill which is located near the landfill.

  The Nature Foundation also stated that the month-long fire is now resulting in significant negative health effects affecting the community and visitors alike. “As we still wait for action to occur regarding the management of our solid waste issues, we encourage that especially expectant mothers and those with a weakened immune system wear facemask to reduce the risk caused by the landfill,” the Nature Foundation said this week.

  As long as the landfill has no system for the collection of methane gas, and no proper closure or packing of waste, there will be fires. 

  According to some Waste Management specialists, the average landfill site has a 60 per cent statistical risk of fire each year. The cost of preventing a landfill fire is far less than extinguishing it.

  The longer a fire burns the more difficult it is to put out and will burn for a long time.  With the Pond Island landfill fire already burning for over a month, are we looking at this being the new norm for 2018?

  Waste Management specialists say that landfill fires cannot be left to burn (smoulder) due to the dangerous emissions, including dioxins that are given off by slowly combusting PVC, among other substances.

  There are two types of landfill fires, surface, or shallow fires and deep-seated fires.  Surrounding communities of Pond Island have observed the billowing black/grey smoke from the surface fires on the landfill. This was very common in 2017 and 2016.

  Surface fires can be ignited by lightning, hot coals entering the landfill in the waste stream among many others. To deal with such a fire, the waste management company would place a layer of material such as top soil on the fire and compact it with a landfill compactor. Another technique is to douse it with a lot of water.

  Treating underground landfill fires involves infiltrating an inert gas such as CO2 or nitrogen into the area where the fire is emanating from. 

  Short-term measures are needed now to protect public health. It has been stated in the media that the new Waste to Energy Facility will take 18 months before it is operational.  In the meantime, something should be done until the facility is fully functional. 

  The United Nations (UN) Environment and World Health Organization (WHO) have agreed a new, wide-ranging collaboration to accelerate action to curb environmental health risks that cause an estimated 12.6 million deaths a year.

  An agreement has been signed by the two aforementioned entities to step up joint actions to combat air pollution, climate change and antimicrobial resistance, as well as improve coordination on waste and chemicals management, water quality, and food and nutrition issues. The collaboration also includes joint management of the BreatheLife advocacy campaign to reduce air pollution for multiple climate, environment and health benefits.

  This represents the most significant formal agreement on joint action across the spectrum of environment and health issues in over 15 years, according to the two international organizations.

  “There is an urgent need for our two agencies to work more closely together to address the critical threats to environmental sustainability and climate – which are the foundations for life on this planet. This new agreement recognizes that sober reality,” said UN Environment’s Solheim.

  “Our health is directly related to the health of the environment we live in. Together, air, water and chemical hazards kill more than 12.6 million people a year. This must not continue,” said WHO’s Tedros.

  It’s overdue, and it’s time for some form of action on the Pond Island landfill. 

Roddy Heyliger

Dear Editor,
The listeners are listening:
As was already discussed and explained with clarity the date for this scheduled election of February 26, 2018, is incorrect!
Do the math: November 2, 2017, Parliament was dissolved. Based on our constitution the new Parliament should take office 3 months thereafter, taking us to February 2, 2018.
Which means election should have been prior to February 2, 2018, but instead the date is February 26, 2018. How? Aren't we therefore going against our constitution?
Immediately after the devastation caused by Hurricane's Irma and Maria, no one believed that the then-PM William Marlin would have the gall to call for election. Moreover, why didn't Governor Holiday have this decision annulled? Let's not forget the several motions passed by Parliament which expressed the desire not to have elections.
Could he, the Governor have been challenged on his decision? Yes!
Is it too late to challenge him? No! By any means necessary!
Yes, postulation took place, but MP Wescot submitted her report to the Governor on December 30, 2017, way before the deadline of January 12, 2018. The listeners are questioning why the proposed names for Ministers can't yet take office. What's the hold-up in finalising this report?
We knew the Governor would have stalled until after postulation, a ploy not to postpone the election date once again; as he did for William.
To conclude, while it may seem that the dust has settled and everyone is gearing up for elections, it doesn't take away that elections called for February 26, 2018, are incorrect, based on our constitution. So many things still not in place as explained by the Main Voting Bureau, the issues with the Civil Registry, Voting cards, etc.
The fact that we are not ready for an election, that so many MPs or candidates have expressed this, among them Mr. Wycliffe Smith and MP Ardwell Irion.
The fact that so many persons are without proper placement, in shelters or jobless. The listeners are saying this election is not only unjust but illegal and should be challenged by the fullest extent of the law!

Marinka Gumbs