Dear Editor,

Pro Statia and Brighter Path Foundation, two grass-roots organizations on St. Eustatius, strongly condemn the desire of State Secretary Knops (Kingdom Relations) to intervene administratively on St. Eustatius as expressed in a letter to the Second Chamber today [Monday – Ed.].

The organizations view this move as undemocratic and not in accordance with international law on human rights, as the sitting Statia Government has been democratically elected by the people of St. Eustatius.

It is argued that the administrative move is a reaction to the report of the Committee of Wise Men who found negligence of duties in St. Eustatius. One can however ask, if such a move is in accordance with the UN declaration of Human Rights, article 21, which states, “Everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country directly or through freely chosen representatives.” How can the Dutch Government therefore justify the move to postpone elections until further notice?

Additionally, the report of the so-called Wise Men has not been made public before today [Monday – Ed.]. This report is mentioned as the basis for this latest action of the Dutch government, while the people of St. Eustatius have not been made aware of the findings of this committee.

The NGOs are calling on the international community to condemn this undemocratic act and also call upon the United Nations, to mandate one of its bodies, to serve as a neutral third party in helping the local and Dutch government to resolve this governing crisis.

We will be keeping the community informed and provide guidance moving forward.

Brighter Path Foundation,

Xiomara Balentina

Pro Statia,

Glenn Schmidt

Dear Editor,
Once again were experiencing dump fires which are polluting the air we breathe and causing havoc in our body because of the toxic fumes. What saddens me and what our population is not aware of, is that these dump fires could have been prevented since 2013 when an agreement was signed between the Government of St. Maarten represented by then PM Mrs Sarah Wescot-Williams and the municipality of Amsterdam represented by the then Mayor Eberhard van der Laan. This agreement will be published because it’s of importance that the St. Maarten people draw their own conclusions after reading that document and the advice given by the Social Economic Council on this matter. For those who cannot read the Dutch language a free translation will be added so that they too can get an idea of what is going on. St. Maarten people need to be informed in order to make the right decision at the polls. Now we are talking about your health and what that is worth to you.
The agreement was signed on October 16th, 2013. The Social Economic Council brought out their advice on “Better Waste Management for Sint Maarten”, December 21st, 2016. Three years after said agreement was signed. This agreement expired on the 16th of October 2017. A good month after being devastated by hurricane Irma. Our government never did anything with this agreement, which would have had a major impact on cleaning up our waste issues prior and post Hurricane Irma. This unfortunately is further evidence of how much this government cares about the well-being of the people. But don’t take my word for it. Read the documents yourself and decide if these are the people you want to cast your vote on come February 26, 2018.
Beverley Gibbs
Your number 5 candidate on the SMCP slate

Dear Editor,

Yesterday I donated a suitcase of miscellaneous to Tom, who is at the Little League Stadium for those in need.

Living there are single people who have lost their homes.

I asked Tom about the families living in Carnival Village and what would happen to them during Carnival, which is only 1-2 months away.

Apparently there were 2 options looked into:

1: to put up tents on the Little League field. This is not possible since the Little League field is not real grass and the spikes of the tents would ruin the field.

2: to relocate the families in a nearby whorehouse.

I ask the persons responsible for these ridiculous options the following:

To relocate families in tents on a field which is used to give the children of St. Maarten the much-needed sporting activities cannot be a serious option, don’t you think? Then option nr. 2 should never even have been considered, don’t you think?

Name withheld at author’s request

Dear Editor,
Exactly 5 months after our homes, our businesses, our economy, our country and our lives were battered by the passing of Hurricane Irma, so many of us now are suffering from an entirely man-made disaster, the one being foisted on us by the insurance industry. The pressure to settle, the low-ball amounts, the incomprehensible manner at how these sums are reached, the slow payment of the funds, the rumours of insolvency or sale of certain companies...all have been used against us; we who diligently insured our properties and made our timely payments.
All of this is being played at the expense of those who often can least afford it. Without roofs over their heads, it is impossible to wait out a better settlement and many are accepting the first offer, not knowing their rights or seeing the protection of their government.
Insurance industry adjusters have acted with impunity and without oversight, paying out what they want, rather than what was covered and paid for. Terms such as “underinsurance and re-insurance,”...none of which are stated in the policies that you and I bought, are suddenly are being used against us.
In fairness, some insurance companies have acted honourably, but others, and one in particular, has not. Ask your neighbours, your friends, and it becomes readily apparent.
It is time for our elected officials to step in today, and put their credibility on the line...towards the needs of their people. Elections are around the corner and a great deal of good can be done.
The pace of recovery is directly tied to the settlement and payment of claims. The people are suffering, jobs are being lost, revenue to the private sector from taxi drivers, tourism workers, building contractors and trades, and the subsequent flow through to the Government’s treasury, all suffer.

Name withheld at author's request