Dear Editor,
When Dr. Martin Luther King said, "The time is always right to do right", I was a teenager and that saying made an impression on me. When I told my father this, he asked me:
“What is the difference between that and what I have been trying to instil in you? He had me repeat what he always said to me “Always do the right thing."
I believe the right thing for the voters of Sint Maarten to do next week Monday is to make sure that none of those people in government, who have been in there so long and especially since 10-10-'10, do not return to the government.
No matter how they might sound campaigning, no matter what they promise (which by the way comes out your own pockets) make sure that none of them get back in office. Simple as that. Go and vote for a young candidate.
I like the SMCP. The people of Sint Maarten should take a look at the stand that the youth of the USA are taking. They are saying enough is enough and will be demonstrating against the current gun laws, which are enabling crazy people and teenagers access to weapons of mass destruction, because the government of the USA is not doing anything against this, even though the number of mass killings in the schools is increasing.
I believe that it is high time for the voters of Sint Maarten do the same and get rid of all those in government who have been there for years, having the people of Sint Maarten going backwards instead of progressing.
Out with the old and in with the new. The time is right to do right.
Russell A. Simmons
Dear Editor,
We, the workers of Royal Palm Resort and Flamingo Resort, are asking Emil Lee to please intervene into what is going on. Presently, the Resort is calling team members to sign letters to be dismissed. They are even requesting team members to come in on a Saturday to sign dismissal letters.
The Labour Office has told them the process starts on 15th February until 29th March 2018, but Mervin is going against the C.L.A. and doing what he wants, even having some members confused with his lies, such as telling them they are losing their notice pay. He is on a rampage to feed the team members with lies.
Come on, where is Emil Lee? Where is the Labour Office? Where is the Government? We need something to be done. These things have to stop. Mervin seems to be very happy with taking bread from the mouths of 205 workers. Mervin said he is a man of God, but his actions contradict his words.
Someone please do something we need help!
Individual in solidarity with the team members
Name withheld at author's request.
Dear Editor,
This dump fire was not easy, even caused many schools on the Island to be closed.
As long as no one is brought to justice and found guilty of the dump fire the weight will remain on Christophe Emanuel.
And l quote: It's a God bless Theo was not the former minister of (Vromi). It was Christophe Emmanuel when all the smoke invaded the Capital of St Maarten.
Oh my God, if Theo was the former minister of (Vromi) Christophe will be all over the Island blaming and accusing Theo and will join Frans, William, blaming accusing Theo. But the turn in favor of Theo.
Theo not the one to blame. Theo is blessed and creative. He is our Nelson Mandela. He can get back St. Maarten back to business easier than NA PARTY.
Cuthbert Bannis
Dear Editor,
Permit me first to ask. Did Cuthbert Bannis come to the island yesterday? The Dutch would use the term “pas komen kijken.” It is those kind of interference which cause status quo. I would like to know if Cuthbert Bannis (CB for short) has any idea why, when and how that dump come about.
Whether I am a fan of Emmanuel or not, his meddling was as a Minister of VROMI. CB should ask MP Th. Heyliger the history (the ins and outs) of what they named Pond island and then CB will know when to meddle and when not to.
CB should not get carried away because one time I agreed with something that he wrote.
Now this. Because of what I did, my father whom I constantly praise for keeping me grounded, pointed out to me that the saying “it’s not what you do, is how you do it” did not count for me. What counted for me was “what you do, depends on who you are.” So what I did or how I did it did not make a difference. If who you are determines that you should not do it then that is what it should be. Don’t do it. It worked for me.
People are not ready to be fair. Simple everyday example. Using the cell phone while driving is forbidden by law. The majority of drivers do it. Some take pleasure in taking up a relaxed position in the car while driving and being on the phone. Not to talk about the thousands who constantly text while driving, but if the police does it, everybody sees it and comments about it.
Over the years I have had conversations with a lot of politicians and I always got the feeling that it is about using people, so I never showed whether I was encouraged or not. But those who are honest will remember that I always stressed on being fair to the people who afford them the opportunity to govern and be put in a position to go forward in strides.
Election is around the corner and the arrest of Frans Richardson will be the topic of the day way into March. I have been advocating out with the old and in with the new. Knowing that that possibility is looming over the heads of several of the old politicians and people in government and that is exactly one of the reasons. Being in that clique for too long causes complacency with all ensuing consequences.
I’ve mentioned that “ik zal je nog eens krijgen” en “laat ze maar rotsooinen” is a vital tool and instrumental in tightening the noose around our political leaders’ necks, but I have also heard that “Russell think he know everything.” I do not know everything, but what I do know is that Marlin was ousted, Theo is a constant target, Frans was arrested and Sarah was not left out of any one of the seven governments.
A young lady asked me if any of the ship-jumpers ever ended up in the National Alliance. I refused to answer and told her that that is for her account, because all I would like to see is that new politicians are voted in to office and the old ones rejected. I hope the RST and those other boys do not read me wrong because I did not write arrested but rejected.
If we follow what is happening and if we put two and two together there are two conclusions which we can come to. Guilty by association and one always comes out smelling like a rose and to add to that the DP cannot say “not me” because they are always there.
When we sum it all up, all that is left now is to check and see which party was never in government and cannot be blamed for corruption. The SMCP. Like I mentioned before their Manifesto looks promising, they have young people who I would like to see in government for instance Chacho Peterson and I would like for the party to get at least four seats. One of the best ways to guarantee that is too simple – do not vote for those partys which have been in government for years.
It is almost six months since Irma and they are more interested in the people keeping them in government than they taking care of the needs, yes the needs of those same devastated people who put them there to take care of the people’s business. If you the people put them back there they will laugh at you because although they did not take care of you you still put them back. Out with all of them and in with the new. Enough is enough,
Did not anybody ask them “Why do the sixty to eighty thousand people on a sixteen square mile island with a four billion dollar economy, have to be treated like beggars?
But I have another question. What does Holland while dealing with our foreign affairs answer the world, when asked why are they treating their overseas territories in that way? Do you believe that a responsible answer could be “We laten ze maar rotsooien.”
Russell A. Simmons
Dear Editor,
Lots has been said in the last couple of months, but the sole reason for our motion of no confidence in the Marlin cabinet was to safeguard this country from spiralling down in craters of irreparable economic catastrophe and human disaster.
Let’s take a step back in time. In 2010 we became a country within the kingdom while the world was still recovering from an economic crisis. However, the UPP/DP-led government successfully managed to increase tourist arrivals, and thus provide income for our people.
While islands around us saw a sharp decline in figures, we managed to remain the leaders in our region.
Then the unfortunate happened, and in 2012 that government subsequently fell. Elections were not called as there was a new majority in Parliament that was willing to work together. This severely interrupted marketing strategies, restructuring of our tax system and dealing with the dump issue, just to name a few.
When we then took office again we found our cash flow severely depleted, a non-existent marketing program for our one-pillar tourism economy, the project offering solutions for the dump halted and our government-owned companies being fleeced for pet projects. We got to work again and decided that we would build a new hospital and make it part of an overall strategy for diversification of our tourism product, including medical tourism and educational tourism (which would be a significant boost for our much-troubled university). However, that too came to an end a little over a year.
Whenever we were given a clear mandate the economy flourished! We successfully built a port, secured new airlines coming to St. Maarten, engaged in strategic marketing partnerships, got link 9 (causeway) built as part of the St. Maarten road infrastructure improvement (which was halted once again when NA took office), and so much more.
More than ever, we need to have a clear mandate from the people of St. Maarten to quickly, yet structurally, rebuild our Island with urgent attention being placed on the immediate reconstruction of homes, re-employment of our people, and a waste-to-energy solution for the dump.
We have done it in the past; our track record shows it. There is no time for experiments, not at the cost of the livelihood and wellbeing of our country!
We have done it before and we will do it again. Therefore, give the UD an outright majority to govern on February 26. Vote for yours truly, Frankie Meyers, number 3 on the UD slate.
Frankie Meyers
Deputy Leader, United People’s party
United Democrats Candidate #3
