Dear Editor,

  St. Maarten must urgently set in motion a process to establish a Sovereign Fund for the country. Its purpose will be to gird and buttress the country’s autonomy and lay the foundation for an eventual future independence should the people so choose.

  We call on the newly installed government to begin the process to establish such a Sovereign Fund by establishing a task force to research the issue. Additionally, all political parties taking part in the upcoming elections should include this objective in their political programs.

  Known also as a Sovereign Wealth Fund, these entities are essentially investment funds established by national legislation and function much the same as a pension fund as “depositories” of wealth for the country. Their national profile could be on a level equal to that of a central bank. They must operate fully independent of the political establishment and have a professional management and external supervision. It can even be considered to give such an institution a place in the constitution to emphasize its important role of promoting the future wellbeing of the nation.

  The recent experiences the country has had to endure since the passing of hurricanes Irma and Maria, exposing its dependency on The Netherlands for financial assistance and having its autonomy questioned, must serve as a wakeup call that autonomy is not just a status on paper, a benevolence given in response to the choice of the people, but autonomy must be secured by proper foundations that can withstand any such attempts at its undermining.

  This recent antagonism between St. Maarten and the Netherlands relating to reconstruction funds, that led to a political crisis in the island and resulting in the breakup of the governing coalition, and the forced removal of Prime Minister William Marlin, tells us that something is gravely wrong, incomplete, or unsound, with the autonomy the island has been granted. Country St. Maarten was basically put to shame, unable to defend its autonomy in the face of Dutch pressure and having to succumb to The Hague’s demands for the sake of reconstruction dollars; with some even questioning the island’s ability to continue in this status. Failing compliance the government risked an uprising by the depleted and disheveled masses. It is clear the current status has left a back door open for others to infiltrate the local constitutional state.

  In the world we live in today, money rules, and if one truly wants to be autonomous and later perhaps independent, it is imperative that a proper financial basis is created. This is a long-term project but the work must start now. Since the Second World War newly independent countries in our region and elsewhere have been relegated to the control of many international organizations who all are supposedly working to improve the lives of people in these regions. We must agree much has been accomplished, yet the social, economic problems seem to only get worse; not just in number but in their intensity in the way they impact lives.

  For this reason our region needs to take greater control in finding solutions that really solve our problems. To do this we need not invent the wheel but rather use the instruments the wealthier countries, businesses, and individuals, are using to create wealth. This is the only solution, wealth creation on a long-term basis. And, there is no reason to delay this. Failing this we are condemning ourselves to be beggars for the rest of our lives and this is what we will bequeath to future generations. It is time to stand up and turn the tide.

  Join other small countries in the world such as Singapore and Hong Kong that have sovereign funds that underpin their (financial) independence and autonomy respectively.

  Of course, right now the focus in St. Maarten is on recovery and rebuilding after the hurricanes, but at the same time it is necessary to start planning for the future. A sovereign fund is a long-term project that could take as much as fifty years to reach a level where it can supply the country’s needs. With that in place the country could simply access its own resources rather than being bullied or blackmailed in a way that disrespects St. Maarten and its people. This is only possible now because there is no alternative in place.

  What goes for St. Maarten also applies for the other islands of the Dutch Caribbean; those that already have an autonomous status like Aruba and Curaçao, and those aspiring to such like Bonaire and St. Eustatius. The process must start now without delay to establish such a fund.

  We also look forward to the wider Caribbean moving in this direction in order to extricate itself from the position of dependency that does not serve to free ourselves from foreign domination. These islands must become more assertive in establishing their own terms of reference for their future rather than having it dictated by outside governments and multilateral institutions.

  The country of Norway currently owns the largest known sovereign fund with over one trillion dollars in assets. This, of course, is funded primarily by the income from the large oil and gas reserves exploited in that country. Many, if not most, sovereign funds are funded by income from various mineral mining activities across the globe, but some are funded from other sources including taxation or other type of revenue.

  The funding and the specific purpose of fund resources and how and when these are distributed, is a matter of national decision-making. In Norway, for example, the fund actually takes the function of a pension fund with the purpose of providing income to the citizens long after the oil and gas resources run out.

  Other funds in other countries have the purpose of funding education, health care, or other activities.

  We encourage the St. Maarten government as well as the entire Caribbean region to seriously take steps to move in this direction. We cannot condemn ourselves and future generations of our peoples to continue living a “life of total subjection” as the songwriter puts it. Caribbean people must arise and become owners and masters of their own universe; but it takes positive action and that must start now.

  Homeland Statia is a political movement on the island of St. Eustatius. We support the goal of autonomy for all our islands in line with the United Nations edict of “full measure of self-government.” we encourage our people to hold fast to these ideals and actively work toward them.

On behalf of Homeland Statia,

Glenn Schmidt, President

Dear Editor,

  Healthcare is difficult task for all ideologies.

  Liberals throughout the world favor the European healthcare system.

The liberal philosophy, based on moral principles, attempts to balance the needs of the individual with the concerns of the entire population.

  Elements of the liberal health care perspective include a belief that health care is an equal right of all people, equitable financing of health care, and provides universal health coverage.

  Conservatives, on the other hand, disagree with this notion and contend that the government is unequipped to take on such a huge endeavor, and even if it were, the resulting bureaucracy would be terribly inefficient like most government programs. Conservatives plan is more optimistic in tone because they believe the current system can be fixed with reform measures such as promoting competition between health insurance and pharmaceutical companies, reforming the medical payment system, establishing clear standards of care.

  When consumer insurance companies receive the bills for these high-cost services, it is in their best interest to find reasons not to pay or reimburse the insured. In many cases, these companies are unable to successfully avoid payment (because in most cases the services are medically necessary), so not only the consumer but the insured consumer's employer experiences a rise in health care insurance premiums, as well.

  Between physician fees, expensive pharmaceutical fees and expensive health insurance fees, consumers often cannot afford the health care they need.

  Many conservatives believe families, individuals and businesses should be able to purchase health insurance nationwide to heighten competition for their business and provide a variety of choices.

  Liberals want to create a public health insurance program that competes with private companies, and at the same time, makes it harder for private companies to stay in business. Conservatives, meanwhile, fear that the legislation could lead to an entire takeover of the health care industry, thus implementing a model of European socialism.

  Healthcare is one of the most difficult tasks for all governments. On a personal note every individual must take good care of his or her health and body as much as possible. Stay tuned as we continue on another topic.

The Patriot Miguel Arrindell

Dear Editor,

  I'm gonna make it short, sweet and to the point. You guys need to step it up a bit. The data service 4G/LTE is super, super pricey and not so super, super excellent. We get no deals on data and our data can't even roll over. And it depends on where you're located it can be good or bad. We are spending way too much and not getting quality service.

  SXM needs at least one more service provider to be able to pick up the slack. Sint Maarten has a lot of people. So no business will be lost. Let's keep in mind business thrives on competition. I think CORAL should enter into this phone service business. I know for a fact digicel has been trying to set up shop on the Dutch side. And they're being blocked by some mysterious force. French side has to my knowledge 3-4 service providers. So either step up to the plate or allow another company to come in.

  I strongly believe if we had another service provider down here things would be different. You guys would be acting right. You guys wouldn't have to be languishing in pain and pure agony when you try to upload a pic on Instagram or simply browse Facebook at piss poor speeds. And not to mention when you sign up for internet services at your home and business. And you have to wait weeks and sometimes months to be installed. I'm sorry but better has to be done.

  So let's step it up. We want fibre optic speed and not stone age dial up phone tone service. Just sharing my humble opinion.

Marc A.C. Frederick

Dear Editor,
On Friday January 19, as I was reading the newspaper I came across an article “Unlawful dismissal of airport employees” so that really got my attention and I started reading but the more I read the more I thought to myself. “Where in the world is it unlawful to fire an employee that is involved in theft?”
I frequent the airport quite often as I am a frequent traveller doing business on and off the island. Now please correct me if I am wrong, airport security is hired to protect the airport and everything and everyone that uses the airport, namely passengers, businesses, etc., etc.
So first of all as a businessman why would I set up my business on the airport when the ones that are supposed to take care of and protect my business are the ones involved in stealing? Then like I said when I first read about this situation at the airport I thought to myself it is very sad and unfortunate because at first it was said to be a misunderstanding.
Okay, let’s give the employees the benefit of the doubt that it was indeed a misunderstanding, but then a few weeks later in the paper I read that six out of the 15 employees got their jobs back. At first I thought that wasn't fair but in that same article it also stated that those six got their jobs back because they brought back the stuff, so then I said to myself okay, that seems fair enough.
My question is, why didn't all of them do the same? If all of them did take their stuff back then yes we could all honestly say it was indeed a misunderstanding but when those didn't carry back the stuff then that wasn't a misunderstanding, they didn't care about their jobs at all.
Now I find it really really sad that they would blame their boss and label him the bad guy. I find that their story doesn't make sense because as a businessman and someone who got common sense there ain't a place or business in the world that allow stealing. When you work for a company and you steal that is grounds for immediate dismissal, no ifs, ands and buts about that. But then they all got a second chance to take back the stuff they took that should clearly see that their boss did consider and give them a second chance so for them to blame him and label him the bad guy is clear that these workers have no common sense at all.
Then they named two other guys and apparently they want to blame them as well but if we all be honest and use our common sense we would see that these people were doing their jobs. Then in closing these workers should have realised that what they did gives the airport a bad image because as a businessman I wouldn't feel safe opening a business at the airport where the ones that are supposed to protect it are helping themselves.
Now I believe in life when we as human beings do something wrong we are always quick to blame others for our wrongdoings and don't accept that it does be our wrongdoings and stubbornness that put us in difficult situations. Now let’s be honest with ourselves and realise the obvious – that the mere fact that their boss even considered giving them a second chance clearly shows that he is not as vindictive as they say because in similar situations another boss would not even consider giving them a second chance. You all need to use your common sense and be honest with yourself.

Name withheld at author’s request.