Dear Editor,
As St. Maarten joins the rest of the world in observing Christmas 2017, it shouldn’t be a time of celebration but more so of thanksgiving. Thanksgiving for surviving the ravages of Hurricane Irma, thanksgiving that despite the destruction and havoc wreaked on our homeland – be it by birth or by choice – we are here. We are here and ready to rebuild, ready to forgive, and ready to assist in every way we can, stronger than ever moving forward.
In the spirit of Christmas it behoves us to assist our neighbours, to give food, clothing, money, time, labour, material and above all else love and understanding to those worse affected than we are. In the spirit of Christmas let us remember the true meaning of the birth of Christ. While many will argue that Christmas has become commercialized we can choose not to make it so and instead to follow the examples that have been set by Christ.
This Christmas in the wake of Hurricane Irma many find themselves jobless, homeless, without food or money let alone Christmas presents. It is everyone’s duty as we observe this special time of year to remember the families that may be separated this Christmas but are in dire need of help from each of us.
There have been many organizations that have stepped up to the plate and donated food, materials to rebuild, clothing, shelter, labour, money and time, but they cannot help everyone. We each must do our part this Christmas. Ask yourself, “How can I help my neighbours and fellow citizens who are jobless, homeless, without food or money this Christmas?”
Many on this island are able to live in beautiful homes inherited from loved ones and/or family. Many of those homes were built with assistance from neighbours in the forms of jollifications, some neighbours cooking and others bringing drinks but together we worked on each other’s homes.
This Christmas, I urge you to love thy neighbour as you love yourself and extend the much-needed assistance to those worst impacted by Hurricanes Irma and Maria.
On behalf of my family and I we want to wish you and your family a Merry Christmas and a safe and happy New Year.

Lenny Priest
Leader, One St. Maarten People Party (OSPP)

Dear Editor,
After the new interim UP/DP/Brownbill government is sworn in, Sint Maarten would have had seven coalition governments in seven years. This is an average of one government per year. If we also count the number of elections since 2010, including the upcoming February 2018, Sint Maarteners would have gone to the polls four times which boils down to an average of one election every two years.
For a small young country such as ours, having on average a change of government every year and elections every two years is unacceptable. Think of the instability this causes within the civil service and within the country. Think of the many financial investors who decide not to invest in Sint Maarten due to the insecurity caused by the multiple changes of government. Think of the costs of new elections as well as the extra financial burden to Sint Maarten when it comes to having to pay severance and other benefits to Ministers and Parliamentarians who lose their positions due to shifting coalitions in government.
Clearly, since 10-10-10 coalition governments have not lasted in Sint Maarten. After reviewing this phenomenon, SMCP notes six main causes for the early demise of coalition governments.
Firstly, coalitions are formed too hastily. Hours after the election results are made known, political parties are ready to announce that they have signed a coalition agreement. Unfortunately, the experience of the past seven years indicates that fast coalitions do not last. “Haste brings waste.”
Secondly, political parties enter into a coalition agreement without first discussing in any depth their philosophy, vision and plans for the country. The parties’ positions on key issues are not outlined, neither do parties establish up front their core principles that cannot be conceded or negotiated.
Thirdly, the proper formation procedure, like appointing an informateur, is bypassed. This step in the formation process is crucial because the informateur is the one who, after consulting with the parties concerned, would be able to advise on the compatibility of these parties based on their philosophy, vision and manifesto. Unfortunately, this step is usually ignored but comes back later to haunt us as can be seen in the recurrent falling of coalition governments.
The fourth reason why coalition governments are short-lived is the fact that they are formed by party boards and persons who were not elected but who seemingly have a vested interest in seeing that certain political party combinations remain in power.
This brings us to the fifth point where apparently coalitions are all about politics and maintaining power rather than being about the interest and wellbeing of the people of Sint Maarten.
In the sixth place, SMCP is of the opinion that our parliamentarians, who are directly elected by the people, should have a greater say in the formation of the government. After all, it is the parliamentarians who have to give oversight to the government. In other words, the Council of Ministers and each minister individually are accountable to Parliament. Therefore, the logical thing to do would be to involve the newly elected parliamentarians in the appointment of the ministers? Hence, the selection of ministers should not be decided upon in some back room by political wheelers and dealers while parliamentarians who have to monitor and supervise these ministers have absolutely no say in the decision-making.
Obviously, the way coalitions have been formed in the past has not worked. We have formed coalition governments in the same manner over the last seven years and have expected them to last? Albert Einstein, renowned scientist, calls this “insanity” which he defines as doing the same thing over and over again but expecting different results. SMCP will definitely not participate in the current coalition madness that has been going on for the last seven years.
SMCP’s motto is “Serving You for a Change.” For this reason SMCP offers a different approach to forming a coalition government. If political parties begin the process right, chances are that Sint Maarten would end up with a strong, long-lasting coalition government. It all begins with changing the way coalition governments are formed. In this context SMCP proposes the following formation process.
1. There will be no hastily signed coalition agreement immediately after the elections and a short cooling off period will be required.
2. The Governor appoints an informateur to ascertain the compatibility among the parties concerned. The informateur consults with stakeholders such as social and business partners and churches. Finally, the informateur submits a signed coalition agreement to the Governor.
3. The Governor appoints a formateur who then proceeds to coordinate the formation of the governing coalition. He helps the coalition partners answer three fundamental questions. What will be the content of the governing program? How will the ministerial portfolios be distributed over the coalition parties and who will be nominated as ministers?
4. Given that Sint Maarten is currently now entering a reconstruction phase after Hurricane Irma SMCP opines that the ministers should be appointed based on experience, qualifications and professionalism.
5. The formateur involves the elected parliamentarians in the selection of the ministers.
6. SMCP is of the opinion that the Prime Minister should have the support and confidence of the coalition parties and consequently should be selected from one of the coalition partners.
SMCP believes that these points will help to enable political parties to form a strong and stable coalition which Sint Maarten is so badly in need of at this time of its development.

Wycliffe Smith
Leader of the Sint Maarten Christian Party

Dear Editor,

  I was driving two weeks back on Front Street. A police lady and police stop me. They checked my front windows. Tinted glasses were dark to the measurements. They took out. I was very happy, they are doing their good job.

  Now I have one question. MR-6 number plate, black color Hyundai SUV belongs or driven by VROMI minister, his SUV jeep front window tinted glasses so dark you can’t see anything.

  Is the minister of justice, commissioner of police, his staff doing the right job? I don’t think so. Charity begins at home. Set an example for the citizens of Sint Maarten.

Name withheld at author’s request. 

Dear Editor,
At this point, everyone is used to Government being slow to respond or in most cases , do anything at all when circumstances demand direct action but this time their lack of action is actually killing people.
The dump has been burning now for three weeks. Toxic smoke blankets all areas downwind and is giving people that are young and healthy life-threatening respiratory problems that will last a lifetime. The elderly sit in their homes with the windows closed with no air to breath. People – real human beings – are dying because Government is negligent and catastrophically ineffective.
It is my belief that it has surpassed the normal political nonsense and gum-flapping and now meets the standard of criminal negligence and I formally call upon the Public Prosecutor to charge those ministers responsible for the health and public safety with Criminal Negligence and arrest them.
I call on whoever is in charge downtown to replace those individuals responsible for dump and turn it over to someone that is smarter than a tree stump and that can put out the fires. I would love for some public-spirited lawyer to haul government into court and force them to do their jobs, but that is wishful thinking in the extreme.
It’s better, anyway, if some minister gets arrested and goes to jail because that would at least serve as a deterrent, however unlikely.
It is the ultimate irony that Government and a large part of the population are critical of Holland. That somehow the need for supervision or demand for good governance is a veiled throwback to colonialism of racisms.
Try looking at it this way – for 20 years the parking lot downtown only had one way in or out so cars trying to leave ended up nose to nose with cars trying to get in and for that same 20 years the dump has been burning on and off and killing people. Why would you think you should be allowed to run a country when you can’t even run a parking lot or a dump?

Steven Johnson