Dear Editor:
This summer, the Netherlands and the world came to know Puerto Rico through the all-time most popular music video Despacito, which received over 3 billion hits on Youtube. But Puerto Rico has never been mentioned in Dutch news as much as it had throughout the last three weeks. First with Hurricane Irma which – besides depopulating smaller islands – nearly destroyed the Dutch and French territory of neighbouring St. Maarten, bringing 600 refugees to Puerto Rican hospitals and shelters. Another thousand refugees arrived from the Virgin Islands.
However, this was only a precursor to a deadlier category 4/5 storm system ravaging the smallest island of the Greater Antilles. Hurricane María pounded the US territory of Puerto Rico, leaving over 3 million people without electricity and clean running water. The hurricanes came and left, but the height of misery is yet to be experienced. Electricity workers claim that 80 percent of the island’s electric cables are insalvable, and hospitals are now totally dependent on diesel generators. While 13 people have been declared dead to date, the death toll is surely to rise, as 70 percent of the island is incommunicado.
In a sense, the tropical weather systems have brought us, Puerto Ricans in the Caribbean and in the diaspora, closer to realise what we have in common with other islands: our delicate modernity and dependent vulnerability. Through Irma, we have become more aware of our neighbouring St. Maarten.
The similarities of our territorial status in relation to the metropolises have also become more apparent. St. Maarten’s territorial status within the Kingdom is very similar to Puerto Rico’s relationship with the United States; both territories, just like Curaçao, have a Fiscal Control Board (College Financiële Toezicht) running local public expenditures from The Hague and from New York. In Puerto Rico and St. Maarten, it is now the military at the airports, running rescue and reconstruction.
But the most striking similarities are those found in how our people back home are presented in the media: helpless, thirsty and prone to “looting,” ever more so dependent on the greatness of those governments under which he have been subordinate for a long time.
While we are happy to see newspapers, radio and digital platforms inform the Dutch public about the situation at home, it is time to open up a space for the voices of the Puerto Rican and Caribbean diaspora in Europe. What do we have to say about what is going on in Puerto Rico? And, what are we people of the Caribbean in the Netherlands doing while waiting to hear from our loved ones?
With Dutch citizens in Puerto Rico and Puerto Ricans in the Netherlands, there is a plethora of networks that should be exploited for the spreading of information on what is really going on in the Caribbean – not just for news’ sake but also to set the agenda for rescue and eventual reconstruction.
In other words, while we wield gofundme initiatives and collect food, water and medicines to send back home, the shock of this post-disaster moment should not hone us to think about bringing our islands back to what they were, but to reconstituting our societies in harmony with our surrounding region and with nature. It is time that Caribbean people get to know each other by means different from those offered by the metropolis.
The geopolitics of The Hague and Washington D.C. should not bar us from accepting help from countries who know how to handle natural disasters, like Cuba and Venezuela – the first countries to deliver aid to our neighbouring islands. The Jones Act, the law that inhibits Puerto Rico from trading and receiving imports on vessels other than American, has to be abolished.
Finally, the Caribbean needs its own voice on matters concerning climate change. Any governance over our islands not prioritising climate change and its impact cannot be taken seriously. The hurricanes, like drought, will always return.
To re-imagine our islands is to re-imagine our self-determination and modernity, to reimagine what we have to contribute to the world. What we had in the past is all gone now, it did not work. What we need in the Caribbean is a concerted effort to reconstitute ourselves sustainably and democratically.
Our diaspora and our friends in Europe can certainly be a part of it, as long we do not reproduce our dependency on those governing from afar. While self-determination does not necessarily translate into independence, we do need independence in judgement, in the media and in governance.

Antonio Carmona Báez
Antonio Carmona Báez is a Puerto Rican political scientist and diplomatic consultant currently residing in the Netherlands. He has taught International Relations and Development at University of Amsterdam and University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras.

Dear Editor,
Hurricane Irma taught me several things, but the most important of those things is this: “What was can no longer be.” This statement can be applied across the board economically, socially and infrastructurally. The implications of it are also so broad that I would like to focus this piece on what it means for our economy going forward.
Proverbs 9:1 NKJV: “Wisdom has built her house, She has hewn out her seven pillars...”
St. Martin can be likened to a house that has become a home to many. As a matter of fact, any St. Martiner should be familiar with the song “St. Martin is My Home” and for as long as I can remember, our main economic pillar was tourism and every system was built as a feeder line either to or from it and it was doing fairly well ... until Irma. Now our economy has literally come to a standstill with less than two months before our official tourism season begins.
This occurrence has confirmed what a few of my millennial contemporaries have been saying for a while now and that is: tourism cannot be our be all and end all. Change can either come by will or by force and Irma brought change by force through the most unpleasant and uncomfortable process imaginable ... destruction.
Think about it: the airport which is our main economic driver is devastated, the harbour is in need of repairs, over 40 per cent of our major hotels have either been destroyed or need of major renovation and rental car companies suffered significant loss.
In the coming months, taxi services will also take a hit, restaurants that are still standing will see a significant drop in activity, tourist activities and excursions will experience some shrinkage, and you can go down the line and trace the impact all the way down to the street vendors in the marketplace. In the next 3-6 months when things begin to regain some sense of normalcy, whether we like it or not the entire industry will experience a massive contraction which will take at the very least two years for it to rebound.
So, with our economy literally totally dependent on tourism, Irma has finally exposed (I hope) the fact that we need to focus on hewing out other pillars to make our economy more viable and sustainable. It behoves us to begin increasing business in other sectors to protect against possible industry slumps such as what we are about to experience in tourism as a result of Irma. Here are my suggestions of some post-Irma industries that we should begin focusing on expanding:
1) Offshore financial and international business services
2) Technology and Telecommunications
3) Health Care Services
4) Energy Solutions and Storage
5) Agriculture
6) Manufacturing
7) Niche Tourism (mass tourism is good, but targeted tourism is better. If you want to be successful find a niche and if none exists, create it)
All of them don't have to be developed to 100 per cent but each can be developed to account for a certain percentage that all adds up to 100 per cent. For example:
Offshore financial and international business services 10 per cent
Technology and Telecommunications 20 per cent
Health Care Services 10 per cent
Energy Solutions and Storage 5 per cent
Agriculture 3 per cent
Manufacturing 2 per cent
Niche Tourism 50 per cent
All of these industries are completely viable and given our small size, some can be developed for domestic consumption (although we will remain a heavily import-based economy due to our size, it can serve to slightly decrease our dependence on imports if things can be produced and consumed domestically) while others can be developed for regional and international trade.
Of course as time goes on we will see which sectors are doing better than others and either increase or decrease the percentages to reflect that. However, we have to know what category to fit each industry into and this way we wouldn't feel the squeeze as much as we are about to because we would not be solely dependent on one pillar to feed the entire country.
We need not look far for examples of small tourism-based countries increasing business in sectors other than tourism. Aruba, Bahamas, Cayman Islands, and several other Caribbean nations are steadily increasing business in sectors other than tourism so why can't we?
The Honourable Member of Parliament Claret Connor said in his opening statement during the recent parliamentary meeting that he doesn't have time for petty nonsense. With all due respect to him and the other parliamentarians and, by extension, the ministers, neither do the people of St. Martin.
I say that because they've mentioned each of these industries at one point in time in one meeting or another but if we as a nation are to emerge from the adverse impact of Irma the right way, it does no good to say that we know about these industries and still do nothing to implement them in our economy. Wisdom is the application of knowledge and right now the wisdom to apply and implement these industries into our economy should be the discussions occupying the minds of Parliament and the Council of Ministers.
Once we begin to use wisdom and hew out these pillars, we have students from SXM who are studying in these fields right now who are willing and able to come home. So if we want to secure the brightest minds of the future, begin to develop these industries and create an outlet for these students to come back and contribute through. That's sustainability.
That's when we can begin to see a SXM that we can be proud to call home in 10 years (I just presented a brief outline of a viable 10 year plan).
That is why we need people with an outlook of the future. Leaders who have seen the future have no problems leading people into it. It's detrimental to follow leaders who are more concerned about maintaining the status quo than breaking the status quo.
There is much about everything else: looting, aid and relief or the lack thereof, who did what, who didn't do what, Hurricane Luis in 1995, and then list goes on. At 21 days post-Irma let's talk less about the looting, talk less about the aid, and for heaven's sake talk less about Hurricane Luis of 1995! That's old news, there were lessons to be learned but now it's time to move on.
Let's elevate the discussions to things that benefit the people and the nation. We talk about everything else except the future. Let's talk about the future of our lives and our country. Let's talk about those futures! Let's go to that future, shall we? Let's do that!
Here is a quote that I believe is so relevant to us right now: “In times of change, learners inherit the earth, while the learned find themselves beautifully equipped to deal with a world that no longer exists.” - Eric Hoffer. What this means is that those who do not learn to reinvent themselves in order to adapt to the change ushered in by Irma will find themselves unable to take advantage of the opportunities presented because of their failure to adapt.
So my question to our national leadership and my fellow compatriots is this: which side of the line do we want to be on, the side the moved to the future or the side that remained rooted in the past?

Darren Wilson,
A Future-Minded Millennial St. Martiner

Dear Editor:
We call it Gay pride: A series of events that happen in cities big and small celebrating being gay in a straight world.
This celebration of life, love and liberty isn’t just about parades and partying. It is about the gay community being visible and belonging to a community, a town, a city, a nation and the world. It is about the hope that not only things are getting better but things will continue to improve.
We especially have to guard against things possibly getting worse for the gay community in 2017. When Pride parades, events, movies, parties and discussions happen, LGBT people are seen for more than just a caricature of who we are. We are seen as real people: mothers, fathers, sons and daughters, etc.
Funny, silly or serious, we become more than just a shadow to be afraid of. There is Pride in being out and open.
Gay Pride is about caring and responsibility. We do care for our community and we want to kick the shame to the curb and celebrate the amazing lives we are living.
Gay Pride is the celebration of life, human rights and ultimately the right to love whoever we want. Pride is also necessary for those who fought all those years so that we could lead the lives we are living now.
Pride is a powerful way to show that we beat those who want to create a place where being gay is hidden and shameful. Think about the young adult who is dreaming of going to a Pride event and being so excited that they can be themselves without fear of judgment.
Think about the elderly gay person for whom Pride is a reminder of how far we have come.
Gay Pride is also for the parents, the brothers and sisters and the friends who stand next to the person they love.
Of course, Pride is not for everyone. And that's okay. That doesn't mean there's anything wrong with Pride. Some people outgrow it. Some people were never suited for it in the first place.
But as long as there are still people who need Pride, we as a community should still continue to organize, continue to march, and continue to rise up.

Frank Holtslag
President, Curaçao Pride

Dear Editor,

  As a frequent visitor of Sint Maarten and having friends and family on the Island it hurt seeing all the devastation Irma caused. But knowing Sint Maarten’s history, it will rise up again and be stronger and better than ever.

  In 2000 I was as a CFO of the Curacao Ports Services NV approached by the financial team of your Port regarding all the cruise lines’ tariffs and special conditions. We provided them with all the necessary information and saw the Port develop in all its facets, something the Island can be proud of.

  Seeing the devastation I wondered how SXM can make a vital part of the Island, the Port, more secure against hurricanes that will continue to come. By having a more secure port you can speed up the recovery work in the future.

  With the rising water level and damage to the port each time a hurricane passes closely, your Island may want to consider the follow for the Port:

  1) The Hill behind the port, Pointe Blanche, why not bring it down and create your own second Sint Maarten Vlakte (like the Maasvlakte 2 in Rotterdam),

  2a) Does the Hill provide enough material so you create a peninsula in the sea that will protect the harbor, maybe even a great part of Great Bay?

  2b) Does the Hill provide enough material to create new land in the sea that is higher than sea level and can create future expansion of the port as a regional hub?

  3) If you can bring down the Pointe Blanche Hill making it flatter with several flat levels, will you be able to create prime real estate land for housing, close to the city, and can the increase in value of the land even help you to finance a new safe peninsula for the Port?

  Now with the rebuilding of your country this is the time to look into new possibilities for the Port and see if you can involve the Netherlands (experience with water works) and the shipping lines in such project, just as you did with the cruise lines. You have shown before that you can bring parties together to create something great.

  I wish you lots of success in rebuilding Sint Maarten and hope to return to your Island soon. God bless your Island and its people.

Paul Torres