Dear Editor,
Having been involved with the consequences of hurricanes in the marine sector for many years, I can say without any doubt that the damage that will result from Hurricane Irma will be disproportionate due to the slow reaction by those wishing to minimize losses to their vessels.
When a vessel is sunk, deterioration occurs as a result of batteries being underwater, fuels being present, acids in the polluted lagoon bottom, high salt content and stray currents. The longer the submersion, the worse the damage.
Undoubtedly the slowness of the reaction to this hurricane was made worse by the lack of a functioning airport that kept away decision-makers and a following hurricane also slowing things up.
But the marine sector had a big shock when it was declared by the Government that all salvaging of vessels needed to be approved by a Ministry.
If there had been a declaration defining measures that needed to be followed that minimized environmental damage, nobody would have been shocked.
This declaration was by the same Ministry that said all building reconstruction needed their approval, which was quickly corrected.
The big difference, of course, is that whilst the Ministry of [Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure – Ed.] VROMI has numerous professionals with appropriate qualifications that have the expertise to evaluate building plans, to the best of my knowledge they do not have the same level of expertise when it comes to marine salvage.
The declaration was quickly posted on social media and all around the world there was reaction that concluded that here was another case of regulation without expertise and heavy-handed control without understanding of the challenges. This could have been easily avoided with communications that dealt with the results that the Ministry was attempting to achieve (environmental protection?).
The Marine Sector has been professionally measured to constitute the drive behind 15 per cent of our Sint Maarten economy. It was also the sector that could rebound the fastest and attract outside capital in this critical period where getting the economy going is critical to the entire country. It is a sector that has a high tax contribution and minimal expense by government in facilitation.
Should we not be smart and strategic about retaining this sector?
Robbie Ferron
Dear Editor,
Major disasters and stressful situations tend to bring out the best and the worst in people and the organizations managed by them; public and private and even volunteer. The indiscriminate nature of Hurricane Irma means that no one has been spared.
Dear Editor,
In ancient times natural disasters were always blamed on the politicians. And in this case with Irma I agree full-heartedly that I believe the same today.
The frustration over the pretentious governments on both sides of the island that has angered the people to the max has finally exploded in a disaster so big that it will unite the people and the small businesses. The politicians better help them as real as they can, or they will end up as the aristocracy under the blade of the guillotine.
Politicians need to have certain virtues, abilities. It was figured out in the same ancient times. Then some entities spoke of the “Wise Men” who made the laws. The “wise men” needed to have certain skills, or they would not be able to fulfill their functions.
Here are 9 virtues as they gave as advice to the Emperor, the Supreme and Sacred Ruler. Such rulers do not exist today, or they are the men behind the controls of HAARP. If they had any of the 9 virtues we would not be in the mess we are, read on to the end.
Virtue Nr. 1: Affability coupled with dignity.
Nr. 2: Liberality with Standfastness.
Nr. 3: Hard Frankness with respect.
Nr. 4: Ability to reign with dedication.
Nr. 5: Docility with boldness.
Nr. 6: Honesty with Friendliness.
Nr. 7: Easy unconstraintness with discrimination.
Nr. 8: Boldness with sincerity.
Nr. 9: Braveness with righteousness.
If one person has three of the virtues He is good to lead a group.
When he has 6 he can manage a business of State.
And one who has all 9 virtues will be honored for appointments in the highest places.
Do some soul-searching, cabal of ruling elite: Do you have even one or two of these virtues?
Keep studying thyself.!
Chamba Chada
Dear Editor,
A good Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations is a clever man who lets government run smoothly, working silently in the background. You can say a lot about Ronald Plasterk, but this isn’t one of those things.
Dear Editor,
The behaviour of what was happening during the eye of the storm (Irma ) and after the storm was a display of evil in men’s and women’s hearts. What was displayed in the streets of Philipsburg is the past decades of the lack of family values and not proper upbringing of the young men and young women. The lack of respect for order and law and respect of people’s property which is the disobedience of God’s laws much less man’s laws. Vulgarity was also in action.
Gen. 6.5: The LORD saw that human evil was growing more and more throughout the earth, with every inclination of people's thoughts becoming only evil on a continuous basis.
More shameful is to see some parents have their children helping them steal or loot. I remember well as a young man President Ronald Reagan said a nation not under God is a nation gone under. The next step will be the Jobless rate climbs and the increase in private prostitution will also skyrocket.
The virtues of so many women and men is non-existent. A virtue is a trait or quality that is deemed to be morally good and thus is valued as a foundation of principle and good moral being. We do not have much relationships any more, what we have now is an animal farm, many men and women have 2 or 3 other children by different partners.
The practice or condition of being married to only one person at a time is out of style but not for God. The condition of having only one mate is like sin now. The norm is for women and men to have 2 or 3 partners. This is what children see in the daily lives. They see mother and father cheat, so cheating stealing and looting is now the in thing or normal thing.
The facts are we have ourselves to blame for the continuous evil we saw during the eye of the storm and when the storm passed. Ask the young people when last their parents carried them to church or do their parents teach them about a loving Savior Jesus?
Prov. 19:13: A foolish child is a ruin to his father and the quarreling of a woman is a continuous dripping.
What we saw during the eye of the storm was the human heart not only enjoying and tolerating evil but worse, bragging about what they have done.
Matthew 24:12-13: And because lawlessness will abound , the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved.
Psalm 73:7: From their callous hearts comes iniquity; their evil imaginations have no limits.
Romans 6:12: Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires.
Romans 12:21-21: Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Mark 7:21-22: For it is from within, out of a person's heart, that evil thoughts come – sexual immorality, theft, murder, adultery, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly.
The conclusion is this: stop the continuous evil. The fear of the Lord is to hate evil and the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Choices have consequences, choose wisely and choose good.
The Patriot Miguel Arrindell
