Dear Editor,
On November 3, 2017, His Excellency Governor Eugene Holiday signed the national decree declaring that early elections would take place on January 8, 2018. This was a very rash decision, seeing that the decree was signed within 24 hours, without taking into consideration the current situation that exists in the country following Hurricane Irma. Hundreds of families are roofless, homeless, jobless and displaced. People on the island are still in survival mode and election is the last thing on their minds. Moreover, the institutions used to facilitate elections, such as the Electoral Council, the Central Voting Bureau and the Post Office are all severely damaged.
The decision by the Governor to enforce snap elections shows that he is not sensitive to the needs of the people, nor is he aware that the entities involved in handling the elections are non-functional at this time. Likewise, Prime Minister William Marlin who, due to his daily interaction with the people, should have been even more aware of the suffering of the people and of the severe damage that the various election offices had endured.
This is Prime Minister Marlin’s third stint dealing with Parliamentary dissolutions. In May 2013, Marlin, then as Acting Prime Minister, submitted a draft national decree to the Governor to dissolve Parliament. This was done while Marlin was deputizing for then-Prime Minister Mrs. Sarah Wescot-Williams. The draft decree was co-signed by Ministers Silveria Jacobs, Roland Tuitt and Romeo Pantophlet, and resulted in the famous “Mexican Standoff.” Fortunately, the Governor was able to circumvent the dissolution of Parliament at that time.
In 2015, William Marlin, as parliamentarian, was completely opposed to the dissolution of Parliament prompted by the government of Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs. In the public meeting of Parliament held on October 28, 2015, MP William Marlin stated that “the government should not have invoked article 59 because of the motion of no confidence. This is a gross violation; it is unacceptable.” Quoting Ing. Ralph Richardson, former Lt. Governor and constitutional expert, MP Marlin said, “Richardson says that article 59 is not there for the government to strike back at the parliament.”
On November 2, 2017, just two years later, Prime Minister William Marlin ate his own words and in a vindictive move struck back at parliament by submitting a national decree to the Governor for the dissolution of Parliament.
In 2013, most likely after seeking expert advice, the Governor was able to resolve the conflict. In 2015 the Governor sought advice from three legal minds commonly called the “three wise men.” Unfortunately, as he was unable to quell this conflict, he signed the decree calling for early elections in February 2016.
Subsequently, this decree had to be amended due to a faulty date. Then, apparently because of political pressure, the Governor issued a new decree on December 15, 2015, thereby postponing the elections by six months and consequently violating the constitution.
Furthermore, article 59 states that after the dissolution of Parliament, the newly-elected Parliament must meet within three months. The Governor blatantly violated the constitution by postponing the elections by nine months. Lisa Alexander ought to be commended for calling the Governor out and presenting this constitutional violation to the Constitutional Court. Unfortunately, her case was considered inadmissible due to the fact that it was presented to the wrong court.
On November 2 last, Governor Holiday, for the third time during his tenure, was presented with a decree to dissolve Parliament. It beats me that he signed off on such a serious decision within 24 hours.
Apparently he did not consult with the persons involved in the election process, like attorney Jason Rogers, Chairman of the Central Voting Bureau, attorney Bert Hoffman, Chairman of the Electoral Council or Stuart Johnson, Chairman of the Supervisory Board of Postal Services St. Maarten. According to article 21 of the Governor’s Regulation he did not have to sign the dissolution decree but could have submitted it to the King for annulment. Could it be that political pressure once again precipitated such a fast move on the part of the Governor?
Now that the Governor has signed and published the decree based on article 59 of the Constitution he cannot pull back his decision. An annulment at this time would be in violation of the three months scheduled between the dissolution of the previous parliament and the first meeting of the newly elected parliament. Any period beyond the three months would also be in violation of the constitution.
The Governor cannot single-handedly change the constitutionally specified term mentioned in article 59. A proposal for a constitutional alteration must be endorsed by at least two thirds of parliament and cannot be ratified until the views of the Kingdom government have been obtained.
In 2015, the Governor unlawfully extended the election date in order to give the Marlin Cabinet sufficient time to deal with ship-jumping and electoral reform. However, nothing was done about these two issues.
Electoral reform would have ensured that, in the case of snap elections, the Census Office would have had enough time to update the voters’ registry and new parties would have had sufficient time to register for the upcoming election. However, because the postulation date has been set for November 13, 2017, this bars new political parties from registering, which is a violation of the democratic right of the people.
In summary, the electoral process for snap elections has been initiated based on article 59 of the constitution and the Governor is not allowed to change the constitutionally specified term singlehandedly. As the representative of the King he is duty-bound to uphold and protect the constitution of Sint Maarten.
Wycliffe Smith
Leader of the Sint Maarten Christian Party
Insanity in high places!
Dear Editor,
Our island seems to be under a genuine curse. First we were hit by a devastating storm that left lots and lots of destruction behind and a heap of people still in shock. Followed by despicable looters that stained our reputation internationally.
This was followed by a more intense power struggle between St. Maarten and the Netherlands; now followed by an internal power struggle between our local politicians. The unstable state we have been in since 10/10/10 brings to mind the wise words of former US President Reagan, “The government is not the solution, the government is the problem.”
A few days ago we all exhaled a big sigh of relief, thinking the political incompetence we have been subjected to especially for the past eight weeks had finally come to an end. A handful of politicians have finally mustered up enough courage to take a stand and speak out against what they perceived as incompetence, intolerable failures and ill-will of one or more of their fellow politicians.
Unfortunately, we sighed too soon, because the political situation has only gone from bad to worse. Despite the hopelessness, grave uncertainties and dark gloom that are hanging over our island, some politicians – one in particular – actually want to prolong the people’s suffering. Why do some individuals insist on remaining in power, even when they are no longer trusted by the majority of their colleagues?
I think I can answer that question. Once you have had a taste of all the goodies that go along with being an honourable politician – riches, power, widespread recognition, and being able to travel the globe at taxpayers’ expense – it is almost impossible to suddenly and unexpectedly give up all that glory. Is it any wonder then that many people are under the impression that they are only there to serve their own best interests, and if their interests collide with the interests of the people, guess whose interests will prevail?
Though dissolving Parliament and calling for snap elections while our people are still in shock is nothing less than the essence of insanity, I’m actually not surprised. It’s a personal thing. Human pride, arrogance and egoism will prevail until the Lord returns. Saving one’s face and repairing the damage done to one’s inflated ego are much more important than serving the calamitous needs of a hurricane-stricken population.
Our government has admitted they have no money to help those in desperate need. They also should know that it will take years before their coffers will be healthy again, yet they are willing to spend an extra couple of million guilders, which we don’t have, on elections in an attempt to save face and regain power. I can’t imagine that a prime minister would stoop this low to regain power and status. An insatiable need for money, power and recognition will always be an insuperable obstacle to good and decent governance.
By the way, ever noticed that whenever there is a confrontation between politicians, bits of information are revealed that would otherwise never come to light? By listening carefully we heard the insinuation by an MP that the reason two barges that came all the way from the Bahamas to salvage some extremely expensive yachts were prevented from operating here was because “There’s nothing in it for me; and as long as I don’t get my share, (nothing good is going to happen).” And yet, how dare the Netherlands falsely accuse us of corruption?
Even a Haitian gardener has jumped on the current bandwagon. He always charged the lady of the house $60 for a day’s work. He now charges $70. Asked why he’s now charging more, his reply was, “because of the hurricane.” Not only Haitians, supermarkets and hardware stores are taking full advantage of the disaster, some “honourable” politicians are also seeking opportunities to enrich themselves even more.
Unless the majority of voters open their eyes and ears to what’s going on in politics and vote accordingly, St. Maarten will never ever move forward.
May God deliver us from devious politicians and unstable governments.
Clive Hodge
When egos get in the way of goals, confusion appears and ultimately egos will win.
With this in mind St. Maarten has had 3 elections in the past 5 years and on average governments don’t last more than 1.5 years.
This political game of musical chairs has thus far been a roadshow to nowhere and caused more harm than good.
The upcoming intended elections are likely to be even more destructive and painful than the previous. This time St. Maarten would face an election in extreme social despair and severe economic downfall. It will make the already hesitant international and national investors more nervous than before.
The magnitude of the current crisis, sparked off by Hurricane Irma, will now actually depend how long it will take before we can play the game again. This unfolding situation makes the future look dark and hopeless and will not change the status quo.
As a matter of fact it will cause even more stress to the already devastating economy and it will fuel a confidence crisis. The so-needed recovery will inevitably be postponed to next year. The Dutch won’t bring in the funds to a government that received motions of no confidence.
On top of that, other opportunities will be lost because investors don’t gamble with their money in unstable governments or unpredictable one-pillar economies.
Even international development agencies would rather wait to see how and when the political games will unfold before committing new funds to programs.
Economic recovery after a hurricane like Irma is already a challenge. Add the cost of the elections caused by the political fallout and the major setbacks to quick recovery. Top that off with a remaining status quo and St. Maarten is guaranteed to be hurt even more as it will deepen the impact of the adverse social and economic factors prevailing after Irma.
Dear political leaders could you please turn of this agonizing music, push all chairs and egos aside and step into the real world to make it work? Elections are not the solution! We all are the solution.
St. Maarten Development Movement (SDM)
Dear Editor,
The main problem on St. Maarten is that we don't really understand what the problem is. Sure, the garbage problem, the crime problem, and the education problem, but these things are not the problem. These issues are merely the symptoms of the real problem in St. Maarten. A symptom is a sign of something wrong, an indicator of disease, the symptoms are not the problem. The symptoms exist because of the problem. So what, you may ask, is the real problem? I would humbly submit that we the people are the problem.
As a society we the people have grown soft and weak; we take everything as it comes and when someone does stand up, most of us close our mouths, eyes and ears, just like those three little monkeys. Hear no evil, see no evil, and speak no evil. Don't make waves. Live and let live. That's not my problem. What is one person going to do? Someone else will take care of that. That's not my business.
These are the excuses we make for ourselves to shirk our responsibilities as useful contributing members of society. When you are not responsible for anything, how can you be held accountable for it? You see, we the people are the problem, because we the people do not hold our leaders accountable, we the people do not hold our friends accountable; we the people do not hold our family accountable. We the people do not hold ourselves accountable. We the people have allowed our government, our leaders to run amok, no one can deny it. We catch them in their dirty deals and we watch them play the blame game like its musical chairs and we still don't hold them accountable. They should be ashamed, but they are not. We should be ashamed, but we are not.
We are all going about our merry ways ensconced in the belief that someone is minding the sheep. Well St. Maarten, I hate to break it to you, but the wolves are minding the sheep and we the people are in big trouble. Yes, our politicians are mostly corrupt, those that are not directly guilty of corruption are still guilty of passive participation in the corruption. But they can only do what we the people allow them to get away with. Who voted them in? We the people. Who let them stay in? We the people.
The real question is are we men, or are we mice? Do we the people want things to continue as they are, or will we demand change? Do we the people have the balls to say enough is enough? Me, I am always hopeful, but I can't say I'm optimistic about it.
I believe St. Maarten is special, and since I can trace my direct ancestry back at least 8 generations on SXM, I can reasonably assume I came from a long line of people who believed that St. Maarten was special as well.
Certainly I am biased. When I was born, there were about 7,500 people on St. Maarten.....it's more than 5 times that now. And that number is a joke compared to the number of transients barging through with no respect for our society, no responsibilities, and of course no accountability. But whose fault is that? We the people.
So, even though I still believe that St. Maarten is special, I feel it has long lost its charm and its lustre. Too great a percentage of the population do not care at all about St. Maarten, and we the people. They care only for themselves; they care only to see what they wish to see, and they refuse to do what needs to be done. Some might say it's the foreigners, but if we want to really see the truth, we could easily see that it's our own people that have sold us out. Deep down you know no one can buy what's not for sale.
We the people are both the problem and the solution. We need to realize that the times they are a ‘changing, that SXM is too small for all this garbage....in every sense. We the people must demand change. We must no longer accept mediocrity and incompetence. We must no longer accept deception and double-dealing, we must see the wolves for what they are, and we must demand better. No more second and third chances, no more suspicious activities that remain unexplained, no more nepotism, no more cronyism, no more secret deals, no more looking the other way. Enough is enough.
The time has come to take out the garbage, but we must be vigilant, we must truly look at the candidates running and not succumb to the same nepotism and cronyism that has gotten us a greedy government to begin with. Inform yourself before you decide that your cousin is best for the job; is he or she really? Or are you blinded by the same nepotism that has plagued us all these years?
Demand transparency, the Government belongs to we the people, they are our employees. Think about it, if you don't know or understand something, ask a question. Information is ever at our finger tips these days; ignorance might be bliss, but knowledge is power.
That power lies with you and I, the responsibility lies with you and I. Don't let them fool you, they work for us and when we start holding all our civil servants accountable for what they've done, and for what they haven't done, things will change.
"It is what it is, but it will become what you make it." - Attributed to Abe Lincoln.
I would like to mention that I wrote this last year in June of 2016. I believe it highlights how nothing has changed, and how we seem to have forgotten all we were already going through before Hurricane Irma.
Haydee Peterson
Dear Editor,
“Evil takes root when good men fail to act.” This is one of the many quotes from the legendary freedom fighter Mr. Nelson Mandela and it’s with this burden that I have chosen to speak up about our current issues.
My question to the people of this young country named St. Maarten is, what have DP and UP party done for St. Maarten and its people for the last 50 years?
There is no reason why the former coalition government should fall, because the DP leader has always been updated on the developments when it comes to financial aid from the Netherlands to St. Maarten. So, there are no grounds for the DP leader to want to form a new government with the opposition, for DP and UP to go back to their old practices by filling their pockets by cutting deals and keep St. Maarten people suffering.
Why should DP split with its coalition partner when in 2015 it was the DP and UP government that went to Holland and signed for the Integrity Chamber to come to St. Maarten, but NA was never part of that coalition. Furthermore, why should DP want to form a new government with UP when the main two vote-getters of UP cannot pass the screening to be ministers? This says it all.
DP and UP have been fooling the people of St. Maarten for many years and never supported the middle class or poor people of this island.
The people of this country have to realize that the UP leader doesn’t have this island at heart, it’s all about enriching himself, his family and friends.
And the DP leader always speaks of “Country First” when, under DP and UP, St. Maarten never had an approved budget.
The only party that got things done for St. Maarten is NA, which brought home separate status to St. Maarten, finished the new government building and approved budget for the last two years and more to mention.
I fully agree that Parliament should be dissolved and new elections called, or the island would be placed under higher supervision by the Netherlands before end of the year.
Concerned citizen
Name withheld at author’s request.
