Dear Editor,
The passage of Hurricane Irma has wreaked havoc on the island of St. Maarten and in its wake has transformed the island’s landscape. Sections of the island now bear a spitting resemblance to a disaster zone with buildings and houses severely damaged and in some cases completely obliterated. Key infrastructure and installations continue to be affected and as a result of extensive damage with some roads still impassable at the time of writing this letter.
However, I am constantly reassured that collectively the people of St. Maarten are very resilient and sooner rather than later that resilience will serve as the catalyst to propel this beautiful island back on the road to recovery.
While some experts have intimated that the destructive power of a hurricane the likes of Irma in one day is equivalent to the detonation of 800 atomic bombs, what was equally and continued to be even more worrisome was the state of lawlessness, moral decadence and anarchy with which sections of the society descended into during the passing and aftermath of Hurricane Irma. Pilfering and looting were widespread almost every- and anywhere the opportunity presented itself and subsequently became the modus operandi for acquiring property, food supplies, vehicles and other material comfort.
Did this behavior mimic a state of nature? Did we render null and void Jean Jacques Roseau’s “Social Contract” in which he articulated that for the concept of society to be upheld its subjects must surrender certain public freedoms and rights in exchange for security and order? Thus far, living within the walls and confines of society seems to be preferred to a state of nature. At the most fundamental level, is this who we are as human beings that if exposed to the right stimulus the beast in us would want to go back to the woods – that primal appeal we all share as human beings of wanting to escape the cognitive mode of experience?
What really motivated some among us to act and behave the way they did? I there a biological basis for behavior that we seem incapable and powerless to control in certain circumstances? In the absence of hard evidence or proof I am of the opinion that it is reasonable to conjecture that there were quite a lot of people whose moral compact pointed them in the right direction and they in turn took a position not to plunder and ravage these businesses and properties simply because their conscience dictated it wasn’t the right thing to do.
Incidentally, though, I am also of the opinion too that some folks weren’t the “holier than thou” kinds in that they had no religious justification for their decisions but just the sheer weight of their conscience, which ironically was the case with many of the sanctimonious hypocrites who were seen entering and exiting looted premises. These are the kinds of people who will sing “Hosana” with you in the morning and in the evening they say “crucify him!”
There are quite a lot of well-meaning people in this society that can be considered as model citizens with a heightened sense of what is right and what is wrong and certainly not morally bankrupt. What, then, are the factors responsible for the moral superiority of the beings? Again I am unable to say conclusively, but what I can say with some degree of certainty from the available evidence is that nurture seems to be leading and dominating nature.
Was reason – that strict untiring governess – convicted of inadequacy, resulting in the savage-like behavior of looters who found immediate gratification at the expense of long-term benefits and implications more appealing?
If one were to examine his or her intended actions prior to a dispassionate way prior to engaging in the act of looting it would have become clear, of not partially clear, that the cost of one’s actions would have far outweighed the benefits, the extent of which this was difficult to deduce I am unable to say.
Those many among us who chose not to go “shopping” during closing hours without either cash, plastic or even accompanied by the Mr. Credit allowed good sense to prevail and understand the implications for themselves, businesses and the island of St, Maarten as a whole. It was very sad and heart-rending to learn that some of these businesses were victims of individuals they have been supporting and sustaining for years, whether in the form of direct employment or indirectly through other services they routinely required. Sad! Very sad!
My hope is that we will desist from biting the hands that continue to feed and provide for the wellbeing of ourselves, families and this beautiful island of St. Maarten. I am very much aware that one should not be judged by his or her worst moments, because as human beings we all have the capacity for change, so let’s use this time to reflect on our actions and inactions going forward.
Orlando Paatterson
we preparing fo she te come
But in we heart we praying
fo she not te come
Meteo France tell we one thing
and the Weather Channel
saying another thing
but one thing ah know
fo sure
Irma on she way
and nobody know way
she coming going
but she coming
sometimes it take the worst
of Nature
To bring out the best of human
it is only in these moments
of physical stress
And emotinal duress
That we find our true strength
and that we are at our best
when we have less to mind
and are put to the test
Is when we take time to be kind
so everybody waiting
And we praying
we praying like we never
pray before
r Helligar
Dear Editor,
The first day my mother saw me dressed in uniform getting ready to go to work,
she gave me God's blessing and told me that I must always remember that anytime, anything happen to anybody anywhere, some mother's belly hurt. She said be fair to the people and treat them right.
My Father was the philosopher, so coming from my mother that registered with me until today. All kinds of examples were given to us in the academy, but that one hit home. When I got home in the afternoon after work, and asked her about what she had told me in the morning, she explained that when positive things happen, especially with police people, it is noticed, but soon forgotten. On the contrary, when something negative happens people will always remember that and continue to comment about it.
It is expected for people involved in policing to do the right thing, so doing the right thing would be considered normal. A whole lot of other people do negative things but that will go unnoticed. Whereas once people in policing mess up, it becomes the biggest offense.
I read the results of the court case against the ex-head of VDSM and got the impression as if he was the biggest murderer that Sint Maarten has ever known. The person who supplied them with a lot of vital information. One would think that he had embezzled millions of dollars. If memory serves me well, the amount involved in reality is about seventy-five percent less than he was accused of embezzling, and that those who were supposed to know did the Pilate thing. With the little experience that I have in life and the forty one years in law enforcement.
I know that there are certain standards of procedures, and, security of self, is one. I also know that a sense of integrity is another. I do not know anything about the case other than following it in the papers. But from the onset I knew that security to those involved was laid aside for politics. I cannot remember any such an office being exposed to the public.
When I saw the ribbon cutting in the papers, I informed about it, and I was told that is how they wanted it. That already to me was a no-no. Having an idea how finances for that department is handled, and in this case with no one to secure checks and balances, I told myself the stick is right there to beat that dog. By now we all know that fear and threat took place in prompting the ex-head of VDSM to take those decisions. Is that really fair?
But I must mention this. People in policing and government have always been at logger heads, and up to today there are still problems with salaries and promotions. I am still not sure of the real reason for going at the ex-head of VDSM. Was he railroaded? What would Donald Trump do in a case like this?
I do not think it is far-fetched to think in this manner, because my pension money is being used to bail out bad spenders of government money. The harbour deal, the new government building deal, and we are talking millions. Dubious deals of which we have not heard of anyone being arrested.
Not to talk about the causeway. The Causeway cost us an amount of which I as a taxpayer, a citizen and a voter am still waiting to see the figures, and we are not seeing any kind of returns from that investment. The casino's owed plenty and we only hear an amount of thirteen million. The ex-head of VDSM so-called unaccounted for amount was made to be almost seventy-five percent more than the real amount. And you know what, one mother said “I have to do this", and the other mother’s belly hurt.
Russell A. Simmons
Dear Editor,
Please allow me some space in your newspaper to address the people.
Fellow citizens, neighbours and friends it is high time we pay some serious attention to hurricane Irma that is threatening our area. Most of us like to believe that we have time to put everything in place before the onslaught. Experience has shown how wrong that can turn out to be.
The preparation for these types of meteorological phenomena is and will remain a yearly ritual, as we are in the hurricane belt and will continue to be so. We can no longer rely on the afterthought of what we could or should have done; the time to act is now.
This hurricane [yesterday – Ed.], Sunday, September 3 is fluctuating between three and four on the [Saffir-Simpson – Ed.] scale which makes it a huge, dangerous and life-threatening storm. In the past few hours it has shifted somewhat southward bringing it almost directly over neighbouring Anguilla.
With reports of hurricane force winds extending fifteen miles from the centre and gale-force winds up to sixty miles out, we will experience serious weather affecting lives, businesses and the economy which is now struggling to rebound at about point five per cent.
If we are convinced we have nothing to do and a lot of time to do it in, please use this time to batten down the hatches. Good sense tells us that waiting for the last minute is foolhardy. Our country needs all of your contributions so it behoves us all if you can remain clear of harm’s way.
To all our NVs: a day or two of no activity is better than months of getting back to normal. Don’t be afraid to err on the side of caution and shut it down, we will deal with that later. There is nothing to see outside in a storm if you are not a first-responder or emergency personnel; keep the streets clear for you would only add to the problem.
Listen to your radio and follow and obey the instructions given by the authorities. Your safety and the protection of life and property is their main concern and they are experienced in dealing with hurricanes, counting the number we had since 1995. Fellow St. Maarteners, be safe and I hope we meet again after the storm. It is truly a lot better to be safe than sorry. Good luck and blessings to us all.
Elton Jones
Dear Editor,
Please allow me to respond to that article entitled “On Parity” in the following manner. I must admire the energy and effort of the writer, but would ask him to be more careful when challenging the Democratic Party of Statia. We do our research and present the facts to the people of Statia in accordance with our code of ethics. We have no desire to scare or frighten our citizens, but we do believe that all is better served with truthful and factual information.
In his letter of the 8th of June 2015, Minister Plasterk informed the second chamber of the Netherlands about the tax and premium income and total Federal Expenses of the Caribbean Netherlands, divided over Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba for the year 2014.
Of the €110 million collected in the BES Islands, €13 million or 11, 8 % was collected on Statia. A whopping 80% of that income was collected on Bonaire. Of the €287 million in total BES expenditures, €54 million was attributed to Statia. €13/€54=24%; this means that the Dutch Government is covering 76% of our expenses, or three times the taxes and premiums generated on Statia. Until other information is available this is the information we will continue to refer to.
I also noticed Glen that you omitted to mention the €42 million that the Dutch Government pays into the BES Fund, which is paid out as free allowance, bringing the total expenditures for 2016 to €340 million, instead of the €298 you quoted in your article. You need to get your information straight, recalculate your parity and explain how income generated by Bonaire will finance an autonomous Statia.
We are all for more autonomy and support all actions that lead to a more self-sufficient and sustainable Statia. Being able to carry your own load is the real key to more autonomy. Our focus therefor should be to build our economy and improve the wellbeing of our people. We in no way can support a coalition government that has divorced itself from the very essential funding available to Statia to help us on our way.
While Statia is content to argue and fight the Dutch every step of the way, Bonaire and Saba are grabbing what they can. I never thought in all my years we would be arguing over the size, and fighting for a bill the Dutch Government is content to pay on behalf of the people of Statia.
What is interesting to know is what sacrifices Glen and the coalition government are asking the people of Statia to make? Will the universal health care remain intact? What will be the amount of old age pension and social benefits? Will our teachers and civil servants continue to receive their yearly periodic increases and cost-of-living adjustments? What about the regular CLA adjustments? Will education continue to be free?
My advice to you Glen is to stay far from the issue of integrity, leave that for someone else. Correct your numbers and recalculate your parity and focus on Statia, not the three Islands together. Bonaire’s revenues belong to Bonaire. Come out of the clouds; there’s no autonomy without responsibility.
Ernie Simmons
Advisor to the Democratic Party of Statia
