Dear Editor,
Many years ago, as postmaster, I went to Holland to attend a postal affairs training. Didn’t learn anything new, as far as the running of a post office was concerned, but there were postmasters there from all over the globe and I did learn some valuable things about big independent countries.
On the first morning there was a map of the world in front of the class and everyone was asked to introduce himself, point out his country on the map and say a few words about his country and culture.
One postmaster from Africa had never seen the ocean; his country Lesotho is surrounded on all sides by other vast land masses. From him I also learned that in Africa, acres of land are given free of charge to people who want to farm.
Two postmasters from China happily announced they actually knew each other in China. They were close neighbours back home; they only had to travel 12 hours by train to visit each other.
During the course of the training I was told by one of the Dutch instructors that “They are not really interested in learning about postal affairs, but only come here for the money.” (Each participant was given an x number of euros per week) Upon further inquiry I learned that the two postmasters from independent Egypt earned the equivalent of about a hundred guilders a month.
Another African postmaster whispered to me she had gone to the hospital across the street from the hotel to inquire about a job. She was willing to accept just about anything they had to offer. This told me that the salary of a postmaster in big independent Africa was nothing to brag about.
When it was my turn I had a surprise for them too. I told them I would love to show them my country, but I couldn’t, because it was way too tiny to be placed on a world map. From the corner of my eye I could see the big smile on the face of our Dutch instructor, but I have not forgotten the many puzzled faces I saw that day. They all looked at me in total disbelief. You have to be joking, Mr. Hodge, how is it possible that your country is not on the map? Not even a small dot?
These non-postal things I learned had me puzzled and made me appreciate my tiny dependent dot in the ocean a lot more. Did or did not this prosperity come from being Dutch? Yet, some politicians – current and former – are openly talking about independence for St. Maarten, while others are hinting at it with a measure of uncertainty. A former Minister is calling for a referendum to move the island in that direction.
Have they given it long and serious thought or do they just want to go down in our history book as the ones who saved the people of St. Maarten from the domineering Dutch, regardless of the outcome? What would their real motive be in pursuing independence from Holland? Do they want freedom from supervision; from a higher authority that’s restricting them from doing as they please?
Let’s consider the following. We have more than 100 non-Dutch nationalities living on the Dutch side of the island. If being under the Dutch is so bad, why have thousands of foreigners – from all over the globe – flocked to St. Maarten? It is obvious they have done so to be able to support their families back home in their “independent” countries. Millions of untaxed dollars leave this tiny island via courier services every month to the other Caribbean islands, even to independent countries countless times bigger than our dot in the ocean.
The word independence means “not dependent,” not having to depend on anyone and anything else. No country in this world is independent, even if many of them think they are. Even if we ignore our extremely small landmass and population, the first prerequisite for independence would be a competent and stable Government, and it is clear we don’t have one. Suggesting that our 17-square-mile half-an-island can survive independently is completely ludicrous.
However, I do believe there are independent people, namely politicians who have been in Government for decades and have accumulated their millions over the years. Poverty brought on by independence would have absolutely no effect on such individuals, other than having to relocate their families.
Clive Hodge
Dear Editor,
A lot of indignation reigned during the discussions on the appointment of a quartermaster by the Dutch government and rightfully so. The Dutch Minister (Plasterk) has, however, remained undeterred and firm: “The quartermaster will come, it was an agreement and St. Maarten procrastinated.” Did we?
The government of St. Maarten learned of the appointment via the press, evoking a caution from Finance Minister Gibson that newspapers can be wrong. True, in this world of “false news,” even newspapers can be tricked. However, in the Netherlands, this news was an orchestrated part of simultaneous and official publications. Algemene Nieuws BZK; Rijksbelastingsdienst of January 13.
Hans Leijten, a celebrated Marechaussee in his own right and his departure from the tax department, after barely a year has evoked mixed reactions. Some say he did so in disgrace, others say he refused to be the fall guy. Fall guy for whom?
Plasterk is not contesting this election.
The VVD party of Prime Minister Rutte has some serious issues. The VVD has seen the demise of four top persons due to the van Teeven Affaire, the last one (they hope) being Verscheuren.
While the van Teeven Affaire played out in the Justice realm and Justice officials had to go, the Dutch tax office is facing its own perils. State Secretary for Fiscal Affairs Wiebers (VVD), has admitted his shortcomings to the Second Chamber. An investigation into affairs at the Dutch tax department is not flattering and that is putting it mildly.
No sooner did Leijten resign, or it was announced that he will be the quartermaster for St. Maarten’s doomed Integrity Chamber. No sooner did he resign or his successor was appointed. And we must believe this whole affair is not bigger than the Integrity Chamber on St. Maarten? And we must feel guilty? Guilty of what?
S. Wescot-Williams, MP (DP)
Dear Editor,
Lee Halley, as a young man, had a vision, a dream to someday have his own fishing charter business on the same land and water where his father, brothers and many Simpson Bay fishermen kept their fishing boats. Lee’s hard work, determination, dedication and Simpson Bay Pride made that dream come true – a dream that, after 30 years, grew into what is now Lee’s Roadside Grill & Deep Sea Fishing.
Closing Lee’s Roadside Grill will impact our lives, the families of our 30 employees, our suppliers, contractors and the Simpson Bay community. At a time when the economy is hurting and crime is rising, the Government of St. Maarten should be supporting and protecting the local businesses instead of tearing them down and selling them out. The Government of St. Maarten must start defending the rights of the local people and must stop putting the rights of foreigners ahead of our own.
Lee’s Roadside Grill is one of the few buildings left on St. Maarten with a true Caribbean look and feel. All over the world people are trying to re-create that same ambiance but our St. Maarten Government continues to allow the destruction of what makes our island unique.
Let me say it again, the St. Maarten Government has the authority and the power to stop the removal and the demolition of Lee’s Roadside Grill. They have a history of taking property back from people. Take for example the land next to BBW in Simpson Bay. That land was not long leased but instead owned by the many heirs of the Lejuez Family. Yet through a very strange and speedy process, the government managed to take that land away from the Lejuez family and long leased it to the Gioia Brothers.
Speetjens has no legal rights to the land where Lee’s Roadside Grill is situated because they did not comply with the long lease conditions to build and operate a marina on that location within six months of obtaining the long lease. So you have to ask yourself why Government does not want to take this land back from Speetjens? Why would they be willing to ruin the lives of so many people? Why would they want to tear down a landmark of this island? Why are they putting the rights of foreigners before their own people?
Ileana Halley
Dear Editor,
The Minister of Finance wants to collect a government departure tax from people departing the country from the airport or from the harbour. There are whole lot more ways to leave the island, but he will have to decide that also.
My first question as answer to that is, when the Minister of Finance is going to have the controllers in the finance department go into those food-supplying businesses and do the necessary. When are they going to forbid the owners of supermarkets from raising the prices of the same products every time they go into the same container or warehouse and take out some more cases from the same shipment. When are they going to control the outdated products on the shelves and make sure that they can be identified so that the shopper can decide whether to buy it or not with conditions (reduced price); this or take them off the shelves.
So, there are a lot more things that continue to weigh on the people and no one makes an effort to remedy them. The pensioner did not have a choice whether to collect their money at the receivers or the bank, It was decide at bank. No one cared what the bank charges were. No one cared whether the pensioners could go around with a computer or not. Collect it at the bank or by the ATM, whether there were bank charges or not, whether there was a certain risk or not. For instance, because the banks are not open on weekends, if I need money for church collection in the weekend I would have to go to an ATM and there would be charges for that (for instance 52x 0,50) not forgetting the one per cent involving US$. Pensioners pay taxes, pensioners pay the same fare on the bus and I can continue with all the things which the pensioners, whose income has been almost halved, have to pay equal to everyone else going forward. The old age pension is a laugh. A mere 22 per cent of the working population pay taxes including the pensioners.
When we continue to profess that the older employees are more conscientious, more responsible and produce more than the youth and we have extended the pension age, why should we have to continue paying for the non-producers (taxes). Because the pensioners’ salaries have not been adjusted over the years, I believe that it is more than time that government have others pay taxes and exempt the pensioners, who all have paid into the pension fund for no less than 35 years or more, from government departure taxes, bank charges etc.
We are the pioneers and should be treated as such. We brought and kept St. Maarten to where it is today so that so many others could enjoy and earn well and even better than expected while, we, the pensioners continue to struggle. While we are on the subject of taxes, may I suggest that there be a separate database for persons with working permits from that for persons with resident permits both by Immigration as well as at the Census offices. Why? So that no working permits should be reissued /extended without a declaration stating that one’s taxes have been paid.
By the way, I think that Minister Lee has been in government long enough to know that it is irresponsible not to have an eye specialist on the island and still not do anything about it. Again it is in the interest of the people and nothing is being done about it.
Yet another reason for the people to think of that now common phrase, “What's in it for me?”
Russell A. Simmons
(Curaçao Chronicle)
In 2000, UNESCO issued a set of guidelines for improving primary and secondary education across the globe by 2015. Unfortunately, for the students of this island, much of the importance of that resolution appears to have been casually dismissed, as only a few of the proposals are now fully implemented. As we witness a worldwide economic shift, a large part of Curaçao’s ongoing success will require adequately preparing its primary and secondary students.
