(Curaçao Chronicle)
“Sorry, my attention is distracted,” I wrote, “there is a stark naked person on the bench in front of the house.” Oh, well, I thought, no fuss! It’s the way, it is. This is Amsterdam!
After only a few minutes, the nudist was now in full front of a rapidly growing crowd of by-passers and tourists, all with eagerly extended iPhones. Clearly, this person was not only a nudist but also an exhibitionist; he, or she, loved the attention.
When a second and a third nudist showed up, it started to look like a manifestation. Good gracious, I thought, soon the cold will trigger their bladders, and they will ring my doorbell, asking to use the toilet. “No,” I would say, “use the canal.”
At that consideration, I was interrupted by other urgent matters and forced to delay my eye-witness account until the morning.
The next morning, I had some doubts whether I could or would tell you the outcome of the Nudist-Exhibitionists manifestation in front of my house. You see, it may shock you as it shocked me.
They say that God’s punishment is instant, but by being a nudist, no sin was committed. And God’s punishment without sins committed would be outrageous.
What comes immediately to anyone’s mind is February 1534, of course, the height of the Munster crisis.
Jan of Leyden had conquered Munster, crowned himself to King, and proclaimed that all citizens should go naked in anticipation of the arrival of God’s Kingdom. The New Heaven on Earth would not have fancy, fashion retail stores.
A group of seven men and four women, all Anabaptists and devout followers of Jan, burned their clothes in an upper room in Amsterdam and ran naked onto the street claiming to be preaching the “naked truth.” By shedding their clothes, the Amsterdam nudists had overcome sin, the original sin of Adam and Eve, they said.
Protestants’ endless appetite for theological squabbling confused the Civil Guard, the Lord Mayor, and the local Judges: it was hard to know which ethics applied, and which truth prevailed. So, with some regularity, the City Elders called on the Waterlanders to bring separated brethren back on one track. Waterlanders had to uphold a fearsome reputation that they could force brothers to remain brothers, no matter what the argument.
But back to the incident at the Keizersgracht: The nudist-exhibitionists fell off the canal wall and landed in murky waters. The draft at that spot was one of shallow waters; no more than three feet. The poor fellow yelled and screamed so loud that all believed that he, or was it a she, had broken a leg. So, a second naked person jumped into the devil’s drab to rescue the unfortunate victim by giving him a leg-up.
Possibly, I thought for a moment; they could be descendants of those seven of 1534. That stout cold-blooded behaviour is how real Amsterdam, Christian brothers-and-sisters come out of the woodworks, or rather the mud.
Soon, an ambulance arrived, and the naked persons were all taken away to hospital after a grandiose rescue operation by the fire brigade. The crowd applauded for minutes, furnishing the drum beat for a cacophony of sirens of the departing rescue vehicles.
What is bred in the bone will come out is the flesh, even after 500 years.
Jacob Gelt Dekker
Dear Editor,
For several weeks now, one seat in parliament has remained obviously empty. When the President of Parliament, at the beginning of public meetings, or of Central Committee meetings, asks if there are any notifications, not one parliamentarian, not even the USP faction leader reports on the absence of MP Silvio Matser. In my opinion, only sickness can justify the continuous absence of a member of parliament. Therefore, if MP Matser is sick, then the right thing for him or his faction leader to do would be to notify parliament of such, and to occasionally offer updates regarding his recovery. I am sure that, with this information, the people would also make sure to include him in their prayers.
Parliamentarians are directly elected to parliament by the people to represent all of the people according to article 44 of the Constitution. Therefore, the people should be concerned when someone, whom they elected and who accepted the seat does not represent them for an extended period of time. If an MP is unable to represent the people, then he or she should surrender his or her seat to the next person on the electoral list. This is the ethical thing to do.
What is most disconcerting is the fact that the first picture on Parliament’s website is a photograph of parliament in session with an empty seat that just springs out at you. It is said that a picture is worth a thousand words. This picture on the website is telling the people of Sint Maarten that parliament has no clue as to when MP Matser would be present in parliament, and not being able to wait any longer for him to show up, parliament has gone ahead and posted the picture with the empty seat.
Actually, if the current coalition in parliament takes no action on a matter such as this, then a parliamentarian can continue to be absent for the entire four years of his or her term, once he or she remains in the country. According to article 49, “membership of parliament lapses through an uninterrupted stay outside the country of more than eight months”. One can see how easy it would be to circumvent this article, and remain outside of the country for the greater part of a four-year term.
Besides having membership on two other parliamentary committees, MP Matser is currently also representing the people on the Ad Hoc Committee for the Preparation of the Construction of a New Building for Parliament. He has served on this committee for the last three years. The first year he was a member of the committee and the second year he was appointed vice chairman of the committee. Currently he serves as the chairman of this committee. Apparently, this committee, like most of the other parliamentary committees, is only a paper committee. This committee should have already come with plans for a new Parliament Building.
The lease on the Parliament building, which costs US $96.000 per month will expire in September 2017 and government has no other choice but to renew the lease agreement. The question is if a new lease agreement will be negotiated, or if the old one which included the repairs and renovation of the building will simply be copied and signed again? It would be a good idea, if at the signing of the lease agreement the Ad Hoc Committee for the Preparation of the Construction of a New Building for Parliament could present the plans and budget for the new Parliament building. However, given the prolonged absence of the chairperson MP Matser, one cannot expect much output from the Committee, unless the vice chairperson MP Drs. Rodolphe Samuel takes over in the absence of MP Matser.
SMCP is calling on the current coalition in Parliament to look into the matter of the empty seat in parliament, and do something about it. We are surprised that the minority or opposition in parliament has not yet raised any questions concerning this matter.
Wycliffe Smith
Leader of the Sint Maarten Christian Party
Dear Editor,
“Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.” ~ Proverb.
With that being said, I find the news coming out of my country of Anguilla very distressing. It appears that this government thinks so little of us that on Anguilla Day, this year, a day when we celebrate our liberation from the claws of one Robert Llewellyn Bradshaw, our government has seen it fit to show us how far we’ve come, by distributing food baskets.
On the surface it may look all well and good, but my good people, don’t for a second think that this government cares one iota about us. While this may look like the right thing to do, it does not pass the smell test and from where I stand, it stinks to high heaven. This sort of thing is totally unacceptable to have us lined up waiting for a food basket and on the very day that our forefathers fought to insure that something like this would never happen.
Where does this government get off treating the people of Anguilla like paupers? It is inconceivable that those in power would even contemplate something as low as this. Food baskets being handed out in Anguilla, are you serious? Is there nothing that is sacred to this government?
When our chief minister talks about “it’s all about you” who is he really referring to? Is it the “you” whom he thinks deserve to live as second class citizens? Who is he really referring to?
The fact that he chooses Anguilla Day, the 50th one, to do this goes to punch up the fact that his government has been an abject failure. Had he kept his promises to get Anguilla back on its feet, none of this food line stuff would be necessary. People don’t want to lower themselves standing in bread lines waiting for government hand-outs, they’d rather be working at a full time job earning a decent salary from which they can pay their mortgages and still have something left.
The fact that this government is willing to give out cash prizes on the nameless Ronald Webster Park, on our most reverent of holidays, is an embarrassment and this government ought to be ashamed of themselves to even contemplate such an idea. That is not who we are. Our people are a proud people who would rather earn a pay check than accept a handout from a government who clearly has ulterior motives for their actions.
At a time when our island is falling apart because of incompetent and weak leadership, our priorities are totally out of whack. This government seems to have taken a page out of the Donald Trump playbook in that every time a firestorm breaks out, you start a new fire. We have moved from one catastrophe to the next. We started out with the banks, then we quickly moved on to the stabilization Levy, and then we quickly moved on to something else. There are so many things happening concurrently that one needs a scorecard to keep track.
I ask again for the hundredth time, how did we get to this place and how do we get out?
I am angry when I see what has and continues to happen, for this is not what Atlin Harrigan, Walter Hodge, John Webster, Elliot Webster, Ronald Webster, Collins Hodge, Bob Rogers, Peter Adams, Jeremiah Gumbs, Mildred Vanterpool, Olive Hodge, Bevan, Cardie and a host of others too numerous to mention, fought for.
That on this day when we look back and remember those no longer with us for what they did, that almost 50 years to the day, that we are having to line up for a lousy $250 food basket is a damn disgrace and those whose brilliant idea that was ought to be flogged with many stripes.
I honestly believe that this gesture on the part of this government is nothing more than an attempt to curry favour with the people leading up to the next election. What this government should have done instead was to not pay out over $250,000 to every Tom, Dick and Harry, for services rendered during the celebration. The actions of this government, I say once again, do not pass the smell test. For example, why is one church getting $15,000
for putting on a programme? Isn’t that what churches do? The disbursement of those funds is highly questionable.
At a time when people can’t pay their bills and are losing their homes because of an ill-advised banking bill signed into law by this government, they are spending an exorbitant amount of cash to celebrate what? What are you celebrating? Who are you celebrating? It appears that this government is so illiterate when it comes to Anguilla and its history, that they would even attempt to celebrate Anguilla Day, astounds me.
None of this makes sense. Cash prizes given away at the park, seriously. What will this be an Easter-type cash hunt? Will they hide the envelopes around the park in the bushes and then have an all-out race to find the cash? Again, this does not pass the smell test. I would like to tell my fellow Anguillians not to stoop so low as to stand in line waiting for a food basket. We are better than that. This is not who we are. We have always had hard times and we’re still here, so what does that tell you about our resilience?
My brothers and sisters, I was raised by a very proud woman named Millicent Harrigan, and the one thing that she taught me was to always keep my head held high. She always did and though she’s getting on in years, not one day goes by that I don’t remember something that she told me. We are taking a beating from all sides right now, but we can’t give in to this ploy that our government has come up with.
Had they collected the money that is owed to us from the Cap Jaluca debacle, we would have money to put people to work. Had they not spent millions on an airport that is still unfinished, there would be money for infrastructure. Had they invested in our schools we would not be stuck with a system that fails most of our kids. Had they not been interested in giving themselves a 25 per cent pay raise in an attempt to get an exorbitant gratuity bonus upon retirement, there would have been money to build our college.
This government, and the one before it, has done a magnificent job of deconstructing Anguilla; 50 years later and we’re worse off than when we started. When we started, we had our own airlines; we had several schooners and one or two steel hulls which plied the waters of the Caribbean. We built our own banks and did extremely well until management got in over its head.
So, as we get ready to put on our Sunday best to hear Victor extol the virtues of patriotism, let us take every word he says with a grain of rock salt. Let us remember those whom I’ve alluded to, all of them, named and un-named. Let us ask ourselves, is this what they fought for, is this what we fought for? If it is, then let us do what the young calypsonians from the BVI admonished us to do last year, “Take your licks and shut up.” , by chance if that is not the case, then we’ve got work to do.
So until next time, take my aunt’s advice and keep your head up high. May God bless us all and may He continue to bless Anguilla despite of ourselves.
Tyrone Hodge
Dear Editor,
Allow me to express some thoughts that might be of use to the many sixth graders, who will be taking the FBE exam during the course of next week. First and foremost, the bulk of this journey towards being successful depends on you the student. No matter what the circumstance may be, tell yourself that you can do it. Having confidence in yourself is a must, because you need to depend on you to help you through each segment of the exam.
Once you have the assurance that you can get a good score, this will help you to apply the language rules and math formulas in a more effective manner. General Knowledge is all around you. Some of it is common sense, but this subject requires some time to review your notes that you have acquired during the school year. You still have a couple of days to catch up.
For all of the subject matter, it is very important that you take a moment to get the gist of the material before you go through it thoroughly. Understanding the text is one of the most critical aspects of the exam. When you do not understand the passage, this is what makes multiple choice questions appear to be tricky or confusing.
As a student, your task is to always read the passage for the purpose of understanding it. When you comprehend what you have read selecting the right answer becomes very easy. Likewise, pay close attention to the instructions, as they are designed to test how focused and attentive you are.
With such an important development of our community, it would be a noble gesture and a collaborative effort, if employers could be flexible with parents of these exam students. Allow them some time off so that they could be there to assist their children during this period; especially parents who are working in the night. Those who work in the day can have the last two hours free. After all, these children are our brilliant minds, just waiting for the opportunity to steer this country forward. But, they can only be successful if the parents are there for them now.
To all the awesome sixth graders, the exam is your ticket to be the future leaders of this land. Be prepared, as this accomplishment is right there in the palm of your hands!
Joslyn Morton
Dear Editor,
Neville’s sudden passing has shocked us here in Chicago, friends and musicians. A very sad day. I had lunch with Neville in St. Maarten on March 10th; we talked about recording again sometime and his new school of music.
I had a 23-year friendship with Neville. It was an honour to have collaborated with him on his two CDs, and they will always be played on my radio show, Jazz Tropicale, heard every Sunday at 10:00pm CST on WDCB 90.9 FM www.wdcb.org. Neville would often listen and occasionally call me at the station. I plan to broadcast some special segments about Neville this Sunday.
And our concerts in Chicago, plus 5 years of concerts with my band in St. Maarten and Anguilla – these will never be forgotten. Neville taught us so much about Caribbean life and culture.
And I just found out that his mother recently passed!
My sympathy to Veronica, Chester and the entire York family. It’s a very sad day here in Chicago.
Marshall Vente
