As I drove by I heard voices, muffled words, hidden tones due to gentle breezes; in my mind nothing made sense. I tried harder to listen, then like brutal attacks, came shouts of pain and anger, thunderous voice blown by nature’s wind.

It was a vexing conversation, ambiguous emotions, fits of rage, boiling anger between who? I don’t know?

I tried to look for faces, but none could be found, but smoke and angry protest, a voice seeking justice. I thought who could be so angry? Listening attentively, I heard the words, the cry of a broken heart.

I tried to hear through the wind the shouts of a tormented soul, as emotions flared the voice grew stronger, louder, echoing from deep within, deep-seated pain then I heard, then I knew, who was bitterly protesting.

“I want justice!” cried Pond Island against Government building.

Government Building: “Do I know you?” asked government building with a taut smile.

Pond Island: in pain, Pond Island exclaimed, “You moved into my neighbourhood, superficially, flamboyant, exclusive, embellish in frills and thrills, yet very illusive and you asked do I know you?

“Four stories your ivory tower stands, but my tower; however, emerged from remains, refuse and discarded items.

“I watched you daily as men busy themselves, giving you birth and life and shape. I watched you up close and from afar, like a puzzle you were fitted together superficially great. I watched with profound admiration, as they hailed the day of your completion.

Beaming brightly like a city on a hill, beaming colours brightening my still waters; but gaze on me, a tragedy, a travesty of justice, of rightness. Hear my plea! A forgotten soul; like Lazarus I too stand at your majestic gate, but like Dives you don’t see me.”

“You don’t see me, but once I was majestic in splendour, a work of art, a thing of beauty.

Created by the voice of God, the words God – let there be! And I became, became a place of wonder, a place of still waters. God gifted me, to serve humanity, a producer of salt, I became. But today, you don’t see me?

“The land around me was identified by me, not sweet Sint Maarten’s land but Soualiga! I gave this country its name, my salt was widely acclaimed. So gaze into my waters, see my history, my story, Massa wanted me and exploited me.

“Yes, gaze into my waters see condemned black bodies, blistered and bloodied hands clawing through my waters. Gaze into my waters and listen, hear songs of redemption echoing from black diaphragms. Coming from the march of salt pickers, like soldiers in tune to a steady beat giving birth to salt mounds at their calloused feet; but today, you don’t see me?

“You don’t see me, you just come; Johnny come lately, move yourself into my community.

You! Johnny come lately, building institutions for prosperity on my property, but don’t see me!”

Pond Island silently turns its back and said, “Tell me neighbour, why must I suffer from pollutants, wild dogs, rodents and fire? Neighbour, must I be burdened with shame? You forgot I gave you your name!  

“Disgrace is now my story, my lot, my reality, just because you don’t see me!

“Before I go let me say, one day, some day you will be compelled to see me! Sadly, like Lazarus when I am gone then I will be free. Only then will you remember me – The Great Salt Pond – soon no longer posterity or a legacy, but a memory.”

Pond Island walks away, sadly.  

Reverend Dennis Baptiste

Dear Editor,

In the past two to three weeks the news has been rife with reports on the implementation of the NHI scheme for

St. Maarten. Though this is not new as the idea presented itself in the 2014 election without much information or sound reasoning. The minister of public health and labour Mr. Emil Lee said that haste is of essence and delaying the implementation might not be wise in his opinion. The minister said to have spoken to all stakeholders including the Netherlands, though SHTA and other organizations are not wholly on board, while the Netherlands being a stakeholder is not quite clear...

Then it hit me that the minister is himself interpreting advice from the CFT as coming from the Netherlands. But be that as it may here is why we need to slow down and put in place policies that would assure the local stakeholders that this scheme won’t result in unlimited taxation going forward.

We know today of the pressure exerted on our school system by an uncontrolled implementation of compulsory education. Of course as a society we were and still are convinced that every child should be guaranteed an education; we don’t understand why we should pay such for all who end up here. Because of open and uncontrolled immigration, people were literally able to walk from the airport and register their children in local schools. Persons applying for residence or work permits were allowed to lie on the forms and later inviting their families over, putting more pressure on an already heavily burdened system. Because of this free for all Schools, SMMC, public housing and many more institutions here suffer from lack of space, and payment which the tax payer ends up carrying the load for.

The minister also intimated that the civil servant and the labourer will all be the same in this new NHI, and since he claims the unions were part of the consulted stakeholders I wonder aloud if WICSU, ABVO and other organizations representing civil servants don’t see anything wrong with that picture. We have the (LAR) civil servants Regulation because we have recognized by law that the civil service should be different in their functioning and how they seek redress. Moreover, as has been the M.O. of past years when newly implemented systems or experiments don’t pan out to our expectations, the civil servants, because they are a captive work group in government, are the first to be forced to tighten their belts.

Furthermore, the civil service has always paid their contributions and the reason the system AZV/SZV is having problems is that government never turned in the withheld amounts, which now form part of our debt negotiations. So where are the guarantees or checks and balances; the same won’t be true in the future. It would also be interesting if we were told what would happen to private insurers when government by its very action becomes their primary competition. At this time I recall an adage that says, “The business of government is to stay out of government.”

How would it affect dependants oversees or illegals on the island. The minister himself has commented on the fact that too many permits are been extended to outsiders for jobs locals can fill, so maybe we can be told how this would be addressed and how this activity will impact the NHI. How is the abuse of the system, which today permits patients to be referred abroad for medical tests and not only emergency treatment? Can we not enforce a better way or make it possible for these tests to be done locally.

And of course, in the present system depending on your pay grade and your years of service and how much you contribute determines whether your internment is designated as 1^st,2^nd or 3^rd class how would that be organized in our NHI.

We know certain things require speed but we would much more rather have sound and well thought out decisions than hasty kneejerk changes that aim solely to placate the CFT or the stakeholder the minister sees in the Dutch. So for the sake of a seven year old “country” still finding its feet with so much yet to be done let’s slow it down. In the trade-off between efficiency and time we would hope efficiency takes precedence. It would seem to be in our interest to slow it down.

Elton Jones

Dear Editor,

When a politician is well-read and has the capability to place country above self, these superior qualities can never be concealed, nor are they flaunted for the purpose of self-gratification. In fact, this persona has the propensity to unfold naturally, and with a high level of maturity. Hence, every time I watch or listen to our Minister of Finance Richard Gibson, I cannot help but marvel at his level of education, and the manner in which he weaves this learning into the process of nation building.  

It is quite amazing and extremely refreshing to see how Minister Richard Gibson keeps his ego this low. Even when journalists fail miserably to articulate their questions effectively, he is able to maintain a calm demeanour, as he visualizes the bigger picture – the picture that involves consistency in ethical behaviour and his beliefs that he has a duty to serve, and the obligation to educate the population.

Minister Gibson is fully aware that effective communication intertwines with education. Therefore, he is very mindful of how his reaction affects the morale of the journalists. Instead of acting brashly or displaying the behaviour of a braggadocio, he analyses the questions quickly and responds in a manner that enhances the quality of journalism. What also makes this brilliant communicator so conspicuous is that: one cannot detect if he has an animosity towards a particular journalist, or that he discriminates one’s level of competence.

How does he do it? The first two sentences of this article answer that question. Besides, throughout the briefings or interviews, Minister Gibson is usually very attentive to the types and depths of the questions, even when they do not relate directly to his portfolio. During this period, he takes time to assess the proficiency of each journalist. Then, when a question is directed to him, he focuses on the gist of the inquiry and the accuracy of his response, rather than how the question has been posed. This is the power and influence of a true scholar!

Furthermore, this well-informed minister understands that in order for the country to grow and meet the expectations of a civilized community, St. Maarten has to do things differently. In essence, he consistently inspects his ministry to seek ways of removing obstacles to improve his department. Some of his recent achievements include: the acquisition of shares from the assets of the then Netherlands Antilles that were delivered in two instalments, totalling an amount of 67 million guilders.

He is also in the process of signing a protocol with the joint Central Bank for St. Maarten to acquire a more evenly distribution of yearly revenues from this lucrative financial institution. From the 67 million guilders, one may think that Minister Gibson would use some of the monies to initiate new projects. Instead, he made it clear that the extra finances will be used to pay off debts to SVB and APS. Clearly, this is the action of a well-read politician and one whose heart is aligned with improving the country’s financial image.

To top it off, St. Maarten will be introducing its law program in September – a soon-to-be mine of legal brainpower, designed to replenish itself accordingly. Again, this is the power and influence of a well-educated politician, who envisioned the need to cultivate home- grown lawmakers to occupy the demands of a growing nation. Education is power and so there is no boundary, when one's vision is fuelled by education!

Joslyn Morton

Dear Editor,
Why even bother at this time to write about the qualifications of a parliamentarian, when the next parliamentary election is all the way in 2020? Sadly, this has been the mentality in the past that has led us to vote for persons, based on friendship, family ties and family tradition, instead of looking at the qualifications, qualities and experience of the candidates.
One of the reasons we have not paid much attention to the qualifications of parliamentarians, is because during election time, our politicians campaign as if they were running to become ministers in government. However, they failed to point out the difference and the separation between parliament and government. To summarize, the people elect the parliamentarians, and the parliamentarians in turn appoint the ministers. Therefore, if we want a good Council of Ministers, we must vote for noble, qualified parliamentarians, who would ensure that we get a good government.
Besides the four criteria for parliamentarians listed in the Constitution, parties, as well as the people should hold candidates to a high standard. Article 49 of our Constitution states that to “be eligible for membership of Parliament, a person must be a resident of Sint Maarten, a Dutch national, have attained the age of eighteen years, and must not have been disqualified from voting”. As far as the age is concerned, a person can be on a party’s slate at age 17; as long as he/she turns 18 by the time the oath has to be taken.
Based on the Constitution, anyone with the Dutch nationality can become a parliamentarian in Sint Maarten. In this regard, it is interesting to note that the constitutions of neighbouring countries like St Kitts and Nevis, the Commonwealth of Dominica and the Territory of Anguilla clearly stipulate that to be elected, persons must be connected to the country or territory by birth or descent. If such a criterion were applied in Sint Maarten, many persons would not be eligible to become members of parliament, including myself, as well as several of our current MPs. Revising the nationality article will require a constitutional amendment, which needs the approval of the other countries of the kingdom.
The criterion “must not have been disqualified from voting” relates to the final verdict of a court of law. In other words, once the court case of a prospective parliamentarian is still in appeal he/she has all rights to join a party or to establish a party. The prospective parliamentarian also has the right to campaign, to be elected, to take the oath of office and to function as a member of parliament until he/she receives the final guilty verdict.
This is the reason MP Silvio Matser is still functioning as a Member of Parliament. Even though the Court in First Instance, as well as the Joint Court of Justice found him guilty of tax evasion, he has appealed the case at the High Court in The Hague and consequently has the right to function as a parliamentarian until he receives the final judgement from the latter court. We may not agree with the law, but we must abide by it.
In addition to the constitutional criteria mentioned earlier, it is important that we also evaluate prospective parliamentarians based on several other qualifications, such as love for Sint Maarten, Dutch language skills and integrity. If persons have a love for Sint Maarten, it will show in their involvement in the community. They will be engaged, in one way or another, in trying to better the society. Their motive for getting in politics would be for the sake and the good of the people, and not for personal gain. They should ascribe to, and live by, the principles of integrity, transparency, accountability, and love for the country.
How many of the 125 candidates who took part in the 2016 elections are still visible and active today? Even many of them, who have been elected to parliament, often do not see the need to represent us as we expect them to. One parliamentarian has not attended parliamentary meetings in months. At times, several of our parliamentarians have refused to attend meetings. Not too long ago, the minority faction in parliament even declined to represent us at a high-level kingdom meeting. This is really not the kind of representation we expect from our parliamentarians!
As far as Dutch language skills are concerned, it is important that prospective parliamentarians have at least a working knowledge of the Dutch language. It is interesting to note that the Constitution of the Commonwealth of Dominica includes a language qualification stating that to be qualified to be elected, a person must be able to speak and read the English language. Admittedly, Sint Maarten’s constitutional and judicial systems are very much embedded in the Dutch system. It is obvious that Dutch supersedes the English language, when we read the disclaimer at the bottom of each page of a translated law: “No rights can be derived from the English translation”.
The SMCP believes that if voters take the additional qualifications into serious consideration when electing parliamentarians, Sint Maarten would have a stronger, better qualified, integrity-based parliament, which in turn would appoint ministers to the Council of Ministers, based on their professional, experiential and ethical qualifications.

Wycliffe Smith
Leader of the Sint Maarten Christian Party