Dear Editor,
Please allow me this opportunity to comment on an article I read on page 3 of The Daily Herald of Thursday, December15.
It mentions that the Minister of Education, Culture and Sports Silveria Jacobs would like to see what she calls “S’ maatin” English recognized as the local language of Sint Maarten.
This is a dialect, please Madam Minister, leave it as it is. There is only one English, that is proper English, yes, call it the language of the British colonials, call it whatever you want to call it, but it is recognized the world over. Please do not give our young children, now starting out in life, the wrong impression. Do not tell them that it’s okay to speak badly, and hide it behind “our English”. That will not work, it will only cause them disappointment and embarrassment down the road.
You may recall that in the 1960’s there were people in the USA who wanted the street language spoken among a certain class of American Blacks, to be recognized as the language of all the black people; they called it “Ebonics”. It did not survive as a language as some wanted.
With many Black Americans struggling to get out of poverty, out of the ghettos of the various cities, young black families striving to achieve an upper-middle-class life style, they needed to make sure that their children got into colleges and universities and were able to move up the ladder to a better life. They recognized that they could not accomplish this if those children could not write a letter to a college, nor sit through an interview. They would never get a job speaking so-called “Black English”.
We Caribbean people have always had our own dialects. Every island has its own, some have more than one and there are certain words and phrases within some dialects, which are distinctive to locations within the islands. Our dialects are a source of inspiration and education and our notable authors and performers have written poems, short stories, songs and novels, making ample use of our various dialects, but when it comes down to it, we, they, all of us, in order to properly communicate and make ourselves understood outside the borders of our various islands, we all speak proper English.
Over the years, I’ve seen and heard Dutch Antilleans try, many of them with much difficulty, to speak and write proper English, and I can now appreciate how difficult it is for people, whose mother tongue is not English, to be able to learn to speak and write the language well.
Minister Jacobs points out that every business person on Curaçao speaks Papiamentu, this may be true, but it is a recognized language, not a dialect. Many of Curaçao’s citizens do not bother with speaking Dutch, they have been taught in school in their own language.
Our children on Sint Marten and the other Dutch islands as well, start life already on the deficit side as far as language is concerned, they are born under the Dutch flag, but do not speak nor write that language well enough to compete with Dutch children born in the European part of the kingdom. Some can speak Papiamentu, but not write it; some speak Spanish, but cannot write it nor even recognize the words when it’s given to them to read; some can understand French, but can neither write nor speak it well enough, and many can speak English, but do not write nor read it well enough.
Sint Maarten, like Statia and Saba, although they fly the Dutch Flag, they live and breathe in English; to put it more succinctly, American English, not even the Queen’s English. I find it hard to believe that our “operating language” is still an issue in this day, age and socio/economic circumstances. I’m concerned about our children and their ability to live today and survive in the world of tomorrow.
They should not be led down a blind alley, thinking that the creation or promotion of a fractured dialect will pass for some new form of English. In my opinion, bad English is just that, bad English.
We live under the Dutch flag, but our people, in their daily lives, operate in English. We live with neighbours from virtually every corner of the world; on any given day you will walk the streets of Philipsburg and encounter people who are from China, Pakistan, India, Croatia, France, Italy, Greece, Algeria, Nigeria and other countries of Africa and Russia. We will meet our Caribbean cousins from every island in the region, also people from Brazil, Argentina, Colombia, Peru and other South Americans along with our Spanish- speaking friends from the Dominican Republic, Cuba and the other Spanish-speaking countries around us.
My friends on Sint Maarten, who are native Sint Maarteners, have no interest in having their children taught “S” maatin” English; those from the various Caribbean countries were equally dismayed when they heard about the Minister’s idea.
So please, let us focus on one singular language by which we can all communicate and thus, be understood; let us teach our children to speak English properly. It is the language of Tourism, the language of International Trade, the language of Finance, the internationally-recognized language with which we can all identify. It is the first language which our children will hear when they pop out of the womb. Let us teach it to our children, the correct way.
However, in so doing, let us not lose sight of our individual identities, our own traditions, our very colourful and wonderful ethnic and cultural diversity, and yes, our native dialects. We will continue to think, write and perform, using our dialects and this is right; we should never lose sight of this, because it is our cultural identity, but let us not cause our children to lose whatever opportunities may be available to them, internally or externally, now or in the future, because they cannot speak nor be understood when they speak.
One Woman’s opinion
Ebbie Schmidt
Dear Editor,
I’m writing a response to Ian Shaw’s opinion which was given on December 13, 2016, called: a simple solution to Front Street crime. I thought of some possibilities that can happen as a result of Ian Shaw’s solution: What if the people come through the Boardwalk from the beginning of the street and do whatever they have to do, or maybe they fake being a delivery person but actually aren’t and not every tourist-looking person is a tourist. So these are just a few possibilities and I’m pretty sure the public will have a lot more opinions.
Pratham Dingraja
Dear Editor,
Repeatedly, one can hear parliamentarians lamenting on the issue of not feeling any energy from the Minister of Finance. Is it really that the budget is missing its lustre, or parliamentarians have become frail, due to discontentment within the organisation? My conclusion: there is a dirty game that is being played and it is possible that the table will turn sooner than later. So, this dark cloud that is being placed on the budget has absolutely nothing to do with the financial statement.
Isn’t a budget similar to the weather forecast, which is compiled and disseminated, based on the elements that are in the atmosphere at that given moment? Therefore, a budget is a projection of the country’s revenues and expenditures, due to its current economic climate. Just like how the weather can change, so is the financial statement as well.
Parliamentarians need to leave their party displeasure at their headquarters and focus on the matter at hand. How could MP’s make a decision to support a budget before acquiring all of the specifics of the document? This is a very strange and immature way of handling such a critical manuscript. A budget needs to be analysed thoroughly; therefore, no MP should take a decision just for the sake of passing the budget. Then they display this feigned attitude of being frustrated because they are not feeling the Finance Minister? Parliamentarians are the ones who lack the energy when they chose to fight with the Minister rather than to have a meaningful dialogue.
Look at the MP who is desperate to be the next Tourism Minister. What does he do? He always disappears whenever there is an important discussion, even the one as critical as the budget debate. It is such an adolescent mindset to hold the Finance Minister hostage for presenting a “conservative” budget. Politicians are upset with him because he is refusing to allow them to spend monies that are not available.
Our elected officials have failed to realise that due to their lavish spending in the past is what has caused the Minister to present a “shotgun” and a “conservative” budget respectively. Isn’t this approach a model of financial discipline? Part of the assessment of the budget is to analyse the benefits to the country when it does not exceed its expenditures. Another aspect of the budget is to bring into focus that the document is a collective responsibility of the Council of Ministers. Together, they control the finances of the land. Their decisions affect the direction of St. Maarten; it is time that parliament exert its authority and redirect the course of this country.
For instance: the Labour Department is one of the four evils that have destroyed the integrity of St. Maarten. I expected parliamentarians to hammer the Labour Minister on issues that are affecting the livelihood of the people. This section of the Ministry is what is causing a lot of disturbances in this country. If the Minister wants to play hardball, then parliamentarians should give him a vote of no confidence and appoint someone who will stand up for the people!
Again, this is why it is absurd for any MP to say that the budget has his or her support, when answers to critical questions are not forthcoming. This is the reason why discussing the budget has become a merry-go-round because MP’s are the ones who are directing the game, by failing to apply pressure on the Ministers to demand proper representation for the citizens. But this approach can only be successful when elected officials quit the grandstanding and have an intellectual discourse with the Council of Ministers.
Looking at the allocation of monies, it is rather disappointing to see the inadequate funds that are distributed to the Ministries of Justice and Economic Affairs. These two Ministries need some serious revitalisation, otherwise this gloomy economy and sporadic crime will just compound themselves.
Everyone knows that I am a very strong proponent of education, but why is it that the Ministry of Education has to consistently get the lion’s share when it has failed consecutively to stay horizontal with the demands of the labour market? MP’s do not want to dive into the problematic areas within this Ministry. Some shifted the blame to another Ministry without looking at the long-term effect. I will repeat myself by saying that compulsory education has diluted the quality of education.
I have been very critical of former MP Leona Marlin-Romeo, but I must give her credit for being the only MP who has acknowledged this looming dilemma.
It is clear that the majority of parliamentarians do not understand the work of art of the organisation to which they belong. Until they do, mediocrity will continue to take centre stage and people will forever be excluded from economic advancement.
Joslyn Morton
Dear Editor,
I listened attentively to the Prime Minister’s answer concerning public transportation (if you can call it that) and again it made me sick. He stated that this is on the governing programing 2016-2020 and went on to say that some kind of a service beside bus and taxi transportation should be introduced to be able to accommodate those who need transportation at odd times of the day (or night).
Again, our politicians, in this case PM Marlin, are (I'm fighting hard to use a euphemism saying) fooling us by pretending as if it is so difficult to get public transportation regulated in order to accommodate all the people on a mere 16-square mile of land. I am adamant in my belief that public transportation, especially bus transportation, should be in the hands of the public (government). We are not protecting the pillar of our economy by running the risk of gypsies transporting tourists with all ensuing consequences in case of any mishaps.
Public transportation should be able to reach all points of this 16-square-mile of land. PM Marlin himself told us about the person from Anguilla who comes to Sint Maarten, rents a car and runs gypsy and goes back to Anguilla in the evening, saying business is good. I do not know what he was trying to accomplish by that, but I would think of myself as incompetent after so many years in government in various capacities, and could not get help from the Dutch (my partners), who for years now, are no. 1 in the world in infrastructure of both the country and public transportation, and also no.1 in eye-care.
I added eye-care because we do not have an eye doctor on Sint Maarten. So why are we partners with the Dutch if all they can for us is to lock-up our people, using them to catch bigger fish. The Dutch always say, "Voor wat hoort wat". If this is so, then since they are locking up our people to follow the money, give us something back that we could use. For instance a few eye doctors and advice, or even help in fixing the public transportation, along with treating our pensioners on the same basis in the whole kingdom.
If we are kingdom partners, why let a whole island suffer for the deeds of a few? PM Marlin also knows about the large number of bus permits controlled by politicians and potential Ministers. He also knows that there are persons who have a permanent job, and also have a bus or taxi license. If PM Marlin is going so far as to regulate things as to be able to accommodate illegals, or even worse, if illegals are so powerful that their behaviour has government with its hands in the air, that is not saying much about him as PM.
Take the bull by the horns! Start the Sint Maarten Bus Company (SM.B.C.). Use the transition period to get rid of the personal permits, and use Holland (your partner) to help you with bus routes, etc. This is a way to alleviate the dense traffic and also get rid of the gypsies. They are illegal anyhow!
By the way, the nucleus of Sint Maarten could cause an international war every time anyone speaks of another country, because we are a melting pot of nationalities, so that does not even bother me anymore. Besides that, it is here that they are; we are not there doing it to them, they are here doing it to us.
Finally, someone has caught on and understands that we have to define who is a Sint Maartener, otherwise we are continually going to be like our Prime Minister; being careful and afraid to say what frankly has to be said. Our people have travelled the whole Caribbean and plenty of the world, and have often experienced a different kind of welcome than is displayed here on Sint Maarten, so they are also frustrated when they find themselves being skipped over for others.
So to repeat myself and amplify Minister Jacobs, we have to define who is a Sint Maartener to be able to do what every, and I repeat, every other of the surrounding islands and beyond do, put our people first. To sum it up, we need a government Sint Maarten Bus Company, we need eye doctors, we need our infrastructure adjusted for public transportation, we need Sint Maarteners in these positions and we cannot any longer permit illegals handling our visitors (gypsy).
Do not implement that irregular transport, or whatever the intention is to call it. Let the S.M.B.C. do its work first, let the hotels provide their transportation if necessary after the S.M.B.C is working. The taxi's will do their share, and then, if necessary, deal with that irregular transportation situation. Where there’s a will there's a way!
Now this question directly to the Prime Minister. I worked 41 years for government, yes government, and built up a certain salary. When I went on pension we all know what happened to that salary. Why should a member of Parliament, no matter what he or she did before, who worked only 4 years and had all those additional goodies, have rights to a tapering off compensation for two years, and not me and many of us who worked 10 times or more than that Member of Parliament? And should it really be so that I should be still paying tax contributing to, in my opinion, that kind of rip off. Especially when there has totally not been any kind of legislation coming from those MPs improving life on Sint Maarten?
Russell A. Simmons
Dear Editor,
The simplest solution to the growing crime being perpetrated against our jewellery merchants is to eliminate the getaway vehicles of the criminals.
First, all scooter and motorcycle traffic should be banned from the street during business hours. Two police officers should be stationed on Front Street at all times, one at L’Escargot and one in the square just beside Ballerina.
All cars coming down the street should be stopped by the officers, if the car is occupied by an obvious tourist or delivery vehicle then they should be allowed to pass. If the car in question is occupied by non-tourists or not a delivery person then those vehicles should be steered up the streets past Anand Indian restaurant in the case of the L’Escargot stop, or up past the courthouse in the case of the centre of town.
Presto, no more getaway vehicles.
Ian Shaw
