Dear Editor,
It is very disconcerting when blatant untruth is published to instil fear into the community in order to get political mileage. It is one thing to make empty promises of grandeur and bling to the people during election time in order to try to get votes but fear-mongering is going too far. Case in point is the article regarding the new St. Maarten General Hospital published recently by some media, coming from the Vice President of the UPP.
When reading the article it is clear that whomever drafted this article did not know the facts or purposely chose to misconstrue and misinform the general public. The true and correct facts will dispel what is being claimed. I leave it up to you the reader to discern the truth from myth and come to your own conclusion.
It is true that SMMC has been losing money mainly because the tariffs the SMMC charges have not been adjusted to keep pace with the cost of providing the medical services and the unpaid services to undocumented patients at the health care institution. Notwithstanding this situation, the SMMC has not received subsidy from government for over 10 years. This has put the SMMC in a difficult financial position that was resolved partly by adjusting the budget and tariffs but also by expanding the services being provided.
To be specific, services that have to be provided are those for which thousands of patients are being sent abroad to receive treatment. An average of 26 to 30 million guilders is spent each year on medical referrals abroad by the SZV, this does not include medical referrals by private insurers.
Expanding the hospital and its services will result in less patients being sent abroad and being treated closer to home. At least 40 to 50 per cent of what is spent abroad will be redirected to the local economy. Ultimately this will result in improved quality of health care for the citizen of St. Maarten and better management of the health care cost in general.
In order to make this a reality the Tripartite Committee has been established where Government, SMMC and the SZV take part and work together to find balanced solutions for the issues of the SMMC. Based on the concerted effort by the Tripartite participants we have tackled the prevailing issues such as new tariff structure, care demand, proposed partnership with regional medical care facilities abroad, telemedicine solutions, cooperation with the French-side hospital, new general hospital and the transparent bidding process for the build, finance and maintenance solution for the new hospital.
In coming up with solutions, not only did we look at what has to be done from the health care perspective but also what has to be done on the income side of both the hospital as well as the SZV. Instead of going for the easy solution of increasing premiums it was chosen to work on the compliance side regarding the registration of businesses and collection of premiums.
The SZV has taken steps to increase compliance by delinquent businesses and we already are seeing the fruits of the steps taken with an increase of contributions collected in comparison to the previous years of at least 20 per cent. In this way we prevent having to increase premiums.
Work is also being done to make and implement health reform policies in order to expand the insurance coverage to those uninsured groups and measures to manage health care expenses better by eliminating waste.
As to medical tourism solutions that others imply that they had or have to increase the client base for health care in St. Maarten, the following: Why would St. Maarten entertain groups that profess they can bring medical tourism to St. Maarten while expecting that St. Maarten has to put up all the financing to build facilities for these groups to rent for a limited time while not bringing any equity to the table? So they will reap the profits but St. Maarten has to make all investments.
In a report based on a study of a team of British researchers led by the University of York of 2013, Dr. Neil Lunt says, “Our message is: be wary of being dazzled by the lure of global health markets, and of chasing markets that do not exist.”
By having a larger modern hospital locally owned and managed we can attract qualified specialist as well as other specialism that presently are not being offered, but are highly necessary, in such way, making it possible for our population of St. Maarten/St. Martin as well as our neighbouring islands to get improved health care service.
You are urged not to be fooled by fairy tales and too-good-to-be-true stories. Solutions to solve our problems have to be pragmatic and do not have to take into consideration self-interest and nefarious agenda’s.
Reginald Willemsberg
Democratic Party Candidate # 7
Dear Editor,
Please allow me some space in your newspaper to address BillyD.
BillyD, I listened to all of you wonderful people on your radio station tonight making me the “bad guy” and turning Rolando Brison into the poor victim. More power to all of you. You, however, made a statement that “you told Michael Ferrier to go to hell.” If you are a real man, you will go on the program next Tuesday and practice what you often preach – tell the truth.
Tell the people why after supporting your station from the day you went on the air for the first time, I cancelled our advertising agreement with SOS Radio on or about 2 days after the 2014 Dutch-side elections. Dig deep and tell the people the truth. Not your version of the truth, but the real truth.
Regards to Fernando, Suja, Chris and Rolando. They are a fine bunch of people, some born here, some (Fernando for sure) like me, born on Aruba. But I guarantee all of you the following: you may love St. Maarten as much as me, but none of you will ever love it more than me! And that goes for those of you that “born here,” while I was just “born to be here.”
And by the way, just like you, I am not afraid to tell anybody to go to hell if they deserve it. I owe no one and no one owns me...And best of all, my conscience is clean like a whistle.
I hope you and your fellow radio talk show colleagues can say the same.
Michael J. Ferrier
Dear Editor,
Please allow me some space in your newspaper to reply to Wycliffe Smith’s piece on separation of State and Church.
Mr. Smith, I was very disappointed with your article on separation of Church and State. First of all you try to obfuscate the issue with a distinction between Government and State; there is very little distinction really. Yes, Religion and State should be separated. Our forefathers have fought very hard for that principle.
John F. Kennedy, “I believe in an America that is officially neither Catholic, Protestant nor Jewish - where no public official either requests or accepts instructions on public policy from the Pope, the National Council of Churches or any other ecclesiastical source - where no religious body seeks to impose its will directly or indirectly upon the general populace or the public acts of its officials – and, where religious liberty is so indivisible that an act against one church is treated as an act against all.”
I know you to be a very principled man, and I respect your sincere wish to work on behalf of the St. Maarten population. As the leader of a political party your certainly have the right to your beliefs and value system, and I certainly believe in Religious liberty.
However, as a liberal-minded person, I am in favour of Women’s rights, Gay rights and Euthanasia. When it comes to legislation, I believe that you will not be on the same side as me on these issues; your religious principles will not allow you to vote that way.
The SMCP should be honest with voters and not facilely explain matters away with whatever is printed on coins or how many ecumenical services are planned, or whatever phrases are in the constitution or oath of office.
Government is for ALL the people: Christian, Hindu, Muslim, Jew, Buddhist, Atheist...all! Yes, I sincerely believe that we can and should, separate God from Government.
J. Rijnboutt
Dear Editor,
Seemingly our (the St. Maarten) political leadership has absolutely no political will for meaningful Electoral Reform that will stop or curtail the political phenomena of “ship-jumping.” This is evident by the much talk and no action of the political leadership. Or, irrespective of the prime minister forming an Electoral Reform Committee which came up with a proposal to amend the Constitution to stop ship-jumping and other passionate calls as to “still fighting for electoral reform” by announcing to “table a proposal in Parliament for electoral reform extending to the Rules of Order of Parliament” or proposing changes to the Rules of Order of Parliament to “stem” ship-jumping.
By reading the editorial of The Daily Herald “Time is up” and the article titled “Parliament still awaits electoral reform laws,” both of August 16, 2016, it is obvious that the political leadership of St. Maarten has no desire to curtail ship-jumping. As they are doubling down on a proposed amendment of the Constitution that they know or should know has no change in hell in becoming law and proposed changes to the Rules of Order of Parliament which equally makes absolutely no sense and the further political development bleeding of St. Maarten.
Respectfully, the prime minister’s proposed amendment to the Constitution to stop ship-jumping calls for amending the Constitution to say “Parliamentarians who leave their party and go independent would not be able to help to form a new government” – which has been totally rejected by the Kingdom as raising too many legal questions, in essence unconstitutional.
Notwithstanding that this proposal is about amending Article 33 of the Constitution which deals with the appointment and dismissal of ministers which has absolutely nothing to do with Parliament. The Article that deals specifically with Parliament is Article 47, Chapter 4 of the Constitution.
The bigger problem here is, why would the prime minster and the chair of Parliament want this proposed amendment to be sent and discussed in Parliament fully knowing that if it passes in Parliament, which is doubtful, it would get the 2/3 majority vote needed of the serving Members of Parliament and the expressed consent of the Kingdom before becoming law (Article 129 of the Constitution), and also will be subjected to investigation by the Ombudsman as to its constitutionality (and could end up in in the Constitutional Court). Is this not a waste of taxpayers’ money and Parliamentarians’ time?
The proposal to make changes to the Rules of Parliament is also a waste of taxpayers’ money and Parliamentarians’ time. Please understand the Rules of Order of Parliament essentially establishes the rules or order for conducting the business of Parliament / parliamentary procedures. The issue of ship-jumping has to do with the composition or the political party make up of Parliament. Obviously, this idea of “extending the Rules of Order of Parliament” has not been fully thought through.
Fellow St. Maarteners, the solution to stop or curtail “ship-jumping” lies within Article 47.1 of the Constitution (of St. Maarten). Which call for the composition of Parliament and the Members of Parliament to be elected by proportional representation (within the limits of be laid down by national ordinance. Where proportional representation is operationally defined as “an electoral system in which each party is represented in Parliament by proportional representation where each party has representation in proportion to total votes received.” Thus, if 25 per cent of the electorate vote for a particular political party, then 25 per cent of the seats in Parliament should be occupied by that party.
Not only is a “ship-jumper” not a political party, but without getting the required votes assumes the position in Parliament as an elected party. Historically, “ship-jumpers have received on the average less than 3 per cent of the electorate vote which proportionally represents zero seats in the Parliament and any such action could be deemed as “unconstitutional.”
Since 2014, I have formulated, drafted and presented before Parliament a draft electoral reform ordinance that assures the composition and the maintaining of proportional representation in Parliament, as required by the Constitution, providing for the effective upholding of the Constitution and stopping or curtailing ship-jumping. (See Election Ordinance Amendment Legislation – drafted and submitted to the Parliament of St. Maarten by Julio R. Romney, November 2015.)
Critics against my draft Election Ordinance contend that it is in conflict with Article 61.1 of the Constitution, which reads “Members of Parliament shall not be bound by a mandate or instructions when casting their vote.” It is obvious, an understanding and taken in perspective the draft Ordinance neither bound and/or imply that Members of Parliament are to be bound by a mandate or instructions when casting their vote.
Notably, I have been approached on many occasions and asked why is it that when the topic of Electoral Reform comes up your draft Election Ordinance Amendment Legislation is never mentioned by the political leadership and/or the press. Equally, despite your academic background in Government and Politics/ Public Policy Formulation and Evaluation you were never contacted and/or invited by the prime minister to be part of the Electoral Reform Committee and/or the Electoral Reform Committee seeking your professional input.
This further raises the question as to “if you were from Timbuktu would they have sought your input, but as a local they want no part of you?” Irrespectively, they (the political leadership) are always saying they are for encouraging the “best” and “brightest” St. Maarten academics to come home and get involved.
My humble response has always been and will continue to be “It is what it is.” I have no dog in this political fight and neither do I wish to have one. I am simply a companionate patriotic St. Maartener – a scholar of Comparative Government, freely trying to give back of my doctoral/academic training. With a caution that without real electoral reform – adhering to the composition of Parliament by proportional representation as specified in the Constitution – which none of the political leadership has shown the political will to do other than giving serious lip service. St. Maarten, brace yourself for more “ship-jumping” and political turmoil.
Be mindful that the present government came into governance as a result of ship-jumping. With a possible nine political parties contesting the upcoming Parliamentary election, there is all likelihood a coalition government will emerge and the political anomaly of ship-jumping will begin. I humbly submit, voters of St. Maarten on September 26, you can make a difference or “Oh Sweet St. Maarten Land” will continue to bleed.
Julio Romney,
Political Analyst
Dear Editor,
There's a bus problem on the east side of island in St Maarten, and government should see this situation solved immediately. The people on the east side of the island are not safe traveling on gypsies daily that are not insured. Parliamentarian government politicians and newcomers on the list for this coming election, why are there no buses running in Middle Region, Sucker Garden, Pointe Blanche, Dawn Beach and Oyster pond?
Middle Region needs a community centre, and a ball park and water meters are too far from the homes. Government needs to help and assist Middle Region people more. A community centre for Middle Region should be included the 2017 budget.
After election is over and a new government is in office, please don't let down Middle Region and its people. Thanks to the Justice Department and police! The people of Middle Region are thankful of the police patrols in the area. But these policemen need more powers. Too many times they have to tell the public to get a lawyer, and many of these lawyers are not nice to the public. l have been begging our government and politicians there's an urgent need for a small-claim court in St. Maarten.
There's a female landlord in Middle Region who owes me for daily work, and up to this date she has not paid me yet. Many construction workers on this Island never get paid, so
Minister of Justice, a small-claim court urgently needed.
So far, St. Maarten people feel the justice department is doing good, but a small claim court is urgently needed for those who cannot afford a lawyer. Bad paymasters are taking advantage of construction workers on the Island.
Article 33 and 59 clashes September 26 a lot of people hope government will increase the minimum wage I am monitoring the seats. I will give you a prediction of the seats in September. MFK and UP seam to be doing good on this island. Politicians, please focus on the minimum wage, salaries are too small, ball parks, and buses to start running on the east side of the island. And build community centres for the people, and don t let down the people of Middle Region.
Cuthbert Bannis
