Dear Editor,
I was deeply shocked by the letter of the Seniors and Pensioners Association Chairman Raymond Jesserun in your paper from Tuesday, December 29.
Shocked because of the fact that we forget that St. Maarten is what it is now by the “muscles” of these people (see the statue of the Salt Pickers). They made St. Maarten and GEBE and TelEm. If they did not work 24/7 we would never have had a St. Maarten as we have now. In those days there was no possibility for “sick-leave – fraud” or payment by SVB. No work was no money!!!!
It reminds me of the idea that we bring the toddlers to the day-care and someone else is taking care of my (our) kids.
A lot of the pensioners, however, have no day-care and they cannot afford it (because the pension is not paid and if paid it is not sufficient).
That is so surprising to me that in my opinion these people need the help of a professional in case something happens like a disconnection (by whatever or WHOMEVER) is done or WHO have the courage to do so, to reconnect them.
I will be available during the coming holidays on my cell phone: 520-5949 and on a special number from UTS 580-5949 for free legal help in case something happens to you. Be aware: the Court has no (long) lines.
My motto is not emotional but based on a simple slogan I see along the road on Billboards these days: (….) you never walk alone. I would say: you never will be alone!!!
I wish all of my fellow seniors, pensioners a Happy New Year with a Bright Light (!) and much greetings from family over the PHONE(!).
Cor Merx (a lawyer on route 66…)
Dear Editor,
Allow me to share the following proposal to improve the quality of the services we receive here in St. Maarten.
Dear Editor,
As a young nation we are about to celebrate Christmas, and for many of us it means the buying of gifts for others and ourselves; it also means filling our house with food and drinks in the event family, friends and others pay us a visit. But, have we given any thoughts about the unfortunates?
Many of us don’t have the slightest idea about the many people who are going hungry every day, and Christmas day will not be any different for them. Most of the time the invitations are given to those who already have and the unfortunates continue to suffer. In my opinion, Christmas is supposed to be a time not only to share with your family and friends, but emphasis should be placed on those who don’t have all year round.
Let’s make this Christmas special for all our brothers and sisters by giving in abundances to those that are in need. Invite that neighbour next to you or the one that lives on the same street with you to your Christmas lunch or dinner. Or better yet, prepare a nice plate of the same food that you share with your family and friends and make their Christmas just as enjoyable as yours. Make them feel special by allowing them to enjoy the Spirit of Christmas, after all this is supposed to be a time of sharing with others.
This reminds me about a story that was told to me by a good friend. He stated that one Christmas day he was visited by an employee who had never been to his home before. In the eyes of the employee, who came from a large family, all indications were that he was not invited to any of the family lunches or dinners, but wanted to be amongst people he knew on that day. He said to me that he saw sadness in that employee’s eyes that he would never forget for the rest of his life.
He came to realize that while he took it for granted and believed that every person, in particular in St. Maarten, was having a wonderful Christmas he was mistaken, as there are many who go without food on that same day like the greater part of the year. He noted that many families shun those who may not be part of the elite, or may have some type of mental illness or simply made some wrong choices in their lives and continue to pay for those mistakes year in year out.
It is with this in mind that I want to wish the people of St. Maarten a Merry Christmas, and to remind you to remember those neighbours; those homeless persons or those persons who are not your family, but would like to be amongst people on this very special day. Fix a nice meal with a piece of pudding, tart and guavaberry and make that person’s Christmas special this year.
Merry Christmas St. Maarten and continue to share with the unfortunates all year round.
Lenny F. Priest
Leader, One St. Maarten People Party (OSPP)
Dear Editor,
Please understand that I am not writing this in bitterness, but as a reference that can be used for improving the care offered by the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC).
We recently experienced how the staff at SMMC treat patients. The term I would use to describe the experience would be “inhumane.” Regrettably, our requests for improvement fell on deaf ears. This includes the formal complaint that was submitted as directed by the SMMC website.
The three basic concerns that were not addressed at SMMC were:
- Pain Management: little attention was given to the pain she [my wife – Ed.] was experiencing after surgery, and she was often in tears due to its level.
- Comfort Level: she was sweating through her clothes and sheets because the room temperature was around 30 degrees Celsius as measured by the thermometer I brought in.
- Humane Treatment: she was upset most of times I visited, because she was forced to lay in her own waste or was left on the toilet for three hours unattended. She spent about a week in SMMC during her recovery, and she slumped into self-pity and depression.
After finding nursing assistance and a physical therapist that would come to our rented apartment in St. Maarten, I requested that she be released to my care where I could manage the three key issues. This proved to be a wise decision, because she immediately responded to the positive environment.
Unfortunately, she was still in pain after we returned to Indiana, so we set up an appointment with a surgeon at Ortho Indy. He discovered the rod that was installed in St. Martin between her femur and hip ball was “pistoning” in the joint – moving up and down. Since it wasn’t secure, it had scraped the hip socket. There were also several bone splinters left unattended. It was apparent that this was the root cause for the pain, and he performed surgery to install a new hip to repair the damage.
The surgery, similar to that at SMMC, was quite invasive, but her recovery was significantly different. The three things missed by SMMC were clearly being addressed at the St. Vincent Hospital in Indianapolis without even asking. The outcome was short of amazing. On the same day as the surgery my wife was sitting up, had a great meat loaf dinner and was laughing at the “Jingle All the Way” movie. On the second day she was moving around the room with assistance and had a positive attitude. We expect her to be discharged in three days, and her surgeon will have follow-up appointments to check her progress.
My only hope at this point is that this note reaches the right individual that can make the changes necessary to improve the care of patients at the St. Maarten Medical Center.
Rick Parrish
Dear Editor,
The longer our current Prime Minister William Marlin sits as the leader of this country, the more he proves himself to be incompetent to lead the people on this young, sixteen- square-miles of land we all call home.
Every year around Christmas or New Year, St. Maarten’s Day or the new school year, our elected leaders release a message, in this case a Christmas message. Now this message is about wishing the residents of St. Maarten “Happy Holidays.” It’s about love, hope and joy! It’s about reminding the public that giving is what Christmas is all about.
Here is a verse from the Holy Bible that I believe explains what Christmas is all about in one sentence – “For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” - John 3:16
It’s about our leaders sharing a positive message to the public, voided from any political attacks, jabs, kicks or cheap shots.
The Prime Minister somehow feels that as 2015 comes to a closure, breaking that tradition was necessary above all things. Like the snake slithering through the grass, Mr. Marlin’s message perfectly tied his Christmas message with a direct attack to the previous government and leaders of our country, and then quickly tried to take the focus away from what was just said. Here is a section of the message leading up to the attack and what followed right after the one sentenced attack.
“For only then are we assured of the promised results. Mary and Joseph complied with that biblical injunction to give onto Caesar what is Caesar’s.
“When we refuse to obey the law, when we conveniently manipulate the Constitution to our own advantage, what ensues is the kind of political turmoil we recently experienced on St. Maarten.
“Above all, the main lesson of the story of Christmas is one of love; Divine love, Family love, Love of our neighbour which is a manifestation of our love for ourselves.” - end of quote.
Once again, I am disappointed in the Prime Minister. Never have I seen any St. Maarten government leader use the traditional Christmas Message as a tool for a political attack, and if any has done so in the past they were wrong. If you wish to attack feel free to do so, but do not hijack the Christmas Message as your political platform.
In closing, Mr. Prime Minister, I believe you can also learn a lesson from your own message of “obedience.” The Mexican Standoff in 2013, disobedience to the Country's laws and breach of the constitution all came from you and your party.
Five coals for you Mr. Naughty Prime Minister, you deserve it.
Armand Meda
