Dear Mr. Editor,
Permit me some space in your valuable well-read newspaper. Earlier today [Monday – Ed.] I went to the Census office in the morning to collect my car’s number plates, for I had already made the payment in January. As I approached the building, I saw a small group of people huddled together on the outside. I would have never thought that those same people were also there to collect their paid plates.
When I got inside the building, I was told by a kind security guard that I would need to join the line on the outside. As it was my day off, I didn’t have the time to stand around all morning. The same kind security guard told me then it’s better if I came back before they closed at 3.30pm. As I returned a little bit before 12:00pm, the line was still long, but on the inside of the building, so I took my chances to stay and wait until I got assisted.
What I want to add is that there needs improvement on the collection of number plates. Year in, year out, we are using the same old method. We are already 16 years into the 21st century, and we label ourselves as modern and advanced. From what I heard, someone mentioned that a tent could have been set up on the outside of the building adjacent to the door of the building, or at the windows and have at least several employees go back and forth getting the plates out.
Another suggestion would be to perhaps have the plates sorted by M-plates from 100-5000 digits picked up on certain days, and then do the same for the P-plates, etc. Or why not make temporary use of Festival Village right next door? And please, let us not forget our senior citizens. Open a window just for them. From what I witnessed today, it’s kind of absurd to have everybody together at once standing in line to collect their plates, while there was another line for making payments as well.
It is a public secret that the Census Office building is bursting at its seams, due to the population growth in the last few years. In a small cubicle like that, it’s hardly impossible that tempers would flare, which they did. For after standing, waiting for so long, human nature at its worst starts to kick in. People do tend to get agitated and or aggravated in that small enclosed space. Come on, St. Maarten, we can do better than this; after all, it’s our hard-working taxpayers’ money you are collecting.
I must make mention of the young and dynamic staff that they had on duty today; they were doing a great job with staying focused and very calm, despite their environment. I give them 3 kudos!! They have picked up where the elderly folks have left off!
Hoping to see much-improved methods in continuing to serve us, the general public.
Magnolia van der Mark
Dear Editor,
Today I believe that I have come to the end of my proverbial rope! I am a teacher and have been for the past 15 years. Working hard and dedicated every day to give my contribution to those young minds that will one day in the near future be among our nation’s leaders. Imparting to our youth, love, wisdom and many times my own resources.
I am positive that I am just one of the many dedicated teachers, social workers, school managers, student care coordinators and other school staff members on the island who share the exact same experience.
Our society has evolved drastically over the past several years, and this has brought with it some positive but also many extremely challenging factors such as severe behaviour problems and a lack of social skills. The effects of these changes have unfortunately also brought with it a moral and economic breakdown. The extended family unit has become extremely scarce and parents have to do what they can to make ends meet.
Often this means that children are either left alone for many hours because their parents make long hours on the job, some even need two jobs to make ends meet. The result being that many children do not even have a warm meal to look forward to when they get home!
Now we are all aware that these social ills are taking place around us, and I am sure we all agree that we can no longer turn a blind eye to the reality. Surely we as a society can put our heads together and look for meaningful ways to remedy a significant part of these cases.
Sponsored afternoon school classes would help in a great way. One such suggestion is that the business sector could contribute by sponsoring a number of children per school to be able to participate in already existing after school or community programs. I am sure that there are several other ways we can band together to give our support to those families who most need it.
Having said that, I would strongly urge the Catholic Schoolboard to revisit the already implemented initiative of extended school hours. The Division Public Education should seriously reconsider their plan to implement longer school hours in the new school year as well. You are overburdening your teaching staff! We are the same teachers who go out of our way to make sure things run as smoothly as possible in our class rooms, sometimes without the proper tools. Sometimes going in on weekends.
Remember that teacher’s task do not only comprise of teaching, but correction work as well as preparation. All of the above mentioned certainly brings us to eight working hours and even more during those peak periods of test week, CITO’s etc.
Extended school hours entail that teachers have to teach students till 2pm and stay at school till 2:30pm (or possibly until 3pm if Division Public Education follows through with their plans). This does not work for teachers, parents or students. Especially since most teachers and student’s days start at 7am! Students are tired at 1pm and teachers are becoming burnt out!
Keep in mind that our climate also plays a significant role, as many do not have the luxury of air-conditioned classrooms. Parents are forced to make other arrangements for their children to get home, because they can no longer pick them up during lunch hour. Initially a survey was done among parents and staff of the Catholic schools and neither party was in favour of the extended school hours. Lo and behold, a few months later it was still implemented. It is high time that those in managerial and administrative leadership positions stop being arrogant and start to pay attention to the experiences of those working in the field. Put a stop to extended school hours! Teachers it is time for us to make our voices heard
Name withheld at author's request.
Dear Editor,
Notable for some this week, Starz Casino fired some twenty three dealers allegedly for losing US $200.000,-. In a country where unemployment is astronomically high you would think this will get the attention of our government.
Anyway, no elected official found it necessary to get involved as is the norm here. People are advised to go to court, for as far as government is concerned you are on your own. We later learnt that the firing was reversed; dealers will be given other jobs even though lesser ones than they now have. They are asked to accept positions in other establishments as waitresses and slot attendants. In the meantime, we are busy with our version of reform to suit the party leaders; our minister of labour is busy in nonsensical arguments with his predecessor and the suffering of the people only increases.
I don’t believe anyone should be surprised, however, after all it is an election year and party leaders again will be knocking at these businesses for campaign contributions...
From a distance it seems that we the people have nowhere to turn and government is satisfied with how these outsiders treat us. We are bogged down with deals for more casino licences, deals with positions at the NV’s especially GEBE and the airport.
As the trend goes we can expect to see our locals replaced in government and government-owned companies by European Dutch men and Surinamers while in the private sector it’s Chinese, Dominicans and everybody but us.
If there is a time our people should rise up and demand their country back it’s now. Without fear we should shut the country down in protest to the inhumane treatment and disrespect dished out to us and stick it out until we too can put food on our tables and pay school fees. Your government and the high councils are not the answer. People’s power is what counts. Don’t wish you had acted, stand up now and be counted.
Elton Jones
Dear Editor,
With great astonishment I read the article in The Daily Herald’s Friday, January 29, 2016, edition under the heading “GEBE’s Board advises Shareholder against appointing Brooks as CEO.” One of their reasons for doing such was his cancelling the senior relief programme, although the shareholder had directed that this programme be further developed.
The reason for my amazement is the fact that a few months ago this same Shareholder and Supervisory Board of Directors gave GEBE’s Management the directive to discontinue the medical health coverage of GEBE’s retirees. The Supervisory Board / Shareholder expect the phasing out to be completed by April 1, 2016. This concerns a pensioner’s medical package which these same retirees negotiated for during their career at GEBE. Nobody ever thought the company would try to renege on an agreement like that and it’s only fair that the company should honour what they promised the retirees during their working careers. It certainly does not justify a breach of obligations and does not give the company a right to unilaterally change the agreement.
The members of GEBE’s Supervisory Board and the Shareholder’s representative are all financially secure. Their own medical coverage is certainly not at risk. Besides the remuneration they receive from GEBE, each member of GEBE’s Supervisory Board of Directors has a career with a generous income and/or multiple pensions. “Alleging” that it’s no longer “financially sustainable” and “covering the medical insurance premiums for retirees can no longer be responsibly carried by the company” has not prevented the Company from paying its SBOD quite handsomely.
The retiree’s share of premiums will definitely consume a healthy portion of his monthly pension while these retirees are living on a fixed income and can ill-afford to pay the costs the company has shifted upon them.
Lip service continues to be paid to seniors, but the Shareholder and GEBE’s Supervisory Board of Directors are definitely doing nothing to help them.
A GEBE Pensioner
Name withheld at author’s request.
Dear Editor,
Coming from me, I can imagine the restraint that that educated black woman had to apply while writing to you in order to maintain her composure and to euphemize her piece. I am referring Joslyn Morton. Permit me to add to that letter that educated black women are independent and to further clarify, educated black women are not followers and educated black women know how to control their emotions. I have said it over and over, decorum.
The intention of this letter was not to deal with Parliament, because even though I was taught by my parents that nothing is a waste of time, when I follow the behaviour of several of those members of Parliament, it seems that certain people in that house do not understand what they are there to do, and that their leaders enjoy having them there for exactly that reason.
So I wonder if my parents were right. Probably not a waste of time, because we can learn how not to do it, but it is definitely a waste of taxpayers’ money. By the way, may I suggest to them that before attempting to do anything when they intend to introduce new legislation, they should first go to 'general affairs' and find out if there is any existing legislation on the intended topic. That would save a whole lot of time.
I can guarantee anyone that there are very few ideas that one could come up with for which some kind of legislation is not already there. All that has to be done would be to update it to coincide with life today. I joined the police force in 1965 and already the 'Bioscoop Verordening' (ordinance governing the movie theatre) was one of the ordinances I had to study. But then again, who makes use of what is available in the government administration? And who trusts who?
Also, Members of Parliament should be appreciative of their experienced president and try to upgrade themselves by mirroring themselves with her diplomacy and her knowledge of parliamentary procedures. It is still so all over the world that protocol is maintained and should be established. It is time that our Members of Parliament understand and avail themselves of these diverse international rules of order in order not to continue embarrassing the people of Sint Maarten.
But what made me go to my laptop today is the young man who came to me and told me the following. Mr. Russell, I know that you don't jump on the police, because you afraid of the backlash. I stopped him there and then and explained him that that was the wrong concept, because as a police officer he should know that police do not take revenge. After explaining him a thing or two he realized that experience is the best teacher and then told me that government does not understand that they are taking care of themselves, but that they (government) are not taking care of the ones who have to take care of them.
Even though I do not know the details because all this came about after I had retired, I have always said the dictator's survival depends on how good he treats his soldiers. I would suggest that the Minister of Justice get together with the Minister of Finance to get things regulated, and most of all get all law enforcement officers a dignified motivational course. From top to bottom. From Bloomberg to Rogers to us" everybody and together", which brings me to the following.
I took the opportunity given by PMIA and attended their 14th annual Lionel Bernard Scott Memorial Lecture at the PMIA hall and was disappointed for solely one reason. Key people of the community, who should have been there to see the response first hand, and who would be able to disseminate information coming from that presentation given by the keynote speaker were not there. Also people who would be directly involved in creating a solution to some of the problems outlined were not present.
Owing to the fact that this lecture has been taking place for fourteen years now and that the message of the former speakers was of a very high calibre, and owing to the fact that the topic for the evening was previously announced, and also a very current and urgent issue, I expected many more members of Parliament to be there. They again missed out on an opportunity to avail themselves of what one, who has experienced life from different levels, had to share. I would like via you to congratulate the PMIA and the keynote speaker Commandant Antonio Rogers of the VKS for a tremendous job.
In ending, permit me to say this. We do not live in a country with 300 million inhabitants; we live on an island, yes surrounded by water. Even though 37 square miles in total, we administrate only 16 square miles with some 40,000 inhabitants officially. On average people cross each other’s path at least three times a week, whether on foot, in their private transportation, or in public transportation.
Whether it is on the job or visiting each other’s jobs or home. We may not know who you are, but we know it was done by you. Because people pass information on to each other whether in small talk or by gossiping, and by the same technology and social media that everyone should avail themselves of, what you have done comes to light quicker than you can imagine. Not snitching is not that strong anymore because of the ability to text. So for the love of Sint Maarten, let us all come together and come clean.
Russell A. Simmons
