Dear Editor,
I have been at Orient Beach for over 30 years. “Pedro’s” and “The Pirate” were the two original pioneers at Orient Beach. Following Tropical Storm Gonzalo in 2014, the Collectivité came under the guise of wanting to improve the beauty of the beach, and have more uniform structures and better parking.
The current proprietors did not have much choice although we were invited to one of the early meetings with the Collectivité. It appeared that we were there for our input, but in actuality, the decision had already been made to demolish all structures between Kontiki and Pedro’s. It was a crafty way for the Collectivité to acquire complete ownership of Orient Beach, because I have now turned from owner of my establishment to renter with a temporary occupation permit to be renewed annually. The bathrooms that I had constructed and which were used for many years by visitors to the beach were demolished.
My letter dated May 6, 2015 to President Madame Aline Hanson and 3rd Vice President Wendel Cocks went unanswered. My follow-up letter dated July 24, 2015 still received no response. On October 15, 2015, I, along with other proprietors at the beach wrote to the Chamber of Commerce with concerns regarding the present construction; again no reply.
I have just received an email from the Collectivité on November 5, 2015.
The email is actually a general electronic message to all the candidates requesting approximately one dozen pieces of written information to include a police record. I don’t have a problem with that, however, a number of documents requested could not even be obtained because the Chamber of Commerce is asking us for certain information that the Collectivité is still to provide. I would have expected collaboration between the two offices so that we are not shuttled between the two to no avail.
As it is, we are supposed to return all these documents by Friday, November 20, at 12:00 noon, but until today, we do not know our exact numerical location with regard to the new buildings. We do not know what the rent will be among other things, and it is stated in the email that any dossier filed outside the time limits will not be considered.
Imagine, our last general meeting was over 4 months ago. We were told that the delivery date would be the end of October in time for us to benefit from the tourist season. No one has advised what the actual completion date will be. I have to read in The Daily Herald that we are expected to open for Christmas. I have to read that we will only be given yearly, temporary occupation permits. And the biggest fairy-tale is that we now have more beach.
I have less space for rental chairs which affects my bottom line. I have less restaurant space for my patrons, which affects my bottom line. From 30 years to this? And to think, that I voted for the RRR and change.
Lastly, I would like to say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder. If you were to “google” some of the most famous beach bars/ restaurants in the world, you would be amazed at the variety of structures you would encounter. Some may refer to what we had before as shacks, but tourists return year after year to experience the heartbeat and the organic flavour of the local people in every corner of the planet. Cookie-cutter, multi-coloured plywood/sheetrock is not the improvement I was anticipating at Orient Beach.
Semsamar, whose bid I am hearing has increased since inception, is the biggest winner in all of this yet again. And St. Martiners continue to hear from their leaders how much our representatives love St. Martin and its people and how they are working hard for the people’s interest. Thank you! Thank you again! We can certainly feel the love!
Since I am now learning that I will only be receiving a temporary permit that must be submitted for renewal each year, I would like the Collectivité to do two things for me:
First, pay me out for my building and bathrooms, septic and cistern that were demolished without my permission. In my letter of May 6, 2015, I specifically told the Collectivité that my buildings were not to be torn down until they provided me with specific information.
Second, I would like the option to purchase the domain where my business was located.
I came from a line of ancestors who taught me the ethic of hard work and perseverance. And I have put in time, sweat and tears at Orient Beach. I deserve greater respect.
Maurice Jermin
Proprietor of 30 years at Orient Beach
Oh Sweet St. Martin Land …
St. Martin is my home and I’ll do just about anything to make it bloom …
Rumba, Rumba St. Maarten Rumba Rumba …
Brim, Shoot, Ponum Ponum Ponum Ponum …
Sin Maatin, soooo beautiful. Sin Maaatin, so wonderful …
Songs and Poems of St. Maarten conjure memories experienced and bring to life the words of Tan Tan Nez Baly, Miss Yaya, Miss Vivian, Camille Baly, Mother Gath Vlaun, Milton Peters and so many other icons in our cultural heritage. The words of our elders resonate in my mind, stories of families sharing and caring for each other, working hard to make a living and stressing the importance of education and entrepreneurship, fostering pride in standing on one’s own two feet. These morals and values were taught at our ancestors’ feet and passed on from generation to generation.
St. Maarten/St. Martin Day is a day to celebrate One Island, One People and the unified destiny of us all. Historically we have celebrated this day officially with our brothers and sisters to the North with symbolic ceremonies of unity and sharing, while acknowledging that there is much to do to truly unify us in the legal sense. Despite this, I encourage the general public to come together with their families and friends to share a meal, witness the displays and performances and generally to celebrate being a St. Maartener with pride.
Much still needs to be done to truly equalize and optimize opportunities for our people on both sides. Much still needs to be done to educate our youth and the nation about our rich natural and cultural heritage. As a people we must choose and recognize a national anthem that represents us today. Record and preserve our other national songs, poems and dances. We must also decide once and for all if we will recognize a flag that truly unifies us – which does not make us Dutch or French, but St. Martiners. We must also define who is a St. Maartener and choose the spelling that identifies us all.
We have large shoes to fill, in looking back where we were, acknowledging where we are now, and planning ahead to where we would like to be. St. Maarten/St. Martin Day is a day to celebrate, to reflect and to plan on how to do it better together in the future for the benefit of our children, their children and all the others to come. This is our moral obligation, to leave this world better for having been entrusted with its care.
Happy St. Maarten/St. Martin Day 2015 to all people of St. Maarten, including those who love and claim St. Maarten as their very own.
MP Silveria E. Jacobs
Dear Editor,
Whilst it may be true that our constitution has not had in place the ideal structure for our small legislature in our micro state, the upcoming elections provide a much greater and complete test of how our democracy can work than the best effort at increased rulings in respect of our primary source of instability.
There is clearly a consensus that this “ship jumping” is not good for the country. I have not heard anybody say that it is a good thing and should not be stopped. It could be stopped by rule making, or it could be stopped by the choice of the people when it comes to electing persons who exhibit such behaviour.
Certainly rules can be made to limit ship jumping, but they too will come with complications given that ultimately you cannot restrict anybody from “voting their conscience.”
Given the strong consensus on ship jumping the question is whether the result of the February elections will truly reflect this consensus that ship jumping is bad for the country? If the elections reflect this consensus then our democracy will clearly be effective. If it does not then it is clear that some other factors are playing a role in our democracy.
First, we will see whether the parties in their choice of candidates will include “ship jumpers.” If they do, then clearly the leadership of these parties will be holding the opinion that the concern of ship jumping will be overridden in an election by voting on personal relations, family ties and other less democratic considerations.
Then there will be the result of the actual elections. Everything points to it being likely that there will be at least some “ship jumpers” on some of the lists. How well will these ship jumping candidates and their parties do? Will the parties be penalized for accepting ship jumpers in the past or carrying ship jumpers on their list?
The result will say a great deal about the quality of our democracy.
Robbie Ferron
Dear Editor,
Regardless of your politics, I think most people on Sint Maarten can agree that our political system is flawed and inherently unstable. And why wouldn’t it be? It was adopted uncritically from The Netherlands by our leaders prior to 2010, without regard to local realities; a sort of one-size-fits-all approach.
The Dutch system, however, evolved over a long period of time under historical and cultural circumstances unique to The Netherlands and its national character. They have certain unspoken rules and taboos, which once broken, can mean the death of a political career. And it works for them. That doesn’t mean it will work for us, as has been painfully demonstrated.
We shouldn’t be afraid, though, to get politically creative and craft a homegrown democratic system that is tailored to our own needs and circumstances; one that is deliberately designed to offer what is needed most: political stability and predictability. It doesn’t have to be a carbon copy of the Dutch model; it need only be democratic, accountable and functional. Right now, Sint Maarten is arguably one of the most absurdly over-governed little societies I can think of, with more high councils of state and quasi-government agencies than even The Netherlands has.
All of this costs money. And has it really made the process more accessible or responsive to the average citizen? Seems to me things are both more confusing and less democratic now, and that shouldn’t be the purpose.
The American Founding Fathers provided the world with a brilliant historical example that we can borrow from. Perhaps Sint Maarten should adopt a completely separate executive branch directly elected by the people, much like a president, and not appointed by a wobbly alliance of MPs in parliament that could fall apart at any time. An island this small does not need a cumbersome and expensive executive of seven separately powerful ministers, each with a budget and cabinet, but could rather use something like an Office of the Premier, or whatever we decide to call it, as a single political focal point.
The premier, directly elected by the people, can then appoint (or dismiss) a single cabinet to govern, much like an American president does, with secretaries of state, finance, etc. In that way, the office of the premier is streamlined and efficient, and can be held directly accountable to the people. We know whom to hold accountable or to praise if need be. Would it be perfect? No. But point me to one on earth that is.
Our parliament would then assume its role as a purely legislative body, focusing on legislation and the budget. If the premier is directly elected, then it won’t matter how many times MPs shift allegiances in parliament, because the premier’s legitimacy comes from the consent of the people, not a small pool of unpredictable MPs, some of whom with barely enough votes to justify their current power. The system we have now is too dysfunctional to be merely modified. It must be overhauled.
We can adopt an impeachment system that gives parliament a final check on the executive in the event of a gross violation of the Constitution, but safeguarding its abuse by requiring a supermajority in parliament to impeach the premier, and then ratified by the governor. We can even impose term limits on the office of the premier, like in the US. The possibilities are endless if there is genuine political will for meaningful reform. But is there?
Jason Lista
What is happening
To we sweet St. Martin
They shooting
They robbing
They killing
And nobody doing nothing
Is this the price we paying
For wee sins
Since when is it alright
To kill we children
And no criminal go to prison
They might not be angels
But who give someone the rights
To send them to hell
And what example are we setting
What the use we fighting
To saved St. Martin
While the same youth we fighting
To saved she for
Are dying faster than lightning
Cauz te don’t make no sense
We saving St. Martin
If we then losing all we children
So let us first saved the children
And together we will saved St. Martin
Raymond Helligar
