Dear Editor,
In order for law enforcement to stay on top of the game that criminals play it is imperative that they start to focus more on the way that law breakers think. More and more, and without any regard for the law, criminals are testing the deficiency of the Justice System. In view of the amount of daring robberies that are consistently taking place, and within such close proximity of the police station, it reveals that the entire police force is under surveillance by criminal minds. Wherever they detect a loophole, they use it as an avenue to strike their potential targets.
This inadequacy continues to be the playing field for criminals and there is no doubt how much they intend to take full advantage of the exposed situation. That is why I deeply appreciated the lecture that was recently given by Commander of the VKS Antonio Rogers. As stated in a preceding article, I wholeheartedly agree with this officer of the law who is advocating that all crimes must be treated as a priority, and that law enforcement must get closer to the community.
This brings me to the real issue at hand, the recent robbery at Bank of Nova Scotia. It is appalling how bold law offenders have become. They premeditate everything - like an entrepreneur, who tries to stay ahead of the competitor. Take a look at how this robber managed to combine timing with the activity that was taking place on the outside to pull off a so-called successful burglary. He anticipated the behaviour of the public (everyone was focused on the activity) and then used this vulnerable aspect of our security to commit the crime.
When I ponder on this scenario, it is my feeling that there is a lot more to the story than what was told. And, as I have indicated, law enforcement must take on the thinking of criminals because with all the initiative taken to curb the escalation of crime, is it normal that a robber would enter this kind of establishment without concealing his identity?
What would be the benefit of undergoing such an enormous risk? And why would the photo of the assailant be so blurry, when cameras are everywhere? Two things come to mind: there is either a lot more to the story than what was brought forward to the public or, this incident was deliberately orchestrated to throw law enforcement off track. Plain and simple: it is my assumption that the robber’s face is not his natural face. I strongly believe that he wore a mask that is identical to his skin colour and then discarded it after he came out of the bank.
Law enforcement must come to the realization that they are up against a force that is determined to break every rule in society. As such, they must acknowledge that the antiquated way of pursuing crime is long gone. Therefore, law enforcement must be on high alert whenever there are similar activities taking place in the vicinity of financial institutions. They also have to use modern technology to assist them to fight crime effectively. Furthermore, as indicated by one of their own, the Justice Ministry must handle all crimes as a priority and ensure that the community becomes its closest ally.
Joslyn Morton
Dear Editor,
First of all, “scientists agree that mutations cannot transform an original species of plant or animal into an entirely new one.” Nowadays genetic screening is a common practice. Laws now passed where people can walk into Fertility Laboratory Clinics and choose their future child.
The future embryo is scanned with a computer to see which one will be selected by the future parents to be implanted in the mother’s womb or develop outside the womb. In this master piece of genetic engineering, high technological computers are going through thousands of genes with DNA to be available for future parents. During this process many embryos are destroyed.
Do you remember “Dolly” the sheep? Dolly was created in 1979, and was the first cloned sheep. She died in 2015. Her pair is still living today. Then Alice was developed outside the womb in a test tube. However, embryos can be scanned onto a computer to let parents see what their future child will look like. Is not this amazing for parents today?
On the other side society can end up with designer children. There may be more Hitler, Robotic cops, and more disability children. We may also end up breeding human with weird contraptions such as people with wings or a man with an animal head. On the good side doctors will be able to see if a foetus has a disorder and can help the child born with an excellent immune defensive system, free from AIDS, cancer, diabetes and prostate diseases.
Charles Darwin, in his book The Origin of Species... said I view all beings not as special creations, but as lineal descendants of some few beings. Nonsense! Do you believe that all creatures gradually evolved from a common ancestor? Now let us read what God said in Genesis 1: 11, 12, 26, and 27. Genesis 1: In the beginning God created the heaven and earth, a direct statement from God. God stressed in 11 and 12 that the earth will bring forth fruit trees yielding fruits after his hands whose seed is in itself, and no other species.
In 26 and 27, God created man in his own image, not by mutations or cloning. God did not create people as gadgets or some marketing tools. Genetic engineering is big business and gears to huge profits. Imagine saying to a molecular biologist that you need a child with weird contraptions, what kind of society are we going to have? Nowadays fruits are produced without seeds, read Genesis 11 and 12 again about these seedless fruits.
Many of these fruits are beautiful on the outside and rot in the inside, avocados and mangoes are typical examples of genetically cloned foods. Most of these are not naturally produced they are cloned or mutated species, not real. We heard of genetically modified foods, medicines and crops – remember these cannot be transformed entirely into the original. They are not the same as the original or naturally produced.
Joseph Harvey
Dear Editor,
In the past weeks, we were informed of the many inspections carried out by the health inspectorate supported by the uniformed services. And from a public health point of view, our society should feel a might safer and our visitors reassured. The old folk always say that because what you eat can’t be washed, it ought to be clean and free of dangerous bacteria before it is served.
We have read that people were pleased that this action was being carried out in the protection of the entire society and from the silence of the politicians; it was thought they too were pleased. Strangely enough, we recently got a reaction from our council of ministers which said that the inspectorate was ordered to cease all inspections and controls because of a complaint made by the management of Maho Beach Hotel of a supposedly embarrassing situation, where an arrestee or a detained individual was shackled in front of their guests.
Now we can’t be truly in favour of any type of undue use of force or embarrassment in our private sector. But when we as government choose to interfere, we should make the real reasons known. We must also adhere to the principle of equal treatment under the law. All of the places inspected felt the same degree of helplessness, but nobody intervened on their behalf.
And as is well known that this company not only employs mostly foreigners, they are also one of the premier campaign financiers and in an election year the meddling of government can hardly be seen as a corrective measure.
With the increase of crime in this country, it has become customary for the uniformed services, when placing someone under arrest or detaining anyone, to put on the cuffs for their safety and that of others. And oddly enough, there has never been any interference from government before, even when citizens complained of abuse of power.
Information reaching us said that at this resort, where almost all employees are either Dominican Haitian or Jamaican, there has never been a formal complain before when one of these people is detained and carted away. But woe be onto the uniformed services, when they dare arrest a Caucasian chef and his wife, who are residing and working illegally on the island. Not to mention in a country where we are presenting a lean-and-mean budget, asking the community to tighten their belts, we refuse to apply the law for the employment of illegals. (Some NA f.10.000 per person)
As can be seen from our policy or lack thereof like Caribbean flights that are targeted as high risk only Caribbean people of African descent are counted as foreigners. Just look around you all over Front Street and Back Street there are French nationals blocking traffic peddling shady time-share deals … no intervention. In our yachting industry many so- called boat people work at the abovementioned company and are declared as guests when our underpaid and overworked men and women of the uniformed services do their duty.
What we are witnessing today is not a new or unexpected phenomenon, but it’s always more obvious in election years. A good friend of mine, immediate past Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson and I have often discussed the difficulty of being professionals functioning on my island with the continued meddling of the political landscape. Civil servants have in the past been disciplined and even released for doing their jobs too well to the chagrin of our politicians. Some at the Receiver’s Office were read the riot act and without reservations instructed who not to target.
The many governments we elected continue to value the contribution of the private sector to their campaign over the general interest of people and country. I was brought up around fishermen and it would be nice if government can sometime in the future explain the mesh of the net they use that permit the big fish to swim through and only snare the small fish. It’s truly peculiar.
Elton Jones
Dear Editor,
There are some things that I react to right away and other things of which I weigh others opinion first. I believe that this one deserves right-away reaction, because, when there is a gas leak, one does not wait until they find who caused it, but the first priority is to make sure that that leak is fixed in a safe way.
When a politician goes to the people laying out his plans for the country and the people are convinced and elect him to office, the next thing that is expected of that politician is to be responsible and stick to his word. When a businessman is granted a permit to operate a business, it is expected of that permit holder to be responsible and comply with the conditions of that permit and the ordinances governing the contents of that permit.
We all know the demands that are put on us on all fronts. Good governance and integrity are among those demands. In the past, we have heard stories concerning which hotels and casinos do not pay taxes, and also which, for years now, have not contributed to SVB’s coffers.
We also know that there is a long time but still effective bail-out-government story which several ex-ministers know about. Where am I going with this? Let me first ask: Do two wrongs make a right? The health department has been carrying out controls these last weeks and several public eating places were closed to right the wrongs uncovered in those eating places during those controls. There were even jokes made of a certain eating place which once was a target of VROMI.
And then, all of a sudden, we read that the health inspection team's operation stopped because of the misconduct of the inspectors during the control at Point Restaurant at Sonesta Maho. The health inspection team found pest infestation and a sewage pit in the middle of the kitchen emitting a foul odour, and because of the zero tolerance policy handled just as they did at other restaurants.
We also read that the restaurant's operation resumed and dinner was served on Friday evening. No mention was made whether these wrongs were righted, whether the emitting of foul odour was stopped, or what was done about the pest infestation. Dr. Best did not expect those repairs to be ready by Monday.
When I go on control and discover infringements, does my conduct take away from the fact that there are infringements? I did not read anywhere where the ministry of health was involved and did not see the urgency that both the Prime Minister and the Minister of Finance had to go so far as to override the professional Dr. Best, as it were slapping him in the face for daring to close down a place of business at Sonesta Maho. What picture is being painted here?
As I said before, there have been founded stories. If because of history, one would put two and two together and start speculating, because of where this happened, would that be far- fetched? When we refer to one of the reasons given by that same Prime Minister for the exorbitant salaries given to members of government, if that was considered that urgent, should it not be so that the rectifying of those infringements should have priority above the conduct of the inspectors.
Are we not aware that the accused is allowed to lie? Who should be given the benefit of the doubt? Dr. Best and his team or the accused. Am I to believe that the health of a community, including mine, and also those who eat at that restaurant does not mean anything to Ministers Marlin and Gibson?
Is the world not in a Zika craze? Is what I consider irresponsible behaviour on the part of government any different to the behaviour of Dr. Best's team? I believe that the health of the people should have priority. I am sure that Dr. Best will do what is best. This is an election year and the politicians should remember that because of technology nowadays everything is recorded and played back, even on big screens. Are these the same people who will come to the people in a few months?
It seems as if overriding the decision of the inspection team has priority over the safety of the people. Is this putting the people first? Would those who did this eat at that place of business after showing the management, you can do as you wish? Not me! I did not stop the operation of the so vital for our industry inspection team and caused it to be reported. But all of us could be harmed if health inspectors are not allowed to do their work, because of who they control. Do two wrongs make a right? Who is above the law?
Russell A. Simmons
Dear Editor,
I cannot say with certainty what is the real reason, but I have noticed that it is becoming more and more difficult for emergency vehicles with emergency lights and siren blaring to get through traffic as described in the traffic ordinance. On paying more attention to how drivers really behave when I hear a siren, I have noticed the following. Drivers with ear phones, in their ears while driving their vehicles are seemingly surprised when they hear the siren at the last moment, and are sometimes frozen and then do not know how to react.
They sometimes do not or cannot pull off the road or to the extreme right of the road. They even stop dead in their tracks. Other drivers look in their rear-view mirror and continue their merry way.
I believe that this is because of so many different kinds of vehicles using all kinds of what is considered to be emergency lights that many people just disregard them. That is also a concern of mine. Others make use of the opportunity to speed up and pass those drivers who have pulled off the road, instead of they themselves pulling off the road. And then there are those who intentionally speed behind the emergency vehicle (piggy back), not caring what the consequences could be if that vehicle had to stop suddenly for whatever reason.
Another phenomenon is with drivers not adhering to the instructions given by the person directing traffic. I have seen oftentimes that the police are sending the traffic in one direction and drivers instead of following the orders given by the police; pull up close to the police officer, impeding the flow of traffic to tell the police officer where he/she is going or to ask why is the traffic being detoured.
This kind of behaviour is irresponsible and also forbidden according to article 21 of the traffic ordinance. This is one of the situations where I have always insisted on drivers following my instructions first and asking questions after, because it would be defeating the purpose for me being there if I had to listen to every driver, who had to explain me what their intention was.
While I'm talking traffic, permit me to make this observation. I believe that a motor vehicle (car) is one of the premier possessions of the people on Sint Maarten. This because of the infrastructure of the roads, and the very poorly-regulated public transportation, mainly because of the routes and the times. Because of this, I believe that those car owners should always have the documents of their vehicles in order, to avoid the risk of the vehicle being impounded with all ensuing consequences.
It is the third year now that I have noticed that the vehicle inspection office is overrun by owners of cars having to get their cars inspected, because when they pay their road tax, if the documents of the vehicle are expired, they do not receive their plates. It is not the responsibility of the receiver to control the documents of one vehicle, but the receiver should not facilitate anyone in using the road with a vehicle of which the documents are not in order. So the receiver will not issue you a plate.
What I have gathered by being inquisitive is that not everyone’s name, who is on the documents, is the actual owner of the vehicle. Meaning that there are a whole lot of people who live and own a car on Sint Maarten, who are not documented as residents here. If the Inspectorate of Taxes decides to look into this and introduce a law to also levy taxes based on the number of motor vehicles one possesses, here again, innocent Sint Maarteners would fall victim because of practices introduced by undocumented residents.
I will repeat again. To walk a mile one has to begin with the first step.
Russell A. Simmons
