Dear Editor,
We celebrate the legal victory of the handful of timeshare tourists who were willing to organise against a well-funded and larger opponent, put up their own money, and fight for their rights to keep their timeshare weeks as purchased, but what we don’t see are the thousands of timeshare owners at the former Caravanserai who gave up and as a consequence signed away their rights. Sadly, the collateral damage to our tourism industry translates into a tainted reputation for St Maarten, lost jobs and lost contributions into St Maarten’s economy.
Dear Editor,
Not only in Sint Maarten, but in the entire Caribbean, there are huge expectations from governments to be a major employer in the economy . This probably stems from the colonial period when government jobs were steady and risk free, whilst the public sector, particularly agriculture was inconsistent.
Dear Editor,
In the past we on St. Maarten/St. Martin have repeatedly gone to the extent in helping those in our region who became victims of natural catastrophes.
Dear Editor,
It has been a trying week – two major storms have passed us by without any damage or significant losses. Our Prime Minister, in taking charge made all the right moves in closing the country down avoiding possible loss of life in flooding and blowing projectiles. Even though some think the actions were unwarranted it still is better to err on the side of caution than to do nothing and wish you did.
Dear Editor,
On Wednesday, August 26, right in between Danny and Erika, I found myself at the ER of the Sint Maarten Medical Center with my daughter. The family doctor had just diagnosed her with possible severe anemia and more testing was urgent. I went to the ER with a heavy heart, because of the multitude of reports of negative experiences at SMMC that have come to my ears over the years. My daughter has multiple disabilities and I felt so vulnerable to be at the mercy of impersonal, uncaring and incompetent medical personnel.
