Dear St. Maarten,
I can no longer sit back and witness parliament seeking politicians or career politicians blatantly out here pandering to people of certain demographics. These demographics include the Spanish, Haitian, and Indian communities ignoring any other “community” that resides on St. Maarten including the local St. Maartiner. We have become 3rd class citizens in our own country. St. Maarten has always been a diverse tiny island, now country that is home to over 100 different nationalities. We pride ourselves on being friendly people and this has fostered the inclusion of many. However, our friendliness is now being taken for granted.
In proportion to the size of St. Maarten and its population, there seems to be a lack of concern over migration influx and legal pathways to residency, further placing a strain on the fragile infrastructure, education, healthcare and employment systems.
One candidate in particular is apparently running his campaign encouraging the unlawful migration to this country. This is a sure strategy to capture the votes of many foreigners who have acquired their citizenship and continue to worry solely about their interests and the interests of their close family and friends, while not having an ounce of equal concern for everyone in this country, namely the St. Maarten people. This candidate took to his social platform over the weekend in a tyrant rage; lashing out at a member of Parliament line of questioning towards the current Minister of Justice. The candidate spewed into making discriminatory and sexist remarks towards the parliamentarian in attempt to smear her campaign efforts.
This sort of behaviour is known as a manipulation tactic aimed to keep people of a certain demographic very happy. The candidate went as far to suggest that the parliamentarian should ask around to find out who are related to who and who comes from where before asking questions. This shows that this candidate is okay with nepotism and will continue to carry on with the status quo. I genuinely thought we wanted change and to move away from the “who yuh know” and “go along to get along” to achieve anything on St. Maarten.
The candidate, who himself was born in Curaçao, would have not been able to pander to the Columbians and Venezuelans that flock to the shores of Curaçao in the tens of thousands in seek of refuge. And even if he tried, the people of Curaçao would never accept that, so, why should we?
Candidates should be focused on the Belvedere, Dutch Quarter, Middle Region, Sucker Garden, Point Blanche, Philipsburg, St. Peters/South Reward, Cay Hill/ Cay Bay, Cole Bay, Simpson Bay, etc. communities. These are the only acceptable communities that we should be hearing about and appeasing.
Catch you at the polls, come August 19th!
Your constituent,
Name withheld at author’s request.
Dear Editor,
Hooray, the Labour party won the election in the UK and the world and Europeans would rather Emmanuel Macron wins the French election this weekend.
Donald Trump is winning the 2024 election in America this year.
Thanks to the UK people who elected the Labour party.
French people, be wise: elect Emmanuel Macron. The world and Europeans want Emmanuel Macron to be elected in the 2024 election so that the three men leaders Kier, Emmanuel and Trump will work together to bring peace and prosperity towards the world.
Respect Bannis’ advice: the world is in need of Emmanuel Macron, Kier Starmer and Donald Trump.
French people, be wise: please don’t let down Emmanuel Macron, The UK and Americans want these three male leaders to work together: Emmanuel Macron, Kier Starmer and Donald Trump.
Cuthbert Bannis
Dear Editor,
I attended the assembly of the Sacred Heart School the other day and I was very upset to see the (white) principal of the Sacred Heart School dressed in African clothing, which to me is cultural appropriation because she has always been very ignorant to other cultures, making bad jokes about Jamaican accents and Surinamese culture and looking down on anyone who is not white.
The principal announced in the assembly that five members of staff will be “leaving”. So, picture her, in African wear, making a mockery of the ethnic group and now saying goodbye to five black staff members who are not continuing with the school, because of her. She has chosen to not renew contracts or to force these people out of their jobs by cutting them out and blocking them from doing their work. This is where “it wasn’t me, it was the board” comes in.
The staff leaving are black-Caribbean people with many years of service who are loved and appreciated by the community. The principal has made it known that these people will be replaced by white staff. This is the same principal, when downsizing started at the school, assured the new white teachers that their jobs are safe, even though these people are very weak in their jobs and even though they said it was a “last in, first out” approach to terminating staff, because performance doesn’t matter, only race.
I am writing this because there is no hope. With a board that is not working, people like this principal are left to do whatever they want, because they are good at covering things up and making things look good on paper.
It is not fair that this is happening to innocent, hardworking people. Last time I checked, slavery was done, but it seems that the Dutch people that come to Saba hold on to that slavery mindset.
What were we celebrating on Monday, because are we really emancipated or not?
Concerned citizen.
Name withheld at author’s request.
Dear Editor,
It is with great caution that I write this letter to avoid misunderstandings and not send the wrong message across. My caution also comes from the fact that nowadays there is great sensitivity when one addresses facts that are tied to an ethnicity. The moment one states facts that are tied to a people you are immediately seen as a racist or whatever word is out there. I want to assure everyone that my friendships come from all walks of life as we are all God's creation and therefore respect and love should be given to all and thus this article is written purely from a standpoint of defending one's way of life and the families that are taken care of by means of our businesses.
And when it comes to protecting one's way of life, you have to defend that with tooth and nail. Let me first mention that there are enough islands in the Caribbean that are not for sale, and with that I mean that the local business population is extremely protected and systems are set in place that protect these same local businesses, Aruba and some others are these islands that protect their market and their people to the best of their ability and are very prosperous. Lately there has been some news that a foreign energy company has been awarded a contract and this is causing some uproar. This is now spilling over to the construction world as well.
Huge Chinese construction companies that do hundreds of millions domestically in developments have now won bids to do "small "local government jobs. That is now quite an uproar in the construction world over this new development. Why is there such interest from these companies to do such "small" government projects on tiny St. Maarten? The answer is simple; they want to get a foot in the door so the expansion of their influence and financial arm can grow larger and larger. You can ask for example Jamaica all about the influence.
How in the world is it possible that this door has been opened that will affect ALL and I repeat ALL local business. Once this takes place the flood gates will be opened and all tenders will be won by Chinese companies as there is no way none of us can compete with this superpower. On the bids that this Chinese company won they were around 40% cheaper than local reputable companies that also put in a bid. This is impossible, yet possible. Usually when local companies bid amongst each other there is as %-10% difference. At these margins how do you think local companies will survive and not having to close down shop and subsequently have to send their people home.
Another fact remains is that a lot of contracts that are won by local construction companies the subcontracting goes to other local smaller companies that have contributed to the St. Maarten economy for years and years and have sustained the economy. Same story goes for them, they are going to have to downsize and eventually they as well will evaporate. This Chinese multinational that has no history of contributing to the coffers of St. Maarten will give no work and will buy nothing to and from local companies.
You might say; this has nothing to do with me, I am not in the construction world, and I will tell you that you couldn't be more wrong. The ripple effects will be felt by everyone in all walks of life on all fronts. Everyone will be affected; Aluminium fabricators, Tiling stores, Electrical stores, restaurants, electronic & appliance stores, clothing stores, nightlife, snacks and especially hardware stores. Reason I say especially the hardware stores cause nothing but nothing shall be bought by these companies locally as they will import everything. There are many examples in the Caribbean of islands that opened this door and are feeling the effects of it till this day and forever to come.
None of the money will stay here and the work force attached to these companies won't pump back money into the economy at the rate that the local companies would. Where is the protection for companies that have been here for so many years and have built this beautiful island? How is this happening? Companies that have been here for decades will between now and 10 years just dissolve. From reliable sources I am made to understand that this contract was awarded by someone that has no ties none so ever with St. Maarten and therefore could care less about what happens to "us." I am a 100 percent admitting that I am looking after my self-interest as I should as I have been here over 30 years, had several businesses and have contributed to this great nation. But in this case, this will be felt by a lot more persons then just me and my company. They are trying for years to enter, Europe is holding them back, are we now going to open the door?
Ramses Bislick
Dear Editor,
When traumatic memories become dictatorial, whimsically deciding which memories should surface and which ought to remain submerged, it invariably does so indifferent to and independent of the memorial request and psychological needs of its mortal host. Commandeering the memory bank, an involuntary proliferation of cruel and distasteful memories are forcefully withdrawn from its reserves, tyrannizing and overwhelming the amygdala into suppressing more tolerable and therapeutically desirable recollections from surfacing.
Like a maddening dictator clinging to power, employing all the coercive mechanisms at his or her disposal, so are memories that are oppressive in nature, displacing and suppressing enjoyable reminiscences seeking to appear on the screens of our conscious minds.
Wrestling with irksome evocations from our memory bank which are usually competing for permanent residency in the forefront of our minds, tires us to the point that we would rather opt for voluntary amnesia. As we are constantly bombarded by irritating visceral sensations which so often accompany our unwanted memories. Many of us have had to deal with harrowing memories, the agonies of which anxiously elevate our heart rate and make us perspire profusely, one amongst many of the unhealthy and intolerable physiological symptoms we unwillingly have to experience when subjected to bad and what seems like never-ending domineering memories.
Struggling as we may to choose recollections that are more palatable to recall, we nevertheless, powerlessly succumb to the onslaught of traumatic flashbacks. We frustratingly remain helpless and unable to reverse the tides which gush forth a profusion of unbearable remembrances on the surface of our conscious minds. Our at times manifest impotence and failure to always consciously choose the memories we are desirous of recalling so often discourages us from searching for any underlying curative cause.
But all may not be lost if just for a moment we take a peep inwards into the dark abyss of our unconscious mysterious minds. Searching the depths of our layered minds we may very well discover clues that can uncover what hitherto we have incorrectly determined to be our inability to decide which memory we are desirous of consciously experiencing.
We can psychoanalytically survey the milieu of our unconscious minds, probing its depth in order to gain insight into what may unknowingly and frustratingly continue to cause memories we are not desirous of having to coercively make their way to the forefront of our conscious minds. According to the founder of analytical psychology, Carl Jung, “until you make the unconscious conscious it will continue to direct your life and you will call it fate”.
So, while we may understandably feel powerless to reign in the unpleasant reminders which terrorize us ever so often, Jung nevertheless has proposed a psychological project which if undertaken promises to liberate us from the tyranny of our harrowing memories.
What we may then gradually realize while progressively becoming conscious and convinced of Jung’s timeless psychological insight is that our untidy memories are activated by triggers we are often unconscious of. So, after all we may not necessarily be the hapless slaves we at times make ourselves out to be. Our suffering resulting from the traumatic recollections we were unconsciously allowing to show up and persist uncontrollably were actually of our own making. But now with this increased level of awareness and understanding liberating us from what was once our ignorant resignation to a fate we lazily assumed was unalterable, we are no longer susceptible to the perpetual domination of upsetting memories.
Conscious now of the stimuli from our external environment and the thoughts that are triggering undesirable recollections from our reservoir of memories, we are no longer vulnerable to their prolong arbitrary and non consensual appearances. While we may not be able to entirely eradicate the displeasing memories that inadvertently show up. However, being aware of what are eliciting their unpalatable presence we can nevertheless become empowered through our awareness to disallow their perpetuation, a consequence of us being conscious of the triggers that are responsible for their onset.
Orlando Patterson
