~ Towards sustainable infrastructure improvement ~

Dear Editor,

We must be willing and prepared to change the narrative from “there’s nothing government can do” to “government is the facilitator in taking the lead to improve the quality of the lives of our citizens and residents.” How do we achieve this goal that seems elusive to so many citizens among us? How can we continue to justify the growth of multi-layered luxury condos, while living conditions of many neighbourhoods in the best cases have remained practically the same or in worse cases are dramatically deteriorating conditions. Simply put, how can we make St. Maarten beautiful again for all of us?

We cannot continue on this same path. St. Maarten has long reached its tipping point and we all agree (locals and visitors alike) that our carrying capacity in all areas is overburdened.

Several studies and reports have been written about this scenario which today is a hard reality for many.

Yes, the gap between the “haves” and those citizens who have very little and struggle daily and who can’t even “make ends meet” is big and getting wider. Our citizens can see the type of constructions going up compared to the level of their living conditions and living standards, which is often substandard. For example, several neighbourhoods still do not have underground cables, electrical or otherwise, paved roads or clean, safe areas for kids to play. In spite of many promises made to rectify these conditions residents are informed that such property is private land. To be clear, the issue of providing decent and affordable housing and home-ownership opportunities for our citizens will continue to be addressed separately.

The issue of land, government long-lease land, private land and the manner in which these properties are used has always been a very sensitive issue. Land on St. Maarten is a scarce, therefore valuable commodity.

The question asked once more is: “Parties who have leased their land for decades to government for the purpose of building affordable rental homes, do they not have a moral or social sense to ensure that those residents live in an environment worthy of their presence?”

Emergency homes have become permanent dwellings for many paying rent for decades.

Most residents are law-abiding citizens, working several jobs and raise their kids. All they ask for is to be treated as human beings and with respect. Structural investment in their respective neighbourhoods supported by a maintenance plan that spans at least a decade is a good starting point.

It’s necessary to address this growing discrepancy, sooner rather than later.

A step forward is to pursue a structural dialogue with the private landowners and impress upon the benefits to be derived for all parties solving the deplorable infrastructural situations in several districts. To be clear, some of these neighbourhoods have nice structural dwellings. However, due to the fact that the land is private property, the streets cannot be fixed by government’s budget, therefore remain deplorable for many more years to come. Ad-hoc policies won’t cut it any longer. We can do better.

We are a new “country” within the Kingdom of the Netherlands since October 10, 2010. Our people were promised a better quality of life and faster decision-making powers with the transfer of these powers from Willemstad to Philipsburg. Today regrettably, we are faced mostly with underperformance, lack of social cohesion and a fragmented society. We must realize that positive and sustainable development isn’t achieved automatically. It takes a united effort, vision and a workable action-plan to make it work for our citizens.

It’s imperative to present and enact programmes or an ideology that represents all social interests.

This is a common responsibility carried by the public and private sectors. Unified Resilient Sint Maarten Movement (URSM) will focus on these working programmes and policies, while others are more concerned about personalities.

Transparency International rang the social discrepancy-corruption alarm bell including in 2016 by underscoring the importance of government initiating the process of taking the lead for multi-stakeholders’ dialogue between civil society and the private sector. People must be made more aware of the impact of the costs of corruption and neglect on society.

Pursuing a public-private policy aimed at improving the living conditions of our neighbourhoods requires an overall approach that puts the general interest of this country first. We must build our country responsibly, not break it. This requires competent, caring and compassionate leadership whereby our local communities will be the real winners.

Gracita Arrindell

Dear Editor,

Once again, the question of what to do with the vervet monkeys on the island of St. Martin has become the buzz of the town. Cull, kill or sterilise? That was the question posed by the Nature Foundation in St. Maarten and the Resérve Naturelle National de Saint-Martin, which have conducted surveys, researched reproductive patterns, and studied cases in neighbouring islands and southern Africa.

According to these organisations, which are endowed by the governments of our island to manage our flora, fauna and surrounding waters, the invasive species is said to have been introduced to St. Martin centuries ago. They threaten our natural patrimony and there are three ways to deal with them, opting for the cull. In February of this year, Nature Foundation announced that 450 should be put down in 2023, because as is clearly indicated on their webpage, they are not allowed to set the invasive species back into to the ecosystem even after sterilisation.

For local farmers or fruit producers, or anyone who happens to have a soursop tree near a hilly slope on their property, the discussion has never died down and there is no season restricting the conversation on monkeys. Nevertheless, the issue becomes interesting around mango season, as one fruit-producing friend stated clearly, “Out of 1,000 harvestable mangos growing in my garden, I can only sell 200 since the monkeys bite the rest and throw them to the ground to rot.”

A new organisation enters the scene: Save the SXM Monkeys. On their Facebook page, one will see the aggressive doom banner stating Sint Maarten Kills Monkeys. Equipped with a website, the organisation maintains the identity of the “primate experts” anonymous – who you fuh? These fellows ended up barking up the wrong tree. You see, my farming friends decided to take matters into their own hands, because their livelihood depends on it, and then the know-better primate experts, who also seem to be newcomers, decided to start lecturing them. Lesson #1 – don’t ever talk down to a Soualigan, especially from a place of privilege. Shots have been fired.

The tense debate represents everything colonial about St. Martin, North and South, and I am not talking about the Dutch and French but more about the coloniality of doing and solving problems. We have a local government that gives out building permits allowing for the destruction of flora up on the hills to make way for irresponsible housing construction. The hungry monkeys, which also endanger native species, come down for food; food production is impacted, and our hard-working farmers suffer.

The administrators of our natural resources maintain insufficient communication with the community-at-large. Enters an organisation which defames country St. Maarten, aggressively criticising and slamming the farmers for taking matters into their own hands. Let these primate experts go to the Garden of Eden in Dutch Quarter to see how people are going to react to them. Stop the arrogance! Stop being evasive, look at the root causes of the problem and have compassion with those most affected. Stop being an evasive species, while protecting an invasive species.

Last Saturday night, I finally got to see the SXM band Orange Grove which gave a spectacular concert at Roxxy’s in Simpson Bay. In the middle of the performance, prior to playing the song “Rats”, lead singer Michael Maidwell gave a shout-out to all the local farmers by promoting their home-grown, organic products. To paraphrase, he said, “Yes, the monkeys are cute but they are getting in the way of our farmers trying to make a living. We need to support those who are producing our food without pesticides and chemicals; they are St. Martin.”

Maidwell, and I assume his crew as well, understand that you can’t come to the island with your preconceived ideas and impose solutions without consulting the community. At the end of the day, the well-being of our people and the health of our ecosystem should be at the heart of any intervention.

Dr. Antonio Carmona Báez

Dear Editor,

Are you kidding me? Our community's vibrancy and our children's future are at stake, all due to the distressing state of our sport facilities. It's disheartening to witness the transformation of one of our few sports havens into a place for drug dealers and vandals. And instead of addressing this crisis head-on, the authorities have allowed an important facility of our neighborhood to wither away, casting a shadow over our ability to access good sports facilities.

March 27, 2023, marked a turning point that we can no longer ignore. The Melford Hazel Sport Complex, once a vibrant sports spot, became a hotspot for hooliganism, with a volleyball game ending in a player's unfortunate injury. The aftermath led to a decision to shutter the facility on April 2, and it remains locked to this day.

It begs the question: where are our defenders of law and order? Where are our influential community leaders? Where are the vigilant security personnel and their formidable canines? These queries demand answers, and they demand solutions.

What has gone wrong? It's great to read about our community's bright talents, like the 19-year-old cricket sensation emerging from the St. Maarten Cricket program, earning a spot in the Under 19 West Indies Squad. And I can't help but reminisce about the days when our basketball players used to shine on college courts.

Our children's potential is boundless, but they need access to safe, nurturing spaces to cultivate their sports skills and aspirations. We must find a way to rekindle the flame of competitive spirit in our youth, giving them a platform to represent our island not just regionally, but on national and international stages as well. This is a call to action we cannot ignore.

Let's band together and reignite the passion that once coursed through our sports community. If it takes rallying financial support, we must step up. If it takes assuming the role of community watch parents, we must be there. We owe it to ourselves, our children, and the legacy of the neighborhood to reclaim what was taken from them. The absence of positive outlets can drive our youth down a perilous path, and we must ensure they have healthier alternatives.

We beseech our local authorities to recognize the urgency of this situation and act swiftly to breathe life back into our sport facilities. Let us not surrender to the forces that seek to diminish our community's spirit. Instead, let us rise united and restore the beacon of hope and opportunity that sports once represented for our children.

Sincerely,

Once a person that enjoyed watching youth sports.

Name withheld at author’s request.

Dear Editor,

Thank you for your consideration in publishing this letter. I want to express my deep concern about what seems to be the rampant and indiscriminate cutting down of trees on our island. As an avid nature enthusiast, I understand and appreciate the value that trees provide – from adding beauty and providing shade, to cleaning our air and preventing soil erosion. Trees are a vital part of our ecosystem.

However, I have noticed far too many examples lately of trees being chopped down without care or thought. Oftentimes it appears to be happening simply for the sake of opening up space or it seems just to offer a tree trimming job. The cutting seems to be done without any ecological considerations. Not only does this look unsightly, but it is detrimental to the environment. Cutting down trees indiscriminately leads to a hotter surface space, an unsightly environment, and a loss of biodiversity.

According to some global research, a single mature tree can absorb over 50 pounds of carbon dioxide per year. Scaled up, this means our island’s tree cover is helping to remove harmful greenhouse gas from the atmosphere each year through natural processes. The data shows that protecting mature indigenous trees needs to be considered if we want to maintain a healthy, sustainable environment for future generations.

We must recognize that a healthy collection of indigenous trees is a maintained one. Thoughtful pruning by knowledgeable professionals can keep trees healthy while also keeping sidewalks accessible, reducing possible damage to property and minimizing safety issues. It will also beautify our island. Take for instance the relatively well-maintained short section of hedges on Pondfill Road, it looks beautiful. But the rampant, haphazard slashing down of trees serves no one's interests in the long run.

I remember with some degree of regret that a few years ago a popular supermarket on the way to Point Blanche unceremoniously chopped down a row of mature trees so that people could see the building and signage. An uncivilized culture that does not value its trees is doomed to become less sustainable over time.

I urge our government officials and citizens to take a more thoughtful approach when it comes to our trees. I implore our government officials and fellow citizens to take immediate and meaningful steps to protect our island’s tree cover. Let’s establish and enforce responsible tree management regulations that prioritize the health and longevity of our indigenous trees.

We must hire professional arborists to selectively prune trees where needed, not butcher them indiscriminately. I call on all of us who care about our island’s future to respect nature, including our magnificent trees. If we continue on our current path of unchecked tree-cutting, we will live to regret the environmental damage and loss of beauty. But if we act now to protect and properly care for our trees, we can maintain a robust, healthy collection of indigenous trees for generations to come.

Sincerely,

An observant tree enthusiast