Dear Editor,
It’s another nickel and dime thing but it’s the kind of thing that happens here every day to everybody all the time and it makes people crazy. A year ago in December I needed to renew my Internet service. I was using the cable company because they had a great deal. Pay a year in advance and get 12 months for the price of 11. And when Internet is costing you 90 bucks a month, getting a month free is worth the price of admission. So, I hump my way over to TelEm who took over the cable company and runs their operations now to take care of it. When I get there I notice that the speeds they are offering for 90 bucks aren’t a lot different than the speeds they are offering for 60 bucks and considering the reliability of the service is somewhere just barely north of two tin cans with string between them, I figure I’ll downgrade and see how bad it really is.
So, I sit with the customer service guy and we go through everything. I was paying something like 990 per year before, now I’m paying 660 or thereabout. At home the service is a bit slower but nothing meaningful so the 330 savings is looking good.
Fast forward to a month ago. One day at noon my service goes off. I call up and get no help whatsoever from the alleged help desk so the next day I hump back down to TelEm to find out what’s going on. The explanation is simple. They shut me off on purpose so they could get me down there to sell me a new service – fiber optic. I am annoyed that they cost me a day of screwing around and service but in the end they say “look the cable is getting turned off and you need to migrate. Better price, better speed and in the end you have no choice.” So, I sign the paper, they turn my cable Internet back on and we sit back to wait for the fiber to show up.
But, it turns out, fiber is never going to show up. At least that’s what the techs say. And then they shut me off again. Mind you, I am bought and paid for until January. So, I hump down to TelEm for the third time.
You know you’re in trouble when the CS women start calling you by your first name. This time the woman says, “I don’t know what’s wrong with these people. They should have just put you on wireless.” That’s certainly okay with me if it works as well and is the same price. She says it is, so away we go. It takes an hour and some screwing around and another $108. When we are all said and done, I say, “You know I’m paid up until January, right? Are you going to refund me or simply credit the new account?” There is a flurry of keyboard work and she finally says, “No problem. We’ll move your credit balance over to the new account as soon as you bring the cable modem back.”
So, with everything done and dusted I walk out with a wireless modem that, surprisingly, works really well. Two days later I bring the cable modem back and turn it in. A lot more keyboard work and everything gets settled. Right up until I ask, “What are my remaining credits?” “$13,” she says.
“Impossible,” I say. “I’m paid in full until January.”
And so it begins. I explain that I am paid in full until January plus they charged me a month in advance for the new system so they actually owe me 4 months . More like $240. The short version from here is that after extensive discussions, and being told more than once what I was claiming was impossible, it seems that the CS guy a year ago entered some wrong data somehow and my records in their system were incorrect. Even though the math adds up perfectly 660ish/11 is the 60/M rate which is exactly what their records show that I paid, their system was incorrectly billing me 70/month or thereabouts for whatever reason.
Now, this is the kind of argument you are never going to win with these guys. They have your money and they are going to keep it no matter how badly they screw up or it being their fault. But in this case I may get really lucky. When I got home I asked my rational and intelligent wife if, by any chance, she still had the scrap of paper receipt from TelEm that I left on the kitchen table last December. For me this would be a zero percent chance, but for her it was a matter of 3 minutes. And there it all is in black and white. Fully documented and stamped “PAID IN FULL FOR 12 MONTHS”. All dated and official. QED
They have a copy of that at TelEm as we speak. Let’s see if they are honest and straightforward enough to just say, “Yup, we screwed up, you’re paid until January plus one more month.” And do it before the next solar eclipse. Bets anyone?
Steven Johnson
Dear Editor,
Though we bask in the warmth of the sunshine and explore the wonders of sea and sand, ordinary citizens of St. Maarten are being left out in the cold. For many, the cost and standard of living poses daily struggles, demanding that many seek two or three jobs just to survive. The realities of even being able to open a bank account prove difficult for some. A travesty in the era of technology and the ease of doing business.
How then can individuals do what they were taught? Leveraging their savings in hopes of acquiring land and housing. That realization seems a distant thought for many, as the cost of such is a virtual impossibility for many. Those for whom money poses little trouble are faced with a different issue, accessibility. It seems as though one must not only find the financial wherewithal but also a connection, one who occupies a posh office and leather chair.
What then of opportunities? How do we expect ordinary men and women to have upward mobility for themselves? How do we expect them to push their families upward and onward? How then do we expect them to set life-changing opportunities in place for their children well into the future? For far too many of St. Maarten’s citizens, these things are not possible. Not when the hopes of accessing bare basics such as land and housing are squashed. They are not within the reach of the ordinary man and woman.
I suspect many would suggest getting a loan, but for a brief moment consider this. If for some there is an inherent difficulty in setting up a bank account, imagine a loan. It is simply too much to do, too much struggle and still not affordable.
What is so disheartening is the devil that lies behind the struggle. Politicians who preach the gospel of people-centered policies and programs pre-election sing a different tune post-election. Once elected, they advance the cause of the wealthy and special interest groups and leave the average voter behind. All this happens while the people who bend backwards day in and day out to ensure the progress and prosperity of St. Maarten are left not being able to own a piece of rock, because it is just not affordable to do so.
These politicians who ought to be ensuring the accessibility and affordability of land and housing as well as other basic commodities are consumed with the progress of a few. How can this be right? How is it fair? How is it in the best interest of the majority?
Heartbreakingly and unsurprisingly so, is that many of the rich and famous exhibit little to no empathy or sympathy for the struggling public.
I am to conclude that better must be done to afford the great people of St. Maarten better opportunities, better access, better representation. In this era of the SDGs [Sustainable Development Goals – Ed.], the island of St. Maarten must seek to ensure the elevation of its people. Easier access to bank accounts, affordable land and housing as well as other basic commodities needed for human advancement must be priority.
Which one elected or desirous of such will stand with the people? Will stand for the people? Will stand by the people? “O, sweet St. Maarten land” let’s wonder no more where is the land. Accessibility and affordability for all.
Mervin Hanley
Dear Editor,
There is no need for the population to keep on wondering why the portfolios of the ministries are so unevenly distributed. It is plain to see that NA is pursuing its get-rich scheme and MP Rolando Brison’s (UP) major intention is to throw Theo to the curb and take over the Green Machine completely. Is it not what the people are witnessing today?
From the get-go, several members from UP and NA knew exactly how they were going to play this deceitful game. They knew who the key players would be, what role they will play and to what extent. The objectives in the first paragraph are the deciding factors of their approach to governing and the motives that clarify their behaviours.
In the beginning, some political pundits were predicting that this coalition will last no more than 8 months, because their ideologies do not mesh. But little did these analysts know that their interpretation of the traditional values, would be exempt from this governing period. For this reason, it is very surprising to see that MP Hyacinth Richardson, a man who is deep in his faith, goes along with the wrong doings of his party.
The decision by her own party leader to dethrone Chairlady Grisha Heyliger-Marten is not about her performance, it’s all about executing his role to maintain the power of the status quo. Why was MP Rolando Brison chosen to be “the bridge” for both parties? It is not because of his ability to manage the affairs of parliament; it is because of his ruthless capability to use and destroy anyone who gets in his way.
The hidden dossier is an example of his callousness, supported by Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs. So, how could she consistently address the issue of honesty to this society? Prime Minister Jacobs, “Honesty is the result of strength; hypocrisy is the result of weakness.” Remember that, “Trust is earned, respect is given, and loyalty is demonstrated. Betrayal of any one of those is to lose all three.”
At first, it was hard to accept the constant betrayal of Prime Minister Jacobs, the person that I once admired deeply. But, I’m reminded of an article that appeared in the opinion page of this newspaper a few months ago, when the writer said, “Be careful who we admire.” This is such a true statement because more often than not, these are the ones who disappoint us the most.
Imagine, Theo established the UP party. But because of his legal issues, he was forced to recruit a leader, in the person of MP Rolando Brison. Today, the UP party has gone to the dogs and Theo has absolutely no control over the board nor the leader himself. NA can rejoice over the fall of the UP party, their biggest political rival, but should be reminded that this crooked game has led to the collapse of NA as well.
As their relentless desire to remove Chairlady Grisha Heyliger-Marten intensifies, the quest of this government is becoming more evident. Their hunger for power is endless, but they camouflage their actions by constantly throwing the notion of “working for the people” into the mix, just to pacify the population. No matter what they do, they will still be branded as the sleaziest government in the history of St. Maarten.
Don’t forget that a plotter is a flip-flopper and a conniver is a destroyer! So, if it is okay with NA to reinstate a drug addict as the president of parliament, or is ready to appoint MP Sidharth Bijlani to this position, then there is absolutely no need to maintain the Ministry of Education!
Joslyn Morton
Dear Chairman and Members of the Committee on Kingdom Relations (of TK and of EK),
With regard to the domain of OCW, I have already made comments. The most striking there is, of course, the issue of the BSN (which the student in the European Netherlands, coming from the Dutch Caribbean, does not have as a matter of course, and about which there has already been some uproar – also by the National Ombudsman – but with no actual result to date).
Also the diploma register seems to me to be an issue of which I believe that the Caribbean Dutch student does not naturally benefit from it, at least not to the same extent as the European Dutch student does. And that while that register for HAVO, VWO, etc. has existed for several years. In short, this last observation alone suggests that the Caribbean Dutch pupil/student does not matter in the Dutch context, or, if you will, is just hanging around.
Then there is another difference in this OCW domain, but of a completely different nature. And it is that of working conditions. I don’t have to explain to you how terms of employment come about collectively: representatives of employees and of employers negotiate a collective labour agreement (CLA or – in Dutch – CAO). That is essentially the process. In the Caribbean Netherlands, this development has not yet taken off in a big way. There is, however, the realization that “something” must be, or must come.
Meanwhile, there is the so-called “Personnel Manual for Education Personnel Dutch Caribbean” from 2019. This is a publication of the Rijksdienst Caribisch Nederland and the responsibility for the content lies with the Ministry of OCW, Directorate FEZ, Department of Labor Affairs.
I am convinced that this handbook has been prepared with the best of intentions. After all, the consultation model between employees and employers and the organization of trade unions has not yet reached maturity in the Caribbean Netherlands (and more specifically: on the individual BES islands). But to then start making a handbook as a ministry with reference to laws that – it is no different so far – mostly have a BES character, seems to me a choice that can also be taken differently.
Teachers in the Caribbean Netherlands are second-class teachers. The “CN-CLA” involves more hours, less salary and worse working conditions. While there is a “fair” CLA for the European Netherlands (namely, based on negotiation), BES teachers have to settle for a very poor diktat (in the absence of negotiation results, there is the “handbook”). The educational goals to be achieved are the same, the money comes from the same pot and yet the elaboration is different for European and Caribbean Netherlands.
In almost all policy areas, including those of OCW, either the Dutch Caribbean does not matter or a specific BES sauce is applied to the policy. The latter also seems to be the case here now; in my opinion, it stems from the time of the “country of the Netherlands Antilles”, because a lot of laws and other books still date from that time when it comes to policy, laws and regulations on the BES islands in virtually all policy areas. That was then – in the run-up to the turnaround date of 10-10-10 – a conscious choice, but in my firm conviction one that would only slow down or even bring the developments on the BES islands in a broad sense to a standstill.
After all, the inclusive idea that characterizes (or: should characterize) the idea that the Caribbean Netherlands and the European Netherlands together form the country of the Netherlands does not come out well, if at all. Thus, there will always remain a European and a Caribbean Netherlands that just do not come together.
Intermezzo: For the record, I also see that declaring the European Dutch laws and regulations applicable in one fell swoop to daily life in the Caribbean Netherlands fuels colonial thoughts. That seems undesirable to me and much attention should therefore be paid to a careful information and implementation process. Of course, I recognize feelings of islanders who would prefer to label their island as their own kingdom (with its own governance without outside interference) but then would like to see benefits and other financial income at a European Dutch level. Then I too say, it’s one of two minds!
In my view: the dot on the horizon is/should be “all laws and regulations in the European Netherlands also apply in the Caribbean Netherlands, except for the specific laws and regulations (i.c. those for the public entity) of which the need arises from essentially different circumstances in the Caribbean compared to the European Netherlands”. This is in line with the idea laid down in the Constitution. That dot on the horizon has been there since 10-10-10 and we are now 12 years on.
So also in education I prefer to see no handbook from the ministry or from RCN, but a learning process in which employers and employees come together in a collective bargaining agreement. And that in a Dutch context. So the education unions (AOB and CNV Education are, as the two largest representatives of employees in education, cc: addressed of this letter) also represent the personnel on the BES islands and on the side of the employers the working domain is also: the whole of the Netherlands, thus including the Caribbean Netherlands (this is also how I have cc: addressed the VO-raad). And what then comes out as a CLA, applies to the whole of the Netherlands, both the European part and the Caribbean.
Here too there is a dot on the horizon in which a handbook may well have a place, as long as all parties realize that there is still a way to go. The goal then is a common CLA for the whole of the Netherlands!
We are now talking about the Education CLA but you can imagine that such a “struggle” with thoughts and principles takes place in all policy areas. I therefore urge you – Kingdom Relations Committee – to convince other committees of this frame of mind. Only then can we say goodbye to the current practice in which first-class Dutchmen live in the European Netherlands and second-class Dutchmen in the Caribbean Netherlands.
Yours sincerely,
J.H.T. (Jan) Meijer
Dear Editor,
For a long time now I’ve asked myself, why is it that the people that get elected oftentimes tend to have a weak or no moral compass? Is it that the person goes into office on the straight and narrow path and that the system changes them, sways them into wrongdoings? Or is it a certain class, a certain breed of people that are susceptible to shady dealings, with a lack of integrity, that tend to run?
The answer to these questions, as with many things in life, lies somewhere in between. Politics is regrettably a dirty game. We see it all around us as the spin-doctors do their best to spin, distract, and sway our opinions away from the facts. Who then would subjugate their selves to the scrutiny that is a public election? Only those who are unscrupulous, or as we more commonly refer to them “People with no shame”; those who don’t mind stooping to low levels to get in. To put it in an analogy: It’s like a boxing ring where you know the opponent will fight dirty and the referee isn’t even looking.
Fair, honest, well reasoning, educated people, tend to steer clear of such a toxic arena. And so, we have ourselves a perfect “Catch 22” in which we end up with elected officials that will say anything, promise the world, or even resort to the illegal practice of vote-buying just to get themselves into office. While those who can make a change for the better, for all the people, tend to give a wide berth to the entire ring. (Fortunately, we have seen a step in the right direction here as a select few have risen up and have challenged the norm).
In this piece I intend to delve into the short term vs. long term mindset when it comes to voting for your elected officials, tackling some of the pitfalls of the short-term timeframe and giving actionable steps to prevent us from making the same mistakes over and over.
In an interview I watched not too long ago Saifedean Ammous stated that the time preference for the younger generation has become much shorter. When last have you heard young people talking about the nice returns they received from their savings account? Probably not recently, as the interest rates the banks give are laughable, or even negative in some parts of the world. This shorter term time preference is a result of inflation eroding our purchasing power and our planning for the future.
Why do I bring this up? We can’t really do much about the US dollar inflating. That is correct, however, what we see is that this short-term time preference also rears its ugly head during elections. All too often and all too easily our very own sell their vote for $100, a new fridge, the promise of a favour. I’m here to warn those very same people, careful that you’re not getting the raw end of that deal. Your vote is worth much more than that! Every time a vote is sold “cheaply” you pay it back 100-fold through shifty dealings, nepotism, lack of accountability, and mismanagement in our roads, healthcare, education, sports, cost of energy, social security (or lack thereof), affordable housing, basically all facets of life are adversely affected by taking the path of quick gratification.
Some might argue who can blame them? If you’re struggling to put food on the table $100 can carry you a long ways. And that is exactly where the democratic trap sets in. The powers that be would like to keep you exactly there, struggling with your hand out. Why?
A struggling nation is a cheap nation.
As my wise colleague always says, “een kinder hand is snel gevuld,” which translates to “a child’s hand is easily filled.” Meaning, you’ll be more inclined to take the deal operating from a place of strive and struggle. A prospering society that can properly take care of their basic needs will be far more discerning, they will demand much more from their elected officials, meaning that those officials would actually have to work.
Therefore, I ask all of you reading this piece to stick out your biggest hand and ask far more from our elected officials. When they come with the $100 bill you tell them, keep it, I want:
Accountability
Good corporate governance
A government based on meritocracy
Good roads
Affordable housing
Affordable energy
Proper healthcare
A livable minimum wage
Public spaces for the people
A more robust, sustainable economy
A lot more, but most importantly a government I can be proud of.
All of which require long-term strategic planning, holistic approaches, and a pro-active attitude mixed with common sense that seems to be sorely lacking with the current coalition.
So, come next elections – no, better yet, we can start today! When talking to your friends, family, co-workers raise the awareness, especially amongst the most vulnerable in our society, tell them to make a well-informed decision. Don’t sell out. Aim for the longer term. Look at who has put us in the situation we are in now (to be very clear, it is the NA, UP, and USP), do we want more of that? It’s time we elect leaders with a long-term time preference, not those that through their own actions have to worry about whether or not they’ll be there after the next elections. Enough is enough!
David Salomon
