Dear Editor,
If the interview with Lady Grace and the article in The Daily Herald about the Minister of VROMI threatening PFP MP Peterson two years ago and following up on his threat two years later, does not open the eyes of our people, then the only thing that can be concluded is that we deserve the government we elect.
It was to be expected that our Prime Minister would condone the actions of Minister Doran, because that has been her attitude towards the behaviour of the "young boys" consistently. Defending them at all costs no matter what they do wrong because that is the example that according to our government the people of St. Maarten should follow. She stated that she listened to the interview, but not even Doran's obvious lying about receiving the documents just a couple of days before the interview, or Doran's accusations without any proof, that a big investor, in this case Alegria, had bribed an MP could not convince her that what this minister did was totally wrong. Her conclusion: I am not condemning Doran but PFP has set a "dangerous precedent".
The only precedent that PFP has set in my opinion is that when dealing with unscrupulous politicians, you'd better protect yourself. But now we have another minister of her cabinet, Minister Irion, accusing another MP, MP Emmanuel, only and just because this MP correctly pointed out the wrongdoings of the Minister of VROMI. Minister Irion, stop the deflection, everybody knows what you are trying to do. On top of all of this, MP Marlin who has been absent for a long time, not doing his job in Parliament and thus wasting our taxpayers’ money, has the audacity to ask for the Integrity Chamber to investigate the PFP? The same Integrity Chamber that he has been opposing fervently and even voted pro, to decrease their budget. Like many others are saying, you should resign and give the next person on your party list your seat in Parliament.
Evidently our current government and its members – ministers and MPs – do not want to be held accountable. The question remains: How long more will we have to deal with political intimidation and threats in this country? What threats will our ministers come up with next to attack MP Peterson, MP Emmanuel or whomever MP that according to our Constitution is doing exactly what they were elected for: represent the people of St. Maarten. Next election we will see if our people have learned a lesson. In the end: Insanity is when we keep voting for the same politicians over and over again and expecting a different outcome.
To the other MPs who are actually doing their job, you have come to change the political culture on this island. It is going to be a difficult journey and they will keep coming after you. Please do not give up. Hopefully in the future we will have a strong coalition that will really fight for our people and put the general interest of St. Maarten first.

R. Mercelina

Dear Editor,
Shawn Richards squandered two opportunities, the first in 2015 and the second in 2020, to become prime minister of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis. And on each occasion, he kowtowed to Timothy Harris.
The latter, aka the Rajapaksa of the Eastern Caribbean and leader of the People’s Labour Party, won one and two seats respectively in the 2015 and 2020 general elections. Yet, he ascended to the highest political office in the land. From a planetary perspective Harris has the unique distinction of being a prime minister twice with a minority of seats won in two general elections. And it was all because of the complete lack of testicular fortitude shown by Shawn Richards. Now this blowhard of a political leader is running to become the next prime minister of the federation. And he believes that his time is now, and he is ready.
Oh, judgment, thou hast fled to brutish beasts and Shawn Richards has lost his mind and ability to reason.
A short background is in order. In 2015 three political parties in St. Kitts and Nevis joined forces and campaigned as Team Unity in the General Elections and formed the new government. The three parties, the People’s Action Movement (PAM) led by Shawn Richards, the People’s Labour Party (PLP) led by Timothy Harris, and the Concerned Citizens Movement (CCM) led by Mark Brantley, won a combined seven out of the total 11 electoral seats. But the victory reflected a highly skewed distribution of the seats won.
PAM walked away with half (4) of the eight seats available in St. Kitts to the single seat won by PLP. Yet, Timothy Harris became prime minister given the complete abdication of leadership by Shawn Richards. And for seven years Shawn was the deputy prime minister in the two Harris administrations that he (Harris) completed dominated. Shawn was not playing second fiddle; he was completely subservient to the Rajapaksa with barely a peep or a mutter coming from him. And now this make-believe, serio-comic political leader wants to be the next prime minister. But “him nah ready yet.”
Shawn Richards held the office of deputy prime minister for seven years from 2015 to early 2022. And during this period, he has shown not even a scintilla of readiness for the job he is now seeking in the upcoming general elections scheduled to be held on Friday, 5 August 2022. On his campaign trail, he bellows his readiness to a crowd of less than 200 wherever and whenever he turns up. And his manner of speaking is fine-tuned and synced to a rhythmic gesticulation of his right hand moving up and down as if orchestrating and sending a message to the proposed builders of the Basseterre High School that he is ready to be a carpenter with a hammer in hand.
But on a more serious note, Shawn is universally viewed by many in St. Kitts and Nevis as lazy and a lady’s man with a cavalier disposition.
Being a prime minister is serious business, one that requires a combination of both hard and soft skills. An accountant by training, Shawn is a bean-counter and a “bottom line” guy. Accountants do not make effective leaders. And the best example we have of this is the accountant, Timothy Harris, who at best was a mediocre political leader and a narcissist.
Moreover, and more importantly, they are not strategic thinkers. Strategic thinking requires the ability to not only think and plan for the long term, but to thrive in the world of complexity of often conflicting data and be able to make meaningful linkages and ferret out implications and unexpected findings. The world of 2022 is complex and complicated. It requires a mind that is trained in the nuances of international politics, diplomacy and negotiation, geopolitics, international trade, and security. Strategic thinking also requires the ability to take risks and how to deal with and treat people. Sad to say, Shawn does not have this mindset or even the inclination to acquire knowledge in these areas.
Finally, a strategic leader must have a vision. He or she must be able to sell that vision and translate it into reality. This is not as easy as it sounds. The process requires a keen and sagacious intellect combined with a singleness of mind or determination to achieve worthwhile goals. For a political leader this vision translates into commitment, hard work, patience, impeccable integrity, and dedication to high and unselfish ideals.
This brings us to Shawn and Timothy Harris. The latter is a spectacular model of corruption, nepotism, and selfishness, a man who has betrayed the peoples’ trust and desecrated the office of prime minister. And then there is the mother of weaklings, Shawn Richards, campaigning to become prime minister. The very notion of having a vision is alien to Shawn. Accountants are not people of vision. And the voters of the federation must stay clear of their empty promises and reject them at the polls on election day.
Shawn’s seven years in office as a minister and deputy prime minister were characterized by empty promises and calculated neglect. Like his prime minister, Shawn also was involved in questionable projects and kickbacks. The well-drilling and road-paving and rehabilitation contracts come to mind. In the latter, he followed closely the modus operandi of his “boss” by engaging a cousin; a sure way to receive kickbacks.
Both he and his partner in crime, Timothy Harris, were bedfellows in highjacking the commanding heights of the economy and enriching themselves. Now they have become estranged bedfellows, hurling torrents of invectives at each other like market women. And both are desperate, agitated, and stressed as they read the handwriting on the wall. Doomsday awaits both when the people of the federation resoundingly reject them on election day. Shawn may after all end up working as a carpenter, his dream job.

Joel Liburd
Basseterre, St. Kitts

Dear editor,
With self-control and discipline we can change our responses to stimuli from our environment that are often harmful to our thoughts and emotions. By resolving to almost always make a conscious effort to choose healthy perspectives in relation to the circumstances and situations that life throws at us, we can then begin to exercise greater control over our lives.
Being attuned to the thoughts and feelings we are having can make us become aware of the manner in which we are perceiving and responding to our external realities. But this can be easier said than done since the conditioning and socialisation we have undergone has helped to shape and ferment the repeated structured thoughts and feelings we have deposited internally. And so quite a number of us live lives that mirror a sort of automated mechanical kind of existence. We automatically, unawares, continue to repeatedly respond to our external experiences with highly structured and pre- programmed minds.
We live our lives in a matrix, an intellectual and emotional safe space that perpetually regurgitates the same thoughts and feelings even when faced with novel experiences. This monotonous recurring way of existence can nevertheless prove blissful for those who hitherto have been unable to discover and articulate new ways of thinking. Conversely, though, for those that have run the gamut of their senses and sensibilities, aware of the repertoire of thoughts and feelings, but are struggling to re-programme their hardwares, this can prove to be miserably frustrating.
Having the knowledge and the will, knowing the changes in thinking that are essential in order for us to bring about the mental alterations we need is one thing. But lacking the discipline, self- control and power to execute these changes can create internal conflicts and tensions that can be difficult to manage. Changing the way we have been conditioned to think, feel and see the things we are accustomed to experiencing requires focus and awareness. An awareness that ought to motivate us to persevere, knowing our lives can be transformed in blissful, tranquil and peaceful ways.
To this end neuro linguistic programming (NLP) and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) are two helpful concepts/therapy that regrettably have not been embraced by the scientific community. Nevertheless, even with their categorisation as pseudo-sciences, millions have still benefited both from professionally supervised and unsupervised coaching. Many have been able to change the lenses through which they were perceiving and responding to external stimuli with the help of NLP and CBT. As empowering and transformational tools NLP and CBT can reverse our limited perspectival and restraining lives by helping us to change the way we look and respond to things rather than wanting to change the things we look at.
And as the 13th century Persian poet Rumi said, yesterday I was clever because I wanted to change the world but today I am wise because I have changed myself.

Orlando Patterson.

Dear Editor,
On July 20, 2022, I read the job posting on the Facebook page of the St. Eustatius Health Care Foundation (SEHCF) for a BIG registered General Practitioner/“Tropenarts”. In the Netherlands, healthcare professionals have a protected title under the Individual Healthcare Act (Wet op de Beroepen in de Individuele Gezondheidszorg, BIG).
After reading the SEHCF’s published job criteria, I decided to send an official letter to the Supervisory Board and Board of Directors of the SEHCF to state my concerns regarding the requirements listed.
First, the SEHCF is requesting that the professional be BIG registered. By demanding such, all other training options are automatically excluded. This practice, to me, does not embrace inclusiveness, especially in light of the local reality. St. Eustatius is not fully integrated into the Netherlands, which means deviations within the law are possible. Additionally, I have not seen any legislature that demands all medical professionals practicing on the island be BIG registered. If such a legislature exists, I would be interested in knowing on what basis this decision is founded.
Second, Statian students receive scholarships to study at accredited universities in the USA, Canada, the Caribbean and Europe. Pursuing a medical degree in one of the above countries (including other islands that are a part of the Dutch kingdom) is possible, as long as the program is accredited. Given the posted requirements a qualified (Statian or Dutch national) professional who completed their medical degree in one of the above countries would not be eligible for the medical job posting within the local hospital simply because they are not BIG registered although they are fully accredited and experienced in the country of their training.
Third, the job posting was placed solely in Dutch which indicates that one is searching for a professional from a particular place, most specifically, the Netherlands or even Belgium. This practice is somewhat ironic because English is also one of the official languages of St. Eustatius. It is known and extensively researched that the quality and efficacy of medical care is exponentially improved when the medical practitioner and client can communicate effectively and share comparable experiences. Limiting the application process to this particular subset of professionals would be a disservice to the population the SEHCF aims to serve.
Professionals with international qualifications equivalent to a Dutch diploma should also be allowed to work within the health sector on the island of St. Eustatius. I, therefore, hope that future job postings will reflect this reality.

Xiomara Balentina