Dear editor,
What a heartbreaking sight, the photo of Belair beach on the front page of the Tuesday edition. We like that little strip of beach and we visit it regularly. As a new comer to the island, we live here since August 2025, we had to get used to a lot of things. For instance that waste is (not) managed on the island in a way we are used to. There is garbage everywhere, dumped cars alongside the roads, car engines growing in gardens, lots of overgrown construction waste, a very large mountain of waste in the middle of a pond and very little public containers and waste bins. And no awareness…
So the first time we visited this little beach I was shocked to see the piles of concrete, tiles, metal parts, piping and household waste and I wandered if this site was actually a government appointed site to dump construction waste. I could not believe that companies and citizens use this area as an illegal dump site.
Luckily nature is sturdy and without a plan so a lot of the rubbish has been over grown by nicely flowering plants and infested by curious little animals. A group of concerned people have put up colourful signs with texts like: ‘Don’t litter’, ‘Keep the beach clean’ and ‘Litter paradise’. I have read somewhere that they even organise clean-up days to remove plastic from the beach to keep our oceans clean. Very good initiatives!
To me it seems the general public has no environmental responsibility so, this needs to be addressed by our government. Of course, a clean-up operation of the whole area will be very expensive and would take a long time so, I would suggest to start small. For instance by stopping the site to be used as a landfill. By placing several , ‘No dumping signs’ with legal consequences such as fines at the entrances of the beach, it will be clear to everyone that it is illegal to dump here. To engage the public a phone number and QR code could be added to the signs to report offences. Also by installing cameras with license plate recognition the detection of violators would be easier.
A long-term plan has to be made of course. It should also take into account the ‘why’ there is an illegal dump. Maybe there are not enough legal possibilities to discard waste responsibly? And what will happen to all the waste when it will be removed, can it be recycled or perhaps reused on the same site to build a Nature Awareness House where we can learn about the natural wonders of our island?
Klaasjan Kok
Dear Editor,
This open letter is written to expose a disturbing and undeniable double standard in how justice, advocacy, and protection are applied within the Government of St. Maarten.
A young, locally trained epidemiologist returned home to serve her country through the Ministry of VSA. While performing her duties, she was subjected to sexual harassment in the workplace.
She reported the incident. She followed protocol. She acted with courage and integrity.
What did she receive in return? Silence. Inaction. Abandon-ment.
To this day, the Minister of VSA and the Office of the Prime Minister have failed to properly resolve her sexual harassment complaint or protect her as a civil servant. No urgency. No public defence. No visible effort to ensure her safety, dignity, or career.
At the same time, Minister Brug has chosen to invest significant political energy, public advocacy, and determination into fighting for the return of his Chief of Staff to the workplace after the Prime Minister explicitly stated that this individual is not permitted to enter government buildings due to serious concerns. Let that contrast sink in.
Minister Brug is actively fighting to reinstate his Chief of Staff, making public statements and challenging the Prime Minister yet refusing to fight with the same vigor for a young St. Maarten epidemiologist whose contract was due to be made permanent and whose only “offence” was reporting sexual harassment.
When it comes to his Chief of Staff, Minister Brug finds his voice.
When it comes to a young woman facing workplace harassment, he finds excuses.
This epidemiologist’s contract was expected to be converted to a permanent appointment. That did not happen. Not because of a lack of qualifications. Not because of poor performance. But after she spoke up. This is retaliation by neglect.
The message is painfully clear: political loyalty is worth fighting for; professional integrity is not.
Prime Minister Mercelina, as the authority responsible for government personnel, has also failed to act decisively. While restrictions are enforced swiftly against some, protection and justice are conveniently delayed or denied altogether for others.
This selective application of authority and justice is dangerous. It tells every young professional, especially women, that their safety is negotiable and their careers disposable.
St. Maarten cannot claim to value good governance, integrity, or women in leadership while allowing a sexual harassment complaint to be ignored and a victim to be professionally sidelined especially when the same leaders demonstrate exactly how forcefully they can act when it suits them.
Law for one must mean law for all. Advocacy for one must mean advocacy for all.
If Minister Brug can fight relentlessly for his Chief of Staff to return to work, he can and should fight just as hard to make a qualified, local epidemiologist permanent and to ensure she receives justice. Anything less is hypocrisy.
The country is watching. Young professionals are watching. And history will remember who was defended and who was discarded.
Alfred A Bryan
Dear Editor,
Common arithmetic would show you that the more you add, the more you get. So would somebody explain me how is it possible that even though the country is becoming more and more saturated with motor vehicles, less motor vehicle tax is being paid (collected)? I have the solution which does not take rocket science. Go back to working with number-plates. I born and met cars with number plates and it has always worked well. Over the years thousands of people and owners of motor vehicles have been spotted by recognising their number plates.
Over the years umpteen stolen cars were retrieved because of their numberplates. I have always protested against stickers because stickers can be used illegally for a long time before it is detected, whereas as I have mentioned before, many cars and owners are recognised by their number plate.
Because the French numberplates die with the car, when these cars are out of the running the numberplates remain on the motor vehicles. People would go on the dump, take off those plates and use them illegally on other cars. There are a whole lot of cars using the same number on several cars and so I can go on.
My suggestion is that the police controls should be kept in conjunction with the tax department and the immigration department so that all bases can be covered at the same time. From my experience I can guarantee that the tax department will see a spike in revenue.
By the way, it is more than high time that VROMI put back that Bus stop sign by the bus stop on Cannegieter Street across from the former Afoo Supermarket and get rid of the gypsies who have transformed that area into a “free for all”. Not to mention their “Don’t care way of dressing”. From the different accents one can clearly determine who is who.
By the way, there is a lot of complaints about the piles of garbage on different places on St. Maarten.
Russell A. Simmons
Dear Editor,
Remember the Proud Boys? A militant group of people that spout messages of Nationalistic Rhetoric while enabling their members to stand against every progressive organization that exists in America today. A large proponent of those who stormed the US Capital Building on January 6th, were Proud Boys. These militants are often members of ultra militant State Militias. The United States Government declared these folks as designated domestic terrorists at one time, but no longer.
The agency known as I.C.E. (immigration and Customs Enforcement) has been recruiting members of the Proud Boys for well over a year. These men and women are said to exemplify what I.C.E. requires of its operatives. That is emotionally cold, controlled manifestations of American Nationalism, anti migrant and criminal targets. These agents hunt down anyone who personifies the "other". What is the "other" you may ask?
The "other" stands as the complete opposite of the ideal a Stereo Typical American, that is a WASP, a White Anglo-Saxon Protestant (acceptable to the present day administration). So anyone other than a W.A.S.P. is suspect and a target of I.C.E. Presently over half the population of America is considered an "other". Think about it, folks. Even if your family has been a resident in America for 100+ years, but your Hispanic, Black, Aboriginal, Asian or Arabic looking you are a target for the authorities watch dog I.C.E.
Being a part of this organization allows The Proud Boys to do what they do best, which is intimidate, beat down and harass citizens of America. They are being paid to do so as well. The authorities call them heroes and freedom fighters, trying to drive international criminals out of America while also arresting and deporting migrants (others) suspected of wrong-doing. Looking the part is enough to get someone arrested and deported.
Becoming an I.C.E. agent seems to be an easy thing according to former law enforcement employees recently laid off. The Trump Administration has enacted a massive deportation campaign centred around aggression and cruelty. The Proud Boys are perfect for the job, being anti undocumented immigrants, anti-protestors, anti-progressives. Tricia Mclaughlin, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson recently said "any individual who desires to join I.C.E. will undergo intense background checks and there will be no exceptions made". So, how are members of an extremist group entering the I.C.E. fellowship?
While there is no verifiable public figures to prove how many proud boys are I.C.E. agents, a well known leaked list of I.C.E. agents has pointed out that among the list of 4,500 members several hundred are officially former members of the Proud Boys and other right wing groups. There are 22,000 official members of I.C.E., with a further 12,000 contract agents added to the mix. Those members who are under contract have their identities and activities protected from public scrutiny, hidden in the shadows of an authoritarian administrations umbrella. If any of these people were present at the Siege of the Capital Buildings and charged criminally, the President of the USA has pardoned many of them. Donald Trump’s jackbooted Boys have evolved from hoodlums to law enforcement agents.
How can you know for certain that Proud Boys have a part in the authoritarian actions being carried out by I.C.E? Since Donald Trump became President for the second time, have you heard anything at all about this group in the media or FBI incidents rolls? This "in your face" group has remained silent. Why this change of tactics? Simply put, the Proud Boys and many other right wing extremist groups have become a part of the organ of government that is assaulting Americans their institutions and the very heart of the American Dream.
The Ohio Chapter of the Proud Boys declared publicly: "Toledo Boys are living high on the hog right now. Thank you, President Trump". With officers making up to $50,000 with sign-on bonuses and bonuses offered to those most effective in the hunt, The Proud Boys are definitely in the money.
Sources: The Atlantic, Reuters, Times Now and MSN.
Steven Kaszab
Bradford, Ontario
Dear Editor,
It has been brought to my attention that media outlets, including Fox News and CVM News, are reporting that the United States Department of State is contemplating a suspension of visa processing for applicants from approximately seventy-five countries, including twelve members of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM). Antigua and Barbuda has been included in lists currently circulating in this regard.
Upon becoming aware of these reports, I made immediate inquiries with the United States Department of State. As of this moment, no formal announcement has been made, and no official communication has been issued to the embassies of the countries reportedly affected.
I was advised by senior officials of the Department of State that this matter arises from a new requirement under direction of the White House. However, contrary to some media reports, the measure under consideration does not apply to all visa categories. It relates only to applications for immigrant visas (commonly referred to as “green cards”), which are subject to a temporary pause of up to sixty (60) days while vetting and screening procedures are reviewed.
I wish to emphasize that, at this stage, no written notification has been provided to embassies, and the information available to me is based on direct conversations with senior officials, rather than on any formal directive.
It is also important to clarify that applications for immigration to the United States are matters exclusively between the individual applicant and the Government of the United States. The country of nationality or origin of an applicant has no legal or administrative role in decisions relating to the grant or refusal of immigrant status.
In the meantime, the Government of Antigua and Barbuda continues its representations to the relevant United States authorities to secure the removal of Antigua and Barbuda from the list of countries subject to partial visa restrictions, including the requirement for certain visa applicants to post a bond. These efforts remain ongoing and active.
