~ Chairman and Members of the Committee on Kingdom Relations ~

My line of communication seems fairly consistent over the past few years. Perhaps even so that I occasionally repeat myself. At the same time, I have the impression that my clout is not that great; I can only guess at the reason, but something tells me that it has to do with the fact that St. Eustatius (or more broadly: the Dutch Caribbean) has little impact in terms of electorate anyway. That actually makes it worse. After all, the government is also there for the weak or minorities in society. In that case, Statians are apparently – even less than by way of example mosquitoes. And didn't Mahatma Ghandi once say that you can measure the quality of a country's civilization by how it treats animals?
At the most recent meeting of the Island Council, a motion was passed to the effect that shortcomings, errors or delays in the process that have been or are being caused by the Dutch government and the representative on St. Eustatius (i.e., the government commissioner) should under no circumstances be passed on to the Island Council. Reading the explanation of the motion makes it more than clear that the Island Council is being manipulated– not to say blackmailed – by the Dutch government.
In addition to the argument in and around this motion, I call to mind the Van Wijzen report, which underlies the intervention (in 2018) in the democracy of St. Eustatius. The offer letter of this report states, among other things, "The commission also criticizes the Netherlands. It identifies a situation in which the Netherlands has stood aside for too long, both where the helping hand is concerned, and with regard to the debate about (more) autonomy. The committee also identifies an attitude in the Netherlands that is characterized by disinterest and the lack of a shared vision."
In all the criteria that would have to be met to return to full democracy - according to the one-sided observation by the European Netherlands - lies only action for St. Eustatius (sometimes even a bit much, after all: why a local Court of Auditors? How many European Dutch cities have a Court of Auditors? So many municipalities do not, but they do have a "normal" municipal government.
And is there now a broad interest in the Caribbean Netherlands? And a shared vision? A vision is more of a 'dirty thing' for this cabinet than a framework from which to work; there have been enough jokes about that in the media, so I won't do that here now. But the average Dutchman (and I also think the average Member of Parliament) - if they exist - may know about the Caribbean islands in the Kingdom and may have been there on vacation, but hardly anyone knows and realizes that there are three small islands that are part of 'our' European Netherlands as a public body. Of that much I am convinced,
Furthermore, I read (even more recently) that VWS is coming up with a proposal to organize (youth) care in the Dutch Caribbean on an equal footing with that of the European Netherlands. Nota bene, the article states that it is not the intention that we adopt that one-on-one from the Netherlands. Here is the crux as far as I am concerned. The Constitution states in Article 1 that all Dutch people are treated equally in equal cases, not equal according to the circumstances. So as far as I'm concerned, it is precisely the intention that it be adopted one-to-one, until it turns out that something cannot be done (for which we will then find a solution). Drenthe, Zeeland or Groningen are also "different" from Amsterdam or Rotterdam. Yet here one does not speak of an equivalent healthcare system. No, in the Netherlands all this is "equal" (not "equivalent"). In my view, this too is called institutional discrimination: the basis is laid (or reinforced) here for the difference between first- and second-class Dutchmen (in the European and Caribbean Netherlands, respectively).
So, with this proposal of minVWS we add yet another discriminatory 'thingy' to the set of discriminatory instruments. After all, the (reprehensible) discussion about the social minimum in the Caribbean Netherlands is still going on. If it is up to the current cabinet, this discussion will be kept going for a very antisocial long time because that only holds up the factual action and the cabinet then considers itself 'excused' from corrective action. I read in the newspaper these days similar opportunistic diving behaviour of the cabinet when it comes to reinforcing homes in Groningen in relation to the danger of earthquakes from gas extraction.
I conclude this letter with one more point of difference, which is income tax. In my previous letter I mentioned the degree of income skewing. On St. Eustatius (and in the Caribbean Netherlands in a broader sense), the skewness in incomes (i.e., the gap between rich and poor) is about one-and-a-half times greater than in the European Netherlands. This is mainly due to the low and non-progressive method of taxation.
I will give you an example: I count myself about two to three times modal when it comes to my monthly income and net that results in about 1,000 euros (per month) more when living on St. Eustatius than when (at the same gross income) tax is levied in the European Netherlands. You see, the wave of homebuyers on Bonaire is not just because of the glorious weather there! In my opinion, this inequality should be ended immediately! But yes, that could mean cutting into one's own flesh as well.... I say then: 'noblesse oblige'.
Finally, I ended a previous letter with this as well: a comment on laws and regulations in general. Fully in line with the Constitution – Article 132a, paragraph 4 (about the public body) – own island legislation and regulations can be established if circumstances on the island are essentially different from those in the European Netherlands. That requires consultation with the island's Island Council and not a club of lawyers in a European Dutch backroom putting together clever little phrases without any consultation. Serious, respectful consultation between equal discussion partners then more or less automatically leads to moral leadership, but at the moment we are still a long way from that situation.

J.H.T. (Jan) Meijer

Minister for VROMI Honourable Doran,
The people from Middle Region need your attention concerning the sewage metal covers. Between Romeo Drive to A.J. Richardson Drive on the main road of Middle Region they are very noisy at day and night, 24/7. The covers need to be properly sealed to decrease the noise when vehicles drive upon them.
Also, the road lights on poles M-23 and M-24 are not lighting. See what you can do very soon to get the situation fixed for the people from Middle Region.
Middle Region is not a ghetto: please take out all these red pipes, cables and concrete columns off both sides of the sidewalks.
We heard you plan to pave Basseterre Road. This sounds great, excellent. And also, on behalf of Middle Region Community Council, A.J. Richardson Drive needs to be paved also 150 feet from its entrance.
Also, at the Richard Drive there is a river every time it rains; it needs to be taken care of by government at all times; the people need government’s assistance.
Minister, the water meters for the people at Basseterre, Richard Drive and A.J. Richardson Drive are too far from the homes. Minister, take out the water meters from the main road and bring the water meters nearer to the residence.
Thanks in advance for your cooperation, Minister. Middle Region is looking out for your kind help.

Cuthbert Bannis

Dear Editor,
I would like to reiterate the concerns of the United St. Maarten Party expressed back in February of this year in an article titled “Something is drastically afoul at PJIA [Princess Juliana International Airport – Ed.]”.
The United St. Maarten Party leader Mrs. Pamela Gordon-Carty had also called for a forensic audit into the airport operations, finances and management, around the same time. To date none has been completed or initiated.
The board at the time called management “a failure for leaving St. Maarten without the full services of its main economical port for almost five years.” They also questioned airport management and the NRPB [National Recovery Program Bureau] announcement of cost increases, which raised the reconstruction cost from US $90 million to $150 million.
Today we see the possibility of additional cost being incurred with the plans to rent tents and move operations outside the building. We are regressing with no mentions of accountability, new timelines or penalties for the setback.
The silence from those responsible for accountability is deafening. Who signs off on the construction progress reports? What is the Supervisory Board’s (PJIAE) function with regard to the reconstruction? What instructions or queries has the Holding Board (PJIAH) dispatched to the Supervisory Board (PJIAE)?
The public announcements were very forthcoming during the handling of the Mikey Hyman fiasco – why are the boards so silent now?
The original tender was awarded to Ballast Nedam for the sum of $90 million. After the bid was accepted, things such as contingency, third party work and insurance were some of the vague justifications given for projected cost overruns that ballooned the reconstruction cost to $150 million. Those justifications satisfied the World Bank’s strict requirements and processes at the time and additional financing was approved without the need for a new tender.
The NRPB is also in a position to shed some light on the latest developments at the airport since they should have been the recipients of progress reports on behalf of the World Bank. They would also know whether the current situation falls under the umbrella of the cost overruns financed by the World Bank, after the tender was won, because they scrutinised and processed the application on behalf of PJIA and Ballast Nedam for the additional financing.
It’s going to be interesting to see if all the red tape processes, checks and balances championed by NRPB on behalf of the World Bank hold any water.
The slow rate of execution for the building and rebuilding of homes, our sports facilities and schools, according to the NRPB, stems from World Bank processes, which many at the NRPB see as a great opportunity for us to learn how to apply effective processes that prevent corruption and nepotism. Meanwhile, two companies awarded major financing for reconstruction projects, namely Ballast Nedam and/or its parent company and Windward Roads, have convictions for bribery. Over $500 million was given to the World Bank for reconstruction, of the hundreds of millions spent thus far, and with the multitude of local contractors that we have, zero local millionaires have been created.
The Supervisory Board of PJIA is also in a great position to shed some light on whether or not the expected cost overruns are covered in the financing of the previously approved contingency since its newest member Anisa Dijkhoffz is a project manager at NRPB. The Holding Board (PJIAH) should have been informed by the Supervisory Board (PJIAE) well in advance of the delays and new plans of approach at PJIA. Government’s letter to PJIAE does not absolve the Holding Board (PJIAH) of its responsibility to the shareholder, it incriminates it.
The dossier filled with alleged infractions at PJIA submitted to Parliament and the Council of Ministers by Mr. Mikey Hyman was never addressed, but he was fired as COO [chief operations officer] of PJIA for allegedly not following protocols.
The airport was originally constructed for $87 million and refurbishing it is now at $150 million and counting. Meanwhile PJIA employees are being divided on the issue of their cost-of-living adjustment. High season is upon us, and returning visitors are about to be greeted with a negative experience of long lines and frustration if all goes as planned.
The strategic response to this incubation of another failed board at a government-owned company is a letter written to the Supervisory Board (PJIAE) instead of the Holding Board (PJIAH) whose responsibility it is to report to government based on protocol and good corporate governance. A country’s best interest can never be properly safeguarded if organised confusion continues to take precedence over leadership.

Cecil Nicholas
President of the board of the United St. Maarten Party

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