Dear Editor,
The published literature describing the history of St. Martin has misled our people in so many ways that we are confused about fact and fiction. In all countries in development, rising up means building people in mind, body, and soul. Knowing your history becomes a priority and it is time that we St. Martiners get our historical facts published so that we have the correct information. I commend all those who are making dire efforts in concretizing information for publication.
On a day like St. Martin Day, November 11, we celebrate and acknowledge the North and South sides as “A united people of St. Martin”, or as we often say, “one people”. The “one people” concept of this island is real, even though there are physical borders and two administrations. When we speak of unity of the people, we break down all barriers in order to make us one, namely our culture, our language, our values, and our heritage, which are inherent in us.
When Dr. Claude Wathey and Dr. Hubert Petit in 1959 planned the 11th of November, it was to celebrate the people “together as one” … one island, one people, one destiny! What great vision they had as we celebrate St. Martin Day for the 62nd time this year!
The “people concept” hereof residing on both sides of the Island, recognizing the unity and oneness of this Island must never be forgotten. November 11 is our day, a unique national day of the people of this island, which now embraces many people and many cultures but one destiny; St. Martin.
The people of St. Martin remain inspired to attain and maintain the nation’s sovereignty, autonomy, and peaceful existence. Much can be said about the spirit of the people of this Island, through their resilience when encountered with the challenges of their complex history, polity, natural disasters (hurricanes, earthmoving, and pandemics), and unnecessary socio-economic threats in the form of poverty, and lack of opportunity and hope.
The soul of the people of St. Martin is triumphant, because of its resilience, its drive and guide to attain and maintain a St. Martin unified socio-cultural reality and heritage. The aim of the people of this constituent state is constantly focused on and guaranteeing the natural “one people” experience of this island.
Although history in all its dimensions is a contributing factor towards the evolution of a people’s future, it is detrimental for reflection on St. Martin Day to acknowledge the past and especially to accentuate and use this day as a tool to aid the empowerment and enforcement of our nation-building in progress.
Our resiliency, our persistent struggle to conscientize our own people to assume more responsibility as a committed citizen in this country, our urge to improve the pillars that really make our constituent state an autonomous country, and our proven success in living peacefully in a country with more than 120 nationalities, must encourage us to continue celebrating our St. Martin Day with the aspiration to continue improving the livelihood of our people in spite of our restrictive financial resources.
St. Martin Day celebration is a catalyzer to enforce the progress of an already existing promising unification in this country. It is all about our responsibility as a citizen, our pride, honor, dignity, and integrity to empower our island identity and future. The history of our people is embedded in the stories of our ancestors, the music and dance of our people, the food and remedies of our soil, and the occupations of our hands and minds. The labor and love, the blood and tears, renewed hopes and dreams of the people of this country have given birth to a national consciousness that must be acknowledged with this celebration on St. Martin Day.
In achieving our national destiny, which can only be prepared for democratically, lies our fullest sense of nationhood and prosperity.
Hence, I will continue to conscientize my people who deserve this great day called: “St. Martin Day.”
Congratulations St. Martin!
Dr. Luc Mercelina
Political Leader of the URSM
Dear Editor,
On November 4, 2021, an article was published in The Daily Herald with the heading “Quad passenger in hospital after collision”. The driver of the Hyundai Grand, W.P., who was involved in this accident told this newspaper that the article didn’t reflect properly what occurred that day.
Most important are the following:
1. The quad-driver had lost control and ended up on the other end of road, thereby causing the accident and hitting the Hyundai Grand. Incorrect was the statement that the quad was hit from behind.
2. The accident took place at around 2:30pm (and not around 6:00pm).
The whole story of the driver of the Hyundai Grand is as follows:
On the afternoon of November 3, 2021, while at work and just before 2:30pm I was driving along the Airport Main Road heading towards Maho. When I was passing the airport Taxi Entrance in a distance, I noticed there were two (2) ATV quad riders traveling at a high rate of speed in the opposite lane heading towards the airport. I then noticed that one (1) of the ATV quad riders was heading directly towards my vehicle. I immediately stepped on my brakes and pulled to the furthest right to avoid a head-on collision with the ATV quad.
Unfortunately, the ATV Quad collided into the right front of my vehicle. Due to the impact the ATV quad ended up against the airport’s guard wall parallel (to the left) of where my vehicle was stationary.
Driver of the Hyundai Grand
Dear Editor
Allow me to play my violin as backup music to the disingenuous Rolando Brison “me, me, me sob story” I just watched as he announced his resignation from the position of President of Parliament.
Mr. Brison has convinced himself that the position he is leaving is (in part) a limiting factor in his own development. After all, healing takes time … from the Parliament chairmanship at least. His fall from grace (although self-inflicted) is a cautionary tale.
It’s been a long time since I personally told him that he impressed me as being very smart and “going places” on the ladder of success. (At the time I was Chairman of the Winair Board). I have now concluded that he is a damaged figure (possibly in need of professional help), having displayed a total lack of scruples and very little, if any, humility. He has elected himself the president of his own fan club.
Rolando has the gift of gab and probably can sell ice to Eskimos. But please don’t let those crocodile tears fool you. This young man is doing the only thing he can do to prevent himself from being unceremoniously removed from the PoP position or otherwise judged for his behavior on the floor of Parliament. He is very clearly retreating for “better times”.
I suggest you sit back and wait for his next “faux pas”.
Michael J. Ferrier
Dear Chairman and members of the Kingdom Relations Committee,
I do not have anything really new to say but if the power of the message lies in repetition then I would like to elaborate on one aspect of my previous letters.
My overall idea is that the inhabitants of the Caribbean Netherlands (whereby I wish to limit myself in principle to the island of St. Eustatius), without realizing it themselves, actually find themselves in a legally comfortable, perhaps even privileged position.
Dear Editor,
Whilst the socio-economic developments on the Island are on the rise, namely the inter islands transport ferry service and the new ban on single-use disposables, government should also look into the possibility of subsidizing or seeking alternative cost-efficient cargo/freight services to the Island, as this will play an integral role towards the advancement of the economic sector, particularly the small businesses which make up an estimated 90% of the island’s economy.
This added value will also relieve entrepreneurs, supermarkets and hardware stores of the stringent measures put in place as a result of the Covid pandemic, which also impacted the hospitality food and beverage sector.
As a result of the new measures, namely the ‘ban on single-use plastic’ which was enforced particularly in the hospitality sector and supermarkets. This brought an additional cost of 2-4x the amount spent on regular disposable products that is now being absorbed into small business profits. The subsidy would also help to ease with the general increase in food, gas and construction materials.
In speaking with several supermarkets, restaurants, guest houses and entrepreneurs, we are all in agreement that a subsidy of at least 30% would indeed be not only necessary, but imperative for the cost of goods and services to maintain some form of normalcy. This will also be more in line with the favourable increase in minimum wage, rather than having prices go up even further, we can now level the playing field.
Vaughn M. Sams
