Dear Editor,
We are presently faced with a serious uptick in crime, one that has shaken the very sense of safety in our communities. It is deeply unfortunate that I myself belong to a system that needs urgent reform – a political system that spends weeks trying to validate or justify crime trends instead of tackling them head-on.
Recently it has been said that the patterns of robberies have changed in 2025, suggesting that what we are experiencing is merely a “higher visibility” of crime rather than an actual increase. In August, it was stated that crime must be addressed with facts, not perception. Yet, as that “perception” has been dismissed, chaos has taken over our streets.
While it was emphasized that public safety must be guided by accurate data and called for an island-wide integrated approach, this reasoning conveniently ignores the reality that robberies are happening more frequently than ever.
Today, we are witnessing armed robberies almost weekly – sometimes twice a week. Guns are being pointed in faces. Shots are being fired. Robberies are taking place inside stores, on the streets, at homes and in broad daylight. It has become a complete disaster.
This wave of crime is not confined to Philipsburg alone. Supermarkets, small businesses, and even family homes have become targets. No one feels safe – neither the cashier closing up late, the homeowner sitting in their living room, nor the individual walking home from work. Our people live with anxiety, constantly looking over their shoulders.
We are an island entirely dependent on tourism. While these robberies deeply affect our residents, they also tarnish the reputation of our destination. Every act of violence erodes the sense of safety that visitors expect, risking a decline in both tourist arrivals and national revenue. On a micro level, one bad experience can prevent a tourist from ever returning. On a macro level, the perception of rising crime threatens our long-term image and viability as a safe, welcoming destination.
While I call on my own coalition members and Ministers to pay serious attention to this crisis, I must also highlight the state of our prison system, which has made our population more vulnerable. The recent release and deportation of violent offenders has, in effect, become a “go free” card – showing the world that we lack the capability and the will to punish crime with intent. We have diluted the principle that if you commit the crime, you must serve the time.
While we work toward long-term social solutions to address the roots of crime, short-term measures must also be enforced. Space in our prisons must be reserved for violent and sexual offenders. Meanwhile, non-violent criminals could serve their sentences through alternative means such as house arrest or community service.
But one thing is non-negotiable:
No violent criminal should walk free. Let crime pay with time.
As we approach the holiday season, I urge every citizen to remain vigilant. Be aware of your surroundings. Look out for your neighbours. Protect your loved ones. Some may criticize my tone or approach – but as a human being, I cannot stay silent while our people live in fear. Sometimes, even leaders must vent to awaken others.
We have to do better.
Member of Parliament (MP) Viren Kotai
Dear Editor,
What right does it give people who have been in government to believe that they are above the law? Does not the lock-up rate for people who have been in government tell them anything? Where is it written that I am free to say what I want as long as it is true? I believe that that mentality is one of the main reasons for the decline in human behaviour in our country. It has been proven over and over that practically anybody who can vote can become Member of Parliament, become a Minister of Government, throw down the government and go home with a ton of money. The proof is in the pudding. One's level of education does not matter.
Ms. Joslyn Morton in her last letter to you demonstrated that she is a boxer who does not know how to "pull punches". Even though I believe that it's an uphill battle. Because like we accustomed to saying "Dain't got no shame". Not too long ago the Prime Minister finally exhaled while admitting that he does not know when last he got good news, on hearing that some young people on Sint Maarten had built a car from scratch. Say one say two. "If he can do it I can do it too" is what is leading our country today and when I have read that an ex-minister of government is taking people to court because the
ex minister overstepped his bounds I myself believe the results of that case is not going to end up in the voice of the people that (because he was a Minister) the ex Minister was right? There is an ordinance which I have referred to in the past, de Algemene Polite Verordening.
I believe that the Minister of Justice can make use of the laws in this ordinance, have the police enforce them and after sentencing make sure the fine is paid or following up by executing whatever the sentence is. There is a Dutch proverb, "Ledigheid is des duivels oorkussen" (The devil will always find work for idle hands). My strong advice at this time would be, that the Ministry of Justice rearrange their priorities where it concerns negative civic behaviour.
Russell A SIMMONS
Dear Editor,
Parliament’s decision to appoint MP Peterson as Chair of the Committee for Spatial Planning, Infrastructure and Housing is nothing short of outrageous. This is not just the largest and most influential committee in Parliament it is one that demands the highest level of integrity from its leadership.
On June 12, 2025, The Daily Herald reported that national detectives have launched a formal investigation into a physical altercation allegedly involving MP Peterson. The St. Martin News carried the same report, and the Prosecutor’s Office confirmed that the investigation is active. Yet, in full knowledge of these facts, Parliament chose not only to ignore them but to reward the individual at the center of the controversy.
Let’s not forget that MP Peterson has had various run-ins with the law incidents that have directly impacted his appointment as Minister. In fact, it was precisely for this reason that he could not pass the screening process to become Minister. If those standards disqualified him from ministerial appointment, how can he now be trusted with chairing the very committee that oversees spatial planning and infrastructure?
It is telling that PFP leader Melissa Gumbs described MP Peterson as “a valued and trusted member” of her party, while conceding that she “takes this matter very seriously” and emphasizing that “accountability is a value expected of every PFP member.” But those statements ring hollow in the face of this appointment. If the PFP truly practices what it preaches, MP Peterson’s appointment should be immediately suspended until the investigation is concluded.
This is a slap in the face to every citizen who believes in justice, transparency, and good governance. The Party for Progress has built its reputation on those very ideals. How can the public take that messaging seriously when its actions so clearly contradict its words?
Let’s be clear: promoting someone facing serious allegations to a leadership role is a blatant disregard for public trust. It sends a dangerous message that political power shields individuals from consequences, and that integrity is optional when it becomes inconvenient.
Parliament has failed the people with this decision. If it wishes to restore even a shred of credibility, it must act decisively and that begins with suspending MP Peterson’s appointment to the committee until the investigation is resolved.
Albert Bryan
Dear Editor,
As the long-time steward of Lotterie Farm, I read Rajesh Chintaman’s article, “Are We Saving Our Green?” with deep resonance, and, frankly, a sense of sorrowful familiarity.
For the past two decades, I’ve dedicated my life to protecting what remains one of the island’s last intact microclimate forest canopies. Long before “sustainability” became fashionable, I committed to a path that proves preservation and progress are not mutually exclusive. Through Lotterie Farm, I’ve worked to show that eco-commerce, when approached with intention and humility, can support conservation, not destroy it.
We didn’t clear-cut. We built around the forest. We let the canopy dictate the design. Every trail, every structure, every experience was designed to exist within the natural environment, not at its expense. And where trees were lost to storms or time, we replanted, thousands of them.
The forest at Lotterie Farm still stands because we chose a different path. Not an easier one. A slower, more deliberate one, but one that allowed nature to remain in conversation with the human footprint.
The article rightly calls out the unchecked developments scarring our hillsides, projects that erase tamarind trees, silk cottons, mangoes, and replace them with concrete and regret. That reality is not abstract. It’s real. And yet, this forest still breathes.
We’ve weathered hurricanes, economic pressure, and bureaucratic challenges. But through it all, we’ve held to one simple truth: You can build without destroying.
I don’t write this seeking praise. I write it because this model is possible, and it’s replicable. The question the article raises, “Are we saving our green?”, is not rhetorical. It’s urgent. And the answer depends on the decisions we make right now.
I stand in full support of stronger environmental oversight, transparent permitting, and a tree protection framework that’s actually enforced. But more than that, I believe private landowners and developers must step up, not as adversaries, but as partners in protection. I’ve spent 20 years proving it can be done.
The forest at Lotterie Farm is a living argument, that shade is worth more than shortcuts, that trees hold memory, that legacy matters. And as long as I am able, I will continue to fight for every root, every branch, every canopy that still has a chance to stand.
Respectfully: William Welch
Dear Editor,
Those of us who try our utmost to adhere to the laws of this land are becoming weary of seeing other people blatantly disobey the rules. Strangely, this action does not seem to be a bother to those responsible for ensuring that these regulations are being upheld. So, what sense does it make for us to abide by the laws? And, how do the authorities expect the bikers to respect the traffic rules and that the youngsters quit committing these robberies?
St. Maarten has become the Wild, Wild West. It’s either the police force has no control of the streets or they really do not care. Earlier this week I went into Philipsburg, and it was alarming to see the amount of huge trailer trucks and monster trucks transporting sand, dirt and big boulders in the middle of the day. What was also disturbing is that almost every one of these vehicles did not have a license plate.
Besides, not one monster truck had a cover over the materials that they were transporting. How these wrongdoings are allowed to take place, when the traffic regulations are very clear? Yet, the authorities are demanding that the bikers quit popping their bikes in the middle of the streets and at the same time, they expect the youngsters to stop the robberies. Again, what sense does it make for us to follow the law?
This is why the police force is having a very difficult time recruiting youngsters to join the organization. As much as the youth seemed to have lost their way, there are still quite a few who would have liked to serve in this capacity, if the image was different. First of all, the uniform does not command respect. Before 10-10-10, I used to admire the police and immigration officers, because the uniform was appealing. Now, the attire resembles that of security guards.
Apart from that, wherever you turn, day and night, the sidewalks are blocked with vehicles. Pedestrians forever being frustrated with stepping on and off the pavement. There is no consideration for someone with a cane, a wheelchair or even an injured leg. Then, what is the use of the footpaths, if pedestrians cannot utilize them without obstructions? So, maybe government needs to dig up all of them and let us walk in the middle of the streets.
Everywhere on St. Maarten there are cameras. What good are they, if the information is not being compiled and levied against those who have committed these infractions? On another note: Why are so many drivers and a few bikers, drive without headlights; whether it’s early in the morning, early evening or when it is raining? Is this the kind of behaviour that the community will embrace for it to become the norm?
This conduct is very dangerous, because if a pedestrian or driver is not cognizant of their surroundings, these lawbreakers will crash into them or vice versa. Sometimes the engine is so soft that it’s difficult to hear until the vehicle or bike is very close by. So, is it that the police force is not aware of this gradual and dangerous behaviour or they have better things to do? Yet, they want the youth to stop popping the bikes in the streets and quit with the robberies.
Why is the law applicable for some and not for others? Isn’t there a law against heavily tinted vehicles? How come this is still a matter of concern? But again, this conduct started in government, yet they want the public to adhere to the rules. Until they set the example, the public will remain defiant. So, what sense does it make for us to follow the law?
Another thing: over and over, people are whispering about nationals of a particular country, survive on smuggling people oversees. Busloads of people assemble and leave Cay Hill and Cole Bay, at all hours of the night, to board a boat in Simpson Bay. Is this not the residence of the coastguard – one of the institutes that is tasked to protect the integrity of this country? If the people are aware of this activity, why wouldn’t the police, customs and the coastguard, have the same knowledge?
In a previous article, I mentioned that apart from these crooked politicians, these 3 organizations have helped to create this lawless community, because they have failed to protect the integrity of this country.
Joslyn Morton
