Dear Editor,

  Permit me to send this letter viral because Lino was a St. Martin/St. Maarten patriot and a gifted musician par excellence.

  Comrades, during his lifetime Raymond "Lino" Hughes produced quite a lot of memorable music to showcase our lovely island. And I would like to add, to his credit, that I believe he was an integral member of "Creole Stars" band. And his big band "Lino and the Hardway", everybody remembers that band. The band could play, plus it had an amazing brass section. It was with that particular band that he produced his signature tune "St. Martin is my home", which prominently displays the abiding love that he had for his country.

  I think it was during the year 2015 when I sent my letter to the Editor with the caption "The Sunshine-City, Guava-Berry Sound". Comrades, I gave out copies of that letter to all the St. Martin/St. Maarten outstanding musicians and artists that I thought of. But I could not in good conscience leave out Lino.

  As fate would have it, I had the good habit (at that time) of hanging out on the Marigot waterfront with the taxi drivers and vendors almost every Saturday. And one day Lino (for lack of a better word) came on the scene. But I did not have any letters with me. Nevertheless, I approached him cordially and I told him my story. And I let him know that I would really like for him to have one of my letters. And that I looked forward to meeting him on the waterfront the following week-end. Unfortunately, he did not come the following weekend. No big thing, I understood his situation.

  I cannot recall when it was, but one day he came on the scene. I greeted him nicely, we shook hands and I handed the letter that I had for him. He told me that he would not be staying; we shook hands and he left. A couple of Saturdays later he came on the scene, and he came directly to me. We shook hands, as usual, and he thanked me. He told me with a big smile on his face that he liked the letter. Your comrade was overjoyed to know that I made Lino feel happy. And he never forgot me. Whenever he would come on the waterfront and I was present he would acknowledge me. And we would sit and have a chat. I feel ecstatic to know that I gave him his flowers before the good Lord took him in the sweet bye-bye.

  In closing, I would like to wish his family well. Keep the faith!

Julien F. Petty

Dear editor,

  Reading Thursday’s paper about the achievement of Saba to export more than one million pounds of recyclables is wonderful news for Saba and I must compliment them on another major achievement.

  Looking at St. Maarten and the problems we have with waste management and lack of interested parties to promote serious recycling makes me wonder what we can learn from Saba.

  In my opinion, how we deal with waste in general is something that we should learn from childhood and carry on from there. Unless parents set the example and teach their children not to litter and to dispose of rubbish in a responsible manner we are not just setting the wrong example, we are in trouble. How often do you not see people disposing of a bottle from their car window onto the kerbside because they cannot be bothered to take it home.

  It is a mindset and until such time that this attitude changes things will not get better. There is an enormous need of rubbish bins in so many areas especially around Philipsburg and these could be sponsored by major businesses. This would make it cost-effective and a simple schedule to empty them twice or three times a week would ensure they are not overflowing with rubbish.

  To come back to recycling , it is a concept that works but I have the feeling that too many people on the island think that the few recycling bins (mainly at residential estates) are only a gimmick and that the items end up on the dump in any case.

  This service needs to be promoted more aggressively to make more people aware and how much effort does it take to separate your rubbish ?

  If the recycling companies would produce monthly figures in the newspaper of weight collected, processed, and shipped it would perhaps encourage more people to use the service.

  Make bins available for recycling in key locations like they do on the French side and let them collect the contents at night as to not disturb the traffic during the day. It works in so many places in the world, why not here?

  There is nothing more off-putting than being confronted by litter all over the island and changing our attitude is all it takes to sort it out

Rene Lammerse

Dear Editor,

  In 2021, our world suffered the deaths of 55 journalists. These men and women were murdered while they carried out their profoundly important profession, seeking the truth wherever it may be found, and at a cost to their families and their lives. During the last week of February 2022 two journalists were murdered in Mexico, with several of their compatriots murdered in 2022. The seeking of the truth has been a dangerous thing to do historically, and the enemies of truth, honesty and justice seem to be prevailing in their efforts to distort and manipulate or hide the reality of our world. At least 14 journalists have died since the Russian-Ukrainian war began.

  We all know that healthy, professional news media are essential for the proper functioning of civil society and democracy at the local, regional, federal and international levels. In fact, UNESCO has declared World Press Freedom Day as an annual observance each May 3^rd. The media usually are challenged by many factors, one of which is that they are businesses that need to make a profit.

  Communities across Canada have lost more than 250 established news outlets due to closings or mergers between 2008 and 2022. The pressures of survival within this medium continue to grow, eliminating many historically important local newspapers, or replacing them as satellite division of greater corporations that dictate their message.

  Many nations’ media outlets are state-controlled and operated as propaganda tools, issuing state-approved information to their populations. The truth or reality of these nations are often manipulated or hidden. The needs of the state often supersede those of their population.

  Many nations recognize the need to protect our free media. Canada’s federal government acknowledged in its 2019 budget that “A strong and independent news media is crucial to a well-functioning democracy,” and many governments both local and state attempt to protect these precious institutions. In Canada, at least 29 municipalities – home to roughly 13 million people in nine provinces across Canada – have passed motions voicing support for journalism in aid of democracy.

  In 2022 Reporters Without Borders RSF reported 65 Journalists were killed, 50 professional journalists, 7 citizen reporters and eight media workers doing their jobs, hunted down by corrupt politicians, the drug cartels, military death squads and criminals. 1035 professional journalists have been killed in the past 15 years.

  The journalism of ideas, presenting what has been investigated, vented and thought out, and then presented logically, creatively to the world … precious. Journalism is not what Rebecca West claimed to be, “that journalism is the ability to meet the challenge of filling space,” but rather “when students/citizens learn to make sense of their world, they become the people who will transform it.” (John Spencer)

  Journalists can be agents of social and political change, social mavericks or the very roots of democracy.

Steven Kaszab

Bradford, Ontario

Dear Editor,

  I believe that the consequence of constantly changing or replacing people in decision-making positions is exactly what is happening here on our island. No consistency in government. I constantly ask myself: where is the proof of continuity in government?

  The only continuity in government is the lack of price control. I believe King Bobo got it exactly right with his calypso "Sint Maarten strong" and I have to add that with all the unstable governments we have had, Sint Maarten people are still coping with all the calamities. We have not deserted our Sweet Sint Maarten. It might not be the most ethical way, but I believe strongly and because of past experience in judging that  "Sint Maarten strong" should be the Sint Maarten Carnival Road March song for 2022. I would even venture to call it the 2022 Sint Maarten Carnival anthem.

 I am not sure what the reasoning is behind government constantly publishing the number of number plates sold this year. The only message in my concept that it is sending is that we must prepare for stickers. It is time for people in government to realize that legacy is not what they do, but how what they do make the people feel. Because it is Carnival season, and even though what I am going to say is about myself, what left  a lasting impression on the people of Sint Maarten and many visitors is the way I directed the Carnival. No longer than  Thursday last, some people met me in the parking lot and told me that I was going to live long, because just a few days before they were talking about  me, and how I directed the Carnival parades, and suddenly they met up with me after not having seen me for a while. That is an example of legacy.

  Not what you try to impress on people, but the impression you leave on them because of what you did. Since 2017 we have been having problems with number plates. No, not number plates, because the number plates do not run the show, it is those people in government who have been constantly asking, "What's in it for me?"  I went on the road in 1966 and from then already the motor vehicle tax administration of both Aruba and Curaçao was bigger than the present motor vehicle administration of Sint Maarten. I hate to have to think that it is incompetence, but how big is that administration that we are consistently having problems with numberplates.

What about copying the good things? In calculating I have concluded that an average of more than three thousand  numbers have not been paid for. Three thousand or more unpaid numbers is far too many for a country with a road infrastructure like Sint Maarten to go undetected. Between the police, the Receiver’s and the motor vehicle inspection office, this should never be possible. We have the resources to do things right. The control on motor vehicle taxes is not diligent enough.

  Looking for and noticing are not the same. They also do not require the same amount of energy. When the number plates are changed yearly, those which are not paid for, stick out like a sore thumb, whereas checking stickers would be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

  It would be advisable to start painting the  pedestrian crossings and the lines dividing the roads and intersections, etc. Paint the lines on the roundabouts so that the drivers do not drive in the middle of the road, defeating the purpose of the roundabout. We need more physical attention at busy intersections during rush hour. These are requests from people to me to write to you about. I write about it because this is also my opinion. My opinion for the longest while now is that we should regulate public transportation. Both administrative as well as the bus stops all over the island. This would slow down illegal transportation and all of those gypsy drivers would have to do that which they were permitted by immigration to come here and do. Pay their rightful taxes and we will start getting rightful order in the place.

  We want our sweet Sint Maarten land back. We have to put our administration in order. So that we can see the trees again. When we can really see who the rightful heirs to Sint Maarten are, then we can start thinking about independence. Up to now my question remains: "Independence from whom for whom?" .

Russell A. Simmons