Dear Editor,
Goods and life in general are getting increasingly expensive by the day everywhere, and especially in Sint Maarten; our country that already is well-known internationally to be awfully expensive to live in. Nowadays each and every local business is using the war in Ukraine as an excuse to raise their sales prices even more than during the recent pandemic, as there are no price controls.
It is worrisome how we, the people of this already expensive country, have to face the future financially, and how this government expects us to be able to survive without any salary/pension raises or government measures to alleviate this unbearable financial burden on its citizens. This island is becoming priceless for the ordinary man, as well as for tourists. If this government does not step up its act, this country will become abandoned for greener pastures with at least more financial security.
Today, the price of gasoline was raised again with Ang. 0,08 per litre, from Ang. 2,74 to Ang. 2,82. Everywhere around us the price of gasoline is being adjusted (read: lowered) by other governments in order to lend a helping hand to the already stretched wallet and budget of their citizens, but this is not the case in Sint Maarten.
On the contrary. Last week, the government of Curaçao lowered their price for gasoline with Ang. 0,25 per litre, from Ang. 2,63 to Ang. 2,38. Yesterday, it was also publicized through international media that the oil price has decreased from US $128. to US $99. per barrel, which is the same price a barrel has cost before the Ukrainian war started on February 24.
So, how can the government of this country justify just now to raise the price of gasoline even more since the last raise of 2-3 weeks ago? How does government explain this 14% raise for gas to the citizens now that the oil price per barrel has decreased with 22,6%? Is no one going to react or say anything about this mismanagement by government, whose only goal seems to be to milk the citizens without any scruples?
A concerned citizen
Name withheld at author’s request
Dear Government of Sint Maarten,
This practice whereby concerned citizens, persons affected, neighbors, etc. are required to physically go to the Government building to review permit applications which may have consequences for them needs to stop! We live in the digital age, make relevant components of permit applications available online for all to view.
Making people suffer through trying to actually make an appointment in the first place (phones are hardly ever answered, emails are seldom answered or answered late) followed by an in-person visit to review the applications with one or more civil servants staring them down in the process is not the way public consultation/review processes should take place.
Pride Foundation Board members have in the past often been faced with developers miraculously calling them minutes after Board members reviewed permit applications. This needs to stop! Stop putting the interests of the few over the interests and well-being of the many!
We repeat, put permit applications online for all to review!! Change whatever legislation or policy needs to be changed in order to facilitate this.
Rueben J. Thompson
President, Pride Foundation
Dear Editor,
These days I am frequently hearing content creators discuss what’s to be expected in our near future, and many people are sharing feelings of anxiety and foreboding. They talk about preparing for many eventualities like food shortages, economic crash, electro-magnetic pulses/solar flash, increasing censorship, and excessive government control and domination. All those who are making decisions that infringe upon natural and universal law and moral codes need to realize that they themselves will in the end be on the receiving end of all the frustration torment they have put citizens of the nations through.
I have never seen so many people throughout the world share such extreme stress and confusion that they are living through. Our men, who are supposed to, or expected to be the support and strength for their families, are caving in or collapsing under the extra burdens that are being placed upon them. Their female companions, though also heavily stressed, are holding up better than them.
All these happenings can really pull on one’s heartstrings. Those who continue to intentionally do this sort of injury and destruction to human evolution are ignoring and discarding the universal laws and moral codes knowing that their actions are being observed and recorded by the spiritual hierarchy for their final judgement. These ones are ignoring the fact that there are laws and moral codes higher, above any laws or mandates they implement in this realm.
Free will is one of the greatest universal laws that must be respected. Any and everyone has the right to reject anything that goes against their conscience. Consenting to anything that does not sits well with your inner being is disastrous to your karmic destiny. Stating that “The devil made me do it” never releases anyone from responsibility or accountability.
Now for the very positive potential future outcomes. These six paragraphs are taken from Spiritman:
Joseph Tittel’s 2022 world predictions notes. 2022 will be a year where amazing new connections, friendships and mentors can appear to help us achieve our fullest potential and our lives soul purpose. It will be a year of innovation, amazing new ancient discoveries and truth of ancient wisdom, world changing inventions, especially new safety type of inventions keeping people, animals and Mother Earth much safer.
2022 is a year of over-analyzing that which no longer serves us and that which we refuse to put up with any longer or simply will no longer tolerate. This is followed by an over-analyzing of what we do want, what we deserve and what we need to do to take action and make powerful changes.
It could likely be a year with new wars, but for humanity as a whole it is the next big leap into the great awakening. The true wars will be the people finally rising up to take back our power, freedoms and soul birthrights. It is an exciting time to be alive when you plug into the beauty our lives have to offer.
This is a great time to reflect back on the blessings that came with 2021, the challenges you conquered and the growth you experienced in return. A powerful time to hold visions for 2022 and your future. where is it you want to be? Know you are already there in the future. Celebrate it now, feel the emotion and how it feels to already be there in the future.
“Overwhelm yourself with excitement in anticipation of the amazing future that lies ahead!” (Quote from Ester Hicks)
Only the messenger
Dear Editor,
The Department of Communication published a brief on Facebook called “Raising the Bar for facilitation of factual information to the public”.
In this brief they refer to a 2017 policy regulating the execution of the weekly press briefing of the council of ministers. This policy has now been amended and all media partners have to reapply for a press pass, valid for one year..
The brutal part here is where they say: “It is at the discretion of DCOMM and ultimately the Council of Ministers who will determine the caliber of reporting/journalism permitted to question the executive branch of government.”
Let that sink in for a minute, even totalitarian countries don’t put it that bold! We choose our governments by general elections and have the right to question our governments on their decision-making and execution. Journalism is one of the tools the population has to ask these questions.
Government has no place and no right to choose who they like and who they do not like to ask the questions and to report on them.
Our journalists know what needs to be done now, sharpen your pens, fill up your blogs and vlogs, don’t let them get away with this travesty.
Binkie van Es
Dear Chairman and Members of the Committees I&W and KR,
Much has been written about intra-island connectivity but very little is actually happening. The impression exists that the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management has no interest in or responsibility for the Dutch Caribbean.
For a lot of money passengers can travel from St. Eustatius to elsewhere. In practice this “elsewhere” is limited to St. Maarten, from where people can travel on to various other destinations, including the Netherlands and the United States, but also St. Kitts and Nevis and other islands in this area.
Winair is the airline that in principle gives shape to this connectivity (to and from St. Eustatius). Three comments on this:
Winair knows itself to be a monopolist and behaves like one: outrageous fares (for a relatively poor population) in return for a very unreliable service.
Where a few years ago the trip to St. Maarten v.v. could be made several times a (every) day, it is now a lottery with many staples and changes (which moreover are often only announced at the last minute).
Recently there is the much-talked-about ferry of which the good observer can see that in practice the crew of the boat is a significant part of the number of people on board. In other words, there are almost no (paying) passengers. However, this letter is mainly concerned with connectivity by air.
And so it can happen that already for the second time a delegate from Fontys college has to cancel his trip to St. Eustatius because he has no chance of being transferred from St. Maarten to St. Eustatius.
But then again, who cares. After all, it’s only St. Eustatius. There are prospective students on the island who would have liked to have had contact with this Fontys representative but – thanks to Winair, the monopolist maintained by the Dutch government – that visit is now cancelled for a second time.
In the European Netherlands there is always the possibility of a real-life orientation to the new school when preparing for a follow-up study. On St. Eustatius one has to rely on the Internet and information. The latter is now again denied to our students-to-be.
The task neglect law of February 2018 aimed for better governance with an eye for the needs of the residents. The notion that at some point it doesn’t matter if you get bitten by the dog or the cat makes residents, who on average may not be highly educated but have certainly developed a razor-sharp sense of whether leaders are really there for them or are more focused on themselves (and their own wallets).
For example, I don’t know exactly how things work but I understand that a can of “influencers” have been opened up to talk favorably on the various social media about the investment being made by Mr. Barnhoorn on the island. I can’t imagine that this group of “influencers” will be hindered in any way. Problems with transportation to and from St. Eustatius? With a lot of money and a focused island government, these inconveniences will surely be prevented.
There is a chance that you – the reader of this letter – think that I am setting a somewhat sour, frustrated tone. However, I can assure you that my feelings are not frustrated, and that they don’t really matter. Furthermore, I am of course also one of those Dutch people who are not directly affected by this connectivity issue.
What matters to me is the prevailing feeling that the Dutch and local government is actually not making any effort to stand up for the Statian people. Winair’s interests rank one, two and three; the interests of the Statian people rank 9, 12, 23 or much lower.
The only thing I am aiming for with this letter is for you to understand how The Hague policy is being implemented on our island and to what undesirable result this leads. I say undesirable because in my view good governance should lead to broad, social gains for the residents in particular. But maybe I am just witnessing a very refined policy whereby the small group of elite is enormously benefited in line with the policy set out by The Hague. Well, who knows? …
May I once again wish you much wisdom with your supervision of government policy?
J.H.T. (Jan) Meijer
St. Eustatius
