Dear Editor,
On May 8, my wife and I pulled into a local gas station and filled the family car’s tank. It wasn’t intended as a smart move, nor did it result from a premonition. It was just dumb luck. Within 24 hours, we were driving past gas stations with yellow plastic bags over the pump handles and “no gas” signs at the lot entrances.
On May 7 – although they didn’t bother to tell us until a day later – Colonial Pipeline shut down 5,500 miles of pipeline, which normally carries almost half the gas sold on the US east coast, due to a cyberattack. On the evening of May 9, to take the edge off, the Biden administration declared an emergency covering 17 states, lifting restrictions on delivering gasoline by truck. No word on when the pipeline will resume operation.
For the last few years, as the price of electricity produced by sunlight and wind power has continued to drop, fossil fuel flacks have insistently informed us that the problem with solar and wind power are that they’re “intermittent and incapable of meeting our needs” (as Ron Stein puts it in Natural Gas Now, an online publication put out by, surprise, the natural gas lobby).
Well, they’re right to a degree: The sun only shines so many hours a day, and we can have cloudy days; the wind isn’t always blowing at sufficient speeds to turn turbines.
What we really need, they say, is reliable old coal, oil, and natural gas.
The fossil fuel advocates either ignore or minimise the progress of a third technology: Large battery storage capacity. We’re getting better and better at generating the electricity when conditions are good, then delivering that electricity to your home (or from a home battery rig) when it’s needed.
Another thing the fossil fuel advocates ignore is just how vulnerable fossil fuels are to intermittency due to long and not always reliable supply chains. Pipeline or drilling rig accidents or attacks. Labour conflicts. Derailed trains or wrecked trucks. Suez Canal blockages. Wars, or warlike political embargoes or blockades.
“Intermittency” isn’t the only complaint we hear from the fossil fuel lobby, of course. They also like to complain about government subsidies to renewable energy sources like wind and solar.
I’m with them on that. But the thing is, they’re not with themselves on that.
Fossil fuels are by far the most government-subsidised energy form on Earth – everything from “steal that land via eminent domain so we can run a pipeline over it,” to “hey, could you pretty please send the US Navy out to secure our tanker routes, take out a competitor, or scare a stubborn supplier?”
Then they throw a hissy if a renewable energy competitor gets special tax treatment on a new solar panel factory.
Coal, oil, maybe even natural gas are on their way out, even with the massive subsidies they’ve enjoyed for more than a century. Withdraw the subsidies – all of them, to everyone – and the market will likely make even shorter work of fossil fuels.
Thomas L. Knapp
The Government and Dr. Gerstenbluth have done a fantastic job to get the number of infections under control in record time. Along with that, they have applied enormous effort to increase the number of vaccinated people in Curaçao. CHATA is extremely grateful to them for this.
The people of Curaçao and the companies have contributed a lot to this pandemic. The population tolerated the limiting restrictions on their fundamental rights and the companies have made great financial sacrifices. Now that the situation is under control, we as a tourist industry expected that the fact that the virus is under control again would result in release of measures that re-activate the sector and thus our economy again. After all, during the partial lockdown of the past 6 weeks, it is almost impossible to attract tourists to our island under these circumstances. And everyone knows that especially the tourism industry was one that has been hit hardest.
It is incomprehensible that this has not happened. We had at least expected that people would be allowed to go to the beach and that the Plachi di Dia would be removed. Everyone knows that these two things contribute little or nothing to the number of infections. It has been proven that no one gets infected in open air, and on the beach, certainly not if they keep their distance, and if you are in the car with your housemates the risk of infection is not greater than when you are at home. However, the relaxation of these specific measures had certainly contributed to the return of tourists to our island.
In addition, the implementation of the antigen test to be taken three days after arrival remains unacceptable, especially for the tourism industry stakeholders. Firstly, everyone who comes to Curaçao would already have had to take a PCR [polymerase chain reaction – Ed.] test. Secondly, the antigen tests are very unreliable. Therefore, it could result in a false positive, which would ensure that the tourist in question has to be quarantined with all their fellow travelers for the rest of their holiday. Lastly, the extra implementation of this test means that people who stay a week in Curaçao would have to test at least 3 times, but most probably 4 times, which is means that tourists easily will choose for another destination and stay far away from Curaçao.
This is without mentioning the incredibly difficult procedure to use 3 or 4 different apps, uploading various files, and paying online, to get an entry document for Curaçao. Furthermore, the technical flaws that this platform has, already resulted in dozens of travelers that had to be left standing at both Schiphol and Miami, are a disgrace for Curaçao!
The fact that none of these three points, which the tourist industry specifically requested to not be implemented, have been installed anyway, makes it very difficult to demand support and commitment from the same companies that have to bear the financial consequences once again.
In addition, this ensures that there is still no prospect for the approximately 50 per cent employees of the total tourism industry, and its suppliers, who are currently unemployed. Note that this is roughly 16,000 people, and with their family members it could be approximately 40,000 people who do not know whether they will have a living again tomorrow.
By not implementing more flexible measures, companies must also continue to make use of the NOW scheme and thus cutting the salary of their employees by 20 per cent. This has been going on for 14 months and is no longer to be asked of from our staff. At CHATA, we are 100 per cent behind the Government's vaccination policy and therefore support it wherever we can.
What we find very strange as well, is that people who have been vaccinated are not exempted from all testing obligations and they are not allowed to move more freely. We think this would be a very good incentive for people to get vaccinated and this will have a very positive effect on the number of tourists that come to our beautiful island as well.
In summary, we can say that for the tourism industry, the related companies and all employees, the relaxation of the measures as they have now been implemented is very disappointing and is no longer in balance with the current situation. This is taking place while many people are unemployed, and a considerable number of companies will no longer be able to stay open; this will only get worse.
Therefore, CHATA is calling on the Government to remove themselves from these minor eases in measures and to reconsider further evaluation within the coming 14 days. Instead, to introduce further easing now and at least indicate the schedule for the de-escalation so there is a horizon for people and companies to look forward to.
The silly remarks that the release of measures cannot be planned in the long run is not valid! After all, every entrepreneur must plan all the time and of course reality always deviates, but you have to adjust your plans accordingly and everyone will understand that.
The government has a duty to guide us, and this should be done according to a planned and balanced approach!
Curaçao Hospitality and Tourism Association (CHATA)
Dear Editor,
As an anthropologist, historian, and political analyst, I want to commend Sir Alex Rosario for his article entitled “How a charity almost got away with kidnapping 103 African children” (Daily Herald, April 28, 2021).
Now, not only the story (the act) was evil. But it also portrays a nasty and as we say here in these Islands, a dirty act. All through the centuries past Europeans were known for stealing other peoples’ children. It is not from this day and age. The practice did not start on the island of Haiti.
For us Black People in these Caribbean Islands, it all started 500 years back with the Atlantic slave trade – bringing men, women and children to the Americas. Historical photo-records show the thousands of “Black Children” that arrived in Europe, North America, the Caribbean to serve the various purposes of kings and queens, white slave-masters, plantation-owners, bankers, business people, etc.
For us here in these Caribbean Islands, some of our very first black ancestors came as young children that occupied and worked “hard-labour” in order to feed the evil institution of slavery. The “wicked” act of stealing other cultures, other “peoples’”, other “nations’” children is a inné European behaviour. It cannot be erased from their genes. It cannot be erased from their DNA. It cannot be erased from their psyche nor their “mind of thought”.
Thiefing peoples’ children is one of their “evil” attributes committed upon the very first inhabitants of Canada and American, the Native Indians. The Europeans did the same in South America with the advent of Alvares Cabral and his crew accompanied by their Catholic god to Brésil in 1500. They uprooted, destroyed and killed Amerindians and took away thousands of their children to Spain, to be the “playing-objects”, amusements and abuse of all manner to people of importance (aristocrats, nobles) in those bygone societies.
Likewise and when the white European colonizers arrived in Australia, they too accompanied by their religious institutions brought hurt, shame and destruction to the very first inhabitants of the vast continent, the Aborigines’ families, as the colonizers ripped away children from their mothers’ arms.
Today and in our day and age, can we ever fathom the emotional, physical and mental pain and abuse the children suffered from the hands of cruel white colonizers and their religious accomplices.
The thiefing of other nations’ children by the ancestors of present-day Europeans in Africa, Asia (l’isle de la Réunion), in the Americas is not of today nor is the nasty practice of paedophilia.
Who adult in his right mind would want to have sex with a child?
What manner of human being would open a “Café” in order to sexually-traffick childen into such an evil?!
In the third edition (Tome III) of my book Le Dictionnaire des Bons et Mauvais Amours (or Good and Bad Sexual Affairs) there is a Chapter entitled “Amour Pédo-Criminalité” where I bring to the readers’ attention that “nous avons tous un travail à faire et une grande responsabilité. A savoir, ne jamais cesser de dénoncer ce <mal>.”
Child abuse, child-sex-trade, and child prostitution is my business, your business, everybody’s business.
Paedophile organizations are criminal organizations!
Beverly Richardson
The author of many books.
Dear Editor,
The abuse of the short-term contract/labor agreement better known as the 6-month contract has been disputed for years and I, in my role as legislator, am ready to tackle this head-on with the support of the coalition.
In May of 2011, the initiators of the draft amendment, the National Alliance supported by the United St Maarten People’s party, embarked on a mission to address this very serious matter. After many deliberations, the final draft of the National Ordinance amending the Civil Code and other National Ordinances has been finalized.
I must insert here that there are changes made to the initiative law by former ministers of labor that do not reflect that of the initiators, but for expediency these will be dealt with in the not-too-distant future.
What is vital is that instead of 36 months, the term has been shortened to 24 months. I am a firm believer that if the abuse of this law by some employers who practice sending home persons whose contracts have expired for 3 months and then reemploying them in the same function is properly regulated and enforced, the economy of St. Maarten will flourish. This is why I have been consistently and vehemently pursuing the completion of this law.
Other changes in the draft legislation include matters such as those relating to maternity and paternity leave, pregnancy and childbirth, night work and standing work of a pregnant employee, transfer of an enterprise, equal treatment, provision of electronic pay slip, pension plan and saving plan and many more. However, my focus for now is the short-term labor agreement.
Job security is key. The continuous issuing of short-term labor agreements for jobs that are of a permanent nature prevents persons from securing loans, threatens their ability to pay their rental agreement and other related responsibilities, which was discussed on numerous occasions. Their very existence is at stake.
There are establishments, companies, or businesses that are season-related or projects that have a time frame wherein they have to be completed. It will require the hiring of additional staff on a temporary contract for the duration of the season or project. The modus operandi has been that persons are employed for years with the same company on a rotation basis, being sent home for 3 months and, as mentioned before, rehired while the job is permanent. This is abuse and counterproductive and does not help the economy which is the people.
I intend to do my utmost with the assistance of all (in the public and private sector) to eradicate the abuse of the short-term contract.
Some might be asking “why now?” since many businesses are closed and persons are unemployed. My response is, there is no better time than now.
I close with this quote by Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor VSA Omar Ottley: “The pandemic has shown us that labor protection is not just a popular political phrase, rather a dire necessity for the workers who contribute to our economy. It is especially for that reason that labor protection is one of my priorities for the labor force of St. Maarten.”
George Pantophlet
Member of Parliament for National Alliance
Dear fellow countrymen, More than a year ago, our beautiful island was closed in response to the then-flaring corona pandemic. That heralded a period of uncertain and fearful days, weeks, months. For a while, it seemed to go better. Now it seems like we are back to square one. Especially now, on King’s Day, I had hoped for more freedom of movement. Even here in this palace, where it is normally so lively around this time, the silence is palpable. But the coronavirus has not yet been completely tamed. And yet, while the numbers are still troubling and health care workers are working overtime, it looks like things are slowly turning around. In the press conference on April 15, the Prime Minister aptly put it: the tipping point is approaching, the point at which the vaccine will gain the upper hand over the virus. Until then, it is a matter of persistence. It is not that we can neglect measures to prevent the virus from spreading further. It is still important to avoid contacts and to observe other applicable safety regulations. This goes against our wishes and feelings. We like to give each other “brasas” (hugs). But now that is not possible. We cannot ignore it, the coronavirus is taking a heavy toll on our society. To everyone who has to miss a loved one due to corona. To people who are ill or who are struggling with the physical and mental aftermath of the virus. On the elderly and young people who have to deal with stress or loneliness because of social limitations. To all our business owners and to people who have lost or are at risk of losing their jobs. I am with you in my mind. But I am convinced that the tradition we stand in will help us get through this difficult time. Each of us individually, but also our country as a whole. “Love your neighbor as yourself”, this means to me: look after one another, help one another, comfort one another. Exactly what we now see happening in our neighborhoods, where neighbors help each other to get groceries, or pay extra attention to those who can now receive fewer visitors. Support each other unconditionally regardless of religion, origin, or background. Many people from Curaçao recognize themselves in this and that makes me proud. Within our kingdom, we also know cultural traditions that sometimes differ greatly from each other. Our collective history has seen bitter periods as well as times of hope and expectation. Despite the – sometimes large – differences in experience and perception that exist, we have been united in a kingdom for more than two centuries. That is significant. Without covering up differences of opinion, it is good to have an eye for what connects us. Also within the kingdom, we look after each other and we support each other. The examples of this have also been numerous in recent times; dozens of healthcare workers from the Netherlands who arrived at Hato at the beginning of this month to assist their colleagues in the CMC, food aid that the Dutch government makes available through the Red Cross, 30,000 extra vaccines that were delivered urgently by the Dutch government, the help that Defense offers in vaccinating our population and in maintaining public order and Aruba sheltering patients to relieve pressure on our ICU. And in turn, we were able to help our Kingdom members from Bonaire with care for their patients when needed. This is an ideal day to appreciate and celebrate our unique connection with the 4 countries of the Kingdom and the 3 public entities. Together we are strong! As between people, expressing gratitude between countries is not always easy. Expressing appreciation can make a person appear vulnerable because it recognizes that one is indebted to another. Yet it is important that we express gratitude not only as human beings to each other but also as countries within the Kingdom. Not as a sign of weakness but as a sign of strength. More than ever, these tokens of appreciation between people, but also between our fellow kingdoms, are of essential significance. On March 19, many of you exercised your democratic right to vote. That was important. The next government will be given the heavy responsibility of, among other things, getting the economy back on track, which has been hit hard by the corona crisis. Recent times have shown that constructive cooperation within the Kingdom can contribute to this. Undersecretary Knops recently described cooperation within the Kingdom with the word “huntu”; only together can we progress within the Kingdom. In line with the measures in force, it has been decided that this year, as in the previous year, no King’s Day reception, and for the time being no King’s Games and Ribbon Rain, can take place. The day before yesterday I also conveyed this message to the 32 citizens of Curaçao whom I was able to inform on behalf of His Majesty, King Willem-Alexander, that they will be decorated with a royal decoration for their many years of special service to the Curaçao community. I would like to congratulate the recipients once again on their honorable distinction. I look forward to meeting and embracing not only the recipients but all of you. I would like to toast the health of our Majesty King Willem Alexander and the merits of our recipients. We celebrate King’s Day 2021 at home, from a distance, but together. Long live the King.
Lucille George-WoutGovernor of Curaçao
