Dear Editor,
It’s always good to know where you stand.
St.Maarten right now should know where we stand regarding its relationship with the Dutch.
It’s becoming clear that because we are in a position of beggars that we don’t have much to say.
I’m referring to the situation with the letter send to the UN.
Apparently sending the letter to the UN has touched a nerve.
And because we need financial and structural assistance and the only place to get it is by the Dutch government; we can no longer state our opinions about how we feel.
Mr. Knops and by extension the Dutch Government has laid down their demand to pull back a letter that was written by a group of Dutch citizens who feel that they are not being treated as equal by other Dutch citizens in the Kingdom
What’s the problem with the letter?
The fact that these concerned Dutch citizens don’t feel Dutch or that it was sent to the UN?
Let me start over. You are withholding money you promised to send to help a partner in need because those that were elected to look out for the wellbeing of their people are concerned that the conditions that you are demanding to them seem colonial.
That’s what they were elected to do!
Again, what’s the problem?
If you are doing nothing wrong, if your actions are pure and you only want to help, what’s the problem?
I thought MPs were supposed to vote and legislate according to their conscience and not according to party lines.
Yet here you are demanding in writing that not only the whole of St.Maarten parliament but also the executive branch express the same sentiment and/or opinion.
What happened to the trias politica, whereby the justice, the legislative and the executive branches of government are separate and don’t interfere with the other?
Here you are telling the executive branch to tell the legislative branch what to do.
Our parliament is functioning just fine, you had those that were pro and those that were against, not a rubber stamp.
I’m surprised that one of the most liberal countries in the world, or portrays itself as such, is taking this attitude.
You can’t be wrong and strong. Even your own Council of State pointed out that you were infringing on the autonomy of the country.
Might is not right!
A disappointed Dutch citizen
Name withheld at author’s request.
Dear Editor,
Still people think that adopting a puppy is a nice toy gift for their little girl or boy. A family has adopted a little puppy, for days it’s been barking day and night. Unfortunately they are my neighbors and I can’t demand them to help it.
Either a little female or male, probably it was taken from its mom and it was happily playing with its brothers and sisters when the unfortunate day to be separated came. Very unfortunate if it was given to a “caring family” that has isolated it!
Many people are not accustomed to have their dogs indoor, it’s been very unfortunate for this little precious dog that seems to be probably a “german kind”. It’s a tremendous torture for this little dog now living in loneliness like a little child left without his family that could be in panic if it would happen. Now isolated in the back porch for days, perhaps months, perhaps years of torture, perhaps will be chained for life.
Those who are breeding brand dogs for business must be sure to give puppies to responsible serious families. It’s not even taken outside for exercising! It is out of question, not even that! People seem to be so lazy This puppy suffering may last who knows up to when!
Another family adopted a little white Yorkshire terrier, very cute little puppy. Their little girl was happily playing. Months later or a year later as an adult, in very bad shape it was criss-crossing the road. Means as an adult it was left outside on its own. Ended up walking on the road up to a food stand where it was probably for a couple of days and finally taken by someone.
People should not be allowed to adopt dogs if they think it’s just a temporary toy for their kids.
Name withheld at author’s request.
Dear government of St. Maarten,
For months the community of Beacon Hill has been complaining to the police about the noise level at Karakter beach bar on Sunday afternoon which goes on past 12:30 in the morning during their beach party! Sleepless nights especially on Sundays because of the high level of the bass which is cranked to the max!
It’s unbelievable that this loud noise is still being allowed without the decibels being checked by the relevant authorities! This terrorizing noise should be dealt with once and for all so the community of Beacon Hill can have their peaceful rest on Sundays!
A sleep deprived Beacon Hill resident
Name withheld at author’s request.
Dear Editor,
Day and night life in destinations where tourism is the largest contributor to GDP [gross domestic product – Ed.] is only a part of what makes up a nice place for tourists to visit. However, in a pandemic, while you are allowed to be open for business, you must be able to control your crowd, or risk getting shut down and after repeated offenses even losing your license to operate.
St. Maarten’s economy has since decades not been as fragile as it is today and as per April 5, 2021, our population is far from reaching “herd-immunity through vaccination”. If you and/or your patrons insist on being irresponsible in your public behaviour, you should appreciate that those of us presently without a job, or on reduced workweeks, or losing money every day we open up our businesses, are losing our patience with your recklessness and your “we-don’t-give-a-d**n” attitude.
Guidelines are to be followed. By failing to do so, you and your patrons are sending a message to the rest of the community that not only you couldn’t care less about us, you also do not respect the rule of law. And just in case you haven’t noticed: persons 40 years and younger are dying of COVID-19.
And then Government: it takes two to tango. If you issue rules and guidelines, but fail to enforce them, you are encouraging citizens and businesses to ignore authority! When are you going to show some teeth?
Freedom is not free!
Michael J. Ferrier
Dear Editor,
We are about over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic. The impact of this disease on our island nation has been nothing short of disastrous. The impact has meant 2,134 confirmed infected cases with 27 deaths. Thousands have been pushed into poverty. Equivalently, thousands of jobs have been lost. This can be clearly reflected in the claim of the Minister of Finance, indication of the severe increase in income assistance requests, the drastic increase in the requests for social welfare, and the tens of thousands receiving food aid by the various food aid agencies such as the Red Cross and K1 Britannia and civic and church organizations providing food for persons. The absence of these food programs and social assistance would have led to many being placed into acute hunger.
Besides the immediate impact smack in our faces from this disease, the COVID-19 pandemic has laid before us all long-lasting scars for us to bear for many years to come. Closed and/or partially-opened schools has halted children’s physical mobility and socialization. The collapse of many small businesses and lost jobs has led to the depletion of savings and assets, which thereby enhanced debt accumulation that has stunted investment and necessary social spending in the economy.
The social and economic burn from COVID-19 has descended down and spread through the working class and poor of this community like wildfire. The pain of this pandemic is layered on some infectious social and economic burdens that had already been eating away at the quality of life and the standard of living in St. Maarten.
An overcrowded school system with no clear direction that is not adequately preparing our children for the local or regional marketplace which has led to overburdened and overworked schoolteachers, a failed justice and labor system that promotes and rewards employer abuse of the local job market and abuse of employees, the impact of climate change which has led to devastating hurricanes on our island and region alike, heightened increase in stress levels and violence throughout the community and a bloated government apparatus which failed to lend any vision for the direction of the country, have all created an economic stagflation pinching and punishing each and every individual at different times and intensities. But the pain and suffering has remained nonetheless.
Because of this individualistic government structure, the natural order of the day has been a reactionary look at each crisis individually and placing it in the lap of the respective Minister and ministry to find unilateral solutions to the challenges of the day. Oftentimes they miss the direct consequences of their decisions and solutions or lack thereof. This failed model has missed the opportunity to identify interconnections of the challenges and the necessary solutions. Failures in justice affect the school system, failures in the economy affect the social welfare system, and failures in infrastructure affect the health system, and so on and so forth.
The government’s decisions and choices today on the heightened challenges of povery, health care, inequality, and climate impact will determine our future for years to come. We need a better direction going forward to deal with the interconnected challenges born of the COVID-19 pandemic. A paradigm shift in the management structure in the way this government addresses challenges is necessary. It is high time they move swiftly and honestly with collective integrated responses to these challenges.
The State Secretary has presented a piecemeal country package that once again is an attempt at myopic individualistic solutions to the many challenges. We have seen that the Hon. Prime Minister has agreed to these solutions in her response. However, the overall vision from this government on integrated solutions is still lacking.
The resounding question throughout the community is “Where are we going?” The government’s silence in its failure to answer this question is deafening.
The failure of a clear unambiguous vision combined with the limbo the Prime Minister and Parliament have placed this country in with their Choharis catastrophe only exacerbates the crisis the people of this country are facing. While the grass is growing the horse is starving. While the people are waiting on the proper leadership of this government on the proverbial field for the grass to grow, the people are starving.
Khalil K. Revan
