Dear Editor,

  By now I think that the greater deal of the world has heard that experience is the best teacher. Sometimes I ponder on this because of all the sayings in the book of Proverbs. But then I am at limbo because of the saying children grow up to become what they see and not what you tell them. So I decided to challenge your readers to compare what is in the book of Proverbs to the following sayings.

  Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

  The bullet in a gun will never kill someone unless the finger pulls the trigger.

  People will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you make them feel.

  A wise fish that sees a beautiful bait that is easy to swallow knows that a sharp hook is attached to it.

  I can be changed by what you do to me, but I refuse to be reduced to it.

  Your real strength lies in your ability to contain your emotions, not your ability to express them.

  An axe which challenges a stone to a fight suffers a blunt edge.

  A drunken man’s words are a sober man’s thoughts.

  Do not pretend to be what you do not prepare to be.

  Half the truth is a whole lie.

  Feeling sorry for oneself is one of the most pitiful excuses one could have for oneself.

  Never reply when you are angry; never make a promise when you are happy, never make a decision when you are sad.

  If we accept that children become what they see rather than what they are told, would I be wrong in assuming that the predicament that Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten are going through is what they have seen Holland do or not do over the years? I am thinking, for example, about everything that has to do with public transportation in St. Maarten, a colony, dependent and Kingdom partner of the number one country in the world where public transportation infrastructure is concerned.

  The only people you should get even with are those who helped you.

  So, who really helped who?

Russell A. Simmons

Dear Editor,

  MP Christophe Emmanuel and his (not so-)ghost writer are at it again. Tearing down and blemishing the good reputation of son-of-the-soil, as-local-as-they-come, educated professional and still-CEO of the [Princess Juliana International Airport operating company – Ed.] PJIAE Brian Mingo.

  The MP in today’s media once more takes aim at Mr. Mingo, this time throwing out a story about lavish spending by the PJIAE CEO, but refuses to produce any substantiating evidence of his allegations (mind you, it is very possible that money was spent by the CEO; the question is how has it been accounted for in the airport’s books?); yesterday (Tuesday, May 18) Emmanuel proclaimed publicly his approval of the great choice of Parliament to appoint well-educated, young St. Maarten-born and -bred Ms. Caroline Gibbes to the position of Acting Secretary General of Parliament (note: for once I agree with the man) and that he is thankful that Parliament did not use the policy of equal opportunity for everyone (??), but putting St. Maarteners first, which he said “is a great thing”.

  So how come Brian does not fit in that same category? Is he not well enough educated? Is he not St. Maarten-born and -bred enough? Or is this just plain and simple a matter of discrimination at work?

  Could it be that MP Emmanuel is a racist?

Michael J. Ferrier

I am a constant listener of your morning radio program and I do believe that you are a motivational speaker. I grew up with a father at home and all what you speak I heard it from him before. For example: Education and work hard for what you want.

  My observation is that your focus is mainly on Dutch-side politics when it comes to your interviews. My suggestion is to interview more politicians from the French side as well, so we can also be informed of what is happening on the French side.

  For instance, French Quarter needs cleaning up. My now-deceased grandparents were from French Quarter. As a child, my siblings and I spent time with our grandparents in French Quarter. Back then it was a very clean district.

  The former cultural center is an eyesore. I ask myself which politician is responsible for French Quarter. So, I ask of you to please invite the politician who is over this district to have an interview and explain what are the plans for French Quarter. It has been long overdue.

  Thank you.

Mavis Arrindell

Dear Editor,

  The official start of the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season is just two weeks away. The Colorado State University (CSU) hurricane forecast section, the Tropical Meteorology Project (TMP), in its first 2021 prediction of storm activity for the upcoming season, says we could see 17 named storms, of these, eight could become hurricanes and four of those could reach major hurricane status of Category 3+.

  The CSU TMP said in their forecast, that up to now, current weather activity is exhibiting characteristics similar to the hurricane seasons of 1996, 2001, 2008, 2011, and 2017, the latter that saw the birth of Irma and Maria which caused massive devastation across the Caribbean region.

  St. Maarten is still reeling from the devastation left behind by Irma and Maria in 2017. Some of the key areas are a number of hotel infrastructure that is still down and out, and the prize and pride of the nation, the Princess Juliana International Airport rebuilding project. Despite its current challenges and operating at limited capacity, the air travel gateway, the economic lifeline for the nation, continues to serve the country.

  The St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce & Industry (COCI) announced last month that there was a 27.8 percent rise in new business registration for the first quarter of 2021 when compared to the same period in 2020.

  COCI registered 216 new business registrations for the months of January to March 2021, compared to 169 for the same period of 2020.

  With the 2021 hurricane season weeks away, the Caribbean Chambers of Commerce (CARICHAM) is organizing a webinar session under the banner “Leveraging Business Continuity Planning to Enhance Business Resilience for the Hurricane Season and the Impact of Multi-Hazards on the Caribbean.”

  CARICHAM was launched in 2019 and is a network of 21 Caribbean Chambers of Commerce with the aim to advocate and create enhanced value for members of the respective Chambers, and to enhance the resilience of members.

  CARICHAM recognizes that businesses need to be prepared to face risks. “As Caribbean Small Island Developing States, our economies are even more at risk, which forces us to increase our awareness about climate change and natural disasters as well as to take action to mitigate these risks.”

  The private sector of the region comprises mainly micro, small and medium-sized businesses. Risk management is a key component for business continuity and survivability.

  The webinar is scheduled for Friday, May 21, from 11:00am to 12:30pm via Zoom. This Webinar is hosted in partnership with the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction (UNDRR), the ARISE Network (the Private Sector Alliance for Disaster Resilient Societies) and McAllister and Craig Disaster Management Inc.

  To increase the resilience of the private sector through Business Continuity Planning, CARICHAM is inviting members of the regional business community to register for this webinar via the following link:

https://energytt.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJ0ofuirrjwqHt02-Vu1_FLyqNWjm4-6MaI6

  This is an opportunity for the local business community to enhance their skills in disaster risk reduction, especially new businesses/entrepreneurs. The knowledge gained would play a major role and be a plus in mitigating the effects of risks to businesses especially during the upcoming 2021 Atlantic hurricane season which is forecast to be an active one.

Roddy Heyliger