Dear Editor,
Sovereignty and “decolonialization” is being touted as the great salvation for countries with ties of different sorts to one-time colonial countries not just in St. Maarten but in very many different countries including Curaçao, South Sudan and even in England. But many advanced countries have asked themselves “what is the value of sovereignty” and their conclusions have led them to be prepared to give up some level of sovereignty in order to achieve various goals in the fields of trade, education, research, etc.
In the Caribbean there are many territories that have achieved total sovereignty and a few that have stayed connected to the “mother country”. The Dutch Caribbean islands have settled after referendums with a hybrid model which is relatively unique. Most of the countries in the Caribbean that achieved total sovereignty immediately proceeded to relinquish some of the gained sovereignty. The United Kingdom gave up some sovereignty to join the EU but has now reclaimed it with their Brexit; almost all economists have denied real benefits to citizens having been gained.
Does the recent history show a big win for greater sovereignty when you measure the success or otherwise based on quality of life, distribution of income and citizen satisfaction? Or is the opposite true?
Without doing the massive study to measure this accurately I suspect that the answer would be that there is no clear winner for the competition of governance models. The result of such a study would be likely to show that each model comes with advantages and disadvantages very much dependent on specific country conditions, scale and threat and opportunities. I suspect that the positives and negatives of the Dutch Caribbean islands contain distinctly different elements to the sovereignty drives in countries like South Sudan or the United Kingdom.
If such a study included much larger countries than small Caribbean jurisdictions it would conclude that scale (size) played a major role in the development of newly sovereign territories.
There should not be a fear of the discussion of sovereignty because the advantages and disadvantages are mostly easy to measure when transparency is in place. What is not easy to measure is the liberating emotional component of sovereignty especially when this is strong in limited parts of the population. The discussion on sovereignty will always be impacted by romantic idealism that is likely to remain, no matter the quality of the discussion of the country’s real and measured interests. A fact-based approach is likely to be the most beneficial for all concerned.
Robbie Ferron
We are now about to bid 2020 farewell, and for many, we are saying goodbye to a challenging year. Nevertheless, it has been another year of life, another year of love, and another year of laughter. With the utmost gratitude to the almighty God, I bid 2020 farewell, taking this time to address the people of St. Maarten on behalf of the Council of Ministers, and wishing all our residents and visitors a Blessed and Happy 2021 filled with gratitude and faith for a brighter future.
I am most grateful for another year with no significant natural devastation. We had our challenges as a nation, and the world faced their biggest challenge as of late: combating a global pandemic, COVID-19. With this challenge, St. Maarten now understands how to deal with COVID-19 compared to when we started our response measures back in March. This hurdle required much change and adjustment to the way we do things. However, we must continue to move forward, embracing our new normal safely and responsibly so that we may protect our most vulnerable.
This year, I am proud to say that there has been more cohesiveness between the executive and legislative branches of government. In the interest of St. Maarten, we have put politics aside, and with the common goal of best will and prosperity for our island and its people, we have put our country’s needs first.
For many, 2020 meant a loss of income from an economy that was on its way to recovery from the devastation of hurricanes in 2017. Despite all these challenges, the government of St. Maarten continues to work with our Kingdom partners for the betterment of our people and the sustainability of our nation’s economy.
Our 2021 goals remain the same; a sustainable and self-sufficient economy, the strengthening of our financial institution, and meeting our sustainable development goals. Taking into account the lessons learned from Hurricanes Irma and Maria, and the global pandemic, the government has noted the need for diversification of our economy and the need to stimulate entrepreneurship, especially amongst our young people.
I’d like to acknowledge the different strides made by all our local artists this year, to put St. Maarten on the map all over the world. In many ways, our music, our art, our artistry remains a large part of who we are, and we love sharing that with the world. In doing so, I continue to encourage persons of all walks of life of the many opportunities COVID-19 has brought about for doing business in a new, futuristic, and even more efficient way, not limited to 37 square miles but globally. Honestly, COVID-19 has given us the opportunity to find alternative means to create income, fully utilize the Internet, and realize its full potential to do so.
We are so grateful to all our front-liners who continue to selflessly ensure that St. Maarten remains safe and moves forward. These men and women in uniform include but are not limited to the Police Force, VKS [Volunteer Corps of St. Maarten – Ed.], Customs, the Immigration Department, the Fire Department, the Ambulance Department, CPS, our nurses, doctors, teachers, sanitation and hygiene workers, and the many employees of our government-owned companies. Your continued dedication to service is invaluable to St. Maarten. Thank you!
I humbly thank all of our hardworking civil servants who contribute every single day to our nation’s success. As such, I’d like to thank the Department of Communication for ensuring that St. Maarten and the world continue to be informed of the latest developments as well as the Collective Prevention Services for ensuring that we maintain our grip on our present COVID-19 situation locally. When we speak about capacity building, growth, and the future, we are talking about all the contributions of our government employees.
A special “thank you” goes out to all our partners within the Dutch Kingdom for all their support this past year. We look forward to continued cooperation on all levels in the New Year. May 2021 bring us more opportunities to continue developing, defining, and fostering our partnership. There is still much space for growing and learning as partners. St. Maarten remains committed to our development by working with our strengths, overcoming our weaknesses, learning from our partnership, and maintaining our identity.
As I conclude this address, I thank the people of St. Maarten for your faith, endurance, support, and belief in me as I continue to lead, together with our Council of Ministers with the support of our Parliament during these challenging times. Government’s major priority remains your safety and that of our most vulnerable while ensuring that our economy begins to stabilize and regain the pre-pandemic levels we were achieving post-Hurricane Irma.
I once again wish all St. Maarten residents, your families both at home and abroad, as well as our visitors a blessed, happy, and prosperous New Year
God bless you, and God bless St. Maarten.
Dear Editor,
Before writing every letter to you I always ask myself if I am the right person to write about this topic. Anybody who reads my letters to you and who knows what is happening politically in St. Maarten knows that it is not my habit to put down people. Because I made sure being a police officer I was responsible, I expect the same of my people in government. Throwing words at each other, backbiting, ratting out on each other, and all that petty talk that is been carried on with, during meetings, is far from governing or representing the people in a responsible way.
I read in the paper of Thursday, December 24, 2020, “Emmanuel weighs in on agreements inked.”
I was born in the era of MULO education, which prepared me with general knowledge and to be able to speak, read and write four foreign languages at the age of 16. Because of that education, I am able to verbally communicate in a general sense with people from all over the world. Verbally communicating is not easy and once one expresses one’s self, the word is already out there and then it takes explanation to clear this up, or not. The written word can be corrected before being published or sent out.
I’m stating this because the majority of MPs have made a practice by, to use their own term, “grandstanding” whereas very little (substance) is said and fellow MPs are being painted to be whatever they think is good enough to put down each other. Our MPs are constantly attacking each other.
I even believe that the term “lobbying” is a “bad word” among them.
After 10 years of Status Apartus they still have not understood (or have disregarded) the procedures of Parliament and act as enemies of each other.
Negative criticism is not a positive thing. Making proposals to improve the wellbeing of a country is. One would expect that by now, whether you sustain the government or not, everybody would rally behind the Prime Minister (for the sake of the people of St. Maarten who put you on government) in her negotiations with Knops. Instead they are demonstrating to Knops that there is no unity among them, giving him more aces.
St. Maarten is in dire need of finances and instead of them coming together for the people who voted for them they are already campaigning for the next election, which in the last 10 years has become every 2 years, if not less. For instance, MP Emmanuel states that his obligation is always to be forthcoming with the people “even if that means standing alone.” I disagree with that. I think that is irresponsible, because no man is an island. If MP Emmanuel is responsible then he has to act responsible and most of all tactical.
A whole lot of times “blaring out” causes panic, especially depending on who it comes from, and also under which circumstances. No responsible political leader does that. It is like a child showing a tantrum. I, for one, definitely believe in transparency of government, but that comes with responsibility also.
I do not feel as if I am exaggerating when I talk about being irresponsible, because if I look at the timeline all of those bus-stop-huts that are placed very irresponsibly along the roads of Dutch St. Maarten (and are very rarely used by buses), they were placed during Minister Emmanuel’s watch. I have written about this in the past and this has nothing to do with inside information. This is for anyone who has a driver’s license to see.
One of the answers given in the traffic ordinance from the question “where it is not allowed to stop with your motor vehicles” is at a bus stop. One is not allowed to stop within 5 meters of both sides of the sign indicating a bus stop, if the amount of meters is not indicated on the traffic sign. I would challenge anyone to show me where anyone of those signs, bus-stop-huts or spaces for buses to stop are placed or is laid out correctly. That is irresponsible.
Those of us from the old school know that “there is a time and place for everything” which is usually followed with “but this is not the time for that”. In this case, however, because of what has been the trend and the modus operandi of our people in government, I would be pleasantly surprised if our government is not toppled. Politics still make strange bedfellows.
Now this. I read the letter to you by Clive Hodge and will also join him with his wishes for our people getting closer to the Lord. A blessed and prosperous 2021 to all. While blowing away the old year with your fireworks, silently pray for COVID-19 to be blown away.
Happy New Year to all.
Russell A. Simmons
Dear Editor,
Whenever there is a crisis, it does not take much for community-minded persons to plunge into action and remain committed until the job is done. These are the guardian angels, who consistently supply the needs of the vulnerable, without looking for any form of compensation. Their gifts of love and compassion are the instruments that drive their actions.
In March, when the “pandemic” began to surface, and panic took center stage, no one could have anticipated that the island would have fared so well. Looking back, it was as if each guardian angel had a written, yet invisible schedule to follow. Not knowing the outcome of the situation, nor how the year would end, their only focus was to tackle the problem and get the job done.
Bravo to all of them, who have contributed to the success of maintaining such calm, in this unprecedented economic catastrophe. These guardian angels gave a piece of their heart; therefore, such kindness cannot go unnoticed. There are so many, but the ones who captured my attention are the various foundations that provided and distributed the food packages throughout the community.
Their overwhelming love and dedication were reinforced by volunteers with kindred spirits. What if this aspect of the recovery process was missing, and the government was left with the burden to provide for its jobless population? Taking a hard look at the amount of packages that were given out, what was the actual cost of this operation that saved the government from collapsing and igniting a second pandemic?
Keeping with the theme: there is no compensation that can equate to the job that teachers were forced to perform, during these turbulent months. Only love for the children and commitment to the profession kept the educational system from crashing. However, the online schooling has shifted education to a different level, and it behoves the Minister of Education to have an in-depth study of how this new phenomenon can enhance the ministry.
Often ignored are the silent individual donors, who were just as impactful. No matter how small their contribution, whether it was in the form of money, household goods, hugs or words of encouragement; this consistent reaching out to the less fortunate was critical. It is for reasons like these why the Mental Health Foundation was such a vital component in this rescue and healing process.
As a community, “Let us not become weary in doing good …” because “actions will always tell the truth.”
Joslyn Morton
My Fellow St. Maarteners,
I bring you warm greetings on this Christmas day from my family to yours. May the spirit of Christmas be your guide this Holiday season. May it inspire us to share its beauty, hope, and renewing spirit.
For Christmas celebrations are not the same for anyone this year. The coronavirus continues to have a serious impact on our lives and livelihood, presenting our country – and the world – with extraordinary challenges. Some of us have faced health issues or lost love ones, have lost or face losing our jobs, and are having difficulty making ends meet. Many of us are weary of social distancing and of wearing masks. And I am thankful for the men and women, who courageously and tirelessly, continue to work on the frontline to protect our lives and livelihood.
In this atmosphere, the pulse of the season is as a result tempered. Attending Christmas Mass is different, visiting extended family and friends ought to be avoided, and for too many there are empty chairs at the Christmas dinner table. To all facing personal loss, as a result of health, economic, social or other causes, I offer my sympathy and encourage you to reflect on the words of the prophet Isaiah that our hope in the Lord will renew our strength.
As we celebrate this Christmas, may we draw renewed strength from these words to carry us forward. In these trying times, Christmas provides us with the promise of renewal. The promise that the sun will set on our challenges, only to bring brighter days with new opportunities at sunrise.
It is in that regard, that I believe that the Christmas spirit will give us, as individuals, as businesses, as government and as a people, renewed strength. Strength to face and overcome health, social, financial, or other challenges that may come our way. Strength to continue to do our part, to reach out to the vulnerable among us and to protect each other.
During this special time of the year, I trust that our gatherings with close family will fortify our family bonds. May our Christmas gatherings remind us of the significance of our mutual interdependence, of the power of kindness, and of the importance of protecting and caring for each other. And by extension inspire us to strengthen our relationships with our friends, with our colleagues, with our neighbours and with our partners. Yes, inspire stronger relationships founded on greater appreciation for each other. This, with the purpose of uplifting each other and perfecting our sweet St. Maarten Land.
My fellow St. Maarteners, as we gather with close family to celebrate the birth of Christ, let us embrace the season’s power of renewing strength. And may the renewing power of Christmas make things lighter and brighten our way, now and into the New Year.
It is in that spirit of renewed strength that Marie-Louise and I wish you and your family, joyous, safe, and hope-filled Christmas holidays!
God bless you and May God bless St. Maarten and protect its coast.
The Governor of St. Maarten
Eugene B. Holiday
