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
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
To me the last day of the year always has greater meaning than Christmas, Easter, or any other holiday of the year. That’s when all kinds of thoughts – good and not-so-good – engulf my mind. Thoughts that cannot be ignored, try as I may. I am not in the least interested in going out on this last night of the year, night that will never ever return.
In my early youth, I felt I just had to go out as all my family members and acquaintances have done throughout the years and enjoy what the world has to offer
This year has been the worst ever with hundreds of thousands of deaths all over the globe due to COVID-19. Living on a tiny island in the sunny Caribbean does not shelter us from the troubles of far-off countries. It doesn’t take very long for what happens there to take place here.
Is it my imagination that more people die during the month of December than any other month of the year? It seems that there are always a larger number of death announcements in this newspaper during December. My own Dad died on December 15.
Some of the scary questions that will bombard my mind this year-end and ought to be on your mind as well: What will the New Year bring? Will we all live to see another New Year’s Eve or will someone very close to us depart unexpectedly? We all know that in almost all cases, death comes as a thief in the night. In this month alone I have witnessed the death of no less than three close acquaintances, one of whom was a former co-worker. It’s a horrible thing when all that’s left of a family member or a close friend is a couple of pounds of dust in a silver urn. And it’s also horrible when you can’t personally attend their funeral, but have to follow it on your phone.
This deadly pandemic will likely not come to an end soon but will continue to take lives in the New Year. Will our economy revive and go back to normal so that people can get their jobs, in effect, their livelihood back, or will they have to continue depending on our government or the Netherlands to put food on their table? Will life return to being normal, or will this “new normal” linger for a long time and even become permanent?
Another year has gone by and for all of us this means we are a whole year closer to what lies ahead, whether good or bad. Nearly 150,000 people world-wide die every day of the year; 104 every second of every day that goes by. This is data from 2017, thus the number is certainly much higher now due the pandemic, increase in the number of murders, calamities, suicides, etc. Imagine 150,000-plus souls departing on a daily basis, and according to God’s Word, only a small number of them enter the Kingdom of God. Quite a sombre and scary thought.
Lots and lots of souls depart for hell every day, and yet not many parents talk to their loved ones about the way they ought to live their lives. Too many of us wait until it’s too late to talk with our loved ones about the inevitable and we don’t know when the inevitable is going to take place. We keep putting it off. Worse yet, we depend on their schoolteacher or the priest or someone else to talk with our children about these vital matters. Big mistake! Little do we realize that their eternal salvation greatly depends on how their parents bring them up. Aren’t we all accountable to God for the way we train our children?
In Luke, chapter 14, there is a parable about a poor beggar who sat daily at the gate of a rich man, hoping to be fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. It’s clear that the poor man suffered from hunger every day of his miserable life. He died and went to be with the Lord. The rich man eventually died, was buried and went to a place of torment. From where he was at, he could see and even talk to Abraham in whose presence the poor man was. People say that Jesus mostly spoke in parables, and this is true. But who is to say that His parables are not based on the truth? Would Jesus waste His time telling fairy tales?
Try to imagine for a moment yourself in heaven and being able to temporarily see and maybe even talk to one of your children in hell? He might ask you, Mom/Dad, why didn’t you ever talk to me and warn me about this awesome place? Will I have to spend eternity down here?
I once had a beloved first cousin who unexpectedly passed away tragically. I flew down to the hospital in Puerto Rico, where she had been shipped in an attempt to save her life, to speak to her about the Lord, but she had fallen into a coma and according to the doctor could not hear a word I said to her. Don’t put off speaking to your loved ones about the Lord.
Another question that should come to our mind is: Have I progressed at all, spiritually or otherwise, since last year, or have I wasted another year of my life? Let’s resolve to thoroughly examine ourselves this year. Jesus admonishes us: “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but store up for yourselves treasures in heaven where neither moth nor rust consumes and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Matthew 6:19. All the material riches we accumulate in this life will be of absolutely no value on the day we exhale for the last time.
Wishing all a safe, corona-free and most of all, true spiritual growth in 2021 and beyond.
Clive Hodge
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
Dear Editor,
Christmas for us is a time when we are to celebrate good tiding and as a good Christian, we are to have faith that things will get better.
