Dear Editor,
What are the facts? Fact is that on September 6, 2017, St. Maarten was struck by a category 5 hurricane named “Irma”. Fact is that the island’s infrastructure suffered some 90 per cent damage. Fact is that prior to the passing of said hurricane, St. Maarten was on her way to 3 consecutive budgets. Fact is that the Dutch did give some support. Fact is that thanks to the insurance payouts and the savings from individuals and businesses we were well on our way to pre-Irma condition.
Fact is that the Dutch government offered a grant of 550 [million – Ed.] euros. Fact is that former Prime Minister William Marlin based the proposed conditions coined them an “Indecent Proposal”. Fact is that because of this a negative media blitz was started against him by the Dutch government because of the stance he took which led to his resignation.
Fact is that the Dutch government placed the World Bank as an intermediary to manage the Reconstruction Fund with the knowledge that St. Maarten did not have the capacity nor the expertise to deal with such a complex institution. Fact is that because of this many projects have yet to be executed. Fact is that had this not been the case there would be no huge bureaucracy which has prevented job creation and much-needed tax revenues for government.
Fact is that COVID-19 disabled not only the entire global economy, therefore St. Maarten of course was not spared. Fact is that government in anticipation of job losses and economic fallout immediately came up with the National Stimulus Plan to assist individuals and businesses using her own funds. Fact is that St. Maarten lost in cruise tourism alone some $250 million. Fact is that the Dutch government told St. Maarten that the assistance of 80 per cent support was too high and should be reduced to 60 per cent. Fact is that St. Maarten’s government started to float a bond of NAf. 75 million. Fact is that the Committee for Financial Supervision brought out a negative advice against such, which discouraged potential investors.
Fact is that on October 21 of the current year a bond of 50 million guilders had matured which was extended twice to November and again this month. Now it is being said once we sign it will be extended for 15 years. Fact is that St. Maarten could have used part of the NAf. 75 million to pay off the bond. Fact is that any foreign loan has to be guaranteed by the Dutch government. Fact is that St. Maarten is in dire need of financial injection. Fact is that the Dutch government demanded reduction in salaries from Parliamentarians, Ministers, civil servants, workers of government-owned companies retroactively and the list goes on. Fact is that refusal to adhere to these conditions will mean no financial support and in turn the government cannot meet its financial obligations.
I am totally against the conditions set by the Dutch government but as someone said, the fact is, when you hold the blade and they hold the handle, you are at a disadvantage. It is best to take a step back in order to make a comeback. We can’t change the past and this is a fact.
George Pantophlet
Dear Editor,
The essence of many political positions on St. Maarten is the belief that when our inevitably vulnerable economy is under pressure, development and emergency support other than the Dutch support would be easier, more generous and with less restrictions than at present. There is also the assumption that there are currently substantial restrictions forced by the Netherlands and that these explain the increase in economic pressures that occurred since the boom years of the 1990s.
If you examine the restrictions imposed by the Dutch by far the majority are in the realm of limiting the costs of bad governance. There are very few that prevent entrepreneurial initiative and none that prevent effective public administration. The alternative to the Kingdom relationship would be a relationship with other independent islands and probably (if the likely scenarios of deficit spending occurs) with international banks who would give support only on the basis of compliance with certain financial and behavior standards.
They would do pretty much the same as what State Secretary Knops is doing now as he uses the opportunity of the pandemic-driven deficits. Except that they would do more in the form of loans and less in the form of grants. But they would certainly be forcing public sector expenditure to be kept below a certain percentage and demanding that public sector capital investment be planned and executed, and would put in place hard conditions but probably of a different sort and punitive interest rates higher than Knops. There is no evidence to believe that for a relatively high income country that we are, the “assistance” would be any more generous or forthcoming in times of disasters.
They would not provide human resource back-up in the manner that NL [the Netherlands – Ed.] would do with civil servants but if did and the assistance was from China (who have the most funds for development assistance and the most to gain) they would force conditions for access by Chinese labour.
Just a short dip into the recent history of development assistance in countries like Zambia, Sri Lanka, Tanzania and some nearby Caribbean territories will show that development assistance is scarce, heavily conditioned and often not a net contributor to the development plan of the country.
Every election our political candidates claim to want to go to parliament to “fight for the people”. The idea that there is someone to fight against has prospered. Once it was Curaçao and currently it is the Netherlands. There is in fact no one to fight against! We need parliamentarians to fight for good governance and fiscal prudence so that we don’t need assistance from Curaçao, the Netherlands or a global institution like the IMF [International Monetary Fund] or development assistance from China. Then we will win the race to give our population the best quality of life.
Robbie Ferron
Dear Editor,
This subject is about the individual factor.
Every person must take time to know who they are, the reason is that it will determine your stance on values. Very important to know is that you must be honest and real with yourself. You have to know what is your values. And to do that, you must ask yourself some questions and find the answer for yourself.
Please remember, as a person it is not important if people you love or friend or family agree or disagree with you. What is important, can you live with yourself for the things you believe in or stand for on the principles of what is right or wrong?
The questions to ask yourself are:
1. Do I believe in a supreme creator (The God with a son named Jesus) to whom I should be accountable?
2. Do I think or feel better or inferior to some people?
3. Do I believe in moral values? (Moral values are relative values that protect life and are respectful of the dual life value of self and others. The great moral values, such as truth, freedom, charity, etc., have one thing in common. When they are functioning correctly, they are life-protecting or life-enhancing for all.)
4. Do you think abortion is a woman's right or it is wrong according to what God forbids?
5. Is cheating in any form acceptable if it can make you prosperous?
6. Is cheating in a relationship with your husband or wife wrong as long your needs are satisfied?
7. Do you think homosexuality is right or wrong?
8. Will you compromise on any of your values if it means advancing your financial stature in life?
9. Do you think honesty is the best policy even if being honest might not reward you for what you strive for?
10. Do you think becoming prosperous is alright regardless if evil was done to achieve it?
The answers to all these questions you will have to find out for yourself. Whatever they are, that is the real you and it defines your character. The character you are will invite people of similar character to you and defines much of your destiny in life. For your sake, I hope you are honest to find out who you are because only then you can make positive changes to become a better person for yourself. A relationship be it for love or in business or at your job and career, is tough to perform and make progress if you do not know who you are.
The conclusion is: choices have consequences, choose wisely.
The Patriot Miguel Arrindell
By Bonnie Benesh, Think to Do Institute
No country has been spared the impact of COVID-19. Some face a particularly difficult set of challenges. That is because before the pandemic arrived, they have been already struggling, beset by poor outcomes such as poor economic growth, high unemployment, brain drain, poor social cohesion, and poverty, amongst others. Other stressors and disruptive developments such as aging populations, and lack of preparedness to deal with the effects the 4IR and climate change added to their struggle. And now, these factors leave them especially ill-equipped to deal with the COVID-19 crisis. Curacao appears to be one of these countries.
Evidence of such can also be found in the island action plan, which is part of the agreement reached with Holland for budget and capacity support. What these countries need in order to withstand a pandemic, or any other major crises for that matter, is precisely what fragile states lack: a government with the institutional capacity.
Institutional capacity to first of all devise and deliver on a comprehensive plan of action. Such a plan allows for implementation of rules and their enforcement to contain the spread of the disease, and allows for building back better. Such plans also address the deficiencies in the various national institutions and systems that allow for a country to bounce back, and come out of this ordeal stronger. That is what resiliency is all about.
The above, that is lack of state capacity, is immediately evident in many countries and in many domains. But one capacity that stands out in many countries is that of public health, evidenced by notable shortages in hospital beds to deal not only with the COVID-19 health fall-out, but also with regular healthcare demand.
An effective response to this or any crisis requires trust in government. In addition to the scarce capacity, governments in many fragile states may also lack legitimacy-trust of the people. In countries which, as indicated earlier, already had challenges before the pandemic, their people may have a problem with following even a government that proves capable of leading. When there is no trust, the compliance to new rules is challenged.
Another factor related to the private sector. A strong private sector is also a necessary component of effective, resilient states. People must be able to work to support their families, and governments must generate tax revenues to help those who cannot. Yet fragile states typically lack the formal economy through which to meet these needs.
The economic impact of the pandemic will surely fall harder on fragile states, not just as a result of internal lockdowns, but because of what is happening overseas, namely the economic fall-out from the drop in demand. In the case of Curaçao, trade with our main partners has declined. Fiscal deficits are ballooning. Because fragile states, and again Curaçao is no exception, rely on imports for much of their food, there is now increasing indications of higher prices because of disruptions in international supply chains.
The level of fragility of a nation is the sum of the many factors mentioned above and some not mentioned. With resiliency being an ideal state, measuring fragility is valuable. If we want to tackle the resiliency of our nation in a holistic and decisive manner, we must first define the parameters of fragility for our nation, and measure such. For it is only on this basis that we can come up with policy measures to address the many aspects of fragility, and thereby move into the direction of a more resilient nation.
Providing insights into what makes us a more resilient nation is precisely the objective of Think to Do Institute, which currently is also researching the fragility of our nation by adapting the fragile states index of the Fund for Peace methodology. The Fragile States Index is an annual assessment of 178 countries based on a measurement of the social, economic, and political pressures that each country faces. What sets countries apart is their resilience, or their ability to withstand shocks, and their capacity to respond effectively to those pressures. Furthermore, in a globalized and interconnected world, fragility, wherever it may be, is everybody’s problem. Fragility ultimately affects everyone, one way or another.
Think to Do Institute is an independent, apolitical think tank located in Curaçao, Dutch Caribbean. The T2DI has as its purpose to help Curaçao become a more resilient society by producing research that is based on best practice, and which delivers practical solutions to the barriers that hold the community back from becoming more resilient.
Research evidence shows that Resilient Societies are created by attention to people, to organizations, to place, and to knowledge. Resilient Societies design, redesign organizations, institutions and systems to better absorb disruption, operate under a wide variety of conditions, and shift more fluently from one circumstance to the next. For more information about Think to DO Institute, visit the website: www.thinktodoinstitute.com.
Dear Editor,
This subject is about why certain situations in life change for the better and why certain situations in life change for the worse.
Life, in general, is always challenging, to establish a good quality of life. But for a good quality of life to be established the people that have to choose those values must garner knowledge, determination, honesty, and courage. Whenever evil and injustice are looming it takes the four characteristics to defeat evil. I can have knowledge of how to defeat evil but if I am not determined and have the courage to perform the action, I cannot defeat evil. I can be honest that evil exists and have the knowledge about its existence and how to defeat it, but if I am not determined and have the courage, I cannot defeat evil. I can be determined to defeat evil but if I do not have the knowledge and courage, I cannot defeat it. I can have the courage to confront evil but if I do not have the knowledge and determination, I cannot defeat evil. These qualities will decide what quality of life we will establish in this world. Leaders, legislators, or people with good intentions if they do not have these 4 qualities cannot defeat evil.
With God all things are possible. Most people do not have all 4 of these qualities, that is why we have to depend on God. Determination has to do with time, time effects strength, and courage. Evil continues to triumph when good men look and do nothing. People who are given authority if they do not have these 4 qualities cannot do good for the world.
These 4 qualities define your true character. That's why political ideology is so important, if you do not know who you are how can you correct a challenge when you do not know who you are. When challenges are established some people cower and cave, because of fear they do not have the courage to confront it. Confronting a challenge takes time so you need determination along with courage. Be honest that it will take time to deal with the challenge and therefore you must garner knowledge.
Men and women with these 4 characteristics are people that take the narrow path, the world does not like these kinds of people. People with these 4 characteristics know true justice is blind. We follow the truth and evidence where it leads us. We do not care about what people may think or if they will like us. What matters is truth and justice which will establish an outstanding quality of life. The color of your skin, your stature in life does not matter. It is about doing the right thing. We judge you on truth and justice, that is what God expects from his sheep.
Choices have consequences, choose wisely.
The Patriot Miguel Arrindell
