Dear Editor,
I read “Fast running out” and even though I am sympathetic to what is written, I believe that you are missing the point. For the longest while now the modus operandi of the politicians has been “If we do not put too much pressure on them they will be content with (the wrong) we do and are not going to rock the boat” and so is the case with business in general on St. Maarten. That is one of the reasons why the Minister of Justice got flack for doing that which is right. For years now the politicians have noticed that there is a certain percentage of the voters who do not rock the boat..
We have had several industrial strikes as well as strikes against government policies. When we look carefully at who physically participated in those strikes we would notice that they were holders of a Dutch passport born in the former Netherland Antilles. When we look at the many voting lists that we have had during these last 11-plus years, we would notice that 25 per cent of the voters are Dutch Antilleans, Surinamers and the Dutch combined, and that 75 per cent have acquired the Dutch nationality through marriage or naturalization. On paying attention I have calculated that the majority of that 75 per cent are those who do not rock the boat. And the politicians also know this and they thrive (prosper from) on this.
They strategize their campaign based on this. And they even stoop so low as to declare this is what the people voted for. And as tough as it may sound, I have had to make them know that they are “gorging” themselves from the misfortune of their fellow men.
I can fully understand that if a man is willing to risk his life by crossing the ocean to get to another shore, which he already concluded must be able to offer better circumstances than home, he will not be ready to give that up when he reaches that shore. Neither would he run the risk of altering the circumstances of his new haven. Our politicians know that the majority of these people are the people who make up that 75 per cent of the voters, so they make use of and take advantage of the disadvantage of fellow human beings, proving that they are in there for themselves and not to help the people. In doing so they do exactly what you have written about in “Fast running out”. They are all ophthalmologists.
What I have found out just by listening is that the aspiring politicians on St. Maarten have been told that “If you don’t have money you can’t get in the game.” The logical follow-up to that would be: “To stay in the game you have to make money also.” So, you pull the wool over people’s eyes, and even though many of them have spent time in the police cells or on the hill they still continue.
I have to add this for clarification. Formerly people worked six days a week of which Saturday they only worked half a day. In a predominant Catholic community Sunday was the day of rest. As time went by and certain demands were made, the Netherlands Antilles, being under Holland, had to go along with the changes in democratic-ruled countries. But the politicians have always done it in a way to stay ahead of the game. So, when certain demands were made, instead of giving monetary compensation they gave Saturday and Sunday off. I can still vividly remember the elation and jubilation of the members of the Seventh Day church who were not able to get a job in government because they were not allowed to work on Saturdays. So, the trend has always been “Give them free days, keep them quiet, then we don’t have to worry our heads about paying them or increasing salaries”. This helped a long way in stagnating employees from standing up for their rights.
Politicians have always rearranged the laws in a way that it would seem as if they were the good ones by giving the people extra holidays, but very rarely were the salaries adjusted. It is still working today. So, no matter how you formulate your editorial, as long as it does not touch that 75 per cent, it will fall on deaf ears. And we will always be paying for votes.
Russell A. Simmons
