Dear Editor,
Why are meetings of Parliament transmitted and broadcast? Do not those Members of Parliament realize that people are listening and also have an opinion? Do they still not get it that they are in there working for the people and not only for themselves? And do not they realize that anytime they do anything against a child, some mother’s belly hurts? So why did those MPs who voted against that "safe school plan" believe it would be politics as usual?
My conclusion is that those MPs who voted against that plan are telling the people of Sint Maarten " We do not care whether your children fight or not, we have to do what we have to do." But I hope they remember this day also when election time comes around. All of this is recorded and that same cell phone which is used for "social media" is going to be around.
Could not those MPs be the bigger man and point out what they think should have been changed in or added to the proposal, deliberate on it and pass it unanimously? I believe everyone would have noticed that the people in Parliament are positive when it comes to the youth. I am not an MP, but I know that where there is a will there is a way. Instead, those MPs dug deep to find faults because that it what it is about, ridicule those who support government instead of making a little effort to work for the benefit of the people.
For those MPs who try to dismiss the fact that social media contribute to negativity, I would suggest that they google what Bill Gates said concerning the internet and cell phones?
In the last month on three occasions I had vivid discussions with two ranking government employees concerning the negativity caused by social media, and ironically while sitting in a living room at the third person's home there was a news bite on the TV stating that Face Book had just hired ten thousand more employees with the sole purpose of trying to eradicate negative posts. There were already ten thousand working in that department and Face Book employed 10,000 more. Not me Face book.
I pity those MPs who so indulge in opposing their colleagues, who support government, that they did not jump at the opportunity to show their willingness to help the youth. A clear case of self before country. I believe that the parents should keep this in mind. I am going to. Nobody votes against proposals to help the youth. Would it be farfetched if the thought of this being a way of preventing them from becoming overqualified?
And yes, the use of social media causes fights among the youth of Sint Maarten. MP Brison is not that old not to know this. I have a simple solution that has worked during the time that I worked as discipline coach at PSVE and St. Maarten Academy (2006-2007) I demanded from the school board not to permit the use of cell phones by the students in school nor permit them on the premises. Random searches were carried out, the guilty were dealt with adequately and at the end of the school year I was told that the passing percentage went from 57 percent the previous school year to 87 percent that year.
I was glad for the academic success of the students, but I was much more satisfied with the fact that during that school year, statistics should bear me out, the police came to that school only four times in connection with fights. One of those four times was for a student who had fought in the weekend and the juvenile police came to look for him at the school on Monday morning in connection with the investigation.
A serious and responsible discipline coach with the authority to confiscate cell phones during school hours would be a very big deterrent, and the students would find themselves more and more involved in the things of the school instead of texting during class.
I am still under the impression that MPs do not understand that there are no opposition parties in Parliament. There are members who support the government and MPs who vote for or against proposals, no matter who the proposals come from. Ask Donald Trump what tweets can do.
Russell A. Simmons
