Dear Editor,
There seems to be more questions than answers within our political sphere. This is the sad reality that is deliberately cultivated, so that politicians can protect their domain, to always remain disconnected from the people - the same population to whom they have promised to serve with integrity and diligence. The unfortunate situation is that, there are hardly any responses to pertinent questions and when they do feel like answering, their reactions are generally vague, elusive or completely unrelated to the inquiries.
Dodging the questions has become an art for this government, which exposes the inner characteristics of politicians, who have blatantly devalued journalism on all levels and expresses dishonesty from the core of their being. But, what this kind of behaviour does is that it fuels the curiosity of inquiring minds.
Therefore, should an impending elected official be allowed to postulate him or herself, with the full knowledge that he or she is terminally ill? If so, how many of our politicians are part of the statistics and what effect does this have on his or her ability to perform proficiently? When the situation is assessed thoroughly, what has been the financial burden to the populace and is this fair to the tax payers?
Why is it that on a 16-square-mile island there seems to be more lawyers per capita than the entire state of New York? What is driving this specific group to have control of this sector and if we were to categorize their area of expertise, what would be the most dominant?
It is difficult to comprehend how so many attorneys can be this successful on a little 2 by 2. Does this signify a total collapse of a system that has failed to protect its citizens or is it so that they are the protectors for government officials and big businesses that continually exploit the vulnerability of a population? If this is the case, then it can be viewed as a slick way of extending the grip, to gradually seize the island completely from the people.
Who are the advisers of these government-owned companies that continually refused to answer to parliament? Are they not the same Dutch? So what is the big fuss about Holland interfering in the political affairs of St. Maarten?
This leads to another burning question: Why are we not seeing black judges, prosecutors and attorneys as being part of the recruitment package for St. Maarten? Is this a conspiracy and who is the instigator behind this prejudice?
Has government really stopped to calculate what the financial burden is to tax payers, when it consistently ignores and stifles the potential of local professionals? Do politicians truly understand how much the island has regressed and how they have contributed to the deterioration of the island? Then, what sense does it make to set up a committee to deal with nation-building? Why has this question not been posed on the floor of parliament? Surely, the people would like to know the cost for hiring others as opposed to its own.
Government has become a gated community for its chosen few – a sect that has deliberately refused to integrate with its people – a military force that is armed with lawyers who exploit the laws to preserve this dictatorial regime and then use the situation to their advantage to become millionaires overnight.
The social inequality and injustices are what have created this uneasiness within the society; therefore, the people will not stop voicing their discontent if they are continually burdened with astronomical bills and are struggling to put food on the table. Then our Prime Minister is still worried about who is destroying the country?
Likewise, how could the Ministry of Justice contain the crime situation when the youth are forever side-lined because their intellectual capability does not fit into the sphere of this dictatorial regime? Just like how government has recruited a particular group to protect its domain, this is exactly how criminals of the underground world select a chosen few to retrieve some of the treasure.
So who has modelled this get-rich scheme for our youth to emulate and who is to blame for bringing shame to the island’s name, by giving us the same lame excuses just to prolong the game and maintain their fame? Take a good look in the mirror ministers, the answers are right there staring back at you. No matter what measures are implemented, the crime situation will never change until politicians give back the country to its rightful owners, which are the people of this land.
Joslyn Morton
