Dear Editor,
Presently in both French St. Martin and Dutch St. Maarten, we are seeing the challenges that exist.
And many are calling for us to unite as a people and they do not understand why it is not happening. But St. Maarten/St. Martin embraces wrong values and not patriotism.
The original grassroots foundation was promoting patriotism and love of country and at that time many people turned the blind eye and ridiculed us.
Worst yet they promote a term “local”. What is local? A local is not a St. Maartener.
French and Dutch European can and will always dominate St. Maarten/St. Martin because we have no soul meaning in-depth love and loyalty to the country.
We are weak people always willing to make others fit in and feel comfortable while we are excluded, and then like fools, we wonder why we cannot move forward.
Mark my word, as long as you use the term local you just defeat patriotism because local means all people be it illegal or legal that are living here a long time.
Why should an illegal or legal person fight for St. Maarten, their interest is of financial purpose.
If any people do not put heritage and bloodline first quite frankly they deserve to be oppressed. Your choice is weakness and being weak has severe consequences.
I am a St. Maartener not a local with a French and Dutch nationality. My loyalty is to St. Maarten/St. Martin before Holland and France.
I could care less who does not like me for what I stand for and I will die with that value.
Patriotism defined by me and for me is putting the people of St. Maarten heritage and bloodline first before any other person with Dutch or French nationality.
I dislike very much when I see people of St. Maarten heritage call themselves local, I will lose respect for you.
If the people are afraid to define and to say what is your identity every other identity and nationality by default will dominate or oppress you.
Quite frankly, while I disagree with what Holland and France are doing to St. Maarten/St. Martin I cannot blame them.
France and Holland interest is nationality and by right they’re defending the Kingdom and Republic because they know who they are. Do you?
Our governments on both sides just do not get, define who is a St. Maartener/St. Martiner and make laws to complement our lifestyle and values within the constitution of the Dutch Kingdom and France. My personal opinion is to engage and discuss with France and Holland to come up with a solution how best to fit St. Maarten/St. Martin and stop with the color nonsense.
While most St. Maarten/St. Martin people are of negro origin we also have real bloodline and heritage St. Maarteners who are white and brown also.
You only can fix St. Maarten/St. Martin if you can identify who is a St. Maartener/St. Martiner. Refusal to engage in discussion empowers the European.
My interest as a grassroots St. Maartener is not the same as an Indian or Chinese or Arab or European and it has nothing to do with color, it has to do with lifestyle, culture and bloodline.
Choices have consequences. Choose wisely.
The Patriot Miguel Arrindell
