Dear Editor,
In reference to the governing of an island or country, St. Maarten could have accepted Incapables who were appointed Ministers, or Ministers who turned out to be ineffectuals for personal, political, family, neighborly, economic, and other types of reasons. Understandable to a certain degree.
Now we cannot do so. And should not anymore in the future. Why? Too much is at stake and it has gone on for too long, coupled with the unfortunate and fortuitous corruption factor.
Yes, St Maarten is so-called blessed. But the time has ended to take such labels and situations for granted. The stakes are too high. People’s lives are at risk and the people need to be able to breathe, live decently, and enjoy life without our worrying about tomorrow. Anyone, and I mean any Incapable, can govern in half-decent times. But it takes a crisis to demonstrate if someone can govern well or not.
So far, it has not gone good. Memories are short so we tend to forget. But not those persons and families who have lost someone during this pandemic. In light of this drastic time, it is essential we get it right on many fronts.
We seem to be always two or three steps behind, not thinking ahead nor through, providing inept news or updates, while at the same time thinking of ourselves as the opposite – brilliant, on top of things, transparent.
Only a fool, and an existentialist, has no sense of reality and surrounds him or herself with fungibles. And the current increase in COVID-19 cases proves the point.
We should have begun tightening our belts progressively and congruently the moment the borders were being opened. Now we are in this mess again, heightened vigilance, uber careful, and on edge.
Fathers, mothers, children, aunts, brothers, sisters, grandparents, uncles, cousins, guardians, etc. – all are at risk and some could die. Yes, we need to open. But we needed to protect and to mitigate (note the use of “mitigate” instead of “prevent”) as best as we can.
Only a blind man could not have foreseen the current situation, from the party boat to the large gatherings whether in clubs or the lax attitudes in wearing face masks and not social distancing. In addition, with the opening to the region and rest of world it doesn’t take a genius to see that we needed to start tightening the belt, to withdraw from gatherings, and reduce our social privileges.
Why measures weren’t taken is not a mystery; it’s pure lack of minimal competence. I resign.
Pedro de Weever
