Dear Editor,
In this case “I told you so” could be used, but then I remember that when I started to tell them so, the present TEATT [Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport, and Telecommunication – Ed.] Minister was not born. I could have even used “Better late that never” but that would be leaving all of those who deprived the scholars of St. Maarten from becoming grounded in the essentials of their native land, off the hook. They are all guilty of what I consider an omission offense.
If tourism is the main pillar of your economy, does it take rocket science to know that geography, topography, the geographical position of the country, the weather, languages spoken, customs and morals, etc., should be among the subjects taught in the schools of the country? In this case St. Maarten.
At ten years old when I was in the fifth grade of the Marijke school on Aruba, I knew that Mister Kwartsz was the lieutenant governor of Aruba. I am sure that at the least on three occasions in my letters to you I suggested or advised that Civics and subjects of how our country is run, be added to the curriculum, beginning in the fifth grade.
It does not take a salary of over fifteen thousand to realize that the “Mamoet wet” education system in no kind of way was conducive to an economy of which the pillar is tourism. Any logical thinking person could have realized that the Mulo education of which the languages Dutch, English, French, German and Spanish were part of the curriculum, should have been maintained. I can attest to this, because my knowledge of the German language was and still is a great asset.
I will not mention any names, but over the years, I have approached several prominent political leaders as well as members of both the then Island Council and later as well as members of the Parliament and suggested that they look into the possibility of sending students from the Sundial School to the Bushiri Hotel on Aruba. This hotel was a hotel school at which waiter/waitress/bartending/housekeeping and other subjects related to tourism (hospitality trade) were taught, and for which a passing diploma was issued. When I read that article in the paper of September 26th, my first reaction was “Only now?” Hopefully this will not be the case with solar energy.
Another point I would like to make is for you to let the people know who their elected officials/leaders in government are, by printing passport pictures of them along with their portfolios.
Crime is not on a rise, crime has been launched and my question is “who should take responsibility for this?” My aunt, my father’s elder sister, used to tell him. “if nothing psychological is wrong with the child, you are responsible for its behavior. Every parent should be aware of Proverbs 22:6.” She used to tell me “no child ain’t dead from licks.”
One of the things that my father used to tell me regularly is that I should not tar everyone with the same brush. I read in the paper that 280 fines were issued by the police, but I continuously see cars with very dark tinted glass and no number plates been driven over the roads of St. Maarten. Not to mention those hundreds of drivers who hold the cell phone in style while driving and talking. I could not verify it but I was told that because of unnecessary accidents, mostly caused as a consequence of the use of the cell phone while driving, some insurance companies have increased certain premiums.
What I have witnessed and called others’ attention to her, was a lady whose car was parked in a space in a parking lot. As she was getting into the car the cell phone rang. She took the phone in her right hand, put it to her left ear and answered it while getting into the car. She got into the car, without changing the phone from one hand to next while the phone remained on her left ear. She juggled her hands between starting the car and keeping the phone by her left ear, while reversing out of the parking space. I said to myself: “Could not that lady have answered that phone before getting into the car?”
Another menace to the traffic is the heavy equipment, but that is another letter, because I am pondering whether to mention the license plate numbers. In the meantime permit me to remind them that the minimum distance between motor vehicles driving in a row behind each other is four meters.
Russell A. Simmons
