Dear Editor,

Reading that the governor, in the article about “appointed formateur” in “The Daily Herald”, emphasized the importance of strict observance of the regulatory requirements with regard to, amongst others, the screening criteria applicable for candidate ministers, again made me realize how important it is to lead by example.

With all due respect to the governor’s plead, fact is that when he decided not to sign the national decrees to appoint two candidate-ministers earlier this year, he himself didn’t adhere to the Rules of Procedure for the Governor of St. Maarten (a kingdom law). According to this Regulation he was obligated to send the national decrees that he refused to sign, immediately to the King (article 21 of the Regulation). He never did.

According to article 25, sub 1c, of this Regulation, not complying with any of the stipulations laid down in this Regulation is a punishable act/a crime. People who think that because of the fact that the government fell, that the governor in this case didn’t have to comply with this Regulation anymore, are obviously mistaken. Nobody is above the law.

The fact that nobody has held him responsible for not complying with this Regulation, is something else. The Council of Advice has called the current screening process unclear and outdated. The Council of Advice has also stressed on the importance of the privacy of candidate-ministers in the context of the screening. In the case of the two candidate ministers, this was also not taken into account. They were not informed beforehand by the governor of his reasons and had to find out on social media outlets, that they wouldn’t be appointed as ministers.

Sadly, until this day no apology for this very improper handling of their privacy was received from the governor or his cabinet. I can only conclude that, evidently, it is very difficult to lead by example.

Name withheld at author’s request.

Dear Editor,

I believe that people who say “Never say never” should never say never.

For instance: “There was never an investigation against me.” To that I say, not because something did not come to light it did not happen.

For example: traffic accident on the French side. Of late too many people are telling me that “the standard of the police is far below allyou days.” My responce to that would be, “What should one expect when one does not even need any kind of formal education to be elected member of Parliament?” So I can understand when one who postulates one’s-self to be elected member of Parliament is of the opinion that screening is not democratic.

Another point that I have been making for years which not one member of Parliament has been able to explain to me is “where in whatever form of government pertaining to Parliament is it stated which member(s) of Parliament are (is) the opposition?”

Another point. Does not every country (region) have its traditions? One of these traditions in the Caribbean islands is to greet each other according to the time of the day. For years Caribbean children have been punished for not greeting, especially their elders. If we are not taught that not all over the world the same traditions are kept, who is responsible for not enlightening those of us who will encounter people who are not familiar with this tradition, how to go about welcoming them?

What I was taught is that in the Caribbean, good morning, good afternoon, good evening and good night were a form of greeting. My father who was a seaman later taught us that those greetings for people of other countries would be understood as a wish. So you can expect “thank you” as an answer; or “good morning to you” also or possibly no answer.

So those of us who know better should promote “customer care” instead of doing what we usually do: expect people, especially the youth, to do what was not instilled in them.

I stand corrected, but is not the Immigration Department our first line of defense?

A question for those persons who have been in government, and in this case in education for years: If tourism is the pillar of our economy, why did we not continue with those languages that were taught in MULO?

Another question is: If an exam is kept today in the “Constitution and civics”, what percentage of the members of Parliament and the different government employees would pass that exam?

And for those of us who put ourselves in a position to be criticised, we should not feel offended when we are not readily forthcoming and are made out to be so.

I hold everyone who knows about government employees who are collecting (part of) a salary without showing up for work, accountable. It is good to know that the present Minister of Justice will resume work after being “on paid vacation for almost ten years” as he publicly stated.

I have stated this in the past and will repeat it. Not because it is not forbidden by law that makes it the right thing to do. Not because something did not come to light that means it did not happen.

Please check who all of those supermarket licences, which are operated by Chinese nationals and merely employ 2% of locals, belong to. The fuel clause fluctuation is chump change compare to the kind of money generated by those supermarkets which daily add at least one quarter (US $0.25) to the price of a different product. Please don’t touch our present Minister of Finance.

Russell A. Simmons

Dear Editor,

Many people named the one seat SAM got as UP’s miracle seat because DP with three seats, UP with two seats, PFP with two seats and SAM with one seat can form the next government and they do not need URSM to form the next new government for 2024 to 2028.

If UP is out of the next government let's see how Sarah will survive a seat next coming election, because URSM is depending on DP 100% to form the next government. DP will be blamed if UP is not part of the new government.

The last election could be avoided: USRM, UP, DP, NOW and PFP could have formed the government without having election.

Now the people want a broad-based government even up to 11 seats. By doing so it is possible NA and NOW will be on the opposition benches.

Oh boy, these letters of intent and agreement of intent are giving many of these politicians many sleepless nights.

Candidates that are not elected should form an NGO to remain politically active because St. Maarten is falling apart.

Cuthbert Bannis

Dear Editor,

Now that the dust has settled after the unveiling of the colourful Caribbean Guilder (Cg) in a gala-like presentation, it’s time to face reality. Let’s set aside the fact that the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten (CBCS) has been promising the Cg since 2008, yet we’re still using the currency of the Netherlands Antilles which ceased to exist in 2010.

Let’s also ignore, for a moment, the many controversies surrounding the CBCS, such as the leak of personal information about a prospective minister, or its inadequate oversight, which led to the debacles of Girobank and Ennia—burdens that will fall on our shoulders and those of future generations. Not to mention the numerous court cases, with more still pending. And if that weren’t enough, the CBCS Supervisory Board is pushing for a 130% increase in the maximum salary for its Board of Directors.

That’s already a lot to digest, but there’s more. The new, shiny bills represent a monetary union between Curaçao and St. Maarten, a union that is nothing short of dysfunctional. The federal Netherlands Antilles was dissolved because its five territories wanted to pursue their own policies. Yet somehow, we decided to form a monetary union, to coordinate or harmonize macroeconomic, fiscal, and monetary policies. As State Secretary of Finance, I vehemently opposed this decision back in 2008, as it was imposed by The Hague without any economic study. No one listened, but some did call for my expulsion.

Despite entering this monetary union, unlike successful examples such as the European Monetary Union or the West African Monetary Union, we have no permanent mechanisms or supranational institutions to coordinate the necessary policies or work towards convergence criteria that would ensure success. Instead, we chose to defy logic and ignore empirical data.

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Today, both St. Maarten and Curaçao have their own economic policies, tax codes, and budget management systems. Over time, the two countries—once part of the same entity—have drifted apart, each following its own path. That would be perfectly fine if they weren’t in a monetary union. But relevant policies remain uncoordinated and specific to each country, which defeats the entire purpose of such a union.

The former Minister of Finance thoughtlessly stated in 2015 that coordination was “not a priority.” Now he’s Executive Director CBCS. St. Maarten, which risks enduring the stark consequences of the aforementioned Ennia fiasco, contemplates leaving the union. My advice? Leave now, “or perish slow”, as Gypsy sang in Sinking Ship. This monetary union is destined to vanish into oblivion, just as many before it.

Alex Rosaria