Dear Editor,
The mega announcement of mega tariffs around the world took place in the Rose Garden on Wednesday, April 2, at the White House in Washington DC.
Trump’s tariffs have created economic anxiety and it’s already leading to a decline in U.S. consumer confidence which is impacting how Americans are spending their money. There has been a decline in spending on airlines, hotels and other trip components.
St. Maarten received over 332,000 stay-over visitors in 2024 and close to a million cruise passengers, more than a majority from the US market. Regional and local tourism reps will be watching the figures closely for 2025, but a strategy is needed to counteract the potential decline that we are facing as a nation.
In February, according to data from Bloomberg Second Measure, U.S. consumer spending on air travel and hotels dropped by 10 and six per cent year over year. In addition, from the same source, every week in 2025 through March 24, Americans have spent less on airfares and hotels compared to the same period in 2024.
The Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten (CBCS) this week released its March 2025 Economic Bulletin which said that St. Maarten has demonstrated resilience by recording a stronger recovery from the pandemic than initially anticipated by maintaining steady economic growth throughout 2024, and this momentum is expected to continue into 2025.
St. Maarten’s real Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was described as “moderating slightly to 3.5 percent in 2024,” and CBCS projects that real GDP for 2025 is expected to expand by 2.6 per cent.
CBCS warns that “…trade policies by the U.S. administration could result in negative spillover effects for both the global economy and the monetary union (Curaçao and Sint Maarten).” CBCS further adds that, “This scenario may disrupt supply chains and cause sharp increases in international commodity prices, further fueling inflationary pressures in Curaçao and St. Maarten.”
CBCS: “To reduce risks from tariffs and potential trade conflicts, businesses in Curaçao and Sint Maarten should diversify supply chains away from reliance on the U.S. market. The governments of Curaçao and Sint Maarten can support this by strengthening trade relations with alternative partners through, for example, collaborative advocacy with CARICOM.”
According to the U.S. Department of State, U.S. exports to the country in 2023 was valued at US $847 million. This is what local import businesses, wholesalers and others forked out. The time has come to diversify our supply chains and our reliance on the U.S. market as suggested by the CBCS.
CBCS adds that, “… promoting local production in agriculture …,” is one of the avenues that should be explored and developed. The government of St. Maarten Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) is pursuing this avenue.
With the tariff war now in full swing, small island nations like St. Maarten and others in the Caribbean will be planning a response while others may already have been planning ahead once Tariff Trump was sworn in 10+ weeks ago.
The tariff war is a wake-up call for St. Maarten’s tourism-dependent economy and sole reliance on the U.S. market for goods and products. The country’s economic diversification is more essential now than ever.
Roddy Heyliger
Dear Editor,
For many years I have heard “Woh he getting on so for, nothing ain’t happen.” In the editorial of March 31st, I read “This concern is understandable, it has become a custom for persons to hang around the gate and offer passengers coming out their services.” And then this was added: “As long as they do it in a tactful and respectful manner this won’t cause any problems, but that is not always the case.” If I say “As long as the grown-up got the minor pregnant in a tactful and respectful manner this won’t cause any problems.”
The following is not beside the point but it was brought to my attention that there are people who come from neighbouring islands on days when there are two or more ships in shore, rent a car for the day and yes become gypsy for the day and sometimes pick up tourists from the hotels and take them on day tours etc. All of this I blame on all the governments of St. Maarten since whenever.
There is very little that remains hidden on St. Maarten and those who are responsible for the fixing of “stuff” are still turning a blind eye to all the illegalities among the people which distracts the people from seeing that they are not doing what they were elected to do.
I do not agree that a handful of police were selected to go to Miami in order to learn how to deal with the youth. In my opinion this should be part of the basic training. The police should not be seen as social workers They are there to intervene as first responders and recognise the problems in order to be able to make recommendations.
There is an ordinance which in Dutch is the Algemene Politie Verordening (General Police Ordinance). These are the laws which are actually the laws which enables the police to enforce law and order on the whole community and not only drivers. These are the laws which are there to police the whole community.
The police is not there to rear people’s children. That is the job of the parents and I would venture to say the schoolteachers. I mention this because here on St. Maarten children spend at least seven to eight of the waken hours of a day with the schoolteachers.
When you select certain people out of a group to do special things which eventually the whole group will have to do, you are indirectly separating the group. One of the things, in my opinion, that has taken away from the authority of the police and along with that the respect due, is the change of uniform which any and everybody is now imitating. There are basic things in a police force which do not change and I miss seeing them. I stated it before and I will repeat it. Experience is what should be made use of in a police force and you do not get that by selecting who (which friend) to promote.
Russell A. Simmons
Dear Editor,
Egg prices on certain Caribbean islands have gone through the roof. If you don’t have a local backyard chicken or two, serving you up some eggs on a daily basis, you are left to do without or pay those high supermarket prices. One option is to produce locally and purchase locally.
One reason why eggs are so expensive is due to the bird flu (Avian influenza). U.S. poultry farms have been impacted by bird flu where 166 million birds have been affected since January 2022, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
In January this year alone, 8.3 million birds have died due to bird flu, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.
The United Nations (UN) Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) recently stated that the rapid spread of the highly infectious avian flu virus had reached unprecedented scale, wiping out hundreds of millions of birds worldwide and increasingly spilling over into mammals.
The economic impact is being felt worldwide. St. Maarten and other Caribbean islands import eggs from the U.S. and consumers are suffering with high prices. A dozen eggs in Saba are approximately US $15. In Colombia three dozen are US $325.
The erratic America First policy by the new U.S. administration that took over on January 20, 2025, especially the ad hoc tariff policy leading to uncertainty around the globe has caused more chaos to date leading to the U.S. stock market losing trillions since the November 2024 U.S. election.
The postponement and then on-again tariffs on Canada and Mexico can only lead to an increase in the costs of doing business which would be translated to an increase in the price of products across the three countries (U.S., Canada and Mexico).
The implications in the U.S. could impact prices of imported food products which are still to materialize in the coming months for St. Maarten consumers.
Bearing the aforementioned in mind, a local egg production pilot program should be started as one aspect of creating a sustainable path for self-sufficiency. This project could be an initiative for the St. Maarten Farmer’s Cooperative (SMFC).
The Cayman Islands Department of Agriculture launched the EggsUp programme with the aim to support Caymanian families with children by providing fresh local eggs.
Funding could be sought initially from the Government or via funds from the Trust Fund that is associated with the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB). This very important project could bring relief to consumers.
Other nations within the region who import 90 per cent of their food products from the United States of America are taking a deeper look at this dependency and how it can be reduced. The realization of the current political landscape is a wake-up call and that something needs to be done with a new determination for self-reliance.
Roddy Heyliger
Dear Editor,
We write to you on behalf of the people of Bonaire regarding a joint statement of objection, as mentioned above, in collaboration with the Bonaire Human Rights Organization, Ministerio
Evangeliko Di Akshon (Evangelical Ministry in Action – religious body), and SC Labor Union StrAF Division (workers’ labor union) from Bonaire, Statia, and Saba. This statement has been sent to the Secretary-General of the United Nations, António Guterres, CARICOM, OECS, OAS, CELAC, and COPPPAL.
We hereby urgently raise our concerns regarding the letter Governor Soliano dated March 25, 2025, reference: Z/25/024494 addressed to Mr. Brekelmans, Minister of Defense, and Mr. Veldkamp, Minister of Foreign Affairs, regarding: “Concerns about the situation in Venezuela”.
We are particularly concerned by the letter from Governor Soliano, which was publicized in the media, instilling fear and creating panic among the local population. Governor Soliano, who is not elected and does not represent the people of Bonaire but is appointed by and represents the King and the Dutch Government, has, through this irresponsible public action, initiated a possible provocation with Bonaire’s neighboring country, Venezuela.
Governor Soliana calling on the Dutch Government, Minister Brekelmans of Defense and Minister Veldkamp of Foreign Affairs, as the Governor sees Venezuela as military threat which could lead to unnecessary interreference, intervention, provocation and animosity from Venezuela.
Our Answers/Opinion to Questions asked by D66 Members of Parliament van der Werf and
Paternotte:
* Yes, everybody saw this letter and message of Governor Soliano who “sounds alarm about
military threat from Venezuela” was widely publicized in the media and can be seen as a form of propaganda that could lead to military provocations and conflict.
* No, there were no indicative reported or observed Venezuelan military activity near Bonaire.
* No, we have always been friendly neighbors, and there have been no serious, credible threats contrary to the sensational and troubling letter from Governor Soliano, which could lead to military provocation. Bonaire has historically maintained peaceful relations with Venezuela. Many Bonaireans have ties to Venezuela, with a substantial Venezuelan community on the island, and we have always lived together peacefully. Any attempt to portray otherwise is misleading and unjustified.
* No, there are no increased threats to other Caribbean parts of the Kingdom, as Aruba and
Curaçao that are closer to Venezuela than Bonaire, as we all have lived with outmost respect and peaceful relationship to each other throughout our history. Recently the Government of Aruba refused the Dutch government's initiative to establish a military base on the island of Aruba as to avoid provocations and escalation.
* There has been no prior information from the Governor nor the Public Entity of Bonaire
towards the citizens of any indication as severe as this provocative sensationalized suggestive NATO interference letter propagates and invites to military escalation instead of diplomatic peace-keeping and seeking communications and solutions
* Bonaire is part of the Caribbean that has been declared a zone of Peace by CELAC, the
Caribbean region does not promote any suggestive military propaganda to provocation and to
destabilize the peaceful Caribbean region
* The Royal Navy has bases on Aruba and Curaçao with main responsibility of border control and drugs-smuggling and there were no serious public reports and indications as the sensations-seeking and provocative letter of Governor Soliano has perjured the Bonaire, Antillean and Caribbean communities
* Governor Soliano should seriously consider withdrawing his provocative letter, and Ministers of Defense Brekelmans and Foreign Affairs Veldkamp should clearly treat the letter as not having been sent. They should also begin de-escalating any potential military provocations in order to maintain Bonaire, our sister islands Aruba and Curaçao, and the Caribbean region as a zone of peace.
The suggestive provocative letter of Governor Soliano for possible NATO military interference and base on Bonaire in our opinion will lead to provocation and escalation to military conflict. This is a direct threat to regional peace and security and goes against the interests of the people of Bonaire, who wish to remain neutral and uninvolved in foreign military confrontations.
We stand united in the belief that the rights and wishes of the people of Bonaire must be respected. Bonaire, along with the Caribbean region, should remain a peaceful, demilitarized zone where human rights, social stability, and regional cooperation are prioritized. We respectfully request your urgent attention to this matter in ensuring that Bonaire remains a peaceful, demilitarized territory in accordance with international law.
James Finies
President Nos Kier Bonaire Bek
By Alex Rosaria
It is useful to compare last week’s election results with the 1967 Curaçao Island Council (KI) elections, where the Democratic Party (DP) secured 13 seats and governed alone.
