Dear Editor,
Our status “Upper class and the rest”. Before the question arises let me state it this way: When 70 percent of any population is living just on or below the poverty line then there is no middle class. It is those who have and the rest.
Because I was busy cleaning up the yard, I did not have time to read the paper. But I got several phone calls and each person had the same question: “Indepenedence for whom?”
There is a saying that I have heard all over the Caribbean, I do not know about Africa because I have never been there. It is said in several ways but it boils down to “Run ’way from jumbie, end up in coffin”. I do not care much about St. Maarten becoming independent, because I believe that I have a thankful spirit or most probably because of my upbringing in the church.
I have lived in the Caribbean all my life and because of the kind of work I did I was privileged to hear a whole lot, and I mean a whole lot, of Caribbean people pour out their heart to me (the police). And the reason for leaving their country to immigrate and migrate was almost in every conversation.
We know how many islands are in the Caribbean and we also know how many different nationalities of foreigners have migrated to St. Maarten Aruba and Curaçao and for what reason, of which we know that the main reason was economic, whether to invest or to seek employment. We also know how many islands in the Caribbean have opted for independence and what we also know is that a whole lot of people from those islands who voted for and received independence for their country have left their independent country and migrated to St. Maarten for economic reasons.
When I look at the St. Maarten voters list I can see clearly that more than 70% of the voters are not originally from the Netherland Antilles, Holland or Suriname. Let me immediately continue by stating that this is entirely not personal. These are statistical facts and have nothing to do with who has what rights or not. It has to do with “Not rocking the boat and remaining loyal to those who (because of what I know) who in their concept helped them to get a passport.
It hurts me every time I hear people who have been on St. Maarten for more than 30 years are still saying, “If it was not for ‘such and such’ a person I wouldn’t have my Dutch passport today.” Nobody gives you a passport.
There are laws, rules and regulations stipulated on how to be able to become a citizen of the country and there are fees attached to that process. No one can help you get a passport, they can assist you with the petition and by explaining to you the process, but they cannot give you a passport. You being here and conducting and behaving yourself in a respectable and responsible manner and abiding by the laws of the land contribute towards you being able to obtain your passport.
Because I know this is the cause of many people who naturalised Dutch or through marriage and recognition got the Dutch nationality, continue to vote for a certain way, rather than vote to improve the situation, I have questioned them about it. and the majority of them would say, by calling certain politicians’ names, saying “So-and-so helped me so I gave him/her my vote. Me.”
“Does that make it better?”
“Maybe not, but it is better than back home.”
So, my question for those who continue to vue for independence for St. Maarten, what examples do they have to show the people that independence will work for us? What kind of economy, what kind of liveable wage, what about agriculture, what about border control, what about viable police protection?
In 12 years of Status Aparte toppled a record amount of governments, our people in government continue to put themselves in a position to be investigated for mainly fraud, we have to beg the people to cooperate with the census – yes, the census, which if not the most vital one of the most vital parts of determining what kind of people you have in your country.
What are we going to do about “under the table transactions”? One of the questions a young St. Maartener asked me not too long ago: “Mister Russell, only Chinese are allowed to have supermarkets on St. Maarten?” I told him to ask his teacher to help him in writing a letter to the department that issues permits in which he can formally ask that question.
Talking about supermarkets, let me ask this question that I think I have cited before. Why do not the supermarkets give the clients a receipt?
Who makes spot checks in the supermarkets to see if everything is really kosher in those places of business? Who really works roke? Are those vying for independence ready for a mass exodus? Who is in charge of the control on the food entering St. Maarten? Who are actually the big money (influential) people in St. Maarten?
Recently – to be exact, it was on Thursday last week – someone said to me, “Mr. Russell, what these independent people thinking? They can’t see that we can’t even find a St. Maartener to put as the president of the Parliament?” I told him the same way he noticed that he should take his time to formulate a nice letter and send it to the editor of the newspaper. It might get published. I also told him it only takes one letter to get him to see how it goes and from there he can continue to publicly voice his opinion in a respectable manner. Hopefully that would manifest itself into more young people getting involved in monitoring what is happening in their country by asking questions about it.
I hope that I am not stepping on anyone’s toes, but we have to start on the right foot and that is far from what I am seeing now. So, we have to clean up our mess first and I do not mean only the government, I mean every last one of us.
By the way, I do not believe that the police brass is in the office 24 hours a day. And even during the day, as Christmas is getting closer, more owners are adorning the front of their motor vehicles with what I call “Christmas lights”, which the drivers turn on even during the day.
On my way home this morning, two drivers almost ran into my car, using their cell phone, while driving. Unless a driver is texting, which I consider utterly stupid or willful, I do not understand why he/she cannot place the phone in the car in such a way that he/she can use the speaker. This kind of behavior also tells me that we are not ready for independence.
So again, independence for who?
Russell A. Simmons
Dear Editor,
When God created the earth and made man, for him not to be lonely, He gave him a helpmate, which is the woman. He created her beautiful, and lovely for the man to love her, not to abuse her. When God had finished all his work of creation, He beheld the work of His hands, and declared that it is good. So, God didn’t have a problem for the man to have a woman.
The man was to protect the woman as the weaker sex. But today we are living in a time when something seems to have gone wrong with the way in which quite a number of men out there consider the women, who instead have now become the subject of abuse, either from their husbands or lovers. Domestic violence is causing many women nowadays to be beaten, murdered, and even raped, while divorce and separation rates are also running high.
Many fathers or husbands are abandoning their care and responsibility for their families, and leaving their wives behind to raise the children on their own. This is another reason why we have so many single mothers today, and the number seems to be growing.
It was a known fact that the statistics of domestic violence, or women abuse, was at its highest during the lockdown period of COVID-19. It is quite obvious that many women now would be scared to death should any future lockdowns from another worldwide pandemic occur. The fear of being locked down and locked in with their abusive sick husband or lovers would be greater than the fear of the pandemic itself.
International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women was held on November 25. The hope is to find a solution to this problem. But a solution to this problem may not be easy, because we are now dealing with a different generation, of men whose attitude or tolerance towards the woman has changed.
Dear editor, in the days gone by, most marriages use to last until death do depart. Reports of femicide and reports of abused women were at a low level. Institutions like Safe Havens for battered or abused women were hardly not needed. Families were more together, and fathers, as good role-models, would spend more time with their children , and set the good example for their sons as to how to treat and love their future wives.
The big question is: why are men releasing their frustration or hatred against the woman? Why are domestic violence and femicide increasing?
The solution to this world-wide problem may be sought from various angles. But in conclusion let me just quote some scriptures from the Bible. In the Bible from chapter five of the book of Ephesians, verse 25 says: “Husbands love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church.” And in verse 28 it says: “So aught men to love their wives as their own bodies, He that loved his wife love himself.” And in verse 33 God repeats again: “Nevertheless, let every one of you in particular so love his wife even as himself.”
I believe these biblical verses speak clearly for themselves to every man, husband or father out there.
Over the years the world has changed. We are living today in a time where violence is all around us, where boys are raised up in homes without a father to set the good example as role-models, and where many young boys are seeing their fathers abuse, beat, and even kill their mothers, and last but not least, many youngsters are growing up in homes where they were never taught the word of God.
I believe that domestic violence is a problem that we will have to deal with for yet a long time to come. Meanwhile, the outcry of abused women will continue to be among us.
Name withheld upon request.
A concerned citizen
Dear Editor,
St. Maarteners should fully accept the Dutch apologies and it is even better all the Dutch Caribbean people accept the apologies from the Dutch in 2022.
It is a way of fixing the world they brought our ancestors to from Africa, because there was empty land out here and for their interest.
The black African leaders were involved too with the Dutch and there were rebellious slaves working under exploitation – not easy.
The associations, organisations, clubs, unions or any NGO in the Dutch colonies should welcome and accept the apologies from the Dutch prime minister, who is a shadow of the Dutch King or Queen. He will apologise one of these good days to the entire Dutch nations in the near future.
Cuthbert Bannis
Dear Mr. Editor,
I found the Prime Minister’s remarks regarding the Dutch’s pending apologies for their part in the slave trade – or whatever they are calling it – amusing and a little shocking. I had my own doubts about what a specific apology would entail as soon as it was revealed. But that is neither here nor there.
Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs finally added her two cents to the debate and completely, once again, brought her integrity into question. Instead of sticking to the merit of the discussion, the Prime Minister used the opportunity to try and fill a problematic political hole and hope the people wouldn’t understand what she was cunningly up to.
She made an “argument” using the 12.5% cuts as a crutch and then soft-soaked the rest of her remarks to make it seem as if she genuinely cares what an apology for slavery would entail. But the Prime Minister’s only goal was to introduce the 12.5%, or its abolition, as a potential requirement to make an apology for slavery more credible.
But here is the problem. The Dutch did not come up with the 12.5% cuts on workers’ salaries, the Prime Minister and her government did, after Aruba had tabled its idea for austerity measures with a 12.6% cut. St. Maarten had the opportunity, just like Aruba and Curaçao, to table suggestions for austerity measures as a result of the pandemic, and chose not to do so. Instead, St. Maarten copied Aruba’s suggestion and the Dutch said, okay, forward. Agreements were drawn up around the main condition that St. Maarten proposed: the 12.5% cuts.
This is another illustration of why former State Secretary Knops referred to the Prime Minister as a liar and her administration as unreliable. Prime Minister Jacobs once more attempted to mislead the public by jumping on the bandwagon of the apology for slavery. She brazenly attempted to make it appear as though the Dutch were the ones who came up with the 12.5% and who voted it into being. The Parliament of St. Maarten who supports the Prime Minister and her government voted it into existence. And the Prime Minister led the charge on it. Not the Dutch.
So, to shamefully drag a slavery discussion into your biggest political faux-pas is a disgrace and yellow politicking. Going into an election the Prime Minister is setting up a discussion on the 12.5% and she saw the slavery discussion as the perfect vehicle from which to kick off these talking points. I hope most people see right through it, including the Dutch.
Name withheld
Re: Dutch “Apology” for “Slavery Past”
Honorable Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs
Honorable Minister Rodolphe Samuel
Honorable Minister Ardwell Irion
Honorable Minister Anna Richardson
Honorable Minister Egbert Doran
Honorable Minister Omar Ottley
Hon. President of the Parliament of St. Martin (South):
We of the ONESXM Association have taken note of media reports indicating that the Dutch government will be sending a delegation to the island to “apologize” for the so-called “Slavery Past” of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The representatives of the Dutch government are expected to offer this “apology” here on St. Martin on December 19, 2022. The statement attributed to the Dutch government also points out that the “apology” will not be accompanied by any discussion of reparations.
Considering that for all the intents and purposes, this Dutch initiative is embedded within the context of the 160th anniversary next year of the so-called “Emancipation Declaration” of July 1, 1863, the planning and organization of which St. Martin has not been part of;
Considering that as far as we know, neither the issue of the evil system of slavery on our island and its lingering effects nor the question of Reparatory Justice have been debated on the floor of our Parliament or discussed by our Council of Ministers or the community at large;
Given the fact that the decolonization of St. Martin is not yet complete, whereas colonialism can be considered Slavery 2.0;
Considering the fact that several UN Resolutions, which the Kingdom of the Netherlands is a signatory to, have called for an end to colonialism and that, in spite of this, the Dutch state, as recently as 2022, voted against a UN Resolution calling for the eradication of racial discrimination worldwide;
Considering that in the middle of the pandemic, the Kingdom government imposed inhumane conditions like a 12.5% salary cut on people not yet recovered from a category 5-plus hurricane barely three years prior;
Furthermore, given the fact that the Dutch monarchy aided and abetted the atrocities of the evil system of slavery – funding and benefitting immensely from it – and that it was one of the last slaving nations to abolish slavery on its occupied territories;
Considering that the so-called “Emancipation Proclamation” was made in the name of the Dutch monarch at the time after the evil system of slavery had become unsustainable in 1863;
In view of all the foregoing, we the ONESXM Association strongly urge Parliament, the Council of Ministers, and other social, business, political, religious, and other government and civil society organizations on St. Martin not to accept any half-hearted, insincere “apology” on behalf of the people of St. Martin.
An “apology” with conditions is no apology at all. An “apology” that is not accompanied by reparatory justice, as understood in the terms set by the Reparations Commission of Caribbean Community CARICOM, is no apology at all. And an “apology” that does not come directly from the monarch (king) as the symbol of embodiment of the Dutch state is no apology at all.
We propose, instead, that independently of the initiatives of the Dutch government, our Parliament should schedule a series of debates on the issues of the evil system of slavery and its nefarious effects on modern-day St. Martin. We also strongly suggest that the Council of Ministers establish post-haste a Slavery and Reparations Commission to come up with a well-researched position for government to adopt.
As a people, we have finally reached a point where the egregious crime against our ancestors can no longer be refuted by the Dutch Kingdom. However, the acknowledgement is yet evolving, and we owe it to our ancestors to ensure that due process and true reparatory justice are served.
We strongly reject the imposition of a so-called “shared future” in the Kingdom, in which at no time, past or present, have we had any meaningful future. Besides, it is for the people of St. Martin to decide, based on their God-given right to self-determination, if they want a “future” in a kingdom that is not theirs, in a kingdom that enslaved their ancestors.
This is the reason why the One SXM Association has been calling for a new constitutional referendum – with a Yes or No vote on Independence – especially since the last one was held in 2000, over 22 years ago. This will give a whole new generation of St. Martiners the chance to determine their future.
Finally, we exhort you to take this matter seriously and honor the blood, sweat and tears of our ancestors, whose struggle for freedom is the reason we are not in chains today, and refuse to accept any “apology” as intended by the Dutch authorities, whenever and wherever they decide to offer this.
Sincerely,
Dr. Rhoda Arrindell, President
Alston Lourens, Secretary
Lloyd Paul, Treasurer
