Dear editor,
As a resident of Point Blanche, living just past the bustling Port St. Maarten, I find myself wondering if the chaotic state of our roadways is a sign of progress or an indicator of negligence. While the economic vitality brought by heavy machinery, quad tours, scooters, and rental cars is undeniable, their abuse of our infrastructure and our collective mental health is steadily eroding both our patience and quality of life.
Every day, I navigate the maze of inconveniences caused by the inconsiderate practices of these road users. It is time for the government to step in with decisive measures to restore sanity to our streets, especially for communities like Point Blanche, which bear the brunt of this chaos.
Quad tours: The inconvenient parade
Let’s begin with the quad tour operators. Their long, winding lines of 20 or more tourists on all-terrain vehicles have become an irritating spectacle. Outriders/tour-guides block intersections, forcing us to wait as these clueless visitors amble along at a snail’s pace, oblivious to the rules of the road.
This is not just a nuisance but also a potential hazard. I’ve often wondered whether all the riders are even of legal age or properly licensed. Could we not introduce regulations to limit the number of quads per tour, reducing their disruptive impact? Perhaps an additional road usage fee for quad operators with excessively large groups could incentivize more responsible practices.
Scooters: The menace on two wheels
Then there are the scooter riders – a perpetual source of dread for every driver. Their reckless antics, such as weaving between cars, popping wheelies, and flouting traffic laws, make them a danger not only to themselves but to everyone on the road. The number of accidents and fatalities linked to scooters speaks volumes about the need for intervention.
Unregistered and uninsured scooters should be banned outright. Let’s round them up and ensure that only registered bikes of a certain horsepower, with properly insured riders, are allowed on the road. Strict enforcement and severe penalties for violators would go a long way in restoring order.
Heavy machinery and trucks: Road wreckers
Heavy machinery and trucks add another layer of frustration. Their slow crawl up steep hills, like Cole Bay Hill, creates traffic snarls that extend for miles. Just a few months ago, near the intersection of Ground Dove Road and Goldfinch, trucks involved in construction work left behind a crater-sized pothole. The damage remains unrepaired, an enduring reminder of how these vehicles destroy our roads with impunity.
The government must reinstate time restrictions for these vehicles to operate during non-peak hours. Additionally, companies using heavy machinery should be held accountable for road damage. Billing their insurance for repairs would ensure that the burden of maintenance does not fall on taxpayers.
Rental cars: Seasonal squeeze
Every high season, the influx of rental cars turns our already-congested roads into an obstacle course. While tourism is the lifeblood of our economy, the sheer number of rentals during peak season is unsustainable. The government should consider imposing a surcharge on car rental agencies, with funds directed toward road maintenance and infrastructure upgrades.
Solutions for a smoother ride
The issues are clear, but what can be done? Here are a few practical suggestions for the government:
1. Quad Tours: Limit group sizes and enforce stricter road usage rules for tour operators. Introduce a fee for excessively large groups to discourage congestion.
2. Scooters: Ban unregistered and uninsured scooters. Establish clear guidelines for horsepower and rider qualifications.
3. Heavy machinery: Reinstate time restrictions for heavy vehicles during peak traffic hours. Introduce a mandatory insurance-backed system to fund road repairs caused by these vehicles.
4. Rental cars: Impose a seasonal road usage surcharge on car rental companies to offset the strain on infrastructure.
As we strive for development, we cannot afford to let our roadways become a free-for-all. Point Blanche residents, and indeed all road users on this island, deserve better. Addressing these issues will not only improve the quality of life for locals but also enhance the experience for our visitors.
To the government, I say this: Listen to the voices of the people who call this island home. Take decisive action to balance progress with accountability. Because if our roads continue to reflect chaos, what does that say about the direction we are heading as a society?
Respectfully,
Point Blanche Resident
Dear Editor,
In a world where advocacy and activism are necessary tools for addressing societal and political issues, it’s essential to evaluate the groups and movements we choose to align with. Recently, the Baku Initiative Group (BIG) allegedly financed a delegation from St. Maarten to attend an event in Azerbaijan’s capital Baku. At first glance, this might appear as a sign of solidarity or support for the island’s causes. However, such overtures are rarely without strings attached, and BIG’s affiliations and methods indicate that the risks of aligning with this group may far outweigh any perceived benefits.
BIG’s methods are symptomatic of a larger strategy often employed by destabilizing actors on the global stage that thrive on creating uncertainty and division, especially in regions with emerging economies or fragile governance structures. BIG is part of a network of entities that align with the strategy of Eastern powers seeking to destabilize Western interests. This strategy involves using proxies and affiliates to interfere with Western-aligned territories, sow division, and weaken their ability to function cohesively.
For St. Maarten, with its unique position as both a Dutch territory and a French overseas collectivité, alignment with such a group could make the island a pawn in a larger geopolitical game. This could strain relations with Europe, upon which both St. Maarten and French St. Martin rely for economic and administrative support.
History shows that destabilization often invites illegal activities such as trafficking, corruption, and organized crime. In a community like St. Maarten, where social and economic stability is critical for progress, these outcomes would be devastating. Local groups must recognize that the introduction of destabilizing elements can spiral into long-term challenges that are difficult to reverse.
BIG’s controversial history only adds to the concerns. Its connections to denial of the Armenian genocide, interference in New Caledonia, and its antagonistic stance toward France paint a picture of an organization with a history of exploiting vulnerable communities for its own gain. This should give pause to anyone considering collaboration with the group.
For example, in New Caledonia, BIG has been accused of deepening divisions in its bid to support independence movements, not out of solidarity, but to further its own strategic interests. Similarly, its activities in undermining French authorities could have serious implications for French St. Martin, potentially jeopardizing its relationship with mainland France.
Aligning with the Baku Initiative Group could harm St. Maarten’s reputation on the global stage. The island is known for its resilience, hospitality, and cultural diversity, all of which contribute to its appeal as a tourist destination and investment hub. Association with a group linked to destabilizing strategies and global controversies could tarnish this image, deterring much-needed investment and tourism.
Furthermore, French St. Martin’s relationship with mainland France could become strained if it is perceived as being entangled with an organization that has openly antagonized French interests. The consequences of such tensions could reverberate through economic and administrative ties, leaving the island worse off than before.
While BIG claims to support marginalized communities and champion social justice, its actions suggest otherwise. Though fighting for a cause can be powerful tools for change, it is crucial to scrutinize the groups we associate with, ensuring their motives align with our own and that their methods do not undermine our goals. Not all allies are created equal, and the cost of choosing the wrong ones, as the case of BIG demonstrates, can be far greater than anticipated.
Local groups must weigh the risks, understand the motives of external actors, look beyond the generous gifts they bear, and remain steadfast in their commitment to serving the best interests of St. Maarten’s people.
A highly concerned citizen
Name withheld at author’s request.
Dear Editor,
On the 21st of December, 2024, Thomas Sankara would have celebrated his 75th birthday had he been alive and other things being equal. But as fate would have it Sankara – who oversaw the renaming of the then French west African republic of Upper Volta to Burkina Faso – was assassinated in a military coup on the 13th of October, 1987. Sankara’s rapid ascension to the pinnacle of political power in Burkina Faso (land of the upright people) was enabled by his Marxist-leaning revolutionary ideas and overwhelming popular support – a result of his anti-imperialist stance and his impassioned determination and commitment to see his people become self-reliant.
Thomas Sankara’s early revolutionary fervour and political consciousness had its genesis in him being exposed to progressive ideas and Marxist narratives while he was attending military academy in Madagascar. An astute and well read military officer, Sankara rose to the rank of Captain, subsequently deposing Jean-Baptiste Ouedraogo to become President of Burkina Faso at age 34. A man of the Burkinabe people, Thomas Sankara became increasingly incensed at what he considered was the pilfering and looting of his country’s relatively limited resources. He witnessed the exploitation of his people by imperialist forces who were in collusion with corrupt public officials and Burkina’s Faso ruling class.
Domestically, radical ecological, social and economic reforms during his presidency were initiated and sincerely intended to reverse the misuse of his country’s nominal natural resources and people. Sankara’s deep resolve and devotion to develop the capacities of his people in pursuit of their self-reliance was influenced by leftist political ideologies and Pan-Africanism. He became a beacon of hope for the disillusioned, poverty-stricken, politically unconscious and exploited masses at home and in the diaspora.
Like Che Guevara, Sankara’s people-oriented visions, his integrity, sincerity and authentic nature were reassuring and trustworthy to the multitudes in Burkina Faso, many of whom sought from him daily motivation to inspire their sense of dread and hopelessness. For the people of Burkina Faso, Sankara became an exemplar of hope, freedom from imperial domination, economic liberation and a stubborn but nevertheless admirable determination to independently chart the course of Burkina Faso.
Assumingly though, Thomas Sankara must have been succinctly if not partially aware that this deep-seated conviction he held of wanting to dismantle the existing spiritually bankrupt political status quo in his homeland would be fiercely and violently resisted. Undoubtedly, Sankara’s revolutionary struggles and eventual assassination have to be understood in the context of the Cold War – the violent ideological battle fought between the communist East and the expansionist, capitalist West for satellite states. His anti-imperialist posture and embrace of Marxist progressive ideas weren’t just angering forces opposed to him at home but he was also ruffling and tinkering with powerful opponents in France and all the way to the corridors of power in Washington.
Thomas Sankara became an unbearable thorn in the sides of his ideological enemies and was eventually marked for death. Assassinated on the 13th of October, 1987, in a military coup, Sankara’s death occurred under the very circumstances – a military coup – which facilitated and catapulted him to the presidency four years earlier on the 4th of August, 1983. Now, 37 years after his death, there has been a resurgence of Thomas Sankara’s revolutionary spirit and anti-imperialist rhetoric in the likes of Captain Ibrahim Traore, and also the wider popular imagination and collective consciousness of the nation of Burkina Faso.
For the people of Burkina Faso, Captain Ibrahim Traore embodies the spirit and vision of Thomas Sankara. A representation of hope for the realization of the ideals of Thomas Sankara, Traore lives in the popular consciousness of the people of Burkina Faso as a reincarnation of Thomas Sankara – a man whose visionary exploits sincerely won the hearts and minds of an entire nation.
Orlando Patterson
Dear Editor,
Hoping the department in charge looks in this regularly and does something about people getting cheated all the time.
My vehicle shows how many more kilometres my vehicle will run with remaining gasoline in my tank. I have tried different gas stations and pumps. Just to give you an example, I put 22 litres of gas, and my vehicle shows an increase of 220 km. Next time I went to the same establishment but another pump, and put the same 22 litres and this time my increase went up to 242 km (higher this time)
Please note it’s the same vehicle, and all gas was put in during morning hours (6.30 AM to 7 A.M).
This is to let the public know how some stations provide more gas for the value, versus some stations where it’s less.
Merry Christmas!
Thawani
Newlite Electronics
Dear Editor,
Remember l told the world I dreamed Donald Trump, Emmanuel Macron and Keir Starmer were reasoning about peace and a democratic government for the Russians, North Koreans, Iran and Syria? God has heard the prayers of Emmanuel Macron.
Americans elected Donald Trump and the United Kingdom elected Keir Starmer. They all three are the best to fix the world, especially the Russia and Ukraine war.
Seeing these three great nations had election the same year 2024 means a lot to us in the world.
Cuthbert Bannis
