The St. Maarten people should observe carefully what is happening to our once Friendly Island St. Martin, which our ancestors built in becoming the on of the most attractive island in the Caribbean where tourism is concerned.
Unfortunately our island is now being destroyed by politicians who continue to blame each other for the many problems we are facing today instead of trying to come together to find solutions for the problems that we have.
When I read the Daily Herald of Tuesday, July 13, 2010 I was disappointed in realizing that our politicians are only busy with blaming each other, especially around this time when election is near approaching and they feel that the voters will join them by voting against politicians who are making decisions that are not in the interest of the St. Martin people. We are at a serious crossroad and the blaming does not do us any good. It’s just allowing parties to keep on pointing fingers at each other while forgetting the bigger picture.
Crime amongst our young people is escalating, our people are not interested in the change of status because of lack of involvement, 10-10-10 is near approaching and no date is set for island council elections which should be held before October 10, 2010, the Public Works or ROB saga is not yet solved which is now taking a toll on the speedy issuance of building permits, the new Government building is not being utilized while rent is being paid to the Financiers RGM a company from Trinidad, the Hope Estate Housing project is completed while potential tenants are still waiting to sign their rental contract to be able to move into the apartments, the traffic congestion are not being handled, Cost of living is soaring trough the roof while salaries remain the same, proper governance is a key element because we notice that Government, especially this one keep setting dates for the finalization of certain responsibilities and not living up to them, the educational system is in shambles and there is no explanation of how this issue will be remedied while our children are suffering from the system, unemployment of young people are becoming a normal phenomena which I believe sometimes causes the increase in youth delinquency and every day we read about more and more negative news.
I believe that Government should be there to help and not to hurt our people, which is something persons are experiencing on a daily basis. Some people get involved in politics just to get back at someone they feel hurt them in the past. Where are our moral standards? Are we still considered the friendly island or should we change our name to something else that would suit what is happening in our society.
Government should rather re-direct their energy and start looking at ways and means to work with the Northern side of the island in order to strengthen our ties and binds us more together so that every decision that is taken on any side of the island would be consulted with the other side to synchronize all efforts and to work as one, based on the spirit of the Concordia Treaty which we should uphold and ensure that the oneness of our people be maintained.
Our former Senator Marcel Gumbs is one of the liaison officers between the Northern and Southern side of St. Maarten which I believe that this gentleman would do good by spending more time to bridge the Northern and southern side of our island and to seek collective ways in solving our islands problems which we see affects both sides of our island. This is vital because whatever affects one side of the island impacts the other. This is no secret, like Dr. Petit once say that the Gail (hurricane) does not stop at the Frontiers. It rains on the Northern and Southern side and Crime is rampant on both sides.
Then tell me don’t you think our time will be better spent in planning and consulting with Authorities on both sides in order to solve the many challenges that were faced with. This is a new Era and St. Martin will only be able to live on if we put aside all party politics. There should be no favoritism for whether you are a D.P., N.A. or a P.P.A. supporter, but there should be the quest for St. Martiners to come together in these very crucial times and allow everyone to play their role in ensuring that our nation St. Martin becomes once more the island, as we know it to be in the past.
We can only do this if all hands are on deck and we allow UNITY to prevail.
The blaming will not solve the problem. It just stagnates the process and makes us go nowhere fast. Let us always move forward (semper pro gredients) and do what is right in the interest of our island St. Martin soon to be a country. We have only 88 more days to go before we become a country so let us not try to solve all our problems in those days but let us make sure that we come with structural long term solutions for the many challenges that we are faced with and we can only do this if all St. Martiners get involved with the building of this very unique nation called St. Martin. Long Live St. Martin.
C. Jeffrey Richardson
Pro St. Martiners and anti No Nationality
We all have our role to play and we must live together as one, both St. Martiners and Immigrants.