Is the fact that St. Martin is a two-nationality island a good thing or a bad thing? For whom is it good and for whom is it bad and why should this be so? And then, what can orshould we do about it?
As a tourist attraction it is definitely a good thing. The island is only 37 square miles, its frontiers are virtual, one passes them almost unnoticed.
The Dutch side can capitalize on things Dutch and the Frenchside on things French, especially food and restaurants. That is probably the biggest of the good things. It is also probably the biggest of the bad things too.
The two administrative systems are so different it is almost unbelievable. Most of the time French people have gone to the Dutch side to work, mostly in the tourism sector. Yet it is almost impossible for people of the Dutch side to come to the French side to work.
On the other hand, today we have immigrants who live on one side of the island, and profit from the laws of the other side, something the natives cannot do.
Another bad thing is the rampant immigration, which rewards the illegals by granting them both legalization and after a few years the nationality of the country. This puts the French side especially in a bind. Because of the French system they cannot decide who enters, who is expelled, who gets legalized or who gets French nationality. Yet, again because of the system, the collectivity has to pay the dole for them.
It seems to me that we are reaching a point where it is definitely not a good thing.
No comments:
Post a Comment