As has been said over and repeatedly, the island of Saint Martin is 37 square miles. Islands with active volcanoes may grow through volcanic eruptions, but St. Martin's volcanoes are no longer working, and many parts of the island were constructed by the sea building on coral, such as Philipsburg, Simpsonbay and Grand Case, among other locations on the island. But that is a process that takes thousands of years and one which has been interfered with in the dredging of the Bar of Philipsburg.
At one time there were five square miles of inland waters, but that is slowly and sometimes no slowly but surely disappearing, these days especially on the Dutch side.
So when do we reach the "Enough"! point on St. Martin? Looking at the island today I would say we have already reached it and exceeded in some areas.
Juliana airport already handles all types of aircraft, and runs out of space at certains times of year, we sometimes have as many as 8 cruise ships in port at one time. Millions of people pass through the island each year. Some days we may have an additional 20.000 people on an already overcrowed island of nobody knows how many thousand. The roads are not enough for the uncoontrolled thousands of cars and tour buses. On any day in winter tourists visiting St. Martin simply exchange a cold traffic jam for a hot traffic jam. Is that a fair exchange?
And now, both French side and Dutch are talking about extending their airports. To where? For whom? Because the native people are crying out here for lack of jobs first of all. Businesses are leaving the French side for the Dutch side, leaving even more joblessness on the French side, which survives these days on the French dole. Thousands of people not from the island and who have never contributed a day's work.
Right now we are having cemetery problems, they are all full. Government finds land to build social housing and schools for all the people flocking here, but the French side remains now without enough room to bury those who die and a hospital of only 80 beds and which is chronically out of room, where patients have to sleep in the corridors.
France is 50 years too late to be able to construct an airport on the French side of the caliber of Juliana airport. When France was offered the chance to build the airport along with the Dutch 50 years ago, the request had to go to France of course, and with the mentality of the Maginot line, France replied that it "did not see any benefit for France" in that. The rest is history.
Furthermore, there is no real reason why the French side should want to compete with the Dutch side. There are so many other ways to develop besides mega-marinas and mega-airports. The French side could become the "green" side of the island, developing and promoting things like 3"Fish Day" and the Colombier "Arrowroot Jollification" and "I love my Ram" programs. With proper promotion and development those kinds of programs could grow in the same manner that the Dutch side grew their Carnival and Heineken Regatta.
This island needs to focus on improving itself and working on helping to eradicate crime as much as possible. The two sides of the island also need to work on an immigration moratorium. Charity is supposed to begin at home and if you do not properly care for your own, how can you care for others?
Friday, February 28, 2014
Monday, February 24, 2014
OUR DOUBLE CARNIVAL
I am calling it our double Carnival because the Dutch side calls their celebration Carnival, but Carnival, the true Carnival, is celebrated on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday before Ash Wednesday, the beginning of Lent. The French territories even celebrate on Ash Wednesday. So what the Dutch side celebrates is in truth and in fact a Spring Festival, the way St. Kitts celebrates a Christmas festival.
Celebrations resembling Carnival are ancient, going back to way before Christianity. Thousands of years ago Rome celebrated the Saturnalia, around the days when we now celebrate Christmas. The Romans served their slaves (yes, slavery is also ancient and these slaves were Europeans).
Came Christianity and Carnival was institued at the beginning of Lent, because people were supposed to do penance around that time in preparation for the great feast of Easter. The very name Carnival comes from Carne Vale, 'no more meat'. Until Easter that is.
But when it became apparent that forty days of Lent was too long to fast, we got what is now called Mi-Careme in the French territories, and as people on St. Martin know, there is the Black and White Parade on Ash Wednesday! Mi-Careme is half way through Lent.
In today's day most Caribbean islands if not all all of them celebrate some festival during the year.
Notice that all the big ones, the ones that make the most splash, Rio, Trinidad, Aruba, Curacao, are celebrating it now at the same time. St. Croix and St. Kitts have wonderful Christmas celebrations. Antigua has/had a 'Crop-over festival as does Barbados, I think. Anguilla has two,
Anguilla Day and August Monday, St. Barths has August 24th, which is their nameday.
Celebrations resembling Carnival are ancient, going back to way before Christianity. Thousands of years ago Rome celebrated the Saturnalia, around the days when we now celebrate Christmas. The Romans served their slaves (yes, slavery is also ancient and these slaves were Europeans).
Came Christianity and Carnival was institued at the beginning of Lent, because people were supposed to do penance around that time in preparation for the great feast of Easter. The very name Carnival comes from Carne Vale, 'no more meat'. Until Easter that is.
But when it became apparent that forty days of Lent was too long to fast, we got what is now called Mi-Careme in the French territories, and as people on St. Martin know, there is the Black and White Parade on Ash Wednesday! Mi-Careme is half way through Lent.
In today's day most Caribbean islands if not all all of them celebrate some festival during the year.
Notice that all the big ones, the ones that make the most splash, Rio, Trinidad, Aruba, Curacao, are celebrating it now at the same time. St. Croix and St. Kitts have wonderful Christmas celebrations. Antigua has/had a 'Crop-over festival as does Barbados, I think. Anguilla has two,
Anguilla Day and August Monday, St. Barths has August 24th, which is their nameday.
Friday, February 21, 2014
OUR HOSPITAL
The Louis Constant Fleming Medical Center is a well equipped jewel of a hospital when one looks at it from the outside. It has one major problem: it nees twice as many beds than it has.
I have heard remarks about it such as "it has one more bed than than the old hospital", while the population has at least tripled, and "it has more office rooms that bed rooms for patients."
Why is this so? With a population that is expanding exponentialy, both through the island's birth rate and its unchecked immigration influs, it is well known throughout the French republic that something needs to be done. The island cannot continue to HAVE to accept so many outsiders because of the French system, while France does not furnish the means to take care of them, since they are living here off the CAF, while that is not allowed in the Hexagon.
Statistics show that in in 2011 the hospital recorded 881 births. It is easy to imagine how the population will increase each year. In any case, if nobody comes in through immigration, the population will have increased by almost 10 000 people in 10 years.
How is a hospital, built already several years ago, supposed to be able to care for this population? St. Martin is the area with the youngest population if the French republic, 40% of its population being below 25 years. That is almost half of the population!
Then we have family members who are brought in month after month by those who are already here, either because they have no remaining family inb their native countires or because they need special treatment, exactly the thing we are so ill-equipped to provide.
Where it stands right now, the hospital is overflowing on an ordianry day, and before the ambulance takes somebody to the emergency room dozens of questions have to be answered to prove that the household cannot take care of the sick person.
What if the dengue and the chikungunya were contagious instead of infectious and required hospitalization? What if a contagious disease were to break out? What if there were to be a really serious accident on board of one of those cruise ships which flood the island with tousands of people at once?
It would seem as if all we got is a new hospital building, and the old building is still in use for other purposes. Why was that building not kept as an emergency hospital or as a maternity hospital?
why is it that governments have to wait for something to happen and hundreds of people to suffer before they will act?
Those in positions of authority, please hear!!!!!
I have heard remarks about it such as "it has one more bed than than the old hospital", while the population has at least tripled, and "it has more office rooms that bed rooms for patients."
Why is this so? With a population that is expanding exponentialy, both through the island's birth rate and its unchecked immigration influs, it is well known throughout the French republic that something needs to be done. The island cannot continue to HAVE to accept so many outsiders because of the French system, while France does not furnish the means to take care of them, since they are living here off the CAF, while that is not allowed in the Hexagon.
Statistics show that in in 2011 the hospital recorded 881 births. It is easy to imagine how the population will increase each year. In any case, if nobody comes in through immigration, the population will have increased by almost 10 000 people in 10 years.
How is a hospital, built already several years ago, supposed to be able to care for this population? St. Martin is the area with the youngest population if the French republic, 40% of its population being below 25 years. That is almost half of the population!
Then we have family members who are brought in month after month by those who are already here, either because they have no remaining family inb their native countires or because they need special treatment, exactly the thing we are so ill-equipped to provide.
Where it stands right now, the hospital is overflowing on an ordianry day, and before the ambulance takes somebody to the emergency room dozens of questions have to be answered to prove that the household cannot take care of the sick person.
What if the dengue and the chikungunya were contagious instead of infectious and required hospitalization? What if a contagious disease were to break out? What if there were to be a really serious accident on board of one of those cruise ships which flood the island with tousands of people at once?
It would seem as if all we got is a new hospital building, and the old building is still in use for other purposes. Why was that building not kept as an emergency hospital or as a maternity hospital?
why is it that governments have to wait for something to happen and hundreds of people to suffer before they will act?
Those in positions of authority, please hear!!!!!
Wednesday, February 19, 2014
THE OTHERS - " THE WORKERS "
It is said that there are about 110 different nationalities present on St. Martin within these groups. There are however, two them who make up at least two thirds of what I call "the others", Dominicans and Haitians, people of what is the second largest island in the Caribbean area, whose populations number in the millions, even though they leave their countries by the thousands each year.
These many people of other nationalities have come to St. Martin to 'make a better life' for themselves as people like to say.
They run the gamut from from highly educated to illiterates, from highly skelled and trained to totally unskilled.
When tourism began taking off in the sixties there were jobs available for all, some even had two and three jobs, if they could handle it at one time. As far as money was concerned , life on St. Martin was sweet. The whole world had not yet heard of us. The vast majority of the tourists were Americans who were well-off and Caribbean people who were looking for work.
And then France and Holland "rediscovered" us in the late seventies and Europe became more and more present along with the rest of the world.
This has put us in a situation where we are now swamped with thousands of unskilled workers - our own, since it is a fact that EACH country has unskilled workers, and those from outside. That means we need a double supply of jobs available, which are not there, and one of the results is that outside labor gets the greater share of jobs, some because they accept conditions that are not allowed by law, but which are allowed to exist, and some because some groups only hire their own people. They send away for family members to fill positions that become available.
Something that happened to me this week is that my daughter had to be taken to the hospital emergency room this week. The hospital, because it is public, has to accept whoever docks up, was overflowing, there was no room for her, she spent the whole night in the corridor on a gurney, the next day she was sent home even though the doctor said he wanted to keep her another day or two. What would have happened if it had been something for which she had to remain in hospital? Now, having said that, I do not mean that Saint Martin lives are worth more than any other lives, legal or illegal. However I do mean that something needs to be done about the influx of people into this island because there are contagious diseases much more lethal than the dengue and the Chikungunya, and should one of them break out on St. Martin and the hospital overflows, it will be spread worldwide in a few weeks because many people here have money to take the next flight out.
Let those who have ears to hear, listen and hear!
These many people of other nationalities have come to St. Martin to 'make a better life' for themselves as people like to say.
They run the gamut from from highly educated to illiterates, from highly skelled and trained to totally unskilled.
When tourism began taking off in the sixties there were jobs available for all, some even had two and three jobs, if they could handle it at one time. As far as money was concerned , life on St. Martin was sweet. The whole world had not yet heard of us. The vast majority of the tourists were Americans who were well-off and Caribbean people who were looking for work.
And then France and Holland "rediscovered" us in the late seventies and Europe became more and more present along with the rest of the world.
This has put us in a situation where we are now swamped with thousands of unskilled workers - our own, since it is a fact that EACH country has unskilled workers, and those from outside. That means we need a double supply of jobs available, which are not there, and one of the results is that outside labor gets the greater share of jobs, some because they accept conditions that are not allowed by law, but which are allowed to exist, and some because some groups only hire their own people. They send away for family members to fill positions that become available.
Something that happened to me this week is that my daughter had to be taken to the hospital emergency room this week. The hospital, because it is public, has to accept whoever docks up, was overflowing, there was no room for her, she spent the whole night in the corridor on a gurney, the next day she was sent home even though the doctor said he wanted to keep her another day or two. What would have happened if it had been something for which she had to remain in hospital? Now, having said that, I do not mean that Saint Martin lives are worth more than any other lives, legal or illegal. However I do mean that something needs to be done about the influx of people into this island because there are contagious diseases much more lethal than the dengue and the Chikungunya, and should one of them break out on St. Martin and the hospital overflows, it will be spread worldwide in a few weeks because many people here have money to take the next flight out.
Let those who have ears to hear, listen and hear!
Tuesday, February 18, 2014
"THE INVESTORS" Arabs, Indians and Chinese
Indians, Arabs and Cinese are three of the five largest ethnic immigrant groups on the island.
They are all involved in sales and selling, each group in a different area. The Indians are mostly in jewelry, and clothing, Arabs sell hardware and furniture and the Chinese sell groceries and operate restaurants that are called "Chinese" restaurants on the island, though the food they cook is not really Chinese and is not what they themselves eat.
These are the people investin order to profit. They are however noticeably "groups and not creating a "people" even after almost 40 years of presence on the island. Some even live in what may be called gated communities in the sense that they form their own communities, attend private schools many of them.
An aside here which concerns the French side in particular. Lowlands and Orient Bay have in fact gated communities where the man on the street can only catch a glimpse from the street.
While the Chinese may seem to be the ones who have the most contact with natives, catering to all kinds of islanders, they too form their own closed communities.
Of course, it is not to be expected that just because these people invest here that they should be forced tso become natives, however, they are famous for either only hiring their own group members or immigrants, many of which accept to work under conditions that are not prper and valid. These immigrants say then that they are taken advantage of by "St. Martin people".
In general they are all very separate from the natives and do not form the "melting pot" that one wants to say that they do.
They are all involved in sales and selling, each group in a different area. The Indians are mostly in jewelry, and clothing, Arabs sell hardware and furniture and the Chinese sell groceries and operate restaurants that are called "Chinese" restaurants on the island, though the food they cook is not really Chinese and is not what they themselves eat.
These are the people investin order to profit. They are however noticeably "groups and not creating a "people" even after almost 40 years of presence on the island. Some even live in what may be called gated communities in the sense that they form their own communities, attend private schools many of them.
An aside here which concerns the French side in particular. Lowlands and Orient Bay have in fact gated communities where the man on the street can only catch a glimpse from the street.
While the Chinese may seem to be the ones who have the most contact with natives, catering to all kinds of islanders, they too form their own closed communities.
Of course, it is not to be expected that just because these people invest here that they should be forced tso become natives, however, they are famous for either only hiring their own group members or immigrants, many of which accept to work under conditions that are not prper and valid. These immigrants say then that they are taken advantage of by "St. Martin people".
In general they are all very separate from the natives and do not form the "melting pot" that one wants to say that they do.
Sunday, February 16, 2014
THE DUTCH AND THE FRENCH: THE PIRATES AND PRIVATEERS
The following three posts are intended to show very briefly how we got to where we are today. They may not be very long but should be separate for clarity's sake.
As many people know the French and Dutch have occupied the island for centuries, the Dutch in the South the French in the North, as they do today, proving that even back then the Dutch were the smarter businessmen.
Back in those early days French Quarter or Quartier d'Orleans was the capital of the French side and Simpsonbay the capital of the Dutch side. The present capitals were founded in the 1700s.
In 1648 the Dutch and the French drew up the now famous (or infamous, according to your point of view) Treaty of Concordia and the island has been divided according to that treaty ever since.
Both countries profited mightily from this little island as long as sugar and salt werr worth their weight in gold and there was free slave labor to harvest them, and they were worth their weight in gold. The island was planted in sugar cane and cotton and a bit of tobacco. There were salt ponds on both sides, but the Great Salt Pond and the salt pond in Grand Case were the real producers.
Then came the abolition of slavery and people could no longer be treated as draft animals, even though they still workd very hard, continuing to harvest salt until the mid-twentieth century. But Abolition effectively put an end to the profit and and after the mid-nineteenth century St. Martin continued to sink into a well of material poverty, neglected and forgotten by both Holland and France, until the mid-twentieth century, when tourism began and sun, sand ans sea became the big attractions. The letter S does not seem to bode well for St. Martiners. Once again both France and Holland are back to remind us that as far as they are concerned this land is theirs.
As many people know the French and Dutch have occupied the island for centuries, the Dutch in the South the French in the North, as they do today, proving that even back then the Dutch were the smarter businessmen.
Back in those early days French Quarter or Quartier d'Orleans was the capital of the French side and Simpsonbay the capital of the Dutch side. The present capitals were founded in the 1700s.
In 1648 the Dutch and the French drew up the now famous (or infamous, according to your point of view) Treaty of Concordia and the island has been divided according to that treaty ever since.
Both countries profited mightily from this little island as long as sugar and salt werr worth their weight in gold and there was free slave labor to harvest them, and they were worth their weight in gold. The island was planted in sugar cane and cotton and a bit of tobacco. There were salt ponds on both sides, but the Great Salt Pond and the salt pond in Grand Case were the real producers.
Then came the abolition of slavery and people could no longer be treated as draft animals, even though they still workd very hard, continuing to harvest salt until the mid-twentieth century. But Abolition effectively put an end to the profit and and after the mid-nineteenth century St. Martin continued to sink into a well of material poverty, neglected and forgotten by both Holland and France, until the mid-twentieth century, when tourism began and sun, sand ans sea became the big attractions. The letter S does not seem to bode well for St. Martiners. Once again both France and Holland are back to remind us that as far as they are concerned this land is theirs.
Saturday, February 15, 2014
THE FRENCH COMMUNITY COUNCILS
This is an FYI post, since apparently many people are either totally unaware of the existence of the community, and/or haven't a clue of what their purpose is, what they can do and even more important, what they cannot do.
One of the things that a Collectivity is bound to do is set up community councils throughout the territory which exist during the period of the incumbent administration's term of office.
On St. Martin there are six community councils:
1. French Quarter
2. Grand Case until the top of Reilly Hill.
3. Rambaud, from the top of Reilly Hill until the top of Morne Valois.
4. Top of Morne Valois until Concordia
5. St. James
6. Sandy Ground.
They are put there to advise the territorial administration of any problems in the respective areas. The administration is "obliged" to inform a community council of any specifica projects planned for that particular community and the council in return must investigate the project and its potential effect on the community, and send in their report to the administration, who however, is under no obligatio whatsoever to take this advice into consideration.
The council members give of their time on a totally voluntary basis, and receive no remuneration whatsoever, beyond the fact of knowing the the administration is aware of the people's opinions, wants and needs. The council may also bring to the administration any propositions for the improvement of the area, but again, whether for lack of funds or any other reason the administration may or may not take anything into consideration. As we know, right now money is tight.
While they are put in place by the incumbent administration, they are not political groups and being of a voluntary nature, almost any resident of the community may join.
Each council is coposed of 15 mambers and in theory 15 "suppléents" or those who are available to replace a member in case of necessity. This total of 30 people has never yet been reached in any of the communities. The council has members belonging to the associative sector, those who are involved in the operation of associations in the community, members belonging to the business sector, and regular members.
Never having attained the total of 30 people in each area forces me to say that of the thousands of people who profit from St. Martin and the remaining thousands who would like to see a change, there are not even 180 prople willing to work for St. Martin?
One of the things that a Collectivity is bound to do is set up community councils throughout the territory which exist during the period of the incumbent administration's term of office.
On St. Martin there are six community councils:
1. French Quarter
2. Grand Case until the top of Reilly Hill.
3. Rambaud, from the top of Reilly Hill until the top of Morne Valois.
4. Top of Morne Valois until Concordia
5. St. James
6. Sandy Ground.
They are put there to advise the territorial administration of any problems in the respective areas. The administration is "obliged" to inform a community council of any specifica projects planned for that particular community and the council in return must investigate the project and its potential effect on the community, and send in their report to the administration, who however, is under no obligatio whatsoever to take this advice into consideration.
The council members give of their time on a totally voluntary basis, and receive no remuneration whatsoever, beyond the fact of knowing the the administration is aware of the people's opinions, wants and needs. The council may also bring to the administration any propositions for the improvement of the area, but again, whether for lack of funds or any other reason the administration may or may not take anything into consideration. As we know, right now money is tight.
While they are put in place by the incumbent administration, they are not political groups and being of a voluntary nature, almost any resident of the community may join.
Each council is coposed of 15 mambers and in theory 15 "suppléents" or those who are available to replace a member in case of necessity. This total of 30 people has never yet been reached in any of the communities. The council has members belonging to the associative sector, those who are involved in the operation of associations in the community, members belonging to the business sector, and regular members.
Never having attained the total of 30 people in each area forces me to say that of the thousands of people who profit from St. Martin and the remaining thousands who would like to see a change, there are not even 180 prople willing to work for St. Martin?
Thursday, February 13, 2014
CARING FOR THE HOMELESS AND NEEDY
St. Martin finds itself today with many homeless and needy people. There are people who do not have enough to eat, nowhere to sleep,and many other forms of neediness. Many are lonely without even realizing it. Many have psychological problems today that we have never even heard of.
We also do not the infrastructure on the island to properly care for these people. Even worse, more and more people are coming to the island every year. Many people, some here illegaly send for other members of their families who require either medical care or specialized services, those services which we are already so ill-equipped to provide.
What are we to do in such a case? Many would say it would be inhumane to repatriate them, if they have nothing back where they came from. But that leaves us still with the problem of how to support more than we are able to? Something has to give at some point in time, and what is going to happen when it does? And those are only the most serious ones, from the point of view of those concerned.
What is this islands carrying capacity? It is already no. 16 in the world as far as population per square mile is concerned. We have no economical basis except for tourism and on the French side especially, the dole. We have no agriculture to speak of, and therefore cannot feed ourselves. What happens if we can no longer import? We already have no jobs available, especially for the young people, who make up 40% of the population of the island.
How many outsiders who live exclusively on monies paid by the CAF can we continue to support. Who will continue to pay this burden, and for how long?
When are we going to do something about it?
We also do not the infrastructure on the island to properly care for these people. Even worse, more and more people are coming to the island every year. Many people, some here illegaly send for other members of their families who require either medical care or specialized services, those services which we are already so ill-equipped to provide.
What are we to do in such a case? Many would say it would be inhumane to repatriate them, if they have nothing back where they came from. But that leaves us still with the problem of how to support more than we are able to? Something has to give at some point in time, and what is going to happen when it does? And those are only the most serious ones, from the point of view of those concerned.
What is this islands carrying capacity? It is already no. 16 in the world as far as population per square mile is concerned. We have no economical basis except for tourism and on the French side especially, the dole. We have no agriculture to speak of, and therefore cannot feed ourselves. What happens if we can no longer import? We already have no jobs available, especially for the young people, who make up 40% of the population of the island.
How many outsiders who live exclusively on monies paid by the CAF can we continue to support. Who will continue to pay this burden, and for how long?
When are we going to do something about it?
Tuesday, February 11, 2014
WHAT WILL HAPPEN WHEN OUR GOVERNMENTS ARE NO LONGER OURS?
We complain already that we are treated like second class citizens in our own country and we see people from outside being allowed/authorized by our two governments to do things that we are fully capable of doing. Yet, it seems as if all we do is complain without taking any assertive action.
What will we do when both of those govenments will one day be in the hands of people who have no ancestral ties to this island? It is a fact that many people are here only for what they are getting.
We know that the members of both our governments "sweeten the pot" for outsiders who are eligible to vote in order to ensure that they are elected. However, that is sowing the wind, and the day MUST come when we will have to face the whirlwind. What do we do then? What will our children and grandchildren be able to do? How will be respond?
If our own are treating us like second class citizens while they are in power, what will happen when they are forced out of power? They will have given the outsiders the example of how to treat us!
Maybe those in power now have already feathered their nests, whether here or abroad and it will not really matter to them who is in power.
But what about those of us who have nowhere else to go? Or those who are old and sick and have no one to care for them?
And how far in the future do we think this day is? There are on this island at least 5 groups which are seconds away from being able to take over.
People, wake up, it's later than you think!
What will we do when both of those govenments will one day be in the hands of people who have no ancestral ties to this island? It is a fact that many people are here only for what they are getting.
We know that the members of both our governments "sweeten the pot" for outsiders who are eligible to vote in order to ensure that they are elected. However, that is sowing the wind, and the day MUST come when we will have to face the whirlwind. What do we do then? What will our children and grandchildren be able to do? How will be respond?
If our own are treating us like second class citizens while they are in power, what will happen when they are forced out of power? They will have given the outsiders the example of how to treat us!
Maybe those in power now have already feathered their nests, whether here or abroad and it will not really matter to them who is in power.
But what about those of us who have nowhere else to go? Or those who are old and sick and have no one to care for them?
And how far in the future do we think this day is? There are on this island at least 5 groups which are seconds away from being able to take over.
People, wake up, it's later than you think!
Sunday, February 9, 2014
HOW CAN ST. MARTINERS BE BROUGHT TOGETHER AGAIN?
So much is going wrong on both sides of St. Martin and the cry is always: ST. MARTINERS, UNITE! United we stand, Divided, we fall!
Is there one subject or topic that will bring us all toger, about which we can, if not all of us, the majoirty of us, unite? If not unite at first, at least discuss? There is a division between St. Martiners now that did not exist before.
The poor are crying out, but are either afraid or don't know what to do, to take action, probably because they living off the dole, and since there are no jobs available for them, they are afraid of losing that. Most of the "local whites" seem to have enough to live on or are also afraid of getting involved.
There is almost no connection between these two groups, so how do we bring them together at least to dialogue? This dichotomy exists on both sides of the island.
Another problem is that while people from the French side go to the Dutch side for everything from Carnival to shopping for food, this is not reciprocal.
When Carnival on the Dutch side was trying to get off the ground the French side supported to them to the extent that today the French Carnival is nothing while the Dutch carnival is big thing in the Caribbean and beyond. However I can remember the French side celebrating carnival when the Dutch side didn't know the meaning of the word. Of course, back in those days we didn't have feathers and glitter from Trinidad on either side!
Not even Church celebrations bring them together, except for a funeral if it is somebody they know. So, what to do? Maybe a St. Martiner who lives away from the island might read this and come up with an idea and comment on it!
Is there one subject or topic that will bring us all toger, about which we can, if not all of us, the majoirty of us, unite? If not unite at first, at least discuss? There is a division between St. Martiners now that did not exist before.
The poor are crying out, but are either afraid or don't know what to do, to take action, probably because they living off the dole, and since there are no jobs available for them, they are afraid of losing that. Most of the "local whites" seem to have enough to live on or are also afraid of getting involved.
There is almost no connection between these two groups, so how do we bring them together at least to dialogue? This dichotomy exists on both sides of the island.
Another problem is that while people from the French side go to the Dutch side for everything from Carnival to shopping for food, this is not reciprocal.
When Carnival on the Dutch side was trying to get off the ground the French side supported to them to the extent that today the French Carnival is nothing while the Dutch carnival is big thing in the Caribbean and beyond. However I can remember the French side celebrating carnival when the Dutch side didn't know the meaning of the word. Of course, back in those days we didn't have feathers and glitter from Trinidad on either side!
Not even Church celebrations bring them together, except for a funeral if it is somebody they know. So, what to do? Maybe a St. Martiner who lives away from the island might read this and come up with an idea and comment on it!
Monday, February 3, 2014
DENGUE AND CHICUNGUNYA
This post won't be very long and concerns both sides of the island, because things like earthquakes, hurricanes and diseases carried by mosquitoes like the dengue and the chicungunya do not stop at the frontier.
In fact they have no frontiers, and if those diseases are present on the French side of St. Martin to the extent of being called an epidemic, then it is absolutely impossible for them not to be present on the Dutch side too.
Why is the Dutch side in denial about this? Is it that most of those who get it on the Dutch side come to the French side for treatment?
Instead of denying the presence, they should start fogging for the mosquitoes.
In other French territories the Army was brought in for intensified fogging. Why is that not being done here? And why do the two sides of the island not get together to do proper fogging?
One thing is sure, if it is not on the Dutch side yet, it will definitely get there, andif both sides do not work on the problem, it will not be solved.
St. Martin, when are we going to unite?
In fact they have no frontiers, and if those diseases are present on the French side of St. Martin to the extent of being called an epidemic, then it is absolutely impossible for them not to be present on the Dutch side too.
Why is the Dutch side in denial about this? Is it that most of those who get it on the Dutch side come to the French side for treatment?
Instead of denying the presence, they should start fogging for the mosquitoes.
In other French territories the Army was brought in for intensified fogging. Why is that not being done here? And why do the two sides of the island not get together to do proper fogging?
One thing is sure, if it is not on the Dutch side yet, it will definitely get there, andif both sides do not work on the problem, it will not be solved.
St. Martin, when are we going to unite?
Saturday, February 1, 2014
IS GUADELOUPE HELPING OR HURTING ST. MARTIN?
Even though we have become an Overseas collectivity of France, we are still bound by many ties to Guadeloupe. Until 2012 we shared a deputy in the National Assembly with them. Since then we (the collectivities of St. Barths and St.Martin) share a senator and a deputy.
However during the years from 2007 until 2012, we seem once again to have been on the losing end of the relationship with Guadeloupe.
According to a statement issued by former president of the collectivity, Mr. Alain Richardson, the following is a non-exhaustive list of project requested for St. Martin but which have been either buried or superceded by Guadeloupe.
1
Construction and opening on St. Martin of an Army Center which would have recruited and trained young St. Martiners here on the island, rather than having to go to Guadeloupe. St. Martin has the youngest population of the French Republic while Guadeloupe has the oldest.
2
The creation on St. Martin of a Court in First Instance, which members of the legal profession have been asking for for years now. Buried because if our legal cases weren't there to maintain the court in Basse Terre itwould simply be annexed to that of Pointe a Pitre. I fail to see a problem in that since it must be easier for somebody to go from Basse Terre to Pointe a Pitre by car as compared to someone having to pay airfare and hotel fees to go from St. Martin to Guadeloupe.
3
Holding back of some European funds which would help our sorely lacking infrastructure. This has always been in effects, which is why they did not really want us to leave the constellation. However, they seem to have found a loophole.
4
Holding back by the Administrative court of our request for payment of funds promised by the State for more than 2 years, after which we were informed that they were not competent to deal with the affaire. Back to square one!
5
A Ministerial visit by the Minister of the Interior Valls, who chose to return to France because of the noise made by an illegal Gypsy family, while St. Martin is swamped with thousands of illegals, to name just one of our problems.
and as noted, the list is not exhaustive! Where does that put us?
St. Martiners, we need to unite!!!
However during the years from 2007 until 2012, we seem once again to have been on the losing end of the relationship with Guadeloupe.
According to a statement issued by former president of the collectivity, Mr. Alain Richardson, the following is a non-exhaustive list of project requested for St. Martin but which have been either buried or superceded by Guadeloupe.
1
Construction and opening on St. Martin of an Army Center which would have recruited and trained young St. Martiners here on the island, rather than having to go to Guadeloupe. St. Martin has the youngest population of the French Republic while Guadeloupe has the oldest.
2
The creation on St. Martin of a Court in First Instance, which members of the legal profession have been asking for for years now. Buried because if our legal cases weren't there to maintain the court in Basse Terre itwould simply be annexed to that of Pointe a Pitre. I fail to see a problem in that since it must be easier for somebody to go from Basse Terre to Pointe a Pitre by car as compared to someone having to pay airfare and hotel fees to go from St. Martin to Guadeloupe.
3
Holding back of some European funds which would help our sorely lacking infrastructure. This has always been in effects, which is why they did not really want us to leave the constellation. However, they seem to have found a loophole.
4
Holding back by the Administrative court of our request for payment of funds promised by the State for more than 2 years, after which we were informed that they were not competent to deal with the affaire. Back to square one!
5
A Ministerial visit by the Minister of the Interior Valls, who chose to return to France because of the noise made by an illegal Gypsy family, while St. Martin is swamped with thousands of illegals, to name just one of our problems.
and as noted, the list is not exhaustive! Where does that put us?
St. Martiners, we need to unite!!!
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