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!