Dear Mrs. Emily de Jongh-Elhage
Let is hereby be recorded that this open question to you, is certainly not based on any disrespect towards the office of the Prime-minister of the Netherlands-Antilles, nor towards your person.
Quite to the contrary.
This questioned is directed to you in order to allow you the opportunity to clarify remarks attributed to you in the media that ‘SXM is doing well...'.
While anticipating your clarification, for many people on this island, these remarks given the reality of the island certainly can not go un-challenged, nor un-answered.
Although we for now, feel obliged to give you the benefit of the doubt, these remarks as published in the media come across not only being in-correct, hurtful, and un-realistic but worse yet
They come across yet as being extremely insensitive to the every day's hardship of the people of the island, their distrust in the Executive-council of this island and therefore as defending and ‘propping up' the almost non-existing credibility of the People of this island as well as of many in the Dutch Government in the Government of this island.
Therefore, with all due respect to you, we hereby strongly and immediately refute the perception created that ‘SXM is doing well', to prevent them ever become ‘set in stone' and ‘live a life of their own'.
In addition, based on the resulting sentiments from many St. Martiners and other law-abiding residents, we are faced with no other choice than, in the strongest words refute the notion expressed by you, that ‘SXM is doing well...'.
In order for you to understand this reaction, you should come to grips with the reality that there are various kinds of ‘SXM's on this island.. yes, there are.
There is for instance the ‘SXM' of the rich, of the poor, of the malafide investors, of the bonafide investors, of the crooked-, greedy, corrupt politicians, of the few honest politicians, of the marginalized natives, of the criminals, of the illegal immigrant-community, of the law-abiding residents, of the ‘lagoonies', the ‘dumpies', the ‘Low-landers', ‘under-ground- tax-evading businesses' not to mention of the many ‘national associations', of the ‘Bombay-merchants' on Front-and Back street', of the ‘Gypsies' of the many ‘new founded churchies', just too name a few....
The slogan of this Government confirms this total lack of integration 'One country, many cultures.....'
So when you in your capacity of Prime-minister state that ‘SXM is doing well', depending on which ‘SXM' you are referring to, you might be right or wrong.
Since, however according to you, ‘SXM is doing well...' the ‘SXM' referred to here, based on the reality on ‘ground zero' can only be the ‘SXM' of the corrupt politicians...
The ‘SXM' in which with a member of Government is under indictment, possibly to be jailed, with others under a cloud of suspicion and alleged investigation ........
The same ‘SXM' in which a commissioner was involved in funding a foundation in which commissioners spouse was president and who had to report to same commissioner.
The ‘SXM' in which the ‘Leader of Government' refused to accept the resignation of the Commissioner who was involved, simply in order to stay in Government to conduct ‘business as usual'
The ‘SXM' of which members of the Executive-council use all kinds of pressure to prevent the people of the island to make good use of their own properties, but who at the same time brake every possible law in the books, to grant building permits to malafide investors with ‘long' and ‘deep pockets'.
The ‘SXM' in which politicians are un-able to represent the interest of the people, because they are allegedly are on the ‘payrolls' of those who paid for their election.
Could it be, madam that the Prime-minister of the Netherlands-Antilles de facto is also complimenting the very same ‘SXM', about which so many reports have been published, ranging from the Bakhuis-, the Pourier-report and most recently the WODC-report which are just the tip of the iceberg ?
The same ‘SXM' in whose Executive-Council, the PEOPLE have absolutely NO confidence, reason why Government is denying the people their DEMOCRATIC right to ratify the outcome of the referendum ?
Is the Prime-minister of the Netherlands-Antilles, publicly complimenting the same ‘SXM' in which there is a lot of anger, frustration, much like the situation that precipitated the social revolt in Curacao on ‘Treinta di Mei', a date I am sure has a historical significance to the people of Curacao ?
Doesn't the Prime-minister remember that before ‘Treinta di Mei', the ‘Curacao' of the ‘upper-class', the bourgeoisie and political elite were doing extremely well.........at the expense of the grass-roots ‘yu Korsow' ?
Mrs. De Jongh-Elhage, could you explain if the Prime-minister of the Netherlands -Antilles is really commending the ‘SXM' in which brazen, hard-core criminality and violence is becoming the order of the day diminishing our safety and securiy and our quality of life in general ?.
Is this the ‘SXM' that according to the Prime-minister is ‘doing well..' and ready for ‘country status'.
Gimme a break Emily and let us get real !
The people of St. Maarten are no fools and they recognize a ‘set-up' when they see it.
Show me you company and I will tell you who you, are is a saying that still applies these days.
So, now for the record, madam Prime-minister.
Let us now consider an ‘other' SXM., not the post-card one, visitors ‘fall in love with'.
A ‘SXM', perhaps even the Prime-minister does not know.
The ‘SXM' of the grass-roots, native-indigenous People, for whom ‘country-status', without guarantees and protection, means de facto their formal marginalization, final-solution, demise, and extinction by means of genocide by substitution.
Could it be that the Prime-minister feels more comfortable and compatible with the ‘SXM' of our ‘Leader of Government, of Theo Heyliger, of Maria Buncamper and of others, as opposed to the ‘SXM' of ‘we, the grass-roots people' of this island with deep ancestral roots on this ‘rock' ?
In other words, does the Prime- minister believe that ‘SXM is doing well...' , because she feels part of that ‘SXM' that excludes, abandons and betrays its own native-indigenous St. Martiners and intends to lead them to the ‘slaughter-house' by means of a ‘one-way ticket' aboard the ‘status-train'.
Dear ‘Emily', please tell us WHICH ‘SXM' in your opinion is doing so well...'
Meanwhile, time will tell that, separate-status or no separate-status, eventually on ‘ground-zero', it will not be the politicians who have sold out our birth-rights who will rule, it will be the PEOPLE.
Respectfully awaiting your clarification to the people of this island, so it will not be up to others to ‘put words' in your respected mouth.
Leopold JAMES
President SNBF /Association L' Esprit de Concordia and
One proud, native-indigenous St. Martiner without any apologies.