2. President Frantz GUMBS
3. Lt.-Governor Franklyn RICHARD
Re; Where is your pride-, and dignity as St. Martin People.
It is often said that pictures convey a powerful message.
Just one of the many cases in point.
See attachment picture on the front-page of the Daily Herald of Thursday, March 12, 2009.
Now, please be so kind as to give the People of this island an honest and direct answer to any, or preferably all of the following questions and more..
1. Do you think these so-called vendors are our own native St. Martiners, and if not, who do you think (and actually KNOW) they are ?
2. Could they be the same People who flood this country non-stop, produce children simply in order to claim every possible right of our land, in the process making the natives a minority ?
3. Is this 'run-down', slum image they are creating at will for our island, precisely that image we having been working for so hard for and paying so much to market the 'Friendly island' ?
4. What is the 'added value' of these vendors, Commissioner BUNCAMPER-MOLANUS once talked about as condition for immigrants-workers to the island ?
5. Do you think (which you know is not the case) St. Martin people would be allowed to go to the countries of these people and do the same, which is to bring it down and to move in front of the natives there and call that development ?
6. What is Government planning to do about these type of people, who feel so much at liberty,(because they find us plainly 'stupid'), to set up 'businesses' consisting of a few blocks and some wooden board,(open all hours of the day including on our Sabbath) and call them vending shops anywhere alongside the road ?
7. Has President GUMBS, ever noticed an entire 'side-walk super-market' a la Haiti, established at the round-about in Agrement ? Is that what we should be proud of and tolerate OTHERS to do, what WE ourselves do not do ?
8. Do you know that at that round-about, more and more Haitians are creating a run-down 'Haiti styled Shopping Mall', where sometimes, huge chunks of goat-meat is displayed in the open air, sun exposed with zillions of flies buzzing around ?
In ending, when are you really going to ACT as our leaders, defending our ancestral-rights, our traditions, our norms and values and giving content to our new status having significant content and protection for the natives of this island.
What example are you to our young native St. Martiners, who lack support ?
Time is running out and we are getting tired of those in authority who do not have the pride, dignity and courage to stand up for their own, if they know who they are...others know for sure and proudly show it, even if they are in our country.
Step up to the plate, before it is too late and we allow for others to establish a version of their 'Banana-Republic' right in our face..
Proud native-indigenous, without apologies,
--
Leopold James
President SNBF & L'Esprit de Concordia