Dear Editor
There is a saying when life hands you lemons make lemonade, well Mr. Glenn Carty surely trying to make lemonade without sugar and water. save-a-lot is the lemon...SUPERVALU is the lemon-sugar and water.
Like it stated...Carty defends Chamber, he definitely needs to defend his actions after misleading the public with a retail group SAVE-A-LOT, no where in his previous article he spoke about SuperValu.
No time in his previous press release did he ever state the things he is presently claiming in this release....nobody in St.Maarten knew anything about a SuperValu in the deal...he said SAVE-A-LOT wanted to establish a mini mart in St.Maarten ,that means a retail store...those were his words. He even indicated that local business would not be able to raise their prices...so it was competition for local businesses ...now he has changed his tune...that it is to sell to local businesses...read through the lines...He woke up and is smelling the roses.
Carty stressed that the chamber was there to represent the interest of all businesses, not a selected few, and urged Lugisse to focus on looking after the affairs of St. Maarten's students in Tallahassee, Florida, and encourage them to return home after their studies.
I would like to inform Carty...that Calvin Mardembrough from Study Financing, Commissioner William Marlin, Commissioner Xavier Blackman, Commissioner Sarah Wescot William, Commissioner Maria Buncamper all who came to Tallahassee did their job where the students are concerned requesting them to come home... I have done the needful to give them that opportunity here to meet with the students, so that's a done deal they are the authority...the rest is up to you to give them a job when they return, its not the job of Government alone to employ them..... ...hope you can make provisions for them to get a job when they return home...I read the article by Ms Melissa Gumbs about returning students and you should look at that situation its part of your function, she talked great about Bernard Hunt and the opportunity she was given by him at Sonesta Maho Beach Hotel and also the lack of opportunities to get a job in St.Maarten, the hard time she had, and now she is moving to Holland ...get more of your membership to do the same if you want to show interest in our students.
Carty is trying to tell me what I should do to get of his case but my function also include dealing with the Chamber who I respect their role in the community...but if something is being done wrong we need to voice our opinion without creating bad blood. I would like to draw his attention to part of the Proclamation that was signed by St.Maartren and Tallahassee 23,September 2009: On this day Wednesday, September 23, 2009, let it be recognized and acknowledged as the continuation of the relationship between Tallahassee and St.Maarten.
WHEREAS, the Government and citizens of St.Maarten Netherlands Antilles have enjoyed a vibrant educational, cultural, social and economic relationship that nurtures and promotes greater communication and interaction between the USA, with Tallahassee as our Partner through the Partnership, signed September 23, 1999 at City Hall, Tallahassee.
WHEREAS, the Tallahassee – St.Maarten Foundation, Inc. (TLH-SXMF) and the City of Tallahassee and St.Maarten will observe the Tenth Annual Recognition of the Partnership this September 23, 2009, hoping to build alliances by focusing on the Partnership and the future relations between Tallahassee and St.Maarten empowered by the Government of St.Maarten to identify areas of interest to broaden the scope of involvement and future participation.
WHEREAS, the Tallahassee-based grass-roots Tallahassee-St.Maarten Foundation, a Florida Incorporated (TLH-SXMF) non-profit organization with goals that include fostering, maintaining, and promoting permanent ties between Tallahassee, USA and St.Maarten, Netherlands Antilles, which will also transcend efforts globally. WHEREAS, St.Maarten serves as springboard to the rest of the Caribbean and Europe. WHEREAS, Tallahassee serves as springboard to the rest of the USA and Africa; by way of the city sister relations with Ghana, not to exclude other nationalities that cut across the cultural, socio-political, economic and educational arenas; and also have similar goals and objectives. WHEREAS, the focus is to introduce public and private sectors to the ongoing relationship which has been very positive to the representatives of both the City and St.Maarten.WHEREAS, we look forward to expanding relations with medical and healthcare professionals and students, university student, staff, and faculty exchanges, businesses, churches, cultural, sports and educational institutions and the general populace joint venture opportunities; and WHEREAS, TLH-SXMF implements programs and strategies to foster collaborative efforts between parties in the United States, Africa, the Caribbean, and Europe on identifying, nurturing, and establishing functional partnerships mutually beneficial in business, cultural and educational exchanges, and other areas of interest.
Everyone should realise that St.Maarten is moving forward before a new era with all the challenges that comes with 10-10-10 it is time that it becomes every bodies business and we step up to the plate, not just wait for the people that are the so called important people in the community that serves their personal interest no matter what, because of that status and they try to dominate the masses. We as a people should all believe in ourselves and look at what positive contributions we can make now with St.Maarten becoming a Country 10-10-10, well 10-10-10 is also my birthday so I am motivated to contribute to the max.
As Diaspora's of St.Maarten we will not create limitations for ourselves because at the end of the day we have to come back home and we have kids and grand kids that expect a better life than we had laid out for them...now more than ever St.Maarten needs the talent that it has distributed globally we are on the side line looking in and can see the game better than those on the field, we should always have the ability to question authority. We will create no limitations for ourselves, we have to make sure that when things are done in our so called interest it's also for the right reasons and not for ones ego or benefit...as I always say it has to be beneficial to all concerned, our foundation Tallahassee-St. Maarten Foundation (TLH-SXMF) will be bringing positive opportunities to St.Maarten to assist in its on going development even if we identified that there are persons trying to block that road of opportunity.
I would also like to take this opportunity to inform that for the past 10 yrs my involvement with the Partnership and Study Financing with our students at in-state tuition in Tallahassee has saved St.Maarten over $32 million dollars that would have been spent at out-of state tuition fees by our St.Maarten relations here for education. I will also indicate that representatives of both the DP and NA has been to Tallahassee and has performed beyond the normal expectations to motive this partnership, I don't play politics I perform a 100% in their preparations as per protocol for the arrival in Tallahassee for SXM Government...if there is one thing I can say for all past and present St.Maarten Governments they have maintained the same positive vision with the Tallahassee- St.Maarten Partnership with their counterparts here and that is a plus. Well Carty should know that the education platform is showing positive results on this end and he should make a difference on his end, now as per our strategic plan we are concentrating on socio-economic development for all concerned in the partnership so my commitment is also to move that forward and bring positive opportunities to the public and private sectors of St.Maarten.
June is American Caribbean Heritage Month, when reference is being made towards Caribbean-Americans...St.Maarteners living in the USA is part of that group: CONGRESSWOMAN BARBARA LEE said:" Americans of Caribbean ancestry resides in every part of the country. Millions have emigrated from the Caribbean to the United States. Throughout our history, Caribbean-Americans have served our country and contributed to the heritage of the United States through the arts, science, education, business, sports, military and government. The 2009 resolution allows Congress to continue recognizing the important contributions of Caribbean-Americans to our nation's history."
The SAVE-A-LOT Saga 2
In the Herald story of the past week, and I quote, "After being given confirmation that the e-mail had been sent to the Chamber in December, Carty said the Chamber had been engaged in talks with SUPERVALU's top management long before the correspondence from Lugisse. He provided evidence of this."
Let's take sense from nonsense. Carty came out with a press release in MAY, I sent an email about Supervalu in December and he tells the public that he was in contact with SAVE-A-LOT before December 2009 when that info was sent to the Chamber from us...now only after 5 months he is informing the public of this deal. The question needs to be asked what he was hiding for five months.
Carty said the discussions had focussed on distribution/wholesaling to grocery stores and supermarkets in St. Maarten and around the establishment of a retail store to "benchmark" prices.
This was stated no where in his first press release...so my article shook him up a bit and he is trying to change his vision now...which is good, I commend him on that...because at the end of the day the right thing to do is to get the best for less for our businesses so that it can be past on to our community.
However, Carty said Lugisse had his facts "mixed up." Carty said Save-A-Lot's mother company SuperValu manufactured items for Save-A-Lot. He said too that he had visited SUPERVALU's plant while in the US. Carty and his VP visited Supervalu plant and never indicated that in his first press release what he is hiding I WOULD LIKE TO KNOW?
Supervalu, the third-largest grocery-store chain by revenue, said in January it would double the number of Save-A- Lot locations in the next five years. Save-A-Lot will tap into underserved demand in what Shaner called "urban food desert" centers.
Carty does not understand that Supervalu is not a manufacturing company but a wholesale distribution center. It sells goods to Save-A-Lot. Supervalu Inc. is the second-largest U.S. grocery chain.
Supervalu, based in Eden Prairie, Minnesota, is made up of more than 10 grocery-store banners, or small chains with different names, which operate for the most part independently and do most of their own purchasing and advertising.
Until 2006, when Supervalu bought Albertson's 1,100 stores, the company received 80 percent of its sales from acting as a wholesale distributor primarily to independent grocers. The rest came from retail stores. After Supervalu bought Albertson's in 2006, the percentage switched to 80 percent retail and 20 percent wholesale distributor.
The daily Herald article continues: "Carty had told this newspaper earlier that Save-A-Lot was conducting a market analysis to determine the feasibility of establishing a mini-market here. He had said that a team from Save-A-Lot was expected to be in St. Maarten later this month to continue its analysis and to hold talks with officials. He had said that he couldn't disclose too many details due to a non-disclosure agreement."
St.Maarten must also be informed about the company so that it can also make its own assumption on this opportunity in the interest of the community...the people needs to know and not left hostage because of a non-disclosure agreement, they need to know that it is Supervalu and not Save-A-Lot that can make the difference to St.Maarten.
The Herald story continues: "Asked how the Chamber had come into contact with Save-A-Lot, Carty said the Chamber had done research via the Internet. He said too that the Chamber's role in this initiative was almost coming to an end. He said once the Chamber helped the company to establish the necessary contacts that would be the end of the chamber's involvement.
He also said the Chamber did not yet have information concerning when exactly Save-A-Lot officials would be in St. Maarten."
Now Carty is indicating that when the Chamber establishes the necessary contacts that would be the end of the chambers INVOLVEMENT...Can the Chamber give proof of any local business or businesses that he contacted on their behalf as per Supervalu doing business with them in St.Maarten?
Finally I would like to state that in the future the Chamber should inform its members on any deal that it is trying to bring to St.Maarten before going to the media with so called competition from Save-A-Lot if he is working in the interest of St.Maarten. Supervalu is a powerful company in the USA if a local distribution center can be setup to buy bulk and redistribute that would be the answer to our price problem for food in St.Maarten, as was requested by Carty in the first instance, I presume he got personally creative after seeing the opportunity.
Save- a- lot in St.Maarten cannot benefit local super markets in St.Maarten as a retail store it cannot give competition to itself...For instance every local super market buys from Prime Distributors who is a wholesale outlet...but their retail outlet Grand Marche would not sell to super markets they would send them to Prime. The Caribbean comes to St.Maarten to by food mostly from wholesale food companies on St.Maarten.
I have know Commissioner Frans Richardson for the past 41 years and 10months and also have a lot of respect for him based on his tenacity to do the needful for the people of St.Maarten and its future but if he is mislead in this venture based on his open agreement to support Carty fine ...LIKE Jimmy Cliff said, time will tell, time will always tell.
At the end of the day my query in this issue is not a matter of winning or losing, it is at the end of the day if the right thing is done for ST.MAARTEN so that awareness be made to the public that will be positive and also give opportunity to let people speak out when they think something is going wrong which will not benefit the country, and its people so that they can speak out and make a difference. The only way you can contribute and support Government and Country is to be very objective with reasons on all matters of interest and make sure they are beneficial to all concerned, and understand that free speech is also part of the process here, even in the USA I see it everyday if you are true and honest to your commitment and conviction. It is not that I am against better prices for St.Maarten, but how we get to better prices, and I still thing Supervalu is the ansewer.not Save-a-lot, I have no personal problem with Glen Carty or the Chamber, the Chamber is an organization that has a significant role to play in St.Maarten becoming a country and need to do the needful for everyone concerned and by so doing will get the needed support from everyone also.
Again I state I hope that this dialogue will create positive end results for St.Maarten Glen and I are insignificant when it comes to what lies ahead for St.Maarten,now more than ever Government needs support and guidance moving forward to becoming a country.
St.Maarten will be the judge in the near future OF THE END RESULTS.
May God Bless St.Maarten.
Arthur Lugisse
