Dear Mr. Editor,
The entire situation with Regina LaBega and the report that she failed her screening by the national security unit got me to thinking. Apparently all heads of government owned companies has been or will be screened as part of some new national policy. All fine and well. But is it really true that all heads will or have been be screened? Was the head of TelEm Group, Harbour, GEBE, UTS (we own shares here) ect screened? Or will they be? That’s when I started to think about WHO is the CEO of our so-called national airline Winair, a government owned company.
CEO of Winair is no local, he is a Canadian by the name of Michael Cleaver. I think the people in the media and most people on St. Maarten have forgotten the history of Michael Cleaver on St. Maarten. We have a local woman (Regina) being ruined before our eyes for God knows what, but we tolerate the criminal CEO of our national airline.
Let me explain. For those who might not remember, when Cleaver was stationed on St. Maarten as head of American Airlines, the man was a drunk driving perpetrator. That’s right, one night he was driving drunk and almost killed a local man. The situation around the case was so bad, American Airlines moved him out of St. Maarten fast and stationed him in Santo Domingo.
Now he is back for the past few years as CEO of Winair, propped up by buddies Michael Ferrier and Georges Greaux. HOW is this possible Mr. Editor? How does the Prime Minister hold so many local people to high moralistic standards for screening, but a drunk driving felon (because driving drunk is a felony) can get away scot free. How is this possible?
This same CEO is living life on high here in St. Maarten. School children say the man is making almost US $23,000 a month including his rent being paid for! To run a tiny airline like Winair? HOW is this possible? I dare to say he is making more than the Governor of SXM! Why isn’t anybody asking questions about what is going on at this airline?
School children also say that Winair made a huge financial mistake when it decided to expand to so many destinations only to scale back a few months later.
It is said that Winair lost millions on the Santo Domingo route alone! Why is nobody asking questions? Why is nobody asking what kind of deal Winair has with Air Antilles? Air Antilles is not a government/country owned airline. It is a French privately owned airline. That’s right. Owned by one French individual. Winair board and management made leasing deals with Air Antilles.
How do we know what these deals are? How do we know that Winair management supported by pals like Ferrier and Greaux isn’t using the company as their personal toy? Case in point: School children will tell you that Winair, a government owned company, paid for the private flight of Michael Ferrier using his plane to ship supplies to Dominica after that storm. Intentions aside, why is Winair paying for Ferrier’s private flights? And how do we know this hasn’t happened before for Ferrier’s pleasure flights?
What about board members on these government owned company boards? Are they screened? Aren't the board members more susceptible to unsavory activities? Look at the airport board member who has a vendetta against Regina. This same board member raked government for a monthly consultant fee of 20,000 guilders while working in the cabinet of the Minister of Finance. This same board member STILL runs the Small Business Foundation and collects about 250,000 guilders in subsidy from government and reportedly pays himself! When was the last time we heard anything from the small business foundation? Why no questions? And HE is trying to get rid of Regina?
Mr. Editor, why are nobody asking questions? Regina is being crucified before our eyes. But people like Michael Cleaver riding high on the hog? How does this man pass any kind of screening? And who will be the one to finally ask the question? So the Prime Minister cannot give Regina a certificate of trust, a woman who has only been accused and still innocent. But he can trust Michael Cleaver at Winair? What is wrong with this picture?
I am simply asking fair questions. Who can answer?
Writer name withheld upon request