Marigot: --- Scores of teachers and residents of French St. Martin came out to a public meeting which was called by the citizen movement MOCSAM at the Chamber of Commerce Building last night. The teachers who already are on strike two days ago said students of the Lycee as well as the Colleges on St. Martin are attending school in deplorable conditions. They said it seems as if the local government is waiting for something really bad to happen before they act. There are cases where electricity wires are in water and pigeons droppings are falling on the students head.
While teacher's are working for months and are not being paid at the end of the month. One teacher said he has been working for the past three months and is yet to receive a salary. Another concern for the teachers is the fact they are not being able to get training courses which would prepare them for the school population on St. Martin. "Students on St. Martin are speaking more than one language and the teachers only speak French. This is not the fault of the students but it's us the teachers because we are not given the opportunity to be multi-lingual".
They said it is incomprehensible for the President of the Collectivity of St. Martin Frantz Gumbs to ignore their plight since he is fully aware of the situation. Gumbs was a deputy principal for years at the Lycee and today he is acting as if he does not know. One teacher said it seems as if politics has played with the former school teacher head.
Other residents who were also part of the meeting said that shop owners on the French side thinks shoppers are stupid because they tend to increase the prices of food and other items. One shopper said she takes her Euros and go over to the Dutch side and shop because the things she would get for her monies is far more than she gets on the French side. The woman said the Chinese only change the dollar or guilder sign to Euros simply because they think shoppers on the French side are stupid. Another resident said gas prices began going up since the Euros was introduced and no one said anything. She said today gas price is so high with no increase in salaries yet elected officials are calling on residents to pay the road taxes.
One of the main reasons the residents say is the cause of the high cost of living is the lack of price controllers.
A union representative said it is incomprehensible for him to understand how the elected officials at the COM would suspend the tax de la fortune (Tax of the Rich) while they are forcing poor people to pay road tax. He told the gathering they should not be afraid of the elected officials since they are the ones that put these persons in office. "we are not to be afraid of the elected instead they are the ones to be afraid of us".
President of the MOCSAM Julien Gumbs in his address called on the population to express their concerns on the economic situation on St. Martin. The Collective he said will be addressing these issues with those responsible. He also made clear that there is no intention on his part to block the roads or to create confusion today as is being rumored. Gumbs said while the situations facing St. Martin is of grave concern the movement plans to move forward in a peaceful and strategic way. 
Among the residents last night were fourth vice president Dr. Louis Jeffry, RRR leader Alain Richardson, territorial Councilor Louis Mussington and DGA Pierre Brange.
