OUR COMMENTARY;
We have 'been there' before-, when it is very convenient for certain politicians.
Using very fundamentally important issues when it is 'politically correct'/'to score political points'-, or to confuse the people, or take the focus off some other current 'hotbed-issues'.
However, for the moment-, we will not bore you with listing of such past examples of deception.
Nevertheless-, as far as the P.M.'s sudden interest-, and call for some 'National Development Plan' of sorts, one question comes to mind, 'right off the bat'.
It is this.
Does the P.M. really means a 'half-o'-national-development- plan' only for the Southern ('Dutch') side of the 'Friendly island', with its open borders and with its one indivisible native St. Martin population ?
How does our 'honorable' P.M. envisages this brilliant idea ?
When WE first, years ago, proposed that idea of a NATIONAL DEVELOPMENT PLAN , it was THEN not necessarily 'political correct' for the politicians to give even the slightest of support to the idea.
Anyhow, while we still are willing to give the P.M. the benefit of the doubt, should she survive the intention of the petition currently going around to have Government removed-, let the following serve as CAVEAT.
Refusing-, and/or neglecting to amend the constitution to include among others; the name St. Martin instead of St. Maarten, the definition of the native St. Martiners, making sure that 'charity will start at home' for native St. Martiners, and recognizing the importance of the grassroots St. Martin nation building- and unification movement etc,- will reduce- and relegate this already 'half-o'-national-development- plan' to the status of an 'oxymoron' or non-starter'.
It should very very clear-, that there will never really be anything called country 'St. Maarten', if at its very 'core'-, there is nothing St. Martin about it.
Simple as that.
Leopold JAMES,
The one proud to be native-indigenous St. martiners, without the slightest of any apologies - that one.
