No-one said that being Minister of Justice of 'Country St. Maarten' is an easy job - it is not - not even by any stretch of imagination.
After all, since 'thrash' has been 'fed into the box' for decades, indeed, the same or worse quality trash will logically be the output.
And alas, so it is with the 'Friendly island'.
For years, the authorities have turned a very blind eye to the biggest and most detrimental threat to the very existence of its native population - the uncontrolled, flood of immigrants and their high production of offspring.
That process started long before your 'watch' as minister.
However, you are now in charge of justice and immigration and it is therefore your responsibility to find a solution.
While, keeping a very close eye on your policies, we also are of the opinion, that with all due respect for your colleagues, you are ostensibly the most experienced, competent and decisive of all ministers and members of Parliament.
Therefore, as St. Martin's grassroots nation building and unification movement, perhaps based on wishful thinking, we still hold out some hope that you will be able to come up with a very creative, solution based.
One based on a 'win-win' approach as it relates to the immigration situation and its enormous impact on the rights of indigenous St. Martiners to be preserved in their own land, as well.
We are prepared to offer you our assistance is so desired towards this end.
However, regardless of what you decide, here is our position.
Under no circumstances, can or will we support granting yet another form of amnesty under the guise of some 'regulation' to immigrants who made it their business to be here, by breaking our immigration laws and other laws as well, without the corresponding legal compensation to indigenous St. Martiners.
It can not be accepted, that Government can be pressured or bribed to reward illegal activities of immigrants, giving them ultimately the same rights as St. Martiners, without also rewarding St. Martiners for having being put at a very dangerous disadvantage of becoming an extinct species !
On Sunday last, during your interview with Mr. Eddy WILLIAMS, you mentioned the idea of 'Affirmative action' as such a means of protection.
While, we totally agree with you and admire you for mentioning this, we are of the opinion, that it should be part of a larger picture - our concept of the MARSHALL PLAN.
Clearly, you are faced with dealing with the 'BTA nightmare' or 'conundrum', for which we wish you much strength and wisdom.
However, again we implore you to realize that any regulation of illegal immigrant must be offset with special benefits for the St. Martin residents.
Not doing so, is a recipe for total disaster.
After all, we all know that, injustice breeds violence and criminality and we are very fast becoming the world's champion in those areas already.
Hoping to have made a constructive contribution towards this very complex issue, which will determine the very existence of all native, indigenous St. Martin people.
Leopold JAMES
