Eh, come closer to the paper. I write only once, especially to the intellectually challenged ones that live and breathe amongst us. Rumor has it that the appointed Commissioners in the last Executive Council of the Island Territory of St. Maarten who served for 5 days either have, or will be paid one full year's Commissioner's salary for doing so. On Sunday October 31, 2010, the topic was again brought up on a popular local radio talk show. Notwithstanding the fact that none other than our Prime Minister has previously addressed this issue publicly on at least two occasions, the rumor is persistently kept alive and the host of the Sunday radio program even questioned the integrity of our Prime Minister, as it relates to this topic. So Mr. Editor, allow me to make the following statement: My name is Michael Ferrier. I held the position of Commissioner in the Executive Council of the Island Territory of Sint Maarten twice. Once for 4 years from July 1, 1999 to June 30, 2003, when I was elected to the Island Council of Sint Maarten. During that time in Public Office, I drove my own car, paid for my own gasoline, travelled for Government in Economy class and amongst other strange habits, when invited to lunches and dinners by business persons, paid for my own lunch and dinner and often also for the lunches and dinners of the very business persons that had invited me to those lunches and dinners in the first place. I was never offered or given a kick-back, nor did I ever ask for any. During the campaign I promised myself and thus informed my party leader that if elected, I would serve for one term only. For me it was never about being a career politician or getting "chooked" by the proverbial "syringe with the Elixir of Power". For the record, I kept my word and did not make myself available for a second consecutive term. (As an aside, there is a "so-called" history book written by a local school teacher floating around, in which he writes a piece about me on the subject that is riddled with wrong information and plenty of "un-truths", notwithstanding the fact that the good gentleman interviewed me personally when he was gathering information for his book). But to continue, recently after the UPP and the DP agreed to form the first Government of Country St. Maarten, I was one of four persons asked by our respective Party Leaders to serve as a Commissioner for 5 days from October 5 to 10, 2010. I agreed to accept the honor and together with the three other Commissioners, worked my butt off for 4.5 of those 5 days. NOW COMES THE JUICY PART, SO PLEASE PAY ATTENTION: I have not been paid, nor do I want to be paid for working as a Commissioner for those 5 days in October of 2010. So you that are IQ deprived and you know who you are, please "find another tree to jump on". Capiche? I can be reached on 520-5555.
