Haitian Vice Consul, based in Curacao.
With great interest, we have taken notice of an article, which was published in the Daily Herald of Wednesday, January 26, 2011 entitled; 'Haitian Vice Consul discusses concerns with Justice Minister'
For those, who might not have a clue which this Justice Minister is; it is non other than our own honorable St. Maarten Justice Minister, Mr. Roland DUNCAN.
For the record, honorable Mr. Vice Consul.
Allow me also to congratulate you for being able to get the attention of our own St. Maarten Minister of Justice, something we as native St. Martin grassroots movement have not been privileged to.
In addition Mr. Celime, while we admire-, and strongly commend you for speaking out in behalf of your own Haitian people, living on our island, we would like to believe that you will also understand that we-, being a grassroots native St. Martin movement, have the right-, if not OBLIGATION to do the same for OUR St. Martin people, certainly right here in own home-land.
Not only that.
We would like to believe-, and therefore look forward to your cooperation in also bringing across the concerns of native St. Martiners to our own Minister of of Justice, and Government in general.
More than that, we hope that you will also cooperate with us, should we one day, wish to go to Haiti to meet with your Government there and to express OUR concerns, just like you are doing here.
And while we empathize with the concerns of your Haitian people, for comparison-sake let us put the situations our peoples find themselves in, in some perspective.
Let us start with looking at the size of Haiti.
Haiti has a total land area of some 10, 641 sq. miles (More than ten thousand square miles) !
The estimated population of Haiti is 9,2003.083 ( More than 9 million people) and still growing !
Haiti has the highest fertility rate in the entire Western Hemisphere !
Now-, let us look at the little 'rock' St. Maarten/St. Martin for which in fact you wish to 'squeeze in' more Haitians.
Total area is about 33 square miles !
Estimated population over one hundred thousand (not including the many illegals, and visitors)
Number of nationalities over 100 odd nationalities.
At this point in time in its existence and development, our island is overpopulated, overdeveloped, and its carrying capacity is beyond its limits.
Adding to the complexity of our country, there are a number of factors, which compound our way of life and existence as a St. Martin people.
The main one being the immigration situation.
The out of control immigration-, of in particular your people, is becoming a real threat to our way of life as well as to our very existence as a St. Martin people in our home.
Add to that the fact that we have our own St. Martiners living elsewhere, also as immigrants, many of whom are also not well treated abroad and would like to return to their own home-land as well.
Needless to emphasize that we do not have the time and space here to go into all the relevant details.
However, we would like to believe that any normal human being should be able/and willing to conclude that there comes a time that 'enough is enough' for a people and that they have to do whatever it takes to preserve and protect themselves.
We as St. Martiners, although betrayed by our leaders are determined to do just that.
Meanwhile, while your people are here in our midst, we would like to urge you to go beyond complaining about how bad they are being treated by our country, whose government has even abandoned the care of its own people.
We think that it is more than time to also educate your people in many ways, so that they can be more of an 'added value' to our society, than being a 'maladiction'
Perhaps, they should be educated in such a way that eventually they can return to Haiti and structurally rebuild that country, that has so many potentials.
In this modern times, 'family-planning' should be a priority-, since it is simply primitive to continue 'overpopulating' the planet and creating problems for others to resolve.
The exorbitantly high birth-rate of Haitains, makes them a real threat in destabilizing any 'demographical balance' and becomes unacceptable from the national-security interest of any country.
Also, it would help the integration and acceptance process of Haitians, if you would educate to stop abusing the social welfare system of the island, and in the process completely 'side-line' the native St. Martin people and other nationals who really need such assistance.
Respecting the law of the land, will also be an enormous help in the process of socially accepting your people.
This backward mentality of creating all kinds of 'under-ground'- and illegal activities, such as the gypsy business, vending all over the place simply brings down the value of our country and we do not approve of such.
In other words, it is time that your people grow up, join the modern world, assume their own responsibility, show respect for the rights and cultures of the host-population and stop complaining and stop bribing our politicians to destroy their own people.
In ending, honorable Mr. Vice Consul, we highly respect you for standing up for your Haitian people, and do hope that you will reciprocate same respect for us in standing up for the rights of our own native St. Martin people to be first in their own home.
After all, if any nation or people understands the universal principle, that 'Charity should start at home'- no body beats the Haitians in Haiti.
Looking forward to a very constructive cooperation in the best interest of this country and its people.
Copies to all relevant authorities within the Kingdom, Haiti , the region, US and elsewhere.
drs. Leopold JAMES,
President grassroots St. Martin nation building-, and unification movement and,
Proud, native St. Martiner, without any apologies for such.