Let me as a native StMaartener let the people know who is not a StMaartener. There is a lot of wanabees who will like to say they are from StMaarten because they were born here. Please listen carefully. If I as a StMaarten person born in the Netherlands that attain Dutch Nationality does it mean I am from Dutch heritage (What we call Macamba). Does it mean I am now a Caucasian or Dutch European, certainly not, it means they grant me a paper stating I have their nationality, but that does not mean I am one of them. If we as people from StMaarten heritage born in India or China will we be consider Indians or Chinese's, the answer is absolutely not. So why should we as a group of people of a small heritage endanger our self. Some people believe because they are black and born from illegal immigrants means they are from StMaarten, the answer is absolutely not. If a donkey born in a house stable does that mean he is a horse? Absolutely not. You may have our identity in color but you're not of our Heritage. Africa has lots of black people but many tribes which mean many people from different heritage. So color does not mean anything. If we or our government will be so foolish to let people that born here illegally and because they are black and consider them StMaarteners we will be the biggest fools, that means Haiti and Jamaica and Dominica people of heritage will be the most StMaarten people, that is exactly what we do not want and need protection from. Imagine those from the Dominican Republic and Guyana whose children are born here, that again mean that the word StMaartener means that once you are born here you are a StMaartener. Nothing could be more further from the truth. The definition must show who is of StMaarten Heritage and is a native StMaartener. A person born in StMaarten means any person that can be of any other racial or ethnic back ground that has Dutch nationality but not of StMaarten Heritage. Heritage will depend if your mother or father and one of their roots was from StMaarten Heritage. Born here only means nationality it does not mean heritage. In time after two or three generations you will become of StMaarten heritage. That is why only the native StMaarten people have the moral authority to determine the definition of who is of StMaarten heritage and is a StMaartener. The conclusion is if you feel you are a StMaartener is fine, but then you must prove it by agreeing that the native StMaarten people who was here from the beginning must be recognize as the real StMaarten people. If you have a problem with that you have just proven you definitely are not a StMaartener. I am certain the nation building foundation of StMaarten has that authority to determine people of StMaarten heritage they have the proof and the study to back it up. I agree with Leopold James on the issue of who is a stMaartener, the question should be who is not of StMaarten heritage will proof who is the real StMaartener that must be recognize. So the question of who is StMaartener? The answer is who is of StMaarten heritage.
Yours truly,
Miguel Arrindell
