SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) - SXM Citizen United represented by Raphael Dorra, in a statement on Saturday said that he has on multiple occasions attempted to reach members of the Government but was unable to learn anything further about relief on utility bills that was submitted on Tuesday, April 21 to the Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion with 3280 signatures of citizens calling for NV GEBE to cancel utility bills during the lockdown.  

In his statement he said, “The price of petrol has reached its lowest price point ever and NV GEBE is set to bring it high revenue this year. This is one of the wealthiest business of the island. While so many of us couldn't work by government's order, why was GEBE allowed to open doors and to receive public during lockdown? I still hope to push the petition for all of us to get help. We will have to bring the island towards a more sustainable place where we use the natural resources available locally,” Dorra’s statement concludes.

Back in early May the number of petition signees grew to 3600.

ARCHIVE APRIL 17 - SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) - SXM Citizen United, has started a petition calling on the Government of Sint Maarten, the Prime Minister and NV GEBE’s Supervisory Board of Directors to cancel utility bills during the lock down.

The introduction of the petition says, “On Sunday April 5th, to be able to fight the spread of Covid-19, the government decided to put Sint Maarten in total lockdown. All citizens have to stay at home, without the possibility to work.

“Meanwhile GEBE NV, the public service provider, still plans to bill electricity and water consumption.

“We will be asked to pay bills to a public company while in the meantime the government is giving us the strict order to stay home.

“We ask the government / GEBE to cancel the bill consumption of all customers during the period of mandatory lockdown.”

The petitioners are looking at collecting 5000 online signatures. Up to Thursday evening just before midnight, the petition has 2635 signatures, more than half to the goal of SXM Citizen United.

The link to the online petition can be found here: https://www.change.org/CancelGebeBills

SINT MAARTEN (COMMENTARY – By Michael Ferrier) - The spirit of compromise seems to be in short supply these days. A pity really and also a bit baffling. The Coronavirus does not discriminate. With few exceptions, every country, creed or color, must accept that they/we are not safe from the virus.

The only action that is safe requires us to stay apart; the so-called social distancing. At first, we had to “stay apart, together” to survive. This solidarity, at least from a health perspective was automatic. Economically, the situation is quite different.

‘Lockdown’ has caused financial ‘knockdown’ for most in the Private Sector. While the COVID-19 might not discriminate, the same cannot be said for the consequences of fighting it. Some people who can’t work because of the lockdown, are feeling the pinch of no, or less money coming in.

The ones without income must have a hard time understanding why their experience of “we in this together” is different than that of, for example government workers (Civil Servants), whose financial survival is the direct responsibility of the Government.

Our Civil Servants have yet to fear what most of us in the Private Sector are experiencing: “HOW WILL MY BOSS BE ABLE TO AFFORD MY NEXT PAYCHECK IF THERE IS HARDLY ANY MONEY COMING IN DUE TO THE LOCK-DOWN?”. There is a need for over US$ 200 Million to artificially keep the economy of our ‘half of the island’ on life support for the next 6 months awaiting either an effective medication and/or vaccination for us to go on with life living with COVID-19.

For some, or all of this huge amount of money (and more if 6 months are not enough to invent medication to fight the virus), we turned to the only (reluctant) provider of financial support (fair or not): The Kingdom Government (read: Holland). They have made it known that, once more (like it or not), their financial support comes with conditions.

At this point, I invite everyone to read the Opinion of one Mr. Armand Hessels on page 10 of the ANTILIAANS DAGBLAD of Saturday, May 23, 2020. Those that do not read Dutch, will need Mr. Google to translate and replace “St. Maarten” where he refers to “Aruba”.

But back to Holland’s financial support: In the opinion of “Political The Hague”, everybody must give up something. For the politicians, it is 25% of their compensation package (salaries and fringe benefits).

The government owned companies and subsidized entities must also cap their salaries and fringe benefit packages. It really should not have taken the Dutch government to demand this. Like other Caribbean countries, our local politicians should have taken the initiative.

But, they did not, and now we are here dealing with the most contentious part of this imposed solidarity: the demand for a 12.5% across the board cut on civil servant salaries. Unions do not want to hear it, civil servants are upset, and future liquidity support for government (to amongst others, PAY THOSE SAME CIVIL SERVANTS) depends on it!

We can argue all we want, but the clock is ticking, government agreed to the Dutch government’s terms and it is time to be practical and compromise. Solidarity means that we recognize the common interest. At this time, whether we like it or not, St. Maarten needs liquidity support. That support comes at a price. There is no PLAN B. As it stands, solidarity requires that those who can bear it the most, give up some salary for those who cannot.

In the Private Sector (PS) where the applicable labor laws have made all the PS employees the responsibility of the businesses they work for, the employees are nervously awaiting when they can go back to work and whether or not the business where they work will be able to get SSRP support, should business ‘suck’.

And let us not forget the multitude of self-employed businesspersons like our Taxi Drivers and Bus operators, totally dependent on movement of people and the influx of tourists. Unlike the Civil Servants, they are not thinking about Vacation Pay, Bonus, or legally set pay-scale increases. THEY JUST WANT SOME MONEY, SO THEY CAN PUT BREAD ON THEIR TABLES.

From personal experience I know that many Civil Servants are of goodwill and doing their jobs when and how they are supposed to. But this is NOT the time to be mad at Holland. Not now. Those of you, especially in the middle and higher scales, who are not part of the ESSENTIAL group, should consider giving up that 12.5%, in order to get paid at all and to allow the Cleaner and other lower scale Government workers to keep getting the little they get.

And how about this: Instead of singing, shouting out on radio programs, clapping and honking horns to show our gratitude for THOSE Civil Servants WHO FACE RISKS AND DANGERS OF COVID-19 ON A DAILY BASIS, like OUR POLICE FORCE, VKS, EMS and OTHER FRONT LINE HEALTH DEPARTMENT WORKERS (the ones that truly are out in the field risking their lives for all of us), why don’t we ask our Council of Ministers to identify these Civil Servants and on short notice, propose to the Dutch providers of financial support that these civil servants should be EXCLUDED from the mandatory 12.5% cut on salaries & benefits. That should be OUR collective THANK YOU to the Civil Service Frontline workers and our way of showing THEM some solidarity.

We are all in this together, RIGHT?

Michael J. Ferrier

CURACAO (WILLEMSTAD) – Epidemiologist Izzy Gerstenbluth, on Saturday disclosed that Curacao has another confirmed case of COVID-19 bringing its positive total to 17 cases. 

The person is a resident who returned to the island recently and was in mandatory quarantine.  Once symptoms developed, the person was tested with the result coming back positive.  The public health authority of Curacao is now carrying out contact tracing.

Curacao’s curfew is from midnight until 6.00AM. Those who like to exercise outdoors, they can do so from 6.00AM to midday.

Restaurants and catering establishments have to close by 10.00PM and Casino’s are allowed to open their doors again.  

CURACAO - The U.S. Air Force Forward Operating Location (USFOL) will be rotating its regular staff. This will be the 40th regular rotation of staff since the USFOL’s inception.

The U.S. Consulate General and the USFOL are working with the Government of Curaçao to make sure all incoming staff uphold the highest standards of preventative health practices and abide by local health regulations.

Since 2000, the USFOL has built strong partnerships on Curaçao and they continue to express their appreciation for the hospitality they have received from the citizens of Curaçao.

Curacao/Aruba Forward Operating Locations (FOLs)

Mission:

• Aerial detection and monitoring of suspected air and maritime drug trafficking activities;
• Reporting of illicit trafficking activities to U.S. and international law enforcement authorities for interdiction, apprehension of illicit traffickers and seizure of illicit cargo;
• Part of a larger multinational counterdrug cooperation effort with other countries in the region committed to disrupting these transnational criminal activities in our hemisphere.

Bilateral agreement governing FOL operations:

• The mission of the Forward Operating Locations in Curacao and Aruba is defined in a bilateral agreement between the Kingdom of the Netherlands, Aruba and the United States. In compliance with this agreement, operations carried out at the FOLs are limited to activities that detect and monitor illicit trafficking.

U.S., international personnel support to the FOLs

• Eleven U.S. military personnel are permanently assigned for periods up to one year. These are personnel who fulfill key roles within the FOLs, for example, the Commander of the FOLs.
• Approximately 100 U.S. military personnel are temporarily assigned for periods from about two weeks to six months. Their roles range from aircrew who conduct aerial-counter-illicit-trafficking missions to logistics and maintenance personnel who support the FOL missions on the ground.
• Approximately 61 U.S. citizens and 52 Dutch and Curacao citizens also provide contracted support to the FOLs.

U.S., international aircraft support to the FOLs

• Each FOL can host up to eight aircraft, depending on aircraft or airframe.
• U.S. Aircraft that can support counter-illicit-trafficking missions from the FOLs include the E-3 Sentry (AWACS), P-3C Orion, E-2 Hawkeye and the C-130 Hercules.