Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
Dear Editor,
What democracy was the march on Sunday held for? Was it for the democracy that this island never experienced? Those of us who have lived on this island for the last 5½ decades know that this island was never governed in a democratic manner. This island was ruled during the last 5½ decades, with the exception of a few years after 1979, by a clan. The members of this clan are of the firm belief that only the clan should run this island.
To achieve their goal, this clan has used and is still using unconventional methods. Vote buying has always been one of their main methods to gain that power in government. Years gone by, taxpayers' money was used by the clan to buy votes. Nowadays during election time vote buying by the clan is still in full swing. Nowadays large sums of money donated to the election campaign of the clan by their rich business friends here and abroad, are used in the vote-buying scheme.
Intimidation and misleading the voters are also methods that are and were used by the clan to gain votes. Years gone by, naturalized citizens were misled by the clan. They were told not to vote against the clan, because if the other party got in power, that party was going to take away their citizenship. Voters were told by the clan that if the other party got in power, they would bring the Curacao tax collectors to take away their homes and businesses.
In the meantime, the clan's business friends made lots of money and paid little or no taxes. Today many businesses still do not pay taxes or pay their fair share of taxes, but that never seems to bother the clan. St.Maarten had over the years many integer men and women, who fought hard battles against the clan, but because of the abovementioned unconventional methods used by the clan, these good men and women did not succeed in winning the war against the clan.
I am referring to people like L.B. Scott, A.T. Illidge, William Peterson, Melford Hazel, Elias Richardson, Gaston Scott, Charles Wilson, Ernest Voges, Hugh Lopes, Jose Lake Sr., Bing Jones, Mervin Scott, Camille Baly, Will Johnson, Jacinth Bryan-Labega, Vincent Doncher, Elaine Gumbs-Vlaun, Vance James Jr., Michel Deher, Edgar Lynch, Lenny Priest, Felicia Thomas-James, Leo Chance and last but not least, William Marlin, who, with his other members of the National Alliance is still fighting the war today. It has been claimed that the clan has taken achieving political power a step further by paying hefty sums of money for a seat in parliament. If this is true, what will become of this island?
Todd Peterson
