Philipsburg:--- Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot Williams brought some clarity to the AMFO funding which will be replaced by a local agency. The Prime Minister said there is no secret regarding her feelings on the statements that are being made on the debt relief for St. Maarten which was part of the constitutional changes for St. Maarten. She said she is of the opinion that the statements made regarding the debt relief has been overstated especially knowing what St. Maarten went through for the payment of its debts.The Prime Minister said that St. Maarten could not borrow monies prior to 10/10/10 and the island under the constellation of the Netherlands Antilles did not have huge outstanding loans that had to be paid. Therefore, the statements regarding the debt relief being the cure or fixing prior to the constitutional change is an overstatement. AMFO is scheduled to be dissolved at the end of 2012. AMFO is the agency that manages the Dutch funding for Social Programs and projects. However, St. Maarten will implement an NGO funding agency. This decision was taken by the government of St. Maarten several months ago. She said the proposal for St. Maarten to take over the AMFO funding was done in such a way to stretch the Dutch funding. St. Maarten's government decided to take over the AMFO funding for the year 2012 which was estimated to be close to one million guilders. She said the last Dutch financing would have taken place in 2013.
The Prime Minister made clear that the Dutch government is not providing additional monies. The NGO financing agency already met with AMFO to explain them the government's position on the financing of social projects. She said what is critical is that St. Maarten has a joint project going forward which is the NGO funding and the social funding. St. Maarten will be making use of the expertise and build up that AMFO created over the years.
I want to see if whomever is in power, including the Prime Minister, will allow St. Maarten to be in a future debt crisis, and hang its hats where it can't reach. Every St. Maarten government thinks that it can keep milking the taxpayers, with the pretense that it has to get funding to pay for projects, etc. Well, I think when the Dutch funding is over, this and other governments don't start accumulating loans, left right and center, so that our kids will be held in a bind like the U.S. kids to pay the debt off for the rest of their lives. By the way, what are the residents really seeing with their monies? Nothing really, excepts certain projects that are filling the politicians' pockets and their families'.
How come a small island like this don't have proper roads that can last a very very long time in all the communities? How come a small island like this can't have proper drainage and sewage treatments in all the communities? How come a small island like this can't have a well maintained environment with parks, beautiful trees and flowers in all the communities? How come a small island like this don't have enough jobs for the local citizens in all the communities? What are the communities really getting in return? Before projects are initiated and funds are requested, the people need to approve of them. Not the politicians. They are just there to implement them only when the people say so and the time is right. SO PEOPLE, DON'T LET THESE POLITICIANS PUT US IN A DEBT CRISIS. THE GOVERNMENT NEEDS TO SAVE OUR TAX PAYERS MONEY AND SPEND IT ON COMMUNITY PROJECTS WHEN THE TIME IS RIGHT, AND NOT FILL THEIR POCKETS WITH HIGH FOR LOOTING SALARIES AND PERKS, AND GIVE THEIR FAMILIES AND FRIENDS CONTRACTS TO DO THE JOB!