Hady's Draft Manifesto - Part 1

Boy my heads been busy these past few weeks, a bit cluttered might be a good way to say it, and that was without trying to pay attention to what the new and outgoing IC members were saying. Theo 'serving' and and Laveist going from strength to strength with a performance and had many people in tears, both sides of the aisle. Let's face it, those two almost buddied up last year with the NA and it seems fairly obvious they are working together, at least that's how it seems to me. Theo gets to keep his portfolios and be deputy leader and Louie gets to sit things out until his appeals process is over.

So, now we have a new government, a 'baby' government according to Marlin and we have to give them time to grow into their new jobs. I've tried to find some in the news articles, but I still don't have much knowledge on what their positions and policies are, they've had years to formulate them while sitting on the sidelines haven' they?

Well, I'm going to go ahead with my own manifesto, or at least a draft of one. Here's the first installment and over the coming weeks I'll write blogs about other topics and issues. I sincerely invite readers to contribute their own ideas and thoughts to my posts, I'm just presenting ideas, I am open to other ideas, to having flaws in my own being pointed out and I am interested in what others have to say :)

Youth, Education, Sports, Employment, Immigration, Crime.
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It's not possible to separate the 6 issues I've listed above in a manifesto because they are all in some way or another interconnected. Reducing and confronting crime, an issue that was very recently placed high in our concerns with the murder of Haresh “Danny” Dayalani, is going to require comprehensive, long term and wide ranging approaches and programs.

This is my first manifesto and it is a draft, just a collection of ideas, most my own, some picked up here and from other people over the years. My approach is going to be one of trying to imagine the community and island I would like to live in and then figuring out how and what is needed to take us in that direction. My direction might not be your direction, but I think my wishes are fairly mainstream and common. We all want to be safe don't we? The problem of crime is far too big to be solved with just more policemen and more cells, it's roots are deep and that's where they have to be engaged.

I say 'engaged' because 'confronted', my first choice of word, would have been the wrong one to use. Confronting means offensive which can and often just drives the problem deeper and more entrenched, beating a cussing youth because he is swearing at you will do nothing to solve any problem that exists. Don't get me wrong, I realize fully how frustrating and even dangerous it can be for police officers dealing with youth gangs and aggression, they are having to deal with the symptoms of the society and community we have created.

I do believe our officers need better training in that regard, they are not authorized to deal out 'justice' and there are multiple cases of claimed police brutality on record. But, that's another story, my point is that it's not a question of more cameras, more police officers and boot camps, we need to push this violent and indifferent attitude of these problem youths to the fringe.

The biggest problem I see is that we don't have a 'Community' here in St. Maarten, we have a multiple communities and Leopold is quite right to say there are elements within some of them that seek to feed and create divisions. I must say and putting myself in the line of fire for being 'anti -sxm'er' again, that his latest offering to be a mediator in fostering unity was straight out of the SXM Onion. While I respect Leopold's right to his views and even understand them, He has done more to create divisions than most, his whole Marshall plan program of 'affirmative action' on behalf of 'indigenous' people sets to create divisions amongst the citizens who call this island home.

One of my first projects as government would be to create a youth employment program. Not so long ago I had a discussion with a good friend about crime, about youths hanging outside supermarkets and bars, on corners, and how threatening they often seem. Meanwhile, our beaches and streets are filthy and littered, graffiti adorns many walls and dozens of simple projects and ideas to create a cleaner and more inspiring environment are left undone. My position was that while it was all very well my friend making donations to local sports teams and local events, these were not the people that needed to be engaged.

My Youth Employment program would set out to do just that, engage those youths. Each district would have a youth center, most probably combined and integrated into the community centers that have sprung up these past few years. Depending on the size and issues affecting that district, it would receive funding for:

• An office and employment center staffed by 2 or 3 full time trained youth social workers who would administrate the registration of participants and schedules for projects within the community. These offices would also have the ability to employ part time assistants, most likely parents, to supervise the center and the projects in the field.

• Each community center should have computer rooms with internet access for job searching and studying. Companies seeking employees, and the labor office, could liaze with these centers to find suitable candidates.

• Each Youth center would have 2 areas for 'hanging out'. An area for younger children, say up to the age of 14 or so, and a senior area. These areas would have activities, pool tables, even a bar where non alcoholic drinks and snacks could be purchased at a low price. The idea is to get them off the streets and into somewhere with a more stable, moderated and enjoyable atmosphere.

• Each member of these Youth Centers would be eligible for at least 20 hours employment per week, with minimum salary. There would also be bonus and reward programs for those who truly show commitment and promotion prospects (with salary/bonus increases too) for those who take up and show mentor and leadership skills. Theo could get his cruise and airline connections and get them to throw in some cruises and trips. The need is to motivate and make it attractive to these youths, open up possibilities. Companies could sponsor specific projects and conduct training classes to teach skills.

• Each Center would get a small truck to assist in the projects these youths are tasked with. For example, daily street cleaning and garbage bin emptying, each district could also adopt a beach cleaning it every other day. Other projects would include things like renovating sports facilities, painting walls and small construction projects, planting gardens and trees and maintaining them, plus projects and assistance to elderly and disabled.

There is more and I'm not saying this sort of program would be cheap, we are talking several million dollars a year. But it's the beginning of establishing real solutions and structure to the problem and to reduce the chances of our youth falling through the cracks and turning to crime. By integrating it more with our schools, by expanding the work of social workers and mentors to troubled youths and families and by offering something more than just platitudes that are seen as insincere and empty, we would begin the task of fixing the problems that plague us.

In addition to this Youth Employment Program my government would also immediately establish a program of upgrading all our schools and to construct new schools to reduce over crowding. Material funding would be increased, computer labs with internet connections established and sports and science facilities provided with equipment and material funding. Teachers would be offered better pay and longer contracts and every school would have a social worker and security system and staff.

Schools, Youth Centers and Labor office would establish an efficient and well managed information exchange system to find and train students in the fields that SXM has needs and job vacancies. SMITH is all very well, but again, it is not reaching the ones that we really need to be reaching and influencing. This in turn would assist in reforming and re-establishing control over the immigration and permit mess we have.

Sport facilities and organizations would get increased funding, to establish leagues and for long term maintenance and equipment needs.

I'd be very interested to hear anyone thoughts on the above and any more ideas and suggestions you all may have. At the end of the day, we must take these problems by the horns and resolve them with long term solutions and ideas. To do otherwise means they will continue to come back to haunt us. It's not going to be easy and it's not going to be cheap, we will need to invest and spend the island's resources very carefully.

Hady