Dear Editor,

For 28 years I have attended "political" campaigns. Always funny and always the same thing: big words, slogans, mudslinging, promises, vote buying, chicken legs and beer.

Last week Saturday, there was a meeting in Simpson Bay, organized by a new energetic party with young promising politicians: UP party. The party was right at the bottom of the hill I live on. I heard loud music and shouting. I was looking at tennis on TV, but because GEBE presented me with huge current surges, I had to switch off my TV. (GEBE is ruining my electrical appliances and charges me 500 guilders monthly for electricity for a two-person household without airco. Which party is going to do anything about that?)

Anyway, not being able to look at TV, I decided to go down my hill in order to go "UP". When I arrived, Frankie Meyers was speaking, one of the first people to "jump UP" Theo's wagon. Frankie was not really speaking, he was roaring and blaring and jumping around like a madman. He had no political programme, but he was funny. I like that.

Then came Romain La Ville. Absolutely a nice guy I would like to play pool with one day. He started talking quietly and seriously, as if he had to say something – some incomprehensible message for Simpson Bay. He does not know yet that old Simpson Bay does not exist any more, like old St Maarten does not exist any more, because Theo and his predecessors have sold them.

Anyway, Romain, noticing that the reaction of the listening public was not very enthusiastic, started to imitate Frankie and he also started to holler and shout and jump around. I cannot remember what his message was.

Some people seem to think that when you shout an idea loud enough and repeat it often enough, the idea automatically will become a truth. Some preachers on TV and in church do the same. As far as I know, Jesus never roared or danced around when he was preaching.

Anyway, there were Janchi and Les Brown. Not good speakers, but they talked normally and I love them for who they are and what they do. All in all it was a rather disappointing evening.

Gracita has not yet brought much transparency in her new club.

I was disappointed. All those new young promising politicians (quite some ex-students of mine) did not make much of a difference. The only difference was that the audience did not get chicken legs and beer. That was probably because all campaign money had been used for a huge amount of oversized photographs along the streets of St. Maarten – another (costly) stupidity.

I am not trying to be negative or arrogant. I just describe what I see. I am a positive, humble person, so here is my positive and humble advice to UP and all other political parties:

Make an analysis of the situation St. Maarten is in and make a clear programme. There are of course a lot of issues, but let me take the main issue concerning St. Maarten: The issue of sustainable development. The question if St. Maarten is overdeveloped and sick or if St. Maarten can keep growing. If I do not get a serious, detailed answer to these questions I am just not going to vote.

Gerard Bijnsdorp,

Unpaid voter