PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — The NRPB is the entity on Sint Maarten responsible for carrying out projects with monies from the Trust Fund.
This organization has recently been mentioned in the media as it has taken businesses/persons, who have received monies through approved projects and are non-compliant with their payments, to court. Interesting is that this organization itself, should be in court for its many wrongdoings.
Wilson said: Since its inception, He have received many complaints about the manner in which the NRPB does its day-to-day business. In particular, how this organization deals with locals.
NRPB believes in exploitation of local employees and businesses. NRPB is the organization that, for example, e-mailed and called a local professional informing them that they received a job at NRPB. NRPB advised that they go to the Chamber Office, open a business, and submit this information to NRPB to finalize the agreement. Weeks after having provided what was requested, and after having resigned from their job, they were informed through a phone conversation that: “Sorry, we have changed our minds.”
This local professional was left with Chamber expenses, was left unemployed and had to restart the process of employment on a contract basis, after having lost their permanent status.
NRPB is also the organization that requests local businesses to carry out work for them and then have them wait more than half a year for their compensation. The same NRPB believes in recruitment of foreigners and not our own. Other than the print media, NRPB uses external/international media and recruitment agencies to advertise their vacancies.
NRPB is also the organization that bypasses regular recruitment procedures and corporate governance standards, to hire employees linked to a particular political party on Sint Maarten. The NRPB is the organization that believes in having employees employ their own wives and partners. Better yet, NRPB is that organization that contributes to illegal immigrants (NO LEGAL IMMIGRATION or WORK PERMIT STATUS) on Sint Maarten.
“These are but a few of the many complaints I have received from persons and businesses, who have felt used, abused, or treated unfairly due to nepotism” Wilson said.
Stay tuned for Part 2 of the Chronicles of NRPB. In Part 2, I will go into more detail about the information provided in this first article.
As a future political figure I believe we need to stop abusing our local professionals by employing friends and family members and giving financial favoritism to certain businesses.
