PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — President of the NAPB, Rogerrel Mauricia is once again calling on the Government of Sint-Maarten and the Parliament to do what has to be done to pay his members and all other Justice workers, including those who have retired already, families of the deceased, what is owed to them.
Mauricia finds it unfortunate that so much time is spent on trying to explain processes and procedures, while little to no effort is spent on apologizing to the hard men and women who leave their homes every day to protect to people Sint Maarten.
“The Government and the Minister fail to recognize the damage that this situation has cost to the lives of our Justice workers. They continue to ignore the fact that nice words and empty promises, does not pay the outstanding electricity bills, political rhetoric does not pay for the engagement ring promised 8 years ago. It does not take away the shame of a mother, who every morning parks her car far from the school gate, to avoid having the principal ask her for the school fee that was due last year. It does not mend relationships that were broken because of promises not kept due to the failures of Ministers to pay my men and women in blue their rightful salaries”, stated a disappointed Mauricia. Those are some of the realities that my members are experiencing every month.
What is important for the President of the NAPB is a clear indication as to when his Justice workers will receive the rest of the balance that was paid to them in 2020. We are now in 2023. 3 years has been added to that balance of 2020.
“A long press release stating where something is, where it has to go and who sent it back, does not tell my workers by when they can expect to receive what is owed to them. At some point it has to hit home. At some point we must realize that the men and women in blue are not asking for dimes and nickels anymore. They simply want to be able to buy that brand name sneaker for their son, that dolly for their daughter, that engagement ring for their loved one. They want to be able to proudly walk around Sint Maarten without people harassing them for monies they owe”.
Mauricia once again would like to urge all Justice workers and their families to keep up the faith.
