Maria wants parallel approach
to housing, immigration issues
PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party (DP) Member of Parliament (MP) Maria Buncamper-Molanus said Friday that the recent fire in Cay Bay showed the need for improvements in immigration policies and regulations.
She said while the lack of proper housing was a concern, it had been noticed that of the more than 80 persons left homeless, fewer than five persons were of Dutch nationality and more than half were not in possession of the required residence permits.
She has sent a letter to Justice Minister David Dick urging him to give the matter his “undivided attention,” as it has become a life and death situation.
She said a parallel approach to housing and immigration policies was necessary considering that the inhabitants of the Cay Bay homes were immigrants. According to a release issued by Buncamper-Molanus, she has on several occasions already indicated that the issuance of residence and work permits should coincide with the provision of proper housing by sponsors of immigrants.
“During the meeting of the Central Committee held in November last year, mention was made that this proposal was being incorporated in the ministry’s plans to deal with the immigration matter,” the release stated.
She said St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation had embarked on the construction of more homes for low-income families. However, the list of applicants is much longer than list of homes that are becoming available. In addition, “rightfully so, these homes are reserved for persons who have the Dutch nationality.”
She said, “We should therefore, sooner rather than later, condition the issuing of work and residence permits to proper (not substandard T-1-11) available housing. It is irresponsible to allow more persons to come to St. Maarten, paying them salaries with which they are unable to rent proper housing, and put their lives and those that live in their vicinity in danger.”
She said one suggestion was to have employers pay the rent to the landlord and pay the employees the balance of their salaries. This, she said, would prevent the risk that the immigrant worker would choose to live in substandard conditions and at the same time would enhance the viability of our local people investing in the construction of apartments.
She said, “The availability of sufficient proper housing will regulate the rental prices and thus the trickle-down effect of our economic development will penetrate to the local man and woman in that sector of our community.”
St Maarten vacation rental
