Dear Editor,

Please allow me some space in your newspaper to address Reverend Brisset, Frans Richardson, Hyacinth Richardson, William Marlin and Franklyn Richards.

Reverend Brisset, you are a man of the cloth, and I am surprised to have read in the newspaper of March 8 that you were trying to justify the donation from the government for the building of a church, while you know this is absolutely wrong, and comparing casinos with brothels at an occasion like that, knowing that Government does not invest taxpayers' money in these two establishments.

If Government in future will endorse euthanasia or same-sex marriages, will you be able to defend the doctrine of the church? No, because you have sold out the believers of Christianity for 30 pieces of silver. I wonder what your Superintendent of Churches in the Caribbean would feel about the involvement of the church so deeply with Government. Christ himself said "Give unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God what is God's." That, Sir, is separation of church and state!

As for Commissioner Frans and Commissioner Hyacinth, you guys are moving into a very delicate direction. No separation of church and state. Next thing you will do is decide that the only church congregation allowed to exist on St. Maarten is the Methodist congregation. You will then denounce Catholics, Anglicans, Baptists, Evangelicals, Morovians and all other denominations.

Or maybe your next move will be, when the same church speaks out against your government, you then declare that they are no longer allowed to exist on St. Maarten. What will we then become? China, Cuba or Iran, where Government decides if one is allowed to practise a religion, yes or no? No separation of church and state in St. Maarten, but we are becoming a country?

William Marlin, as a former senator and a politician who has been in the Island Council for almost or more than 30 years, you should know better, as this is one of the basic principles that democracy has been created on: separation of church and state.

Lt. Governor Richards, how is it possible that you, as the gatekeeper, allowed this advice to pass without your sending this up for annulment by the Governor, knowing that the process followed to come to the advice is totally illegal, and knowing that the Finance Department refused to sign the advice as they found this was illegal? Did you also require legal advice as you usually do for this issue?

Thank you St. Maarten 10-10-10.

Name withheld at author's request