Saint-Martin – Lettre ouverte au Président de la République de Monsieur Léopold Baly

NDLR - Il ne s'agit pas ici de relayer les mots de Monsieur Baly parce qu'ils correspondraient à une ligne éditoriale qui serait la notre mais plutôt de refuser la pensée unique et de permettre une prise de conscience transversale de ce qui est aussi vécu à Saint-Martin et par une part non négligeable de la population. Cette lettre est naturellement rédigée en anglais et nous ne la traduirons pas, n'en déplaise au mono-linguiste, l'anglais étant la langue maternelle à Saint-Martin.

Saint-Martin soul wish to president of the french republic on his visit to the island

MAY 8^th, 2015

Your Honour President of the French Republic,

Saint-Martin is honoured by your visit and hope that it will arise your conscience to the reality of facts,

Your are visiting the smallest mass of land in the world to be divided between two governments.

• Announces the beginning of a new era for this little Island, an honorable ending of France’s remaining vestige of colonialism in the Caribbean and for land of Saint-Martin and people, the beginning of the legitimate and indispensable unification process of the Island,
• Announces the ending of the fake autonomous status of the French Side of the Island said to be under article 74, an article that is no more than an outdated vestige of colonialism and should have legitimately be erased from the constitution of a democratic Republic respectful of human universal rights to be treated as equal human being in there land of birth.
• Announces an end to the French Republic routine manner, consisting of throwing freely dust in eyes of the people in form of grants of political gadgets that have proving to this day to be but alienating to the dignified growth of the population.
• Announces your engagement as President of the French Republic to put an end to the policy of the French Republic consisting of abusing of the circumstances and the ignorance of the indigenous
•  Announces the opening of a new policy that will lead this little Island in the way of true and real democracy, the way of an enlighten democracy, and as General Charles De Gaulle puts it, a democracy grounded not on circumstances but on the legitimacy of the French Nation.
• Announces the pardon of the French Republic and its engagement in an reparation process, for the manner in which the decree of June 30^th, 1955 creating the 50 pas geometriques zone was enforced upon this little Island in complete disregard of the natives property right and human right.
• Announces the acknowledgement of the full responsibility of the French Republic in the human decadence of the entire island of St-Martin.The human, economic, social, educational, cultural environmental decadence of the island, are the direct consequences of the humiliating politics perpetrated by France and Holland against the indigenous equal human universal rights to self-determination,
• Announces the French Republic and Kingdom of Holland will to consider and treat the natives of Saint-Martin not as subhuman beings but as equal and dignified people capable of self-government and subsequently that they be seen and treated by other countries within their independent and autonomous Caribbean environment as responsible leaders and not as it is the case today, as futilities playing but a mimic role.
• Announces France and Holland joint will to put an end to their ridiculous, senseless, and how much humiliating territorial possession of the Island, an unbearable vestige of colonialism, an alienation of our youth sense of self-esteem and hopes of becoming somebody that counts in society life.
• Announces an end to the division into two European governments of such a one family little Island, simply to satisfy the colonial greed of France and Holland,The perpetuation of this colonial mentality is directly responsible the Island authentic natives finding themselves in a short period of time heavily outnumbered down to a state of genocide by substitution and the Island being deeply plunged into an uncontrollable state of poverty and criminality

1. – That some 60 years ago St-Martin was a very quiet, peaceful, friendly and loving Island, counting only 3400 inhabitants on the French Side and about 3600 inhabitants on the Dutch Side. A people, all together living as one united family, beyond the question of nationality.St-Martin belonged undoubtedly to all of its inhabitants and all of its inhabitants were inhibited with a spirit and strong sense of responsibility and of belonging to a one and unique common island, all having all interests in common.
2. That some 60 years ago, this Island was enjoying full employment, The people lived a self-sufficient way of life, the inhabitants were dignified, proud and happy living people, with absolutely no security problem.
3. That 45 years, by what is known as “1971 circulaire Pierre Messmer ” the government of France, in spite of the disapproval of the then Municipality, had decided to promote the settlement of a new population on the French Side of the Island and placed the local Administration under the obligation to create the necessary infrastructure for their accommodation.
4. That subsequently to this policy of the French Government, the natives of this Island have been reduced to powerless spectators to the sell off at symbolic price of the quasi-entire littoral of the French Side of the Island to very wealthy European and American business speculators, not even sparing the private ancestral ownership rights of natives having authentic property deeds within the classified called 50 pas geometriques area.Many landowners in spite of holding authentic registered property deeds dated over 100 years, were arbitrarily dispossessed of their private property without any form of official notice, only to be informed by some foreign purchasers that they are the new owners and therefore they the natives have no more possession rights.
5. That the French Government under the pretext of a 1664 edict of King Louis XIV, a monarchy regime of France of which all its members had been guillotined, being accused of its despotic, injustice and inequality regime,In complete disregard of article 538 0f the “Code Civil” instituted in 1804 by Napoleon Bonaparte,By a decree of June 30^th, 1955, the French Government has decided to convert the existing public domain area around the island sea littoral, into a private domain of the State of France, creating for the first time a measured distance including sea shores of 81,20 meters large, called “50 pas geometriques” with the manifest intention to alienated the area to foreign business speculators

6. That subsequently, in the name of economic and touristic development the natives have been reduced to powerless spectators before the sell off at an official symbolic price, ranging in francs around 10 cents a square meter of practically the quasi-entire seashores areas of the Island to extremely wealthy speculators.
7. That starting from 1959, The area sold off as 50 pas geometriques represented over 20% of the total surface area of our French side of the Island that had been sold off to foreign business speculators in a manner of complete disregard of the natives inhabiting the area and with legal property ownership deeds.Today, The French Side of the island most famous beaches, sea shores and most picturesque sites are legally private property of foreign settlers
8. That from the promised touristic development destination of the sell off 50 pas geometriques areas and justifying the sell off by the State of France at an official symbolic price, the area is today quasi-totally transformed in residential real estate of no economic or social positive contribution to the Island. And therefore had turned out to be a source of super plus-value for these speculators.
9. That the State of France and since recently the Collectivity of Saint-Martin are selling out the remaining of the 50 pas geometriques zones to native owners many with authentic deeds, at the exorbitant price of 39 Euros a square meter with a recent 20% increase
10. That today, from a population of 3400 inhabitants 60 years ago on the only French Side of the Island, we are today over 38 000 inhabitants of which the authentic natives represent today less than 20%
11. That from full employment 60 years ago, today 70% of our potential working population cannot find a job or a decent job with a decent pay and the guarantee of benefits under the general social security regime, in particular regarding retirement benefits, and reduced to social and economic precariousness.
12. That from a proud and dignified people, owning our living through active labour in the productive economic process, the authentic natives have been reduced to an insignificant minority drowned beneath a heavy over population of recent settlers, and all, even the socio-professionals with private enterprises, are reduced to an outstretched hand means of survival.The most vulnerable depending entirely on the French Government system of generalized revenue allowances and social assistance, a system that has already proving to be at the roots of the state of dehumanization, today so obvious on this once dignified little Island.
13. That today after the sell off of our littoral to foreign speculators promising economic growth, the Collectivity’s and the State’s Administrations, yet remain the essential and only decent employers on the Island,
14. That today, In spite of the fact that the population being denied access to the quasi-entire littoral of the French Side of the Island, the economic production of the French side yet remain 25% inferior to Dutch St-Martin,And the French Saint-Martin labour revenue is by more than 30% the lowest fiscal revenue of France and even of St-Barth where there have never been a zone classified private domain of the State of France or called 50 pas geometriques sold off to foreign investors.
15. That the common residents of Saint-Martin, tourists and visitors to the Island are today forbidden access to 80% of the beaches and picturesque sites of our Island by barricades erected on public roads by these foreign owners of the littoral of our Island
16. That the provisions of the law of January 3^rd, 1986, relating to the arrangement, protection and putting into value the called “50 Pas Geometriques” in Guadeloupe, Martinique and French Guyana, ratified by article 138 of the May 12^th, 2009 law have reclassified the called “50 pas geometriques” area into “Domaine Public Maritime naturel de l’Etat”,excludes the parcels of the “50 pas geometriques” owned by public or private persons who can prove their property right.

    Therefore the provisions of this January 3^rd, 1986 being subject:

    On one hand the rights of third parties ownership on the beaches and sea shores of our island,

    And on the other hand article 538 of the “code civil” of the legislator of 1804 who had classified the sea shores, lais and relays of the sea, in the category of things not liable to be privatized, being repealed by the ordinance no. 2006-460 of April 21^st, 2006

    The natives of St-Martin, visitors coming to our Island for decades, are today humiliated in body and soul, being driven away like intruding animals from bathing in the sea, trespassing on beaches, sea shores and most picturesque sites of the French Side, that were for centuries considered natural public domain an opened to the public until the enforcement of the June 30^th, 1955 decree upon the Island.

    The Island entire sea littoral should have remain NATURAL PUBLIC DOMAIN, therefore, the Island appeal to your Honour, President of the French Republic that new laws be put in place to assure to the entire population and all visitors and tourists to the Island free and accommodating access to all beaches, sea shores and natural picturesque sites on the French Side of the Island.

    The Island of Saint-Martin expresses to your Honour President of the french Republic, advance thanks for your kind attention to the Island here formulated plea.

    The Island sincere and very high consideration to your Honour, President of the French Republic

    Leopold Baly