Different strokes for different folks

I thought that this was a pretty amazing article in the St. Maarten newspaper last Friday (The Daily Herald, April 11, 2008... No, not April 1st). It has prompted quite a bit of talk :)

Here are some bits and pieces of the article but you can read the whole thing here:
http://thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k275/pjia275.html

MPs object to treatment they received at airport

PHILIPSBURG--Members of Parliament (MPs), the highest elected officials of the Netherlands Antilles, have severe complaints about the treatment they have been receiving at Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA).

President of Parliament, Pedro Atacho told The Daily Herald it was usual at all airports within the Netherlands Antilles that MPs receive different treatment when going through security checks, based on their status as the country’s highest elected people’s representatives.

The main complaint is that in St. Maarten, MPs are also required to take off shoes, belts and sometimes even other parts of their clothing.

“The treatment is different compared to the treatment we receive in Curaçao. In St. Maarten we are basically being stripped down and are almost treated like criminals, while we are the highest elected officials of the country. We have no interest in doing illegal things and embarrassing our own country,” Richardson stated. He considered what happened a “serious incident.”

My goodness!

Read the whole article here:
http://thedailyherald.com/news/daily/k275/pjia275.html

:)