
On the 14th of November 2016, the Daily Herald published Francio Guadeloupe's reflection on the dominance of the cult of transparency. It was timely then, and equally relevant today.
Dear Editor,
As is the case in the wider world, here on St. Martin (Sint Maarten & Saint-Martin) too, transparency has become a hip hip hurray word; a feel good word; a word without spot or blemish. Few question how they came to love this word and idea so much. A word that is unsoiled and uncontested – and never connected to inhuman trends is a dangerous thing!
If you want to be taken seriously as being anti-establishment – regardless of the fact that you are a millionaire or you are politically well-connected – then make sure you use the word transparency in your criticism of the powers that be (or accuse your adversaries of being non-transparent towards “the people”). Politicians and wannabe politicians, policy makers, social activists and those who refer to themselves as concerned citizens, trip over themselves using that word.