Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten officially has ditched Kingdom Day, December 15, as an official holiday and replaced with it Constitution Day, which is to be observed annually on the second Monday in October, starting this year.
Parliament unanimously adopted the law on Thursday to make the day official and strike Kingdom Day from the calendar. The establishment of this newest holiday comes ahead of the fifth anniversary of St. Maarten’s attainment of country-within-the-Dutch-Kingdom status and the coming into force of the St. Maarten Constitution. Both events took place on October 10, 2010.
Education and Culture Minister Rita Bourne-Gumbs took the suggestion of National Alliance (NA) Member of Parliament William Marlin, made on Tuesday, for the day to be observed annually on the second Monday of October rather than on October 10 and presented an amended law on Thursday.
Marlin said when the law was tabled for approval that this construction gave the ministry a month every year to focus on nation-building and heightening awareness about the country’s history, heritage and culture. The month will culminate with the celebration of St. Maarten/St. Martin Day on November 11.
Another amendment the minister made to the law after Tuesday’s Central Committee meeting was making the official name of the holiday “Constitution Day.†This was a suggestion from Democratic Party ((DP)) MP Sarah Wescot-Williams.
Several MPs emphasised the need for the day to be used to educate the public and groom them on the path to full independence from the Dutch Kingdom.
United People’s (UP) party deputy leader MP Franklin Meyers said the establishment of the holiday recognised the fact that St. Maarten was “a step to the great goal of independence.â€
MP Frans Richardson, who leads the United St. Maarten Party, said independence was indeed the next step. He called on residents of the country who were originally from independent countries, particularly in Caribbean, “to not judge†St. Maarten’s striving for independence against their countries’ experience with full self-determination. He said the common sentiment appeared to be that independence would lead to the loss of the powerful Dutch passport. “It is only a travel document,†he said.
National Alliance (NA) parliamentarian Christophe Emmanuel said the country’s goal should be independence in 2020.
UP leader MP Theo Heyliger said he had reservations about voting for the law to establish a holiday that had imposed even stronger Dutch hold on St. Maarten. He called on the minister to use the day to inform the public about the role of the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT, the Dutch promises that had never come true and the attempts to make Dutch passport-holders in the Caribbean second-class citizens.
The Dutch Government is “terrorising St. Maarten†while letting in hundreds of Syrian refugees, Heyliger said.
