Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
St. Maarten News — Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Leona Marlin Romeo said political games must not be played on issues such as the nation’s pension fund.
According the MP, after attending the recently held 5th Henderson Insurance Conference, one of the messages that was clear to her was a need for an urgent national dialog where all stakeholders including both government and parliament congregate to analyze, discuss and set a clear strategic plan for the sustainability of the pension system on Sint Maarten.
She pointed out that whether the decision is to follow the Aruba model of passing a law where it is mandatory to contribute to the pension system or to create a new solution, an urgent plan is needed and unpopular decisions need to be made in order for Sint Maarten to be able to sustain the current pension system, considering the aging population.
“If this is not done collectively then Sint Maarten will be facing the same dilemma as Curacao. We have the opportunity to do it right, but tough measures must be taken across the board especially getting a better grasp on the population demographics and synchronizing the various systems,†she said.
“The public must be made aware of the current situation and what risks are involved if everyone does not contribute. This has my concern which resulted in I asking the organizers to request an audience with Parliament to give the same awakening presentation,†MP Leona Marlin-Romeo concluded.
