Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party ((DP)) Member of Parliament (MP) elect Cornelius de Weever issued what he called a "political statement" on Monday in the wake of two press conferences Sunday in which his defecting from (DP) was raised.
De Weever said the old habit of blaming others needs to stop. "We need to work in an environment where leaders (and their self-serving special-interest individuals) do not yell, scream, shout or intimidate, where candidates do not need to check their brains at the door and are actually listened to," he said.
"St. Maarten is a small place and we are all interconnected. Today or tomorrow we still have to live amongst each other and continue to work. I have tried during my tenure and during all three coalitions not to get personal or political with anyone," he said.
"We, as a people, need to stop the old blaming and finger-pointing and get everyone involved to see better results. It is not always easy, but anything worthwhile has to be a bit of a challenge. The challenge is leadership and it is not that the leaders are bad people – it was the system (and those who influence it) they were taught and the expectations they were given."
He said the process can no longer be bandaged. "In order for this to work, we all have to work together, put the egos aside, be willing to admit what we know and what we do not know, figuring out how to combine our knowledge in a way that works. This is what St. Maarten needs at this moment."
