PHILIPSBURG:--- As we mark the 10th anniversary of the day St. Maarten became an autonomous country within the Kingdom of The Netherlands on October 10, 2010, otherwise known as 10-10-10 that Chinese saying comes to mind: A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.
How far have we traveled on this journey? What is our destination? And when and why did we take that first step? We would have to search our history to find the answers to these and other relevant questions. But let me say, without any fear of contradiction, that we have journeyed far, however, we still have much farther to go, if we are to reach the Promised Land.
Contrary to what some people might argue, our journey as a nation did not start with the two referenda we held in 1994 and the year 2000 respectively: it actually started over 400 years ago when our ancestors were kidnapped, uprooted from their motherland and forcibly brought here to the New World as enslaved labor.
We have been struggling since then for freedom and have scored some significant victories that allow us today to contemplate the future with hope Read more
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