As a nation we earn our living by trading with servicing the world - our tourism sector. The outlook for 2009 is highly uncertain. At each stage of the global crisis, events have turned out worse than the experts have predicted.
There is a loss of business and consumer confidence, and one thing is certain, things cannot turn around overnight. As a nation we must psychologically prepare ourselves for what 2009 will bring forth.
Our key focus must be jobs - keeping people in jobs, helping the worker who loses his or her job find a new one, and retraining them with new skills. As long as people have work, they can take care of themselves and their families.
The global financial/economic crisis will not last forever. A world in recession is not a world without opportunities. In the midst of this financial/economic storm, we must as a community, as a nation, keep pursuing new growth opportunities, and look beyond the immediate challenges and that our island nation emerges stronger after the global downturn.
Government we expect will continue to monitor closely how global events unfold and work constructively with business and labour organizations to see St. Maarten through this global recession.
Government alone will not solve the problem. Every one of us has a part to play. Companies have to work with the unions to find ways to cut costs. During a downturn, businesses should take advantage of creating new and better products and services which will pay off when things get better.
The working man and woman also have a role to play by upgrading and picking up new skills which would increase your employability. For those jobs hunting, venture beyond your comfort zone to take up the challenge of available jobs, even if they are not your first choice. In these challenging times, families must bind together. We must all fulfil our duties to our parents, our spouses and our children. We must safeguard the nation's future - our children. St. Maarteners must also take care of one another beyond our immediate families.
Despite the storm clouds over the Caribbean horizon, we have much to be thankful for and good reasons to be quietly confident. We are an island nation of ambitions and through our ingenuity and effort, we shall overcome. Our outlook on the future of our island nation should not be overshadowed by current global trends. A negative and less positive outlook should not make us less ambitious.
As a nation we must encourage each other to move in positive directions, overcoming whatever hurdles come our way and stay the course. We have overcome many previous challenges, and emerged stronger from experience. For the New Year 2009, think ambitiously; think about what a difference you can make within your community, to the further advancement of our island nation in these turbulent times.
We can meet the future with confidence.
Roddy Heyliger