Philipsburg- On Tuesday the Executive Council met with 2 groups of students from the Milton Peters College, the VSBO-TKL section, to provide them with information about the intricacies of Government.
Students, were given an explanation on the organization of government, the role of the Departments of Government Information Service and General & Internal Affairs, among other departments.
The tour consisted of some welcoming words by Commissioner Sarah Wescot-Williams, who briefed the students on the Legislative Branch of Government and the apparatus in general.
Commissioner Wescot-Williams welcomed the students, "It is good to have you all here. You are in the most important room-the legislative hall. Here is where the Island Council debates,and once agreed upon by members, passes laws."
Further explaining on the particulars of the government apparatus, Commissioner said that Government is a large institution, so there is more than what you see. There are many departments of government like the fire department, the finance department, the health department, among others. All work in tandem to make the operations of government work efficient and effectively, and to provide service to the community.
"I urge you to ask questions during your tour, learn as much as you can," Commissioner Wescot-Williams said. "What is on your mind? Go ahead and ask... For now, on behalf of government, I welcome you to the Government Administration building and please enjoy your tour."
After Commissioner Wescot's address, Island Secretary Joane Dovale-Meit explained about the institution of the Island Secretary's office, which supports the Island Council, the Executive Council, the Lt. Governor F. Richards, and manages the entire government apparatus, which is divided in sectors, and departments.
The next presenter was Acting Head of the Government Information Service (GIS) Rodney Richardson who showed a short video presentation of what GIS entailed, and what communication tools they used to get the information of government to the community of St. Maarten and beyond, from GIS special programs to press releases to radio programs, and the soon to be established comprehensive government website.
Next was the Department of General & Internal Affairs, Acting Head, Ingrid Gumbs, she explained to the students the functions of the department, namely: 1. Archiving, the storing of documents, 2. Document Management, managing documents from their initial reception at the front desk to their proper storage, and lastly, 3. Facility services, managing government's buildings.
"Our aim is to provide you," Gumbs said, "the citizen, with excellent service and to store documents, whether originating internally or externally, in an effective and efficient manner, so that in case there is a need for a specific document for a decision or a court case, that the document can be readily found."
After the short presentations in the Claude Wathey Legislative Hall, the students were given a tour of the Government Administration Building to get a hands-on experience on what the Government Departments do in the vicinity.
On Wednesday, March 4, 2009, three other groups from the same school and section will have the same tour. In total, there will be 5 groups who are schedule to visit the Government Administration Building.