St. Maarten and its people will continue to fight for their rights
PHILIPSBURG:--- Organizers of the Peoples United for True Democracy (PUTD) began gathering on the Pondfill just after 1pm on Sunday as they prepared for the march they organized to protest against the instruction the Kingdom Council of Ministers gave to Governor Holiday on September 17th, 2014. The Kingdom Council instructed the Governor of St. Maarten not to sign any Landsbesluit to appoint Ministers that are appointed by the current coalition government.
The march which was scheduled to take off from the vicinity of the WIFOL building on the Pondfill on Sunday afternoon left the location close to 3pm as buses were circling in the various districts to pick up people who wanted to participate in the march deemed as protecting the country and its people's democratic rights.
Despite the delay and several publications in the newspapers, radios, and the social media just about 100 persons attended the march, included were several members from the UP party including its leader Theodore Heyliger, MP Lloyd Richardson and MP Franklyn Meyers, children and even some workers from the brothels on the island were among those that marched down the Pondfill road to the Government Administration Building.
As the marchers marched they chanted they wanted freedom, justice and respect. Then they sang the song "We shall overcome."
Elton Jones, an organizer of Peoples United for True Democracy (PUTD) said they called on the people to march on Sunday to safeguard the freedom they have enjoyed for a long time on St. Maarten. Jones said since St. Maarten became a country in 2010 it appears as though the new country has lost part of the autonomy they had while being part of the Netherlands Antilles. "Today there is more infringement and intervention by the Dutch than it had ever been before. What the Dutch is doing is on any law they are using a KB to issue these instructions to the Governor of St. Maarten." Jones further explained that the excuse used by the Dutch which is the PWC report is untrue because the current caretaker government already indicated to the Dutch that they will do everything possible to implement the recommendations in all of the integrity reports.
Leader of the United Peoples Party (UPP) Theodore Heyliger who also marched with the marchers told reporters in an interview that he did not organize the march but he definitely supports the march because the actions of the Dutch is not only about him but it's about everyone on St. Maarten. Heyliger said that what is happening today is what happened to his grandfather and for him these instructions is a repeat of history. Heyliger said prior to the 2014 elections the Dutch did not lay down any rules. He said what is happening now has nothing to do with a political party or political colors. This march he said is to ensure that democracy and the country's constitution is respected. When asked if the instructions given by the Dutch is about him Heyliger said if it's about him then it is also about the 1945 persons that voted for him. When he was asked by SMN News if it's about the people of St. Maarten and his supporters how come they did not show up to take part in the march. Heyliger said he did not organize the march and he also did not call on his supporters to come out and participate in the march. "I will continue to state that this is about true democracy. When the first formation was taking place no one in Holland said anything but now there is a government with two thirds majority, the Dutch issued instructions even though they have not made known who the Ministers will be." Heyliger said his government already indicated that they will apply the recommendation in the PWC report. "It is very unfortunate that before the government even sit there are instructions coming from Holland." When asked by SMN News if he Heyliger thinks that the motions passed in the Parliament of St. Maarten and Curacao will stop the Kingdom Council, Heyliger said he does not think the Kingdom Council will respect those motions. When asked if he thinks the current situation will affect his ambition to become Prime Minister, Heyliger said it will but when he went into politics some 20 years ago he never entered politics with the dream of becoming the Prime Minister of St. Maarten.
At the Government Administration Building several persons spoke out against the instruction given by the Kingdom. Elton Jones said no one should get discouraged by the low turn out on Sunday. He further stated that when they organized the march many persons asked them why they organized the march and if they are not against corruption. Jones said that the people of St. Maarten are law abiding citizens like everyone else in the world, he said the main reason they marched was to regain the rights they have lost since the country obtained its status in 2010. Etienne Toochi Meyers said that the adults are not going to suffer when the Dutch takes over but it is the youths of the country that will suffer. He said when the Dutch come in no one should call them or say they should have stood up for Heyliger because for him the time has already passed. Meyers said some years a survey was done by Yale University in the Caribbean. The results of that survey showed that all "black people" living in the Caribbean suffer from hypertension and diabetes he said the same survey was done in Africa and the results were completely different. Meyers said that the reason the Caribbean nations have those two illnesses is because of oppression. He said that only reason the Caribbean nation have those illnesses is because their forefathers were brought to the Caribbean as slaves and they lived in oppression. The other speaker Member of Parliament Franklin Meyers said in his speech despite the small turn out, the people should be proud of themselves because it is known that one man is always sent to save a million people but never a million people is sent to save one man. MP Meyers further stated that their presence at the protest march shows that St. Maarten people will no longer stand up by the roadsides while the people in Holland continues to do what they want. "Our constitution gives us the right to protest, we have that right to say when something is wrong and the instruction given to the Governor of St. Maarten is wrong, and we as people will continue to stand up and say it is wrong. For the critics I am saying to you that you also have the same rights to march, but one thing that must be clear is that the people of St. Maarten is not taking any of this anymore. We will not be taking anymore insults from Ronald van Raak or Andre Bosman. If Bosman and Van Raak cares so much about St. Maarten and its people they need to pass legislation to feed the people of St. Maarten. Tell them to pass legislation to eliminate poverty on St. Maarten. What Holland is doing right now is having the government on a stalemate and stopping the present coalition government to go in to work for the people of St. Maarten. We are no longer afraid of the Dutch. I will repeat what MP George Pantophlet said the Dutch are not coming they are already here, but guess what the people of St. Maarten are also here. We are going to stand firm. Bob Marley quoted in his song I and I build the cabin, it was I and I who planted the corn, didn't my people slave for this country so now you look me with a scorn yet you want to eat off all my corn. Our forefathers came to the Caribbean oppressed for over 400 hundred years. The same instructions that was given to the Governor of St. Maarten the Dutch should also place them on themselves, let the screening be the same throughout the Kingdom." MP Meyers said that the Dutch said that St. Maarten is corrupt but they need to let the judicial system work since it has worked before. He said the people who attended the march should understand that they have a responsibility to fight for those that are unable to fight and those that are not willing to fight. Other speakers that attended the protest march were MP Lloyd Richardson and Ed Gumbs also a member of the Peoples United for True Democracy.
The PUTD made clear on Sunday that there will be a lot of other marches on the island because they will also organize a march against crime on the island.
Click here to view photos of the PUTD protest march held on Sunday.
