Finally, the tireless work of this movement is starting to have its effect on the awareness of the natives of this island, whose very existence has come to the 'brink of their existence' largely through neglect, betrayal, lack of vision and courage on the part of their political leaders.
After Monday's interview of Leopold JAMES the movement's leader on the very popular radio-station SOS 95.9 F.M.of Mr. Billy D, the telephone in the studio kept ringing off the hook.
People called in to have Leopold JAMES, come back and share even more of his vision on the empowerment of the St. Martin people.
Especially the people are extremely fascinated and inspired by his initiative to create a cultural native-indigenous St. Martin ID-card which will give very pragmatic and effective interpretation to what it means to be a ntive-indigenous St. Martiner.
His proposal that the movement is planning to issue the very first cultural native-indigenous ID to the natives of the island, has taken the people by storm with it being the talk of town among the people of this island.
The response is going beyond expectation of many and it is clear that this initiative has tapped into a very profound desire of St. Martin people to be recognized as the natives of this island, in addition from being DUTCH and/or FRENCH citizens of the island.
For too long many native St. Martiners have felt, that they have become a minority in their own land, mainly because of the massive naturalization of thousands of immigrants, changing the way of life of native St. Martiners and leaving them feel under-represented and politically not important.
Now for the first time, St. Martiners have something to call their own, to rally around and to display as well in terms of identifying their heritage on this island.
A ceremony is planned in celebration of the issuing of the first symbolic cultural passports to family-members of deceased native St. Martiners, who have made their contribution to the island, while they were still alive.
It is the intention of this grass root movement to maintain a very positive and constructive relationship with the Collectivity as well as with the Island-government of the island.
After all, most politicians are native St. Martiners and one day themselves will also be able to benefit from the privelege this ID can bestow them and their families with as well.
With the existence of a document identifying the native St. Martiners the next step becomes closer.
That is to be able for this group to claim its historically moral privileges on the island.
Many elderly St. Martiners would be more than happy that they will not have to wait in line anywhere on the entire island, or that they will be able to live anywhere on the island and benefit from any social privilege ANYWHERE on the ENTIRE island.
In addition, many St.Martiners would be happy that they will be able to get a drivers-license anywhere on the island and to reside anywhere on the island.
These and many, many more privileges is what any sensible 'status'; should mean for the natives of this island and that is what we stand for, without apologies !
It is clear that the ancestors of this group of people, who can trace their roots to 'St. Martin's Traditional Period', lived for over 360 years as one people on the island with free movement and sharing of all natural and material and immateria resources.
Consequently, this way of life, for which the Treaty of Concordia of 1648 forms the legal basis, has established common law,legally binding which is recognized as in most countries including France and the Netherlands.
During those hundreds of years, neither the Dutch, nor the French colonial powers objected to that unified way of life.
Therefore, under no circumstances can they now legally and/or morally 'out of the clear blue' implement and consequently take away this common law from the people of the land.
That means that whatever national laws there are restricting free movement and the sharing of resources on the island, they can only be leveled against foreigners or non-St. Martiners.
Having an cultural native-indigenous ID will now create an enormous incentive for all St. Martiners to sign up for such.
Meanwhile others who have obtained the French and/or the Dutch rights will maintain those nationalities and therefore have nothing to fear or protest against.
The only difference is that the St. Martiners, who have been marginalized for decades and suffered humiliation and exclusion and the like in their own country, will now have another 'safety-net' which will allow them once more to live the life their ancestors did for decades until the Landmark Year of 1963 as historian, Mrs. Daniella JEFFRY decribed in one of her books 1963 A Landmark Year in Saint Martin'...a must read.
Meanwhile, Leopold JAMES has been invited again by Mr. Billy D HAMLET to be on his program on Monday, April 19, 2010 from 9 to 10 a.m.
--
Leopold James
President SNBF & L'Esprit de Concordia
-------
