Sarah dangerously incompetent.
By now, the gravity of the situation facing St. Maarten should have sunk in. St. Maarten has been publicly humiliated before the entire world! Never in the annals of relations between two peoples has one people so publicly repudiated another. One can try to hide behind the false argument, that it is really and only about the politicians. But fact of the matter is that the Dutch have expressed a deep distrust of us as a country and as a people collectively, period. None of us are exempt. It is delusional to think otherwise. We produced those politicians! You say how? We voted for, and elected them, time after time, even when we knew they were up to no good. We sold our votes to them. Some, for raw cash, others for building materials or furniture, and still others for favors. We did it over and over, repeatedly, for forty long years. Being corrupt had become a political sport on St. Maarten. We all participated in one way or the other. We all wanted a piece of the action.
This new crisis calls, for some serious reflection, because we must respond. There must be a confrontation, because we simply cannot submit to this investigation. It is out of the question! Things can never return to what they were before between us and Holland. If at times the Dutch political class was diplomatic in its approach, this time all pretense of diplomacy has been dropped. The mask has been removed, and their true feelings expressed. There is no way back. We have been shown the door. The message is clear: "You want to stay in the Kingdom? "Then this is what to expect". We have, in Mafia parlance, been made an "offer we cannot refuse!" This has serious implications for us as a people. We no longer really have a choice. It is no longer, if, but when. It means among other things, that we will have to seriously think about whether or not this is the right time, for the King to visit. It will be extremely awkward for him to meet with a bunch of people, who in his name, by his government and under his seal and authority, have just been repudiated. This includes the governor also. He is a product of St. Maarten politics. This is the political milieu in which he operates, the pond in which he swims. He is a skillful political player. His appointment as Governor is a direct result of his knowing how to play the political game on St. Maarten. The Dutch cannot trust him either! He is one of us!
There are two pieces of business which we must urgently attend to even while dealing with this new crisis. The first one, is holding accountable the so-called leaders who have lead us into this mess. The National Alliance and MP Frans Richardson should be counting their blessings that they were kicked out of government. This shows how timely two old adages are: "everything happens for the better" and, the second, "you might just get what you wished for". Sarah fought tooth and nail during the collapse of the last government to remain in office. She maneuvered, she schemed, she plotted. She kicked and screamed. She raved and ranted. She wanted to remain Prime Minister and Leader of Government at all cost. She got what she wanted. Now that it has blown up in her face, she must accept full and total responsibility for this fiasco. Sarah and the UPP must face the music alone. They have been totally and completely discredited and humiliated. Sarah's heated response, and faux indignation is too little too late. She has utterly failed as a leader. Her epitaph will forever be one of abject defeat and humiliation. Her feeble attempt to call on civil servants not to cooperate with the Dutch investigation is pathetic. It rings hollow. She does not have the moral authority to lead a pack of kindergarten children across the street.
Theo so far, has wisely chosen to remain silent, as well he should. He is the intellectual and spiritual author of all that is corrupt on St. Maarten. In that regard, he has truly followed in his grandfather's footsteps. His influence on the body politic is toxic. He can be no Moses. His old school vision of money politics has met its final defeat.
The people of St. Maarten therefore need to urgently undertake action. Step one, must be the immediate resignation of the entire cabinet with step two being the calling of new elections.
The UPP/DP government simply does not have the credibility to deal with the Dutch government. They do not have the credibility to face us, their own people. They certainly cannot pretend to represent us, for every day they remain in office, represents an affront to our dignity as a people. The UPP and DP parties should be disbanded and banned forever from politics. They are dangerously incompetent. They have grievously injured the people they were elected to lead, and yes, protect. They certainly do not have the credibility to do any talking to the Dutch, especially on behalf of the people of St. Maarten. They do not have the slightest semblance of the prestige needed to constitute a government. It has been ripped to shreds. We cannot allow this present group, and yes, that includes governor Holiday, to represent us any longer. In a sense, this disappointment is a blessing in disguise. It allows for the creation of totally new political parties and for a new class political class to emerge. This is the time for new faces and new political parties. We simply cannot allow the same, bad old actors, back on stage. Even coming from their parties is too much. We need a totally new political class. We saw what happened last election when we brought in new faces. Laville and Jules James, two of the freshest and most promising new faces soon found themselves embroiled in controversy and, in the case of Laville, scandal. They came from a corrupt party, led by a corrupt leader who had spent his entire political career in the corrupt, but politically successful Democratic Party. His political style, resembled more than anything, that of a mafia don, right down to the dark eye glasses. His actions while Minister spawned much suspicion and distrust. The new political class must in no way, shape or form be associated with him, or any of the existing parties for that matter. The task at hand is simply too serious to be left in the hands of bad faith actors, offering their same old influence peddling, self- enrichment schemes.
The real mission of the new political class should be independence. Not ten years from now, not five years from now, but now! That should be the one and only agenda point. Remaining in the Kingdom after we just been so rudely shown the door is pointless. Trying to pretend that what was expressed was not directed at all of us is self-deception. We are no longer welcome in the Kingdom.
We need a fresh set of faces untainted by scandal to clean up the mess created by the present corrupt and inept bunch, who have lead their people to shame and embarrassment.
We need a new Moses, to undertake the urgent and glorious task of taking us into the promised land of an independent St. Maarten.
Name Withheld Upon Author's Request