Says the Plight of the Elderly Has Her Focus
Philipsburg:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams appeared on Oral Gibbs Live on Channel 115 Monday night. The Prime Minister discussed various items on the program; primarily the latest political developments and her wish to have Government refocus their attention on the plight of the elderly on St. Maarten.
When reflecting on her long political career, the Prime Minister reflected on her start in the political arena in the early nineteen nineties: "The first time I ran for office was in 1990 during a federal Netherlands Antilles Parliamentarian election. Since then I have been in various situations where there were also changes in Government and a coalitions were changed. During one of which I indeed famously said that I will Be Back.
When asked if she considers herself an inspiration to young women in particular interested in running for politics the Prime Minister stated "It is a fact that we continue to learn and give content to the Governance of Country St. Maarten. As I always say that while most of the matters that Govern our Country we will have to deal with as we go along. A good example of this is the mistake that it has been reported that the Governor refused to sign the approval for Minister Laville. The resolutions needed to appoint Ministers are made up at the end of the trajectory for vetting so it was not as if the Governor refused to sign. MP Laville in speaking to me as formateur said that he would like to have the time to deal with the matter of the report at the Prosecutor's Office and decided his name would not be part of that discussion to approve him as a Minister. We are now looking at a Candidate Minister and that person has to go through that same vetting process and the names are not to be divulged before the process goes through in order to facilitate the vetting process.
"I think critical for Government is that the Ministers individually and collectively will focus on the bigger picture for Country St. Maarten. The formation and educating of all our people is so crucial in the things we want to engage in in order to elevate St. Maarten, and it is up to each and every individual to look at their development as part of a nation and what it means to be a citizen of St. Maarten," commented the PM.
One of the items the Prime Minister stressed has her focus is the plight of the elderly on St. Maarten. "The position of the elderly in our community has my concern and thus the concern of Government. At the beginning of this year we were able to raise our old-age pension by a small amount which is a good step in the right direction and we are now looking to see what type of relief can be given to those elderly that depend only on their pension. Government needs to refocus on how it addresses the plight of the elderly. That is what I will be promoting in the activities of Government the refocusing of our attention on the elderly," emphasized the elderly.
From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister
