To Hold Educational and Informative Sessions For Young Guard of the Party, Emphasizing Selfless Service to the People of St. Maarten
GREAT BAY:--- The Democratic Party of St. Maarten held various activities over the past months, rallying its support for a renewed and reinvigorated DP, which culminated in a General Membership Meeting held on Sunday, December 15th.
Close to two hundred members of the party, ranging from sixteen to eighty years old, held a boisterous and upbeat meeting at Sonesta Great Bay, where the vision for the DP moving into the 2014 Elections, was laid out. Various brainstorming sessions and exchanges were held, outlining the direction of the party and what its leadership, headed by Party leader, Sarah Wescot-Williams, will be championing as part of its vision for the people of St. Maarten.
During the workshop, brainstorming sessions were held on how to move the Party forward into a new era and how to effectively address the needs of our diverse nation.
External experts and those of the Party in areas of Party Philosophy, Economic and Social Agendas, Campaigning and Candidate Nomination, Party Organization and Membership, and Sustainable Development, held in-depth discussions, the results of which will form a central part of the DP's 2014 Party Program.
The leader of the Democratic Party, Prime Minister, Sarah Wescot-Williams during her remarks stated that the Party, which will celebrate its 60th anniversary in 2014, needs to refocus and move away from the usual political rhetoric of campaign promises that cannot be fulfilled.
What do we mean with redefining and refining the Democratic Party of St. Maarten? Redefining means to look at certain things in a new and different way and refining means refining the stronger points that we traditionally have had and make them actual for today," stated the DP Leader.
She continued by stating the importance of where the Democratic Party currently stands. "Where we stand today as a political party and a country is extremely important because of the fact that 2014 is a pivotal year for the country and the party. 2014 will mark 60 years of the existence of the Democratic Party of St. Maarten, twenty of which I have been at its helm. 2014 will also see the elections for the second Parliament of the country of St. Maarten. The DP is poised to be the first one to move out of the "starting gates" going into 2014 with a clear vision.
The DP Leader commented that it is her wish to see the DP being the first political party to move out of the gate with new ideas and new approaches, "not only with regard to the election but also with regard to how we govern the country which we love so much. I want the Democratic Party to be the year-round party in tune with the people; one, which people will ask to be affiliated with. And for this to become a reality, a lot of serious work needs to be done," continued Sarah Wescot-Williams.
The DP Leader also mentioned that the Party went into the 2010 election with its share of challenges; "We had our challenges in the 2010 elections, but as far as I am concerned we have lamented enough. It is time to move on and to truly mean something for all of the people of St. Maarten.
For the next election we are not going for quantity but we are going for quality as we chart the way forward. Stability, knowledge, and a realistic hopefulness will be key themes." The general membership meeting has given the Party the mandate to amend the articles of incorporation to reflect these views of the party membership.
"We have also heard passionate presentations from the Party's young people to address the issues which they find important. Therefore I believe that we have to pick up the proposals of the young people and move forward to re-establish the Party's Political Youth Forum, to educate young people about politics and the political system, and also to encourage young people to vote in order to combat the global phenomenon of voters' apathy," concluded the DP Leader .
The Democratic Party will be holding various seminars on political topics including electoral reform, governance, as well as sustainable development and other topics geared towards especially the young guard of the party;
"Saying that you have young people on your list but not educating and informing them of the way forward in the interest of St. Maarten and its people will only result in seeing the same irresponsible actions that we have seen within and outside of political parties."
