PHILIPSBURG:--- Former President of the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) Emil Lee announced on Monday at a press conference that he will be contesting the 2014 Parliamentary Elections on the slate of the Democratic Party. Lee who is well versed in matters related to tourism and economic affairs told members of the media that he held discussions with the other political parties but the only party that shared his views is the DP. Lee has lived on St. Maarten for the past 23 years, where he runs his own business and participated in several organizations to enhance St. Maarten over the years. Lee gave 13 years of his time to SHTA while he was also a member of the board of the St. Maarten Medical Center for a period of four years. Lee told reporters that when he joined the board of SMMC the hospital was facing bankruptcy and he and the other board members managed to steer the hospital out of that situation making it a stable institution.
Lee said he is even prepared to sit on the opposition benches if his party does not secure an outright win, he ready to be a Member of Parliament or Minister if elected. He made clear he has nothing to lose if he loses.
Lee also told reporters that he joined the political arena with some core values which are transparency in government especially when it comes to government owned companies. Integrity which he said must be a top priority for elected officials, an open government and accountability. He said he believes in change, he feels that the current system is broken and cannot be fixed that easily by those that broke the system.
At the press conference Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams welcomed Lee by pinning a DP button on him. She said Lee has the same values that the Democratic Party has and he also brought more to the table. The leader of the Democratic Party said she intends to have every candidate that is postulating on the DP slate sign a pledge in order for them to be on the same page but mostly to ensure that persons elected on the DP slate do not jump ship when elected. When asked how legal would the signing the pledge be; the DP leader and Lee himself said that they do not believe such document would stop anyone from exercising their democratic rights if they want to part ways. Wescot Williams said that in the coming days she will be introducing more of her candidates who will also sign the pledge.
Click here to view more photos of the Democratic Party welcoming Emil Lee.
Emil Lee joins the DP.
Thank you all for coming.
I have chosen to make St Maarten my home for the past 23 years. While I could have chosen to live almost anywhere in the world, I chose to live in St Maarten because I believe that there is nowhere else in the world as special as our island; blessed with natural beauty, warm people and bountiful opportunities.
As a person that believes involvement in your community is an important part of being a member of any community, I have volunteered my time as president of the Sint Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association or SHTA for the past 13 years. For 4 years, I have volunteered my time as chairman of the board of the SMMC.
Together with other board members and Staff, I am very proud of our accomplishments.
Under my leadership at the SMMC, we guided the hospital out of bankruptcy protection to the financially stable institution that it is today.
When the court appointed the board, the SMMC struggled just to meet payroll, now the hospital is looking at expanding.
Under my leadership at the SHTA, we brought in Jet Blue, SMART, Dollar a Day, vision St Maarten, tour mapp.
I am confident that through our collective efforts, we have made valuable contributions towards improving the quality of life in St Maarten.
With many accomplishments, notoriety, and recognition in the community, many friends and colleagues have asked me, "Why give up everything to pursue a career in politics?"
There are 2 main reasons.
1) There are only 3 possible election results. And I have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
If I don't win a seat in Parliament, its all good, I will spend more time with my businesses and family. I am fortunate to be financially independent and therefore I don't need a political career to support me.
If I get into the Opposition benches of Parliament, its all good, Opposition has a critical role in any properly functioning democracy and I believe that I can make valuable contributions to Parliamentary debates but also make contributions proposing new legislation and stepping up Parliament's supervisory role.
If I get into the ruling party in Parliament, its all good, I bring private sector thinking and strategies coupled with 13 years of experience in understanding St Maarten's economic and social issues. Given the opportunity, I believe real change is possible.
2) I realized that from the private sector side there are limits as what can be accomplished. In some ways, our current system is broken and it is unrealistic to expect that the beneficiaries of a broken system will fix that system.
I remember very clearly one of our current politicians telling me...sucking his teeth "Emil Lee if you think it is so easy, put your ^%#@%^ name on a list" What he was saying was, if you really want to make a change, get in the game, get elected,
roll up your sleeves and do it. While I don't believe that making a change is that easy, I realized that he was right, fundamental change will only come from within government.
So I am contesting in this parliamentary election to move a vision or agenda forward.
While there is more detail to the agenda, there are two fundamental objectives.
An open government (including government owned companies) with increased transparency, accountability and integrity will allow citizens to be better informed and involved in the governing process, thereby increasing the effectiveness and efficiency of government and government owned companies.
A more open government will function better, be more transparent, waste less, collect more revenue and improve the quality of life of the citizens which will result in happier residents making st maarten a great place to live and as a byproduct
make St Maarten a great place to visit.
A well managed economy based on balanced and sustainable development goals with strong public private partnership, data driven decision making and transitioning government from a system where elected officials are the ultimate decision makers
or gatekeepers; to a system where elected officials are focused on establishing policies thereby easily providing a higher quality of life for its residents.
A well managed economy will stimulate economic activity, generate more tax revenue, harmonize the relationship between business and labor, improve investments, provide more jobs, and create better paying jobs and opportunities in a fair and level playing field.
As I enter into this new and strange world of St Maarten Politics, I have taken my time to speak to different parties about my philosophies, objectives and most importantly how to turn plans into reality.
In my discussions, I have found one party with an openness to change. One party with a receptiveness to new ideas. One party with the experience and capacity to turn visions and dreams into reality.
One party, that shares my passion for open government, accountability, transparency and integrity.
That is why today June 23 2014, I am announcing that I, Emil Lee, will be contesting the upcoming parliamentary elections with the Democratic Party under the leadership of our Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams.
Those interested in supporting or getting involved, or just wanting to ask questions I can be reached at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Democracy only works If citizens get involved. August 29, Election day....Come out and vote.