My fellow St. Maarteners, and everyone who calls this island home, happy St. Maarten Day.
Ask someone from St. Maarten where they’re from and listen to what they say next.
They’ll tell you, “I’m from Dutch Quarter.” “I grew up in Cole Bay.” “My family is from St. Peters.” And before long, they’re telling you who lived down the road, which yard they played in, and who would send them home when it got dark.
That’s how we talk about home. We tell you about the people.
Some of our families have roots here that go back generations. Some of you are the first in your family to be born or raised here. Others came to St. Maarten from somewhere else and built a life here. This celebration has a place for each of you. When I speak about our people today, I’m speaking about you, too.
Today, on St. Maarten Day, I want to speak about the people who raised us, the people doing the work today, and the young people who will carry this country forward.
To our elders, I say thank you. You remember when there was far less to work with on this island. You can tell us how people managed, what they argued about, and how they came together when it mattered. I hope we make more time to sit with you and listen. We can only learn so much about St. Maarten from you.
To our neighbors on the French side, I wish you a happy Saint-Martin Day. So many of us have family on both sides. We’ve sat at each other’s tables, celebrated together, and shown up for each other in difficult times. That relationship is already a part of our daily lives. As leaders, we also have a responsibility to make it easier for our people to work together.
I want to speak directly to our young people. Some of you are deciding whether to stay here, leave to study, or come back after you graduate. You’re asking practical questions. What kind of work will I find? Will I be able to afford a place to live? Will I have a say in the decisions that affect me?
Those questions matter to me. When a young person says, “St. Maarten is my home. Can I build my future there?” I want this country to give them good reasons to say yes.
And as Prime Minister, I have to ask what we in government are doing to give them those reasons. I know what people expect from us. When the lights go out, you need to know when they’re coming back on. When you take time off work to go to a government office, you expect help. These are ordinary things. Getting them right makes a real difference in people’s lives. That is part of the job you entrusted to me, and I take it personally.
I take pride in St. Maarten because I’ve seen what our people do for one another. I’ve seen it in the volunteers who give up their Saturdays, in the coaches who stay after practice, and in the people who check on a neighbor when they haven’t seen them for a few days. Much of that happens quietly. And much of what keeps this country going depends on it.
So today, enjoy the music. Enjoy the food. Go see the people you’ve been meaning to see. And if the children ask you about the St. Maarten you grew up in, or what you remember about your first days here, tell them a story. Then ask them what they want their St. Maarten to be. Give them time to answer. I think we’d all do well to hear what they have to say.
On behalf of the Government of St. Maarten, I wish you and your families a happy St. Maarten Day.
May God bless you, and may God bless our beloved St. Maarten.