The elected officials of the Saint-Martin executive received a delegation from the “Têtes ensemble” collective, Friday 3 January 2020. This meeting gave rise to fruitful exchanges and the development of a mode of action spouse.
The collective had previously sent a list of its main demands and the elected officials present have thanked for this preparatory synthesis work. The main demand, the establishment by the State of the new PPRN of marine anticipation submersion, was the subject of constructive exchange and a common position on the need to write a new PPRN for Saint Martin. Discussions have also focused on various subjects of concern testifying to a deep and ancient social crisis.
At the end of this meeting, the elected officials and the members of the Têtes collective heard that the central issue, which was the trigger for the protests, remains the Plan for the Prevention of natural risks (PPRN) in advance, in that it involves the future of our island and its inhabitants, both economically and socially. Fears over possession of the land and its dwelling are real.
The state has decided to send a mission next week, led by the prefect Dominique Lacroix, intended to "give an opinion on the provisions of the new PPRN". If the state has so far refused to hear elected officials, collective members, and the population, who have been asking for the withdrawal of the PPRN for several months
in anticipation, it is with full responsibility that we decided together to host this mission in order to once again carry our vision of our territory and its future.
Make no mistake, this mission is our last chance to be heard by the state.
Behind this, a deeper social crisis has arisen. This is unfortunately not news for Saint-Martinois. The Collectivity has been working hard for several months,
despite the obstacles it encounters, to establish a proactive policy that meets the challenges of the territory and the legitimate expectations of the population.
President Daniel Gibbs announced it in his speech at the last territorial council, "2020 will be the year of social cohesion and development".
Numerous social, economic and youth-friendly actions have already been taken by the Collectivity and retraced in the Budget Orientation Debate validated by the Territorial Council on 20 last December.
Concrete measures are already planned for the first quarter of 2020.
1- As part of the poverty plan:
- Support for the creation of Nursery Assistants (MAM) Houses to improve the reception offer from early childhood on the territory
- The sustainable and voluntary third-party system for child welfare - The Young Major Contract to extend the support provided to young adults, as part of social assistance for children.
- Strengthening the fight against RSA fraud
2- The Community's social policy provides for an axis dedicated to the social and solidarity economy and social innovation:
Five actions will be launched in the first quarter of 2020:
- The creation of a civic mission Environment and Beautification of the districts
- The establishment of a personal assistance service dedicated to our seniors (service aimed at facilitating displacements of our elders)
- The creation of a Territorial Center for Social and Solidarity Economy (CTESS) to structure this economic sector and supporting project leaders and companies
- The opening of a social and solidarity grocery store for families in difficulty
- The organization of Social and Employment Meetings soon. The objective is to work in link with neighborhoods to collect their needs and identify additional actions to be carried out in the social policy framework.
3- In the field of education
- Validation with the INSPE of teacher training in the CRPE 2020 competition for assistance preparing the competition for our registrants.
- The installation in 2019 of educational games in the kindergarten classes of all our schools public.
4- In the area of vocational training
- The establishment of a Conservatory of Arts and Crafts in Saint-Martin. The meeting, the 20th last December, with the deputy director of the national CNAM, helped define the conditions installation of this tool.
- The Collectivity has already set up its 2018-2020 Professional Training Plan, to allow Saint-Martiners to perfect their skills in an area of competence. Several qualifications are open, 26 training modules are currently available to promote the rise in skills of Saint-Martinois.
The Collectivity and its elected officials intend to amplify their efforts by new planned actions
over the next two years, and take up the challenge of this social crisis that we have too long
refused to see.
Just as it recently signed the Convergence Plan with the State for Development public infrastructure including a number of social, educational and sports facilities,
we propose to the State to support the Collectivity, in the respect of the competences of each one, with through a Social Convergence Plan.
This will have to be developed in partnership and will be the subject of a regular presentation to the population.
However, it is important that everyone takes their share of responsibility in the social situation.
Thus, in a constructive but uncompromising dialogue, the State will be asked to take its full responsibility in sovereign fields such as the fight against illegal immigration, the fight against delinquency and narcotics as well as the maintenance of public safety and tranquility.
The elected officials, in response to the members of the collective, propose to give themselves the same duration as the mission PPRN, to concretely develop this social convergence plan, ie three months.
The Collectivity thus undertook to set up working committees to move forward on the claims within its jurisdiction.
Thus a working committee on the theme of youth will be installed from mid-January under the aegis of the 1 st Vice President Valerie Damaseau.
A working committee on the theme of town planning will also be set up from mid-January, under the aegis of 4 th Vice-President Steven Patrick, to deal with questions related to the rules of construction and regularization of titles in the area of 50 geometric steps.
The Collectivity is committed to renew the permanence of the service of town planning in the neighborhoods to allow people residing on the 50 geometric steps to get an appointment individual to discuss their situation and be informed of the steps to follow for regularization.
We recall here the strong will of the community to regularize as soon as possible the titration of the plots located on the 50 geometric steps, within the framework provided by law.
In return for the commitments they have made, the elected representatives of the majority convincingly ask the collective Heads together to intervene to lift the blockages envisaged and to interact with the services
public so that the complete cleaning of the Sandy Ground district can be carried out quickly, and thus allowing the population to return to their usual living environment.
In accordance with the collective declarations during this meeting, the Jérôme Beaupère and Aline schools Hanson of Sandy Ground is not blocked by protesters, they will be able to reopen from Tuesday 07 January 2020, the time for the community services to carry out the cleaning classrooms according to compulsory hygiene procedures.
This meeting, therefore, made it possible to initiate a joint modus operandi with the members of the Collective Heads Together to achieve a PPRN that respects the specificities of Saint Martin and to move forward on social demands falling within the competence of the COM.
The Collectivity will be present this Monday, January 06 in the prefecture, to move forward on the questions raised by the Collective. We are now counting on the spirit of responsibility and the will of each of the actors of this crisis (State, Collectivity, Collective), to move together towards a Saint Martin more appeased, more representative of its specificities and more united.
