While local politicians are gearing up for early elections, the country will feature prominently at the Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation IPKO in Aruba that starts Tuesday (see related story). The main themes are Hurricane Irma, sustainability as well as climate change and its effect on small island states.
St. Maarten is due to give a presentation that will hopefully enlighten participants on what the island went through and how the community is attempting to recover from arguably its worst natural disaster in recorded history. This is important for several reasons:
First, the other delegations need to grasp the extent of the monster storm’s impact both short- and long-term. The Netherlands has made 550 million euros available for the reconstruction effort via the World Bank and the more support to quickly access those funds there is in The Hague, the better.
Second, Curaçao and St. Maarten are in a monetary union and it’s obvious the latter country will now see considerable economic decline instead of the growth from past years. This may have negative consequences for the joint balance of payments and put pressure on the Antillean guilder as shared currency, so it is crucial that the two partners coordinate their policies in this regard.
The gathering might also be used to see what else is available within the kingdom to assist St. Maarten in again becoming the thriving tourism destination it was until recently. Getting such input from attendees who did not experience the life-changing calamity and are able to look at the present situation from a different perspective could prove refreshing by offering valuable new insight and ideas.
But the meeting’s biggest benefit may lie in the opportunity to send a reassuring message that despite the catastrophe and subsequent political turmoil, the government in Philipsburg is still operating and doing what is necessary for the population to bounce back in all aspects.
Sympathy and understanding are things “The Friendly Island” can currently well use, perhaps more than ever.
