President of the Collectivité Daniel Gibbs asking former St. Maarten Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs to become his advisor on relations between the Dutch and French sides (see Monday paper) is commendable. While the island is shared by two different countries, it is to a large extent one community that most visitors experience as single destination.
The problem is that outside of annual speeches on November 11, this reality is rarely taken into account by the respective governments. It must be said, advances in cooperation have been made regarding, for example, law enforcement, but there is much more to gain from the special relationship.
Misunderstandings still occur, as seen in the border dispute at Oyster Pond. The latter led to a standoff that was merely suspended while efforts to reach a permanent solution with the involvement of The Hague and Paris continue.
What’s worse, it has been cited as reason for halting completely unrelated preparations to build a joint sewage treatment plant servicing the entire region of Cole Bay. Mind you, this took place despite the fact that the 10-million-euro project had approved European Union (EU) financing.
In fact, it was to be a showcase model with monies from funding for both Ultra-Peripheral Territories (UPTs) such as the French side and Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) like the Dutch side. That could in turn lead to other, similar ventures.
Hopefully, Gumbs can play a role in getting the plans back on the table, although it may already be too late. That would be a pity, because the level of pollution in Simpson Bay Lagoon continues to grow every day, with all possible consequences also for the yachting sector and its valuable contribution to the local tourism economy.
Waste management and recycling seems an area where working together might be mutually beneficial due to the greater volume as well. It simply makes good sense to do so.
