The county is spending more than 600,000 Antillean guilders on snap elections during a period of extreme need and hardship. Meanwhile, people remain roof- or even homeless, with a growing number also losing jobs and/or income.
A lot of these persons will no doubt be applying for social assistance from a Government that itself faces a severe drop in revenues due to the virtual collapse of the hospitality industry. Of course, some of the money to be spent on going back to the polls will end up in the local economy, but most seem to agree that it could have been spent more usefully, especially considering the current living conditions for many.
At the same time, there appears to be little or no progress in obtaining millions of euros in recovery funds from the Netherlands. Prime Minister William Marlin was right in pointing out that Dutch hurricane relief aid has come and continues to come, but – in reality – the big money to help rebuild the island very much hangs in the balance.
And it’s not just about that. Two weeks after the big barge and crane sent from the Bahamas to hoist large boat wrecks out of Simpson Bay Lagoon were refused based on formalities and technicalities, very little significant salvage work can be noted, with all possible consequences for the environment and the marine sector as an important part of the tourism product.
What St. Maarten requires at this moment is practical decision-making that allows the island to rebound. A National Government of professionals backed by the entire Parliament would be the best solution under the circumstances. Such a cabinet with a highly pragmatic approach can have an interim status so that early elections can still take place, but at least six months to a year from now.
Local politicians and public administrators alike are fond of saying it’s not about them or the chairs they occupy, but about serving the public. There has never been a better time to prove it.
