December 15 is the 71st anniversary of the Kingdom Charter, which was signed on that date in 1954. It is no longer a holiday, as dissolution of the no-longer existent Netherlands Antilles and St. Maarten gaining autonomous country status per 10-10-10 is now observed as Constitution Day on the second Monday of October.
Nevertheless, Monday would be a good occasion to raise the flag, as the Dutch side is still part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Unfortunately, that probably won’t be possible with the big flag at Bell’s Lookout Point on Cole Bay Hill.
It last flew on Flag Day, June 13, 2024. Then Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS) Lyndon Lewis (NOW) said cooperation of the Royal Marechaussee was essential in getting the flag up as they had the man-power, training and equipment.
They were assisted by the Volunteer Corps St. Maarten VKS and personnel of government’s facility services department. The flag pole remained problematic, as it is not considered ideal for this purpose at a windy location and missing some elements.
The ex-minister said back then that there were plans to address this issue once and for all. However, a year-and-a-half have passed since without any tangible results. This is all the more regrettable because it regards a popular viewing spot for visitors who often wonder why the pole is empty.
The flag project was the brainchild of former Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI Christophe Emmanuel (NOW). One can only hope that the apparent lack of action has nothing to do with the latter.
Local politicians often talk a great deal about patriotism, national pride and the like, but seem unable to either fix or – if necessary – replace a simple flagpole. They should learn to put their money where their mouth is.
