District four representative Cédrick André giving his speech at the Sandy Ground Fête. (Robert Luckock photo)
MARIGOT--District four representative Cédrick André abruptly resigned from his position on Thursday during the Sandy Ground Fête official ceremony, handing in the keys of his office to First Vice-President Valérie Damaseau at the end of a fiery speech, in which he railed against the Collectivité and the French State, respectively, on Sandy Ground infrastructure and the controversial revised natural risks prevention plan PPRN
On the latter plan, tension is already high since the Territorial Council rejected the plan in its current version while the Préfecture nevertheless went ahead and signed a decree to implement the plan “by anticipation,” in advance.
André said nothing at all has been done in Sandy Ground since his “simple” requests last year to install pavement from the bridge to the school as well as a commercial area for selling provisions and fish, and to clean up the district.
“What is the purpose of a district council if we cannot help our people?” he questioned. “Nothing has changed. So, we have to fight and demand what we need. People are still suffering in St. Martin after the hurricanes. What are our elected officials doing? We voted for you.
“What are they [elected officials – Ed.] going to do about the PPRN? It’s not normal that in spite of the Collectivité saying ‘No’ to the PPRN, the State still goes ahead and says ‘Yes.’ That’s no respect for St. Martiners. It’s we who are suffering again. You have to ask yourselves why we have violence, why young people are leaving. I say to the elected officials your job is to represent us and not to side with the State.
“We cannot let the PPRN be implemented like that. If we have to block, we will block, if we have to stand up, we will stand up, if we have to fight it, we will fight it; we will be strong and united. Why is Orient Bay not in a red zone? Discrimination and favouritism have to stop. We have to save our land for our children and their children.”
With a heckler on the street threatening to disrupt André’s speech, it was then up to Vice-President Damaseau to lower the tension with a less inflammatory address. But she acknowledged the Fête had a “bitter taste” to it due to the ongoing battle around the PPRN.
“It is no longer the time to understand who is truly for or against, or to point out who is wrong or right, but to focus on how to make it work while we remain in our lane of competencies, which is to give St. Martin a fair chance,” she said of the PPRN dispute. “Owning a piece of land or being able to leave a house to a child is what allows us to determine if we are successful or not. This has always been the way we envisioned our society and contributed to making us who we are. It is something very common to us all; land is our gold.
“Granting us the necessary time to write over the laws will allow us to express ourselves on a new, redesigned map of St. Martin and more importantly to stay owners of our land, permitting us to keep our riches and assets in the family.”
Surprisingly, Députée of St. Martin and St. Barths, Claire Guion-Firmin, showed rare moments of anger in her address when she supported the Collectivité and St. Martiners over the PPRN dispute.
“If the population is concerned it is because they feel they are not being listened to,” she said. “I too felt exasperated when as Députée, particularly during the parliamentary mission on management of natural risks overseas of which I was Vice President, I had to put up a fight to make everyone understand that St. Martin is a territory that exists from tourism and must continue to exist from tourism.
“This territory is determined not to accept the dictatorial attitude of the State. What territory of the Republic would ever accept to be singled out, its people treated as children, its elected officials despised? I’m speaking about rights guaranteed by our status as an overseas Collectivité governed by Article 74 of the constitution.
“I wish to commend the Territorial Council proposal to have a commission draw up an alternative draft plan for the PPRN. I will put all my energy into contributing to your work. St. Martiners will not be manipulated without having their input. I refuse to have my people excluded any longer from the decision making of St. Martin’s future.”
Sous-Préfet Mickaël Doré attempted to respond to André without much success by asserting what the State has done for St. Martin since the hurricanes of 2017. But some members of the audience started walking out.
Both President Daniel Gibbs and Préfète Déléguée Sylvie Feucher were absent for the ceremony.
