A group of mainly Democratic Party (DP) members paid tribute to the late Dr. A. “Claude” Wathey on the occasion of his 91st birthday on Monday.
DP leader Member of Parliament (MP) Sarah Wescot-Williams and others laid a wreath at Wathey’s statue in Philipsburg. DP was the sole organization at this venue for the annual observance of Wathey. Wescot-Williams told those present of the late Wathey’s indelible mark on the island’s development, saying: “In his time and in his way he provided the foundation for modern-day St. Maarten. Because his vision in the early tourism days was one of economic development above political independence unlike many of his peers, we got a head start in the tourism business. A head start, which we need to do our utmost to retain.” She added, “Too often the ‘40-year’ reference (to DP’s mainly uninterrupted rule) is used to criticize the ills of this period, without the appreciation for all the good it also brought all of us. Beneficiaries of this period are today some of its biggest critics. But, to a great degree, we are who we are, because of who we were.”
