~ Every system is as good as its people ~
CUPECOY--Former Governor Eugene Holiday said that maintaining political stability depends on “the discipline and the willingness of politicians to follow the system.”
His remarks, which drew applause from the audience, were made during a panel discussion
at the 2025 Governors Symposium held at American University of the Caribbean (AUC) School
of Medicine on Wednesday. The panel, moderated by Khalilah Peters, also featured Chief of Police
Carl John, former Lt. Governor and Minister Dennis Richardson, and Tackling Law Firm Managing Director and former policy advisor at the Social Economic Council Carla Vlaun.
Holiday’s remarks came during round two of the discussion, which examined lessons learned
and ongoing challenges in St. Maarten’s constitutional journey.
In her introduction to the segment, Peters said St. Maarten’s autonomy has been defined as
much by ambition as adversity. She said the country’s constitutional framework has been tested
by hurricanes, economic shocks, global crises, and political transiwaytions, but emphasized that
“it’s in the moments of disruption – not calm, but disruption – that the real strength of governance is revealed.”
She added that each challenge has exposed gaps, but has also revealed the country’s
capacity to adapt, reform and recover.
Peters then asked Holiday, from his vantage point as former governor, how effective St. Maarten’s
constitutional framework has been in maintaining stability and accountability during times of crisis, and whether it has met its purpose or whether the pressures of recent years had
revealed where the system needs reinforcing.
Responding to the question, Holiday, who also delivered the keynote address at the symposium,
said, “Every system is as good as its people and the commitment of the persons involved to adhere to not only the legal framework, but also the spirit and norms that are behind the system. And when I, having often been in the middle between the political rivalries – whether it was with Carnival Coupe or the Mexican stand-off or the Fish Day coupe – when I think back on those heated
debates and discussions, I often listen to what was being said in the public.
“In my view, the question should be really, what if we did not have the system? I am convinced that the system has helped us to mitigate the excesses of political rivalries.”
Expanding on that point, he said, “So overall, when I listen very often to discussions
about electoral reform, I’m like, well, we can change the laws and change the system, but at the end of the day, it is the discipline and the willingness of politicians to follow that system.
And I’m talking now about political crises, but we see it also in corporate governance. When I look at what is happening at times, or what has happened in the past 15 years, for me, it seems to me some of these things should not even be an issue.”
Holiday went on to illustrate his point using an example from St. Maarten’s parliamentary system.
“Let me take, for example, the issue of when a government falls after a government loses the confidence of the majority of Parliament. Essentially, the way the system is supposed to work
is that if the sitting government calls for elections as a result of losing the majority, that the sitting government should be the one to prepare the elections. And if we are going to elections, then
basically after the elections, you decide on who is going to govern.
“But the pull and tug about, ‘Okay, government has fallen, thus a new government wants to come in before elections’ – that only creates extra pressure on the system, and the system
was not made to function like that. “It also creates incentives for people to bring down the government because they believe that if they bring the government down, they can get in for
three or four months before the new elections. And again, I just use that as an example, but you can go and do electoral reform or whatever you want to call it – at the end of the day, it’s
going to come back to the discipline and the willingness of politicians to follow the system.”
