Governor Ajamu Baly delivering his address to a capacity filled House of Parliament.
PHILIPSBURG--“It is time for St. Maarten to embrace, commit and most of all act on its development goals,” Governor Ajamu Baly said on Tuesday as he opened the 2025–2026 Parliamentary Year at the House of Parliament.
The ceremony was marked by elegance, with guests arriving in sharp attire and many women accentuating their outfits with stylish hats. Members of the uniformed services lined the street in front of the Parliament building, where a red carpet had been laid out to welcome arriving guests.
A quorum of 15 Members of Parliament (MPs) was established before the official opening. The session began with a brief video showing MPs over the past year and a moment of silence.
Special guests included the Council of Ministers, Vice-President of the Court of Justice, a judge of the Constitutional Court, acting Préfet of Saint-Martin and St. Barths, representatives of the Collectivité of St. Martin, the Ombudsman, the Integrity Chamber, the Electoral Council, the Corporate Governance Council, senior government officials, law enforcement leaders, representatives of the Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten, the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce, and youth representatives.
Delivering his constitutionally mandated address on behalf of the Council of Ministers, the Governor outlined reforms in financial management, health, housing, and climate resilience, urging Parliament to work with government to shape a sustainable future (see related stories).
The Governor stressed that 15 years after achieving country status within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, St. Maarten must now “embrace, commit and most of all act on its development goals.” He said flexibility, openness, and lessons learned must guide the island’s growth.
Government’s priorities for the fiscal year include strengthening financial management and oversight, improving efficiency and fairness in tax collection, ensuring transparency in public finances, and creating fiscal space for sustainable investments. Planned reforms will focus on modernisation of the tax administration, improvement of the budgeting process, stronger financial management and internal control, and comprehensive tax reform.
The Governor also highlighted areas of social and public health policy. The recent Non-Communicable Diseases Survey confirmed that illnesses such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer are serious challenges, largely driven by lifestyle factors. In response, government will roll out health campaigns, screening programmes, and a new lifestyle coaching programme later this year. On mental health, plans include a new referral agreement within the Kingdom and the start of construction on a new mental health facility in 2026.
On disaster preparedness and social welfare, government is finalising the Social Registry System to identify vulnerable households and support disaster risk response. Climate resilience remains another cornerstone, with projects such as the Climate Impact Atlas, national adaptation reporting, flood mitigation works, and a comprehensive Housing Policy focusing on affordable homes.
In one part of his speech, Governor Baly noted, “Embracing a revolutionary concept: treating our ecosystems as infrastructure. The 2025 Coastal Resilience Assessment modelled historically devastating hurricanes Luis, Lenny and Irma under various climate scenarios. The findings are striking – coral reef restoration could reduce future hurricane damages by one-third to two-thirds, potentially saving over US $200 million.”
He highlighted the importance of cooperation between Parliament and Government: “In this new parliamentary year, Government will once again present you with various legislative initiatives towards the execution of its plans and realisation of its objectives. As representatives of the people of St. Maarten, Government looks forward to fruitful, efficient and effective dialogue as well as your committed participation this with the aim of garnering your support to serve the public interest on behalf of the people of St. Maarten.”
