Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs.
~ Emmanuel say PM betrays St. Maarteners ~
PHILIPSBURG--A clarification from Prime Minister (PM) Silveria Jacobs on the recruitment process at the Fire Department has prompted a sharp reaction from independent Member of Parliament (MP) Christophe Emmanuel, who was critical of the PM labelling government as an “equal opportunity employer.”
In a press statement, Jacobs said that, similar to all other functions via government or for government-owned companies, there is a recruitment process in which the requirements for the vacancy are placed online as per the function book. Suitable candidates are then called in for an interview in front of a selection committee and evaluated.
She explained that all persons had been given an equal opportunity to apply for the position of Head of Repression at the Fire Department regardless of nationality, race or gender, as long as they met the requirements.
“Which means all qualified nationals had the opportunity to apply,” Jacobs said. “The government of St. Maarten is an equal opportunity employer; therefore, it is important that the due process is followed and qualified applicants are considered for the job. In an ideal St. Maarten, we would like that all top positions be filled by locals, and we hold fast to the ethos of ‘St. Maarten first’; however, we must ensure that a position is only offered ethically on the merits of qualification.”
In a press release issued a few hours after the PM’s clarification release, Emmanuel said it is “unbelievable” that Jacobs would openly label government an “equal opportunity employer” when discussing qualified St. Maarteners getting preference over non-St. Maarteners with employment. “This is the ultimate betrayal of our people and everyone who voted for the National Alliance and who anticipated being prioritised by that party,” he said.
Emmanuel said he had been reacting to Jacobs’ explanation “about what is happening at the Fire Department with the hiring of a Dutchman as Head of Repression.”
MP Christophe Emmanuel
“The prime minister and her government seem to think that people are impressed when they quote policy and procedure. The fact is, you might impress Facebook, but you are disappointing real people, people who expect you to stand by them when they need you, especially after you just asked them for their vote,” he said.
He said that when the term “equal opportunity employer” is applied to sex or gender identity, religion, age, sexual orientation, marital status, etc., it is one thing, “but in a territory the size of St. Maarten where we profess every election cycle that the people of St. Maarten should come first, national origin cannot be equal in the employment aspects, unless every effort to recruit a qualified St. Maartener has been exhausted and/or there is none available.”
He added that the PM has to answer a few questions as they relate to the Fire Department, including whether there is there a St. Maartener at the Fire Department qualified for the position of Head of Repression; explain in detail what disqualified local candidates; since the departure of the previous Head of Repression, who happened to be another Dutchman, who has been asked to carry out those duties; and whether local candidates had been informed that they were not getting the position, and how.
“We are replacing one Dutchman with another. So, during the tenure of the first, no local was trained or upgraded to assume that role? We are supposed to believe that no local fire officer could have been promoted into that role. This is beyond shameful and sends the wrong message to our young academics,” Emmanuel said.
“The prime minister should walk over to the Fire Department now and tell the local fire officers that they are not qualified. Tell the person who has been performing the task all along that he is not qualified and why.
“What kind of St. Maarten are we creating here? Nothing against our Caribbean brothers and sisters, but this is our country. I want my children to compete with qualified St. Maarteners. That is what we should be striving towards.
“Our people must secure livelihoods in their country to help build their country. We should be building our nation on the experience and expertise of our own with assistance when we need it, not the other way around.
“If we want our people to have real ownership of their country, we have to recognise their value. The prime minister and the National Alliance do not recognise the value of their people. This is not the National Alliance I once knew. They have lost their way. This is more evidence why I pulled away.
“The prime minister, who educates our children and delivers speeches at graduations telling them to strive for the best in order to come back home and contribute to the further development of St. Maarten, is also telling them to be prepared, even though you are qualified, you might not be chosen if there is a qualified non-St. Maartener applying as well.
“I do not care if a person has worked here for 18 years, as the minister of education stated in defending his placing of a non-national in a top position. That person is not a St. Maartener and should not get preference over my people and our children. It is a shameful statement by the prime minister of this country who, along with the statement of the minister of education, has now left no doubt that they do not stand for St. Maarten and its people.”
