~ Promised to serve from "another perspective" ~
PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party (DP) number ten candidate in the January 22 Parliamentary Elections Jeffrey Richardson has resigned from the party.
Richardson's move comes on the heels of DP President Michael Ferrier's resignation; he had put his post at the party's disposal shortly after the Parliamentary Elections, but it was not accepted by DP leader Sarah Wescot-Williams.
Richardson, who had been with the DP for the past eight years as candidate in both the 2007 Island Elections and the 2010 Parliamentary Elections, said he had been working with people who did not have his best interest at heart.
He said his resignation would enable him to "better serve his people," which he promised to do "from another perspective." He plans to release details in a subsequent statement.
"In life [there] comes a point when you must take decisions in order for you to move forward and make room for being able to work in an atmosphere where you can better serve your people," Richardson said in a press release over the weekend.
"You need to feel a sort of comfort to decide to continue working with persons who you feel do not have your best interest [at heart], which is the case in this instance."
Richardson said, as a politician, he believed it was "fair and ethical" to inform the public of his move. He said he had informed the DP leadership of his resignation by letter.
"Running for public office is a public issue, and all major decisions that a politician takes should be transparent, by informing the population of those decisions," he said.
"After giving this situation careful thought, this decision was taken, and I hope that it will be understood by all my supporters. There's an old saying that goes: 'Who's in the kitchen feels the heat.'"
He thanked the DP leadership and all the Commissioners he had assisted in office for the past 14 years for allowing him to "serve the people of St. Maarten, which today I am proud of having done.
"Being a part of the Democratic Party was the right thing to do at the time I served as a member. However, I believe that it is imperative for me to move on. However, I will still serve the people of St. Maarten from another perspective, which I will make public in a subsequent press release."
Richardson had also worked as a support staff member for two DP Commissioners, which he said he had enjoyed. "It was an honour to do so because I had the opportunity to serve the people of St. Maarten by assisting those Commissioners with their daily tasks. Having done that, I was able to experience the way Government functions. This allowed me to better serve the public with the experience that I gained," he said, adding that he had been able to obtain a Bachelor's Degree in Public Administration. He had been a DP board member in the past also.
He thanked the 58 persons who had placed their confidence in him during the Parliamentary Elections as well as his campaign team, financial supporters and family for their relentless support.
He appealed to his supporters to continue to back him by assisting him to "better serve the people of our beautiful and friendly island, which will become a country shortly. St. Maarten must live on."
DP lost its one seat in the Netherlands Antilles Parliament to main rival National Alliance (NA) during the January 22 elections. NA will now represent St. Maarten with all three seats allotted to the island in what is expected to be the last Parliament of the Netherlands Antilles.
