CKAIR Chair MP Sjamira Roseburg.
THE HAGUE--Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Interparliamentary Relations (CKAIR) Chairlady and Member of Parliament (MP) Sjamira Roseburg told the Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IPKO) that the CKAIR has agreed that slavery and the legacy of the slavery past should remain a continuing topic on the IPKO agenda.
She made the remarks while providing an update on recent parliamentary and government developments in St Maarten. Delivering the update on behalf of the St Maarten delegation during the just-ended IPKO, Roseburg said the issue gained renewed attention following the decision by the Kingdom of the Netherlands and 51 other countries to abstain from voting on a United Nations General Assembly resolution recognising the transatlantic slave trade and the enslavement of Africans as crimes against humanity and calling for reparatory justice.
She said MPs in St Maarten had raised questions with government, both formally and informally, and that a request has been made for a Central Committee meeting with the Prime Minister on the matter.
Roseburg said, "The fact that there seemed to have been a breakdown in communication or no communication in preparation of this vote, ties greatly into the main theme of this IPKO: samenwerking binnen het IPKO en in het Koninkrijk."
She added that the Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Interparliamentary Relations has also requested a Central Committee meeting to further discuss slavery. "It is a topic that impacts our community and the people that we serve, and thus people of this Kingdom and for that reason the Committee agreed that it should be a continous topic on the IPKO agenda going forward as well. We need to continue to facilitate dialogue and mutual understanding among ourselves as representatives of the peoples of the Kingdom on this very important topic," she said.
Roseburg also reiterated the need for a Kingdom Conference, noting that the issue has been raised during previous IPKO meetings. "We are happy to see that St Maarten has
taken charge in organising and there seems to be agreement by the new Prime Minister of the Netherlands, and we look forward to see what role the Parliaments may play in this setting," she said.
During her presentation, Roseburg provided an overview of developments within Parliament and government since the previous IPKO meeting in February 2026.
She said Parliament has deliberated on issues including energy and electricity, conditions in public schools, educational results, the ongoing trade war and its implications, personnel matters involving first responder departments, studies related to cannabis legalisation, national housing, and urgent matters affecting several ministries.
Roseburg also highlighted the work of the Women in Parliament Caucus, which has held meetings and work visits focused on health, care, gender-based violence and mentorship.
She reported that Parliament recently established a Digital Transformation and Artificial Intelligence Workgroup consisting of Members of Parliament and parliamentary staff. The group's mandate includes assessing Parliament's digital environment, supporting the development of a Digital Transformation Programme, advising on artificial intelligence governance and ethics, and promoting digital capacity building.
In addition, Parliament unanimously approved its accession as an Associate Member of the ParlAmericas parliamentary platform last week, a move Roseburg said strengthens engagement in regional parliamentary cooperation, democratic governance and inter-parliamentary dialogue.
Roseburg said government is currently focused on completing the 2026 Country budget and preparing the 2027 budget while also exploring possible extensions of both the Country Package and the World Bank Trust Fund.
Regarding Trust Fund projects, she noted that construction of the Sr. Marie Laurence School began in March and is expected to be completed by the summer of 2027, allowing the school to welcome students during the 2027-2028 academic year.
She also reported that the old library building was fully demolished by December 2025 and that the reconstruction contract was awarded in early May. Site mobilisation is expected in August, with a construction timeline of 14 months.
Roseburg highlighted positive tourism figures, stating that stayover tourism increased by 21% in January, 22% in February and 24% in March compared to the same months in 2025, resulting in a first-quarter increase of 23%.
Cruise tourism also recorded growth, with increases of 19% in January, 16% in February and 18% in March, resulting in an 18% increase for the first quarter compared to the same period in 2025.
She said government continues to review gaming legislation and advance cannabis legislation through an established working group while also prioritising the development of agriculture, livestock and fisheries and strengthening food security through local agricultural development.
Roseburg further reported that the Ministry of Justice is pursuing reforms aimed at improving public safety, detention conditions, law-enforcement capacity, border control, immigration management and youth justice, while maintaining cooperation with regional and international partners.
She noted that the Transformation of the Tax Administration Programme remains ongoing with the goal of improving tax collection, tax compliance and the government's financial sustainability.
According to Roseburg, Parliament is currently debating five pieces of legislation to strengthen St Maarten's compliance with the Financial Action Task Force's 40 recommendations. These include draft laws related to the supervision of securities intermediaries and asset managers, payment service providers, virtual asset service providers, payment and securities transaction systems, and financial market infrastructure system administrators.
In the health sector, Roseburg said attention is being given to the development of General Health Insurance, which aims to provide universal access to affordable, quality healthcare while reducing inequalities in access and out-of-pocket costs.
She also highlighted work on the Healthcare Professional Registry (BIG), which is intended to establish a centralised online registry for healthcare professionals practising in St. Maarten.
Additionally, she reported that mental health legislation and broader mental health care reform are currently being prepared.
Turning to the Country Package, Roseburg said an independent evaluation committee concluded that cooperation between the Netherlands, Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten has helped initiate important reforms, while also determining that structural reforms require more time to produce lasting results.
She noted that government has informed Parliament about discussions concerning a
possible extension of the mutual arrangement and Country Package, but that the evaluation report itself has not yet been discussed in Parliament.
"As Parliament we will be discussing this evaluation with Government soon and ensuring that if the agreement is extended it is extended on realities that allows for ownership to ensure achievement. Reforms can only succeed if the government is able to carry out its core tasks effectively," Roseburg said.
The St Maarten delegation attending the June 5-8 IPKO meeting in The Hague consisted of Parliament Chairperson Sarah Wescot-Williams, MPs Egbert Doran, Viren Kotai, Omar Ottley, Lyndon Lewis and Sjamira Roseburg, accompanied by Parliament's Secretary General, Garrick Richardson.
