Dear Editor,
The word “decree” carries within it a certain gravitas; a solid weight of credibility, authority, and trustworthiness. It connotes something that cannot, nor should not, be undone lightly. And yet on Sint Maarten the word seems to carry the weight of a feather. A mere whisper can set it flying in another direction.
A governor within the Kingdom of the Netherlands is an agent of the sovereign Dutch Crown. And a decree from a governor is in effect a decree from that crown. But if these decrees can float away at the slightest breeze, then they don’t come from a heavy crown of golden authority, but rather a flimsy crown of feathers so lightweight that it floats wherever the political wind may take it.
And, chances are come next September the political winds will again be blowing in a different direction, and the crown of feathers will be swept along with them. What faith can we have then in such a crown?
That is no longer good governance as this kingdom defines it, but the arbitrary whim of unaccountable power. Men have encountered this before in history, and called it tyranny.
Jason Lista
