Dear Editor,
I wish to humbly and publicly express happy birthday wishes on Saturday July 25, in the Year of our Lord 2026, to my dear friend, big brother, and mentor, who is the Founder and President of the The St. Martin Nation Building Foundation drs. Leopold Van Alstyne James.
This is the Official Name on which this Foundation was registered.
This Foundation was also established and incorporated on September 16, 2003, almost 23 years ago on Dutch St. Maarten, while registered under the trade name The St. Martin Grassroots People Movement Foundation. Both names registered on September 22, 2003/Registration number 22460 at the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Drs. James Vision for Nation Building would have him, along with his devoted team members at that time, establish and register L’Espirit De Concordia (The Spirit of Concordia Association) registered under number 490 707 205 on French St. Martin.
This all established full representation on St. Martin, North and South, as it pertains to nation building, as well as our grassroots people movement.
The vision of drs. James embodied the building of this St. Martin, having our People become the solid and structured foundation on which this house was built, based on the hard work, sacrifices, and legacies of our forefathers, mothers, and past generations.
As drs. James would consistently and unapologetically state, “This vision of nation building embodies the spirits of those who have passed, those that are alive, as well as those yet to be born,” kept me wondering what he was saying, until I really grasped it in my spirit.
I soon realised that no one individual, or none of us for that matter, would ever be able to kill or destroy that which is spirit.
His journey and quest for nation building brought along with it much sacrifices made, as well as a price that both he himself, as well as his late wife and children had to endure, along with all others who embraced this platform and vision of St. Martin Nation Building.
Just to fast forward his legacy of many decades, we have been hearing the voices and outcry of many within our local community, the Caribbean region, as well as the world, stress the importance of the building of a nation during these very serious and challenging times that we are now facing, living, and are having to accept globally.
A recent recorded statement by Aruban politician Mr. Glenbert Croes at the Centennial Birthday Celebration of the Late Dr. Albert Claudius Wathey, son of the late father of Aruba’s status aparte, the late Gilberto “Betico” Croes, impacted me greatly as he used the words, “The destiny of our people must not be outsourced.”
And I clearly understood what Mr. Glenbert Croes was saying, when placing it all into current context and realities now playing on our island.
I have always repeated back to drs. James, as well as reminded him of what he kept on saying to me. And that was the fact that one can never kill or destroy that which is a spirit. And only God Almighty our Creator has the sovereign power to do such.
I am here publicly recognising drs. Leopold James, while he is still alive, and is still among us, giving him his flowers, as the father, visionary, and trailblazer of this platform as we now know it, called St. Martin Nation Building.
I would like to state as well with much humility and gratitude, “thank you to all of you who have now boarded this train for the Nation Building of St. Martin, North and South,” in the best interest of all People of this Land.
Drs. James has had to himself also evolve and transform over the many decades, as it pertained to nation building, while having to embrace the realities of nation building in St. Martin. But still never losing sight, that this house would only be as strong, as its foundation is strong.
And that foundation being our grassroots people first, while we embrace and welcome all into the St. Martin fold as family, with the as focus being establishing our motto of reciprocity, which has been one of the established criteria in which one would qualify for this St. Martin Nation Building Identification Card.
And so I end by stating that we can all continue to live and embrace this spirit of nation building on St. Martin.
A spirit of the People that will live on forever.
May God bless all of us who dearly love St. Martin.
And again I say a blessed happy birthday to drs. Leopold James.
“May the Lord bless, protect, prosper, as well as keep you Doctorandus.”
“And may He grant you long life, much health, happiness, as well as peace, in Jesus mighty name, amen.”
Achken Roberto Richardson
