Dear Editor,
Looking back at the 2026 budget debate, there is one thing that stood out to me and deserves to be recognised: the stand taken by Members of Parliament (MPs) Lyndon Lewis and Francisco Lacroes.
MPs Lewis and Lacroes showed the population how serious they were when they took the oath of office, and that was to serve all the people of St. Maarten, regardless of political affiliation.
I single them out because they are members of the opposition.
They questioned government, challenged the budget and participated in the amendment process, as opposition MPs should. But when the debating was over, the amendments were voted on and the final budget came before Parliament, they did not allow the fact that they sit in opposition to determine their final vote.
They voted for the budget, and they should be commended for the stand they took. It takes political maturity for an opposition MP to support a government budget, particularly when there may be pressure to simply follow the opposition line. At some point, the interests of the people and the country must come before politics.
That is what makes me question the actions of some of the other MPs.
How in heaven’s name can you propose or support amendments, fight to have them included in the budget, proudly say you are doing it “for the teachers” and for the people, and then turn around and vote against the very budget containing those amendments?
If it was truly for the teachers, why vote against the budget in the end?
An amendment is not just something to put forward, vote on and then use as a political talking point. Once approved, it becomes part of the budget. So what is accomplished by getting an amendment passed and then voting against the final budget?
You cannot have it both ways.
Being in opposition does not mean opposing everything government puts forward. The opposition has an important responsibility to scrutinise government, ask difficult questions, propose changes and demand accountability. But ultimately, every MP has a responsibility to the people who elected them.
Supporting the budget does not mean supporting the government or agreeing with every policy and every guilder being spent. It means recognising that after all the questions, criticism, debate and amendments, a decision eventually has to be made so that the business of the country can continue.
Both MPs understood that with the high cost of living and families struggling with increasing bills, approving the budget was important. They also understood that voting against the budget was not just a vote against government. It could affect a host of government commitments.
The people will see who is genuinely prepared to put their interests above party politics and who is simply playing politics with issues that affect their daily lives. When the time comes, the electorate will remember not only what MPs said in Parliament, but also how they voted.
This is why I commend MPs Lacroes and Lewis for the stand they took. They showed that you can sit on the opposition benches, disagree with government, challenge government and still vote for a budget when you believe doing so is in the best interest of the people.
This is what you call putting country above self.
Guillaume Carti
