Dear Editor,
My heart poured out to the Honourable Member of Parliament Theo Heyliger and his family when I learnt of the news by the joint court.
The St.Maarten I was born and raised on is changing rapidly before our very eyes with our democracy being placed at risk.
The tourism sector was at unprecedented levels when MP Heyliger led the sector. Today in a post-Hurricane Irma era it’s his standards previously set we need to achieve for our country.
The need to ensure more cruise arrivals, the full restoration of our airport, a strong economy and a vision to propel this country forward is the direction we need to go.
Let us not forget his vision led to us having the best cruise terminal in the Northeastern Caribbean, the Simpson Bay causeway bridge, Boardwalk Boulevard and other infrastructural projects too numerous to mention.
MP Heyliger in his political career has paved the way to ensure young professionals can serve in the Council of Ministers or even in Parliament. Today, any young boy or girl can aspire to reach the highest offices in this country and this must be protected to secure the St. Maarten we know.
I am calling on the people of St. Maarten to activate their civic responsibility and stand up for our country. We have nowhere else to go and its future needs to be safeguarded for generations to come.
Stuart Johnson
Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications (TEATT)
