Dear Editor,
On Friday, December 11, 2015, the St. Maarten Christian Party (SMCP) was present at a parliamentary public meeting called by Members of Parliament (MPs) Leona Marlin-Romeo, Franklin Meyers, and Theo Heyliger inviting the Electoral Council to ascertain whether or not the elections scheduled for February 9, 2016, would take place.
Considering the time constraint and much discussion in the community about the elections and electoral reform, all the new political parties attended the meeting because they were particularly interested in hearing from the Electoral Council and the Members of Parliament.
It was in this meeting that I became aware of an act of an overzealous supporter of the St. Maarten Christian Party, which is admittedly unacceptable. This supporter went to MP Rudolphe Samuel the night prior, and shared his personal views that MP Samuel should leave the National Alliance and be part of the SMCP. What’s more is that he indicated that the Lord has shown him this.
We want to assure the members of the St. Maarten Christian Party and the people of St. Maarten that any supporter who comes in the name of the Lord to sway your support does so on his/her own account. Therefore, those actions and opinions expressed to MP Samuel were for the account of that SMCP supporter and were not the views of the party as a whole.
As a believer, I truly believe that God speaks and that we should not limit how and when God speaks. Still, it behoves us to employ wisdom on how to communicate what the Lord has said to us or shown us. At times, it isn’t even to be shared but to be observed.
Nevertheless, as a political leader, this is not the manner in which I expect any supporter of the St. Maarten Christian Party to behave. We are not here to evangelize or convert, but to provide tangible solutions as we serve the people for a change.
This matter has already been dealt with internally and we will be diligent in assisting our supporters by providing them with the tools to communicate effectively. More importantly, we understand that this political arena is just that, political. However, what you, the people of St. Maarten can expect from the St. Maarten Christian Party is the highest level of integrity, which allows us to admit any wrongdoing and remedy it as swiftly as possible.
Also, what can be expected is a dedication to serving you, the people of St. Maarten, in a manner that brings about positive changes in government and for St. Maarten. With the help of you, the people, we look forward to accomplishing those changes in the near future.
Wycliffe Smith
President
St. Maarten Christian Party
