Dear Editor,
Athletes. Artists. Academics. Entrepreneurs. You name it. St. Martin has it. You probably went to school with a few. You're probably one of them.
But why has it always been a struggle for them to break through? That is a narrative we have to change. We can't change the course of history, but we can chart our destiny. That destiny is one where St. Martin people thrive right in their country because of our collective resolve to support and invest in ourselves. To make the sacrifices for our children (including those who don't belong to you) to have opportunities we were denied or unaware of.
It means mentorship, structural support, and building capacity to withstand and push through obstacles that seem greater than ever. Because as Nelson Mandela once said, "It always seems impossible until it's done."
I remember back in 2016, while speaking as a youth representative of St. Maarten at a conference, I introduced myself as, "I'm such and such from the small island of St. Martin."
During the networking phase of the event, an older gentleman came to me and said, "Don't you ever introduce yourself like that again. Don't you know Britain is also a small island, and they colonised a large portion of the world?"
Imagine how confident I was to boast of how small a place I come from – that it's so small the university population can fill the island. But what matters is what we can achieve beyond our sandy shores that adds to the beauty of our home.
I want to encourage us to remain hopeful and to be the change we wish to see in our nation. You are not too small to make a difference.
As the island is currently on a high, thanks to Nahjah Wyatte bringing the gold medal home from CARIFTA, let us remember that it's a result of community support. And with continued, structured investment into sports, the arts, academics, innovation, and the talents of our children, we can touch the shores of many nations and excel because we are a blessed people.
Congratulations, St. Martin. Let's take a longer look and focus on the good.
Author & Speaker – Ralph Cantave
Open Letter to the Minister of Justice and the Minister of Public Health, Social Development & Labor
Dear Editor,
I applaud the recent immigration raids and the effort to address undocumented labor. However, there is a serious gap in enforcement. While workers are being targeted, businesses employing undocumented individuals are not being held accountable.
It appears that the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development & Labor are not effectively collaborating, which is deeply concerning. This lack of coordination raises an important question: are businesses being given more consideration than the enforcement of the law itself? How can the government be taken seriously if businesses are allowed to violate the law without consequence?
The law is clear: under the National Ordinance on Employment of Foreign Nationals (Landsverordening Arbeid Vreemdelingen – LAV), it is prohibited for an employer to employ a foreign national without a valid work permit, with fines ranging from approximately Cg. 2,000 to Cg. 10,000 or more per undocumented worker – yet these penalties appear not to be enforced.
With the CFT recently sounding the alarm about the government’s serious liquidity problems, does the government really want to be taken seriously? It is time for both ministries to work together, enforce these laws, and ensure that these fines help plug the growing hole in the national budget.
A. A. Bryan
Dear Editor,
Civics, Civics, civics. Constitution, constitution, constitution. The lawyers, the police and everyone who is in a government authority are expected to know the laws of the land. What I think is even more embarrassing is the fact that it has reached so far that the two top governmental authorities are publicly in a dispute about who is allowed to do what.
This being the case, what kind of example are we showing our constituents? Instead of trashing it out with each other, we demonstrate our ineptitude at handling our own affairs by seeking advice from someone who has only heard one party and decided that the fault lies with the other party.
What kind of mediator is this? Must I believe that the one who sought help does not have confidence in the other one? So again, how should the constituents react to this? On hearing the complete layout that our Prime Minister gave concerning the traffic density, I thought the Prime Minister was looking for a valid reason for asking for help from our Kingdom partners, or some other help.
I am upset because, from 10-10-'10 already, we should have known that the bar for governor was set high, and should not have expected it to drop suddenly. Not everybody in authority in St. Maarten is alike.
Russell A SIMMONS
Dear Editor,
During one of my visits to Sint Maarten, I spoke with a woman who works as a taxi driver. She had once held a job in a hotel that was highly seasonal, leaving her with little or no income during the off-season and few opportunities to increase her earnings. Determined to change her situation, she moved into the transport sector, starting out as a taxi driver. She worked long hours during the high season, saved money, and later rented an additional vehicle and hired another driver. Today, she operates two vehicles in addition to her own, with plans to expand. She is dreaming of a house and sending her kids to college.
Over the years, during my visits to Sint Maarten, I have met women like her repeatedly; women who create opportunities for themselves. They are willing to learn new things, take risks and continue, even when things are hard.
This determination is visible not only in households and small businesses, but also in public life. Today, women hold nearly half of the seats in Sint Maarten’s Parliament - around 46.7% - reflecting how widely women are stepping into leadership roles across the island.
The leadership women bring across the island is among Sint Maarten's greatest strengths and a clear economic advantage. Evidence consistently shows that companies with gender-diverse leadership are more likely to outperform others, and closing gender gaps in employment could raise global GDP by more than 20 percent.
Political representation, however, does not automatically translate into broad-based economic opportunity. Many women continue to face constraints that limit their ability to expand businesses, increase incomes, or access capital. Barriers to finance, professional networks and supportive services still shape how fully their economic potential can be realised.
For a small island economy like Sint Maarten, the implications are particularly significant. With a small population, few sources of economic activity and exposure to natural shocks, growth depends on making full use of talent which already exists. When more women are able to earn higher incomes, invest, and grow their businesses, productivity rises and households become more resilient in times of uncertainty.
This is why women’s economic participation is embedded in the World Bank’s work in Sint Maarten. Through the Sint Maarten Trust Fund, financed by the Government of the Netherlands and managed by the World Bank in partnership with the Government of Sint Maarten, our support in the years following Hurricane Irma went beyond rebuilding homes and critical infrastructure. It also focused on restoring livelihoods, helping small businesses reopen and grow, and giving people the practical skills needed to turn ideas into income. Women were given particular attention in this work.
And the results show how strongly women responded when opportunities were made available.
Through the Emergency Income Support and Training Project, people received temporary income support and practical training to help them find work and start earning again. More than 1,900 people participated in the program, and over 70% were women, highlighting both how significantly the crisis affected women’s employment and how ready they were to re-enter the labour market.
The Trust Fund has also provided more than US$19.3 million to over 300 small businesses on the island, and 124 of those were led by women. With this financing, women have opened bakeries, catering services, neighbourhood shops, and businesses as diverse as mushroom production. These enterprises are now employing others and keeping economic activity rooted locally. They have also received tailored training and coaching in financial literacy and core business skills, from planning and marketing to tax compliance, giving them the tools to grow sustainably.
This progress matters. It means more women are able to move beyond subsistence and begin planning for growth, just like the taxi driver I spoke with.
Building on this progress, the priority in Sint Maarten is to expand what works: increasing access to finance, strengthening the link between skills and jobs, and creating support systems that make it possible to balance care responsibilities with paid work.
These are the investments that will allow more women, and the island as a whole, to keep moving forward.
By Lilia Burunciuc,
World Bank Division Director for the Caribbean
Dear Editor,
Following recent statements made by the government during a Central Committee meeting of the Curaçao Parliament – where the Audit Chamber of Curaçao’s report on the 2023 national accounts was discussed – many have raised an important question: Can the government “send the Audit Chamber home”?
The short answer is clear: No. The government cannot dismiss the Audit Chamber. Below is a brief explanation of the constitutional principles behind this.
1. Institutional position of the Audit Chamber
The Audit Chamber is an independent High Council of State (or equivalent constitutional body) established by law or constitutional regulation tasked with overseeing and auditing the government itself. This means the Audit Chamber does not fall under the authority of the government – it exists specifically to monitor and hold the government accountable.
2. Why the government cannot do this
If the government had the power to dismiss or abolish the Audit Chamber its oversight function would disappear; whenever it became inconvenient it would undermine key constitutional principles such as separation of powers, checks and balances. For this reason, such powers are deliberately excluded by law.
3. What the government can do
The government does have several limited options: Respond substantively, challenge findings, provide alternative interpretations, engage in parliamentary debate, pursue legal avenues, file a complaint with the Accountants Chamber (only regarding professional conduct, not mere disagreement with conclusions), apply political pressure through Parliament, seek support for its position, initiate further debate. However, none of these options give the government control over the Audit Chamber.
4. What Parliament can do
Stronger measures can only be taken through Parliament – not the government directly: amend legislation, changing the Audit Chamber’s powers or structure requires a formal legislative process, often with strict procedures. Appointments: members are typically appointed with parliamentary involvement; once appointed, they enjoy strong legal protection against dismissal.
5. Dismissal of individual members (very limited)
Members of the Audit Chamber can only be dismissed under exceptional circumstances, such as serious misconduct, incapacity or through judicial or formal legal procedures. They cannot be removed simply because the government disagrees with their findings.
6. What this means for Curaçao
In the context of the 2023 audit report the government can criticise the report, escalate matters to the Accountants Chamber. But, it cannot abolish the Audit Chamber, force the withdrawal of a report, “send the Audit Chamber home”.
7. Summary
Can the government dismiss the Audit Chamber? No.
Can the government block a report? No.
Can the government object or respond? Yes.
Can Parliament change the rules? Yes (through legislation).
Conclusion
The independence of the Audit Chamber is specifically designed to prevent political interference. If a government could simply dismiss the institution responsible for overseeing public finances, effective financial accountability would cease to exist.
Drs. Luigi A. Faneyte MSc, CFE, CICA, CCS
