Emmanuel: Something “abhorrently wrong” with choosing others over us

GREAT BAY--Leader of the Nation Opportunity Wealth (NOW) Party, Christophe Emmanuel, on Wednesday said there is something “abhorrently wrong” with the prevailing mindset of the current government, which continues to appoint non-St. Maarteners to top positions.

Emmanuel was reacting to reports that the Council of Ministers has approved the appointment of yet another person of Curaçao descent, this time as the next Chairman of the Board of the Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten. “You might as well rename us Klein Curaçao and let Curaçao add another star to its flag,” Emmanuel said.

While others will rightfully question the process and legalities of the appointment, Emmanuel stressed that his main concern is the ongoing sidelining of qualified St. Maarteners. He lamented that the country had the opportunity to appoint a St. Maartener as Chairman, but instead “chose to go with someone from Curaçao.”

“I have never seen any minister in Curaçao appoint a St. Maartener to a top position there. They embrace the mantra of Curaçao for Curaçaoleneans. They understand that their professionals must advance, and they make sure they advance through opportunities provided by their government. But not us. Why do we hate ourselves so much that anybody other than us looks more acceptable?” Emmanuel asked.

He said he had hoped this current iteration of the Democratic Party, particularly the Minister of Finance, would take a different approach. Instead, he noted, the party has repeated the same pattern. “The DP of old loved themselves a foreigner and never hid it. Lo and behold, the same trend continues. I must hold the entire coalition accountable, not only because they are offspring of the original DP, but because they are standing by and letting this happen. This watering down of the presence of their own people in their own institutions. This entire coalition should be ashamed to only voice disapproval in silence, waiting for a way out to save face,” he added.

Emmanuel urged the government to “do the right thing” by recalling the approved advice and appointing a capable St. Maartener instead. “I am not questioning the individual’s professional past, knowledge, or potential conflicts of interest, that is Parliament’s job. My concern is that it is not one of us. We have capable, educated, professional St. Maarteners.

"I recognize that at the end of the day the decision is the Minister's decision to make, it is her prerogative. But we cannot talk about nation building and encouraging students to return home, while at the same time sending them the clear message that they will not be valued. We have to do better than this,” Emmanuel concluded.