Minister Nathalie Tackling reflects on progress, reform, and the power of community renewal

GREAT BAY--On Wednesday, November 5, 2025, Minister of Justice Nathalie Tackling used the Council of Ministers press briefing to do something useful and rare in politics, she paused to take stock. With St. Martin Day approaching, she framed the week not as a calendar of events but as a moment to reflect on how systems are being rebuilt, trust is being restored, and priorities are being clarified across the justice chain.

She began her remarks as a citizen rather than a minister. St. Martin Day, she said, reminds the island who it is and what it values, unity, resilience, and national pride. Those values, she noted, do not belong to a single ministry or official. “Progress does not rest in one person; it rests with the collective,” she said. It is the willingness of people to keep working together, even through difficulty, that defines St. Maarten’s strength.

𝐃𝐞𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐫𝐞𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐦, 𝐛𝐮𝐢𝐥𝐭 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐫𝐞𝐡𝐚𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐬𝐚𝐟𝐞𝐭𝐲

The Minister pointed to the Detention Sector Reform Program (DSRP) as one of the most important steps forward in 2025. Developed in partnership with UNOPS, UNODC, BZK, and the NRPB, the program sets out to create a detention system that balances structure, accountability, and humanity. Tackling described it as a milestone not because of new construction but because of what it represents, a decisive move away from reaction toward reform.

“It is not just about building facilities,” she said. “It’s about building a system that rehabilitates, restores dignity, and ensures safety.” The program is designed to give inmates a genuine chance at reintegration while maintaining public safety. But, she reminded, reforms of this magnitude do not happen overnight. They demand long-term commitment, collaboration, and the courage to do things differently.

Each component of the program, she said, represents a building block toward that goal, better coordination across justice agencies, stronger oversight mechanisms, and training that emphasizes rehabilitation over punishment. Every partner, from local justice professionals to international organizations, contributes to a gradual, structural improvement rather than a quick fix.

𝐖𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐉𝐮𝐬𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐞: 𝐩𝐫𝐞𝐬𝐞𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐩𝐞𝐫𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

Earlier in the week, Tackling presided over the Women and Justice Conference, a gathering designed to honor and empower women working within the justice system. She used the moment to underline a view of leadership that has shaped her own public life: that leadership is not about perfection, but presence.

“Leadership, especially as a woman, is the courage to stand tall in uncertainty,” she told the audience, “to make difficult decisions with conviction and compassion.”

The conference, which drew women from across the justice chain, became both a celebration and a call to action. Tackling urged senior women to mentor others, to create space for new voices, and to ensure that women are not just represented but empowered to lead. The exchange of experiences reminded her, she said, that progress in one area inevitably echoes across others. When women hold authority in justice and governance, services reach further, and decisions become more humane.

𝐂𝐨𝐧𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐚𝐬 𝐬𝐞𝐜𝐮𝐫𝐢𝐭𝐲: 𝐖𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐢𝐫’𝐬 𝐫𝐞𝐠𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐟𝐨𝐫𝐮𝐦

Tackling then shifted to regional cooperation, congratulating Winair for hosting the first Regional Airline Business Improvement Conference. The event brought together airlines, airport executives, immigration, and customs officials to discuss how Caribbean islands can improve air connectivity.

She described it as a concrete example of how St. Maarten’s strength as a hub extends beyond tourism, it’s also about strategic leadership and regional unity. Stronger air links, she said, mean stronger trade, tourism, and people-to-people connections. “St. Maarten has always been a hub, not only geographically but in spirit,” she said. “Collaborations like these show that we can lead by example.”

For Tackling, connectivity is not just a logistical issue, it’s a form of security. When islands are better linked, they share resources, respond faster to crises, and understand each other’s systems. It’s regional integration at its most practical level.

Breaking the Cycle: a national conversation

On Wednesday morning, Tackling also delivered opening remarks at the Global Leadership Forum: Breaking the Cycle. The event brought together leaders from government, churches, NGOs, and civic groups to discuss the recurring social issues that hold the island back, violence, trauma, fractured families, and leadership silence.

She called on leaders to face uncomfortable truths and take responsibility for changing them. “Breaking the cycle,” she said, “means doing the uncomfortable thing, even when fear or doubt tells you not to.” Tackling believes that leadership must carry both authority and vulnerability, the willingness to confront the roots of problems rather than their symptoms.

She also invoked a familiar phrase: a return to the “village mentality.” In a time when social isolation and individualism are rising, she said, communities must reclaim their responsibility for one another. “We need to go back to that space where your mother knew what you did before you got home, because the neighbor already told her,” she said. It was part humor, part truth, the kind that defines how smaller societies maintain moral order.

Thanks where it is due

With St. Martin Day and the holiday season approaching, Tackling closed that portion of her remarks with gratitude. She thanked law enforcement officers, immigration and border control staff, prison officers, and justice workers across the ministry who continue to serve despite limited resources. “Your dedication often goes unseen, but it is deeply appreciated,” she said. Unity, she added, is not found in words but in collective action, reform, and courage to keep pushing for better.

Justice workers: placement decrees and money owed

For months, justice workers have awaited the completion of placement decrees (LBs) and corresponding retroactive payments. Tackling gave an update: fourteen LBs have been finalized, with fifteen more currently in process. The ministry remains on schedule to complete all placements before the end of the year.

Each finalized LB ensures that an employee’s position, rank, and salary are legally formalized, a key part of resolving long-standing disputes in the justice sector. Tackling confirmed that when an LB is issued, retroactive payments and increments follow automatically in the next payroll.

She acknowledged delays in processing complex allowances such as overtime and night shifts, largely due to the departure of the ministry’s financial controller earlier in the year. An external financial specialist has been hired to close the gap, working closely with HR departments at the Police Force (KPSM) and Immigration. “The calculations have started,” she said, “and we expect completion in the coming weeks.”

Crime Fund oversight, capacity, and the hard work of collections

Turning to the Crime Fund, Tackling addressed the Law Enforcement Council’s recent report, which highlighted management and oversight issues. She explained that the Ministry’s official response will be submitted to Parliament along with the report, as required by law.

She was candid about the challenge of balancing multiple priorities with limited staff. “The Ministry receives many reports and recommendations,” she said, “and a small group of people are being asked to do all of it.” Tackling said one way forward is to seek technical assistance from the Netherlands or other partners to strengthen capacity, especially for Crime Fund policy and project oversight.

On the issue of uncollected fines, she noted two key obstacles: insufficient personnel and the inability to locate offenders who are not living at their registered addresses. She said the Ministry is discussing with the Prosecutor’s Office the possibility of creating a dedicated fines collection unit, modeled after Curaçao’s “Pagapubut,” which manages fine collection full time. Establishing such a unit would require updating the function book and adding staff, but she argued the investment would pay for itself through higher recovery rates.

Compliance culture: small rules and public trust

Asked about visibly lax enforcement of traffic and vehicle laws, like heavily tinted windows and missing license plates, Tackling was firm. “Compliance begins with small acts,” she said. “When simple rules are ignored without consequence, it sends the message that rules don’t matter.”

She plans to hold discussions with police leadership on stronger day-to-day enforcement. Tackling said citizens lose confidence when they see basic violations go unaddressed, and that loss of confidence spreads. Enforcement of smaller rules, she argued, helps build the foundation for a lawful, orderly society.

Victim Support Services: operations and impact

The Minister also corrected misinformation circulating publicly. The operational budget for Victim Support Services is not ANG 50,000, as has been claimed. The organization receives government funding to sustain its operations and provide assistance to victims of crime.

Tackling reaffirmed that the Ministry’s goal is to maintain the service’s capacity, ensure accessibility for those who need help, and make sure that every dollar spent aligns with measurable outcomes. Victim support, she said, is a cornerstone of a justice system that recognizes both accountability and compassion.

A steady frame

Through all of her remarks, Tackling resisted the temptation to promise fast solutions. Instead, she offered a clear and disciplined frame: priorities, structure, and shared responsibility. Detention reform is advancing because it has a plan and partners. The Crime Fund will return to its preventive purpose because there is a structured policy under development. Justice workers are finally receiving long-overdue decrees because the Ministry brought in help and set a schedule.

Public safety, she reminded, improves when government, businesses, and communities each own their part. Compliance rises when simple laws are enforced fairly and consistently.

Her final reflection circled back to where she began, with unity. Unity, she said, is not posture; it is practice. It looks like agencies working together, businesses helping without strings, neighbors intervening before harm spreads, and public servants doing steady, often invisible work. It looks like leaders willing to correct course and build trust through transparency.

That, Tackling suggested, is what reform in St. Maarten must look like, not dramatic, not instant, but steady, visible, and grounded in shared purpose.

‍