MP Doran asks if autonomy is realistic while St. Maarten remains dependent

GREAT BAY--During Tuesday’s meeting of the Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Inter-Parliamentary Relations (CKAIR), MP Egbert J. Doran posed what he described as a defining question for St. Maarten: can the country realistically speak about autonomy while remaining structurally dependent on external support?

Doran said the Kingdom relations debate has cycled for years through familiar themes, autonomy, inclusion, and a stronger voice within the Kingdom. In his view, those themes ring hollow when executive decisions move in the opposite direction.

“We talk about having more control over our future,” Doran said, “but when decisions consistently move us toward deeper dependence, we are not moving forward. We are standing still, or worse.”

A major focus of his remarks was St. Maarten’s ongoing reliance on the Netherlands across several sectors. While acknowledging that cooperation remains necessary, particularly in justice and governance, he argued that long-term autonomy cannot be achieved without strengthening the country’s own revenue base.

“If Sint Maarten does not actively build its own revenue streams,” Doran cautioned, “then no amount of political language about autonomy will change our reality.”

Doran noted that he has been raising the issue for some time. He pointed to a formal request made last year for a Finance Committee meeting dedicated to revenue generation, a meeting that has still not been convened. More recently, he and his faction requested an urgent joint meeting with the Ministers of Finance and TEATT to discuss concrete revenue opportunities for St. Maarten. That meeting, he said, was scheduled but canceled at the last minute.

He argued that the repeated delays signal a broader problem, plenty of discussion about reform, but limited follow-through on the practical steps required for financial independence.

“Autonomy cannot exist without revenue,” he stated. “If we are serious about reducing dependence, then revenue generation cannot remain a postponed conversation.”

Beyond revenue, Doran raised concerns about transparency around Kingdom-level agreements. He questioned the number of mutual agreements signed in recent months involving the Ministries of Justice, Finance, General Affairs and the Netherlands, and said Parliament too often only becomes aware of these commitments after they have already taken effect.

“Parliament must know what is being agreed to on behalf of the country,” he said. “What obligations are being taken on, and what is Sint Maarten committing to in return? That information should not come after the fact.”

Doran stressed that cooperation itself is not the issue. His concern, he said, is whether St. Maarten is engaging as an informed partner with a clear long-term strategy, or simply reacting to circumstances as they arise.

Speaking from the opposition, he framed his remarks as a national interest issue rather than a political fight, calling for clearer alignment between public debate and executive action, and renewed urgency around building local economic strength.

“This is not about rejecting cooperation,” Doran concluded. “It’s about making sure Sint Maarten stands on its own feet while cooperating, not leaning indefinitely.”

He said the message is straightforward: meaningful autonomy begins at home, and without deliberate action on revenue generation, transparency, and follow-through, the autonomy debate risks remaining only that, a debate.

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