MP Egbert Doran rejects Prime Minister’s “co-ownership” position in the Kingdom

GREAT BAY--Leader of the National Alliance and Member of Parliament Egbert Doran has made it clear that he does not support the Prime Minister’s stated position seeking “co-ownership” within the Dutch Kingdom, calling the idea a step backward for St. Maarten’s political progress.

“I don’t support that in any form, shape, or fashion,” Doran said during Thursday’s public meeting of Parliament to approve the agreement list from the recent Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IPKO) held in the Netherlands. “We have come too far to go backwards. If we’re going to talk about ownership, then we’re taking five steps forward and ten steps back.”

Doran urged the government to “lay off and deviate” from discussions of co-ownership within the Kingdom, saying the concept runs counter to St. Maarten’s long struggle for greater autonomy and equality.

“I believe that people like William Marlin and you Madam Chairlady (MP Wescot-Williams), and others who came before us fought hard to bring us where we are today,” he said, adding that we must not diminish that by entertaining a notion that weakens the foundation of self-determination we’ve built.

Reflecting on his first active participation in IPKO, Doran noted that the delegation’s discussions were productive, particularly around the Kingdom’s democratic deficit and the need for dispute regulation. He said he was pleased to see those concerns included in the aspirational agreement list coming out of the sessions.

“I was glad to see that the point I brought forward, addressing the democratic deficit, where the Kingdom Parliament represents us but we have no direct say, was included in the list. That’s progress,” Doran said.

He also congratulated D66 and its leader Rob Jetten on their strong showing in this week’s Dutch general elections, noting that D66 has historically been a “pro–St. Maarten party” and expressing optimism that this could bring renewed attention to fair representation for Caribbean countries in the Kingdom.

“I see light at the end of the tunnel, especially when it comes to the dispute regulation,” Doran said.

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