MP Raeyhon Peterson: History does not remember excuses, it remembers results

GREAT BAY--Member of Parliament Raeyhon Peterson of the Party for Progress (PFP) delivered a powerful address during the closing of the 2024–2025 Parliamentary year on Monday, September 8, calling for greater honesty, accountability, and shared responsibility from both leaders and citizens of Sint Maarten.

MP Peterson reflected on the challenges of the past year, cautioning against empty rhetoric and political grandstanding:

“Too often this House has been filled with noise rather than substance, with posturing rather than principle. And while that may satisfy the headlines of social media, it does nothing for the people who have sent us here to serve. Rhetoric and emotional hijacking have become the order of the day, and the people’s concerns have become a playbook for political propaganda.”

He emphasized the need for leaders to hold themselves to the same standards they demand of others:

“We demand responsibility from others but refuse to take it for ourselves, as if it would just fade away as time passes by. That is not leadership. That is hypocrisy, and foremost, a lack of actual accountability. Leadership requires honesty, not only when the truth is uncomfortable, but when it exposes our own flaws, even if it might cost us politically.”

Turning to the public, Peterson noted that accountability must also extend beyond Parliament:

“Leadership is a reflection of society. Citizens themselves also bear a great responsibility – to question those they have chosen to represent them, to think critically when they speak, and to stop rewarding misrepresentation with their trust. Too many prefer comforting lies over uncomfortable truths. Too many want change without the self-reflection and personal sacrifice it requires.”

He underscored that corruption thrives not only because of politicians but also because of societal tolerance:

“Corruption does not thrive only because politicians are corrupt. It thrives because society tolerates it, excuses it, and sometimes even participates in it. If we want accountability in Parliament, we must also see accountability in our daily lives. Democracy is not a spectator sport.”

Peterson called for stronger institutions, non-political supervisory boards, and a culture where truth is valued above pride. He warned that real change is disruptive and often resisted, but necessary:

“Real progress requires that all of us, leaders and citizens alike, accept responsibility for our role in shaping this nation. If you choose lies, you will live in lies. If you choose accountability, then it might become the standard.”

In his closing, Peterson reminded both Parliament and the public that history will judge leaders and citizens not by excuses, but by results:

“History does not remember excuses, it remembers results. It remembers where leaders told the truth or hid from it. It remembers where citizens demanded integrity or settled for corruption. The truth will set you free, but first it will make you miserable. Let us not fear the misery of truth. Let us embrace it, endure it, and arrive stronger because of it.”

He ended by wishing the people of Sint Maarten strength and urging his colleagues to raise the standards of Parliament in the year ahead.

The new Parliamentary year will officially open on Tuesday, September 9, 2025.

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