Silk Suits, Shattered Systems

𝐅𝐚𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐨𝐧 𝐎𝐯𝐞𝐫 𝐅𝐮𝐧𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧

New year, new parliamentary session, new promises. But let’s not fool ourselves old problems are still sitting there, rotting, waiting. Our leaders strut around in Prada and Gucci while the rest of us dodge GEBE bills like a plague. The clothes say “queen” and “king,” but the reality of our ever increasing bills says “peasant.” Wake up, people.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐒𝐢𝐥𝐞𝐧𝐭 𝐓𝐚𝐤𝐞𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐫

Remember when we covered the quiet but deadly takeover of our economy by Curaçao? Did parliament address it? Was it even acknowledged by the ministers? The answer is a flat no. Instead, we’re fed a steady diet of trips and committees. My question: how much grant money have these trips actually yielded to improve our economy? Exactly. Silence.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐬𝐭𝐬 𝐨𝐟 𝐏𝐨𝐥𝐢𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐬 𝐏𝐚𝐬𝐭

And now like ghosts rising from political graves the old politicians come back out. Forty-eight million guilders gone, and nothing to show for it. Did the so-called “bread and butter” party really say that? Generational politicians act like time is on their side, but it’s not. We, the people, remember. Some of us have not been blinded, and others are still alive to tell it. So what does St. Maarten have to show for decades of recycled leadership? Aunty Sarah still hanging on. Uncle Franky making a comeback. Should we brace for William’s encore too? And Mr. Rollocks, could you kindly publish the total earnings of these individuals since the Island Council days? The general population would love to know.

𝐎𝐥𝐝 𝐏𝐫𝐨𝐛𝐥𝐞𝐦𝐬, 𝐍𝐞𝐰 𝐆𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐫𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐬

What we do see is individual accomplishment on full display while a child born here can’t even open a bank account or secure a residence permit if their parents are non-nationals. Imagine that. A problem dating back to the Claude Wathey days still exists today. And some of those same leaders are still here.

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐓𝐚𝐱𝐢 𝐍𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐥𝐚

Meanwhile, we’re treated to the latest soap opera: MP Lacroes versus Minister Heyliger. Back and forth like schoolyard squabbles. Let’s be honest, if you’ve got something to say, the prosecutor’s office is right there. No need to play out this taxi/bus novela in public. And let’s not pretend this issue is new. Every TEATT minister from commissioner days onward handed out taxi licenses like Oprah. "You get a license, you get a license, everybody gets a license".

𝐋𝐞𝐚𝐝𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐡𝐢𝐩 𝐛𝐲 𝐂𝐨𝐦𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐧

So here we are. Barbados has Mia Mottley. Burkina Faso has Ibrahim Traoré. And St. Maarten? Who do we have to steer us out of this dysfunctional “autonomous” mess we’ve shackled ourselves with?

𝐒𝐨𝐦𝐞 𝐅𝐫𝐞𝐞 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞

To the Minister of Justice:

1. Purpose without execution = reputational risk.

2. A disconnect between leadership and the frontline undermines trust, confuses stakeholders, and erodes long-term value.

And to the general public open your eyes. Pay attention. Because when profit is the goal, purpose is the excuse. But when purpose is the goal, profit follows.

St. Maarten doesn’t need more promises wrapped in Prada we need progress stitched in truth.

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