The SHTA is echoing statements made by president of the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten, Dr. Tromp, during the 6th Biennial Conference of the Caribbean Ombudsman Association Caroa in Curacao two weeks ago.
In his message, Dr. Tromp emphasized the need for accountability and transparency in the governments of the new countries to create prosperous and productive economies. This is something the SHTA has been advocating for quite some time. In the SHTA’s post election press release in which they congratulated all elected officials on forming part of the 1st government of Country St. Maarten, the SHTA stressed the need to reinvent Government and advised that keen attention be paid to amongst others:
Government structure: This unique opportunity only comes around once in a lifetime and it should be handled correctly, particularly as it refers to government services. Focus should be on removing all the red tape (which currently acts as an impediment to business and creates an environment for corruption) and streamlining operations to be more efficient, customer friendly and impactful.
Long term planning: The SHTA believes that in order for Country St. Maarten to properly develop, strategic, long-term planning is critical. This means that changes in taxation, legislation and policy would be evaluated by many measurements but most importantly by its impact on the economy. An important tool in evaluating proposed changes would be a Macro Economic Model. This model would allow government to estimate the financial consequences of decisions thus paving the way for structured planning and long term fiscal responsibility.