"Year’s end is neither an end nor a beginning but a going on, with all the wisdom that experience can instill in us." ( Hal Borland)
What a year 2010 has been.
Many will be the labels the outgoing year will bear, good for some, bad for others and indifferent again for a few. Our nation has had its share of the good and the bad, the ups and the downs, but surely if one were to label the year 2010 in terms of a significant occurrence, it must be considered a year of achievement. Better said a year of attainment. To have finally achieved a much desired yearning such as country status is indeed an attainment of no small measure.
The focus now is to sustain that achievement and I therefore place my focus for the new year on sustainment. Sustainment of our new country St. Maarten.
Clearly this sustainment has several facets, some of which have been put in place from the onset to ensure that no one thwarted the new and young democracy created on October 10, 2010.
It started with the very bedrock of our democratic system, our constitution and the checks and balances dictated by this very constitution.
Already is its clear that the Government and Parliament as well as the constitutional entities, such as the councils of advice are finding their way, slowly but surely. In further developing our new country and its institutions, the tests will be many.
But it the end, it will lead to a structure in which the various authorities and responsibilities will be clearly delineated and respected, offering content to the sometimes elusive term of checks and balances.
"What a year it has been", sounds like a sigh of desperation. However , let me be quick to establish that in my view 2010 has been a year of years.
Except for the emotional break on that night of the 10th of October 2010, I contend however that not enough visible appreciation is been given to that major accomplishment , the one of St. Maarten becoming a country within the Dutch Kingdom.
Surely there has been some apprehension, but while some look for any reason to dampen this feat, many others have put their hands to the plough to make it our country.
~ Nobody can go back and start a new beginning, but anyone can start today and make a new ending. ~ (Maria Robinson)
I have often used that quote during the year behind us, because it is quite appropriate under the circumstances and it impels us to move to the next phase, without being burdened by the past.
The new year provides that opportunity to end something. Something we are less proud of, something that has gotten us nowhere in the past.
Imagine you need no excuse, only the fact that the last day of one particular calendar year is behind us and a new one full of hope is ahead.
A few indisputable facts can be said of 2010. It has not been an easy year for any-one, anywhere. That any-where includes us here on St. Maarten as well. But to use the anecdote of the glass of water, I still see last year’s glass as half full, not half empty.
2010 will go down in history as the year St. Maarten made its first step towards an independent country, with the ratification of country status.
After 10 most grueling years of constitutional negotiations, that part is definite behind us and the next stage before us.
Have we lost some things in the process? Surely!
But recovery is now also ours to make.
I speak directly to the St. Martin people on this new year’s day. For the past 111 days since 10-10-10, we have all being overwhelmed with the magnitude of what it means to be a country.
I am sure there are moments when the thought crossed your mind that it seems easier to continue in the old situation than face the challenges of the new situation head on.
The fact remains that the comfort some felt as part of the Antillean constellation was a false comfort. Underneath the surface, many matters that required solutions remained exactly there, under the surface.
Now, in the face of country status, these matters have been bared, only adding to the apprehension some persons in the community felt.
Without wanting to down play the magnitude of what we face as a young nation, I remain excited about the prospects for St. Maarten as a country.
There are those who feel that much of what we do or did in building our nation, is because of what was imposed upon us as a trade-off for country status.
Let me be clear that today the government and parliament of country St. Martin are autonomous bodies and inclined to do what we consider important for our young democracy.
These two august bodies surely appreciate that as with any young democracy there will be falling and standing, learning and unlearning. We respect the fledgling democratic institutions that provide us with the checks and balances.
As with everything and every place however, there are realities that must be faced up to. The St. Martin’s realities in the first place are our responsibility.
We have learned a lot, we have copied a lot and we are thankful not having had to re-invent the wheel, however there are always specific realities to every place and time.
Let us not become frustrated by the tensions we face between on one hand these good intentions and on the other hand the realities that dictate our pace and our passage.
I was reminded of this these days again, as on my way to work, I observed the long lines of immigrants at the Country’s office of labor affairs.
There is a wave of new immigrants who no longer are marginalized because of their status, but are being incorporated in our society. We need to seize the opportunity to embrace these persons not only from a formal perspective, but also from a social perspective.
If our nation is to be great, all who live here and call it home need to rally around a common cause, a greater good.
With the constitutional process behind us, a new nation being formed, we can now identity the salient points of nation building.
This on its own is a transition of sorts, but a necessary one.
From the old to the new, from what is behind us to what lies ahead is where we tap for the inspiration to transition with confidence.
For the year 2011, while we are expectant, we are also realistic. The financial economic woes faced world-wide will not magically go away at 12 midnight on December 31, as much as we would like this to be the case.
Neither will our country’s financial dilemmas melt away.
The success of our young nation is dependent on our approach to these challenges and more. It’s a true saying that when all else is absent, man finds an impetus to move on, not sit by the way side and pine.
We face daunting challenges, the financial situation being one such, but the security of our citizens and residents can’t be compromised. Jobs for our youth can’t be postponed, education can’t be adjourned. Health care can’t be reduced, to the contrary, all these items require urgent attention.
What is my vision for St. Martin in 2011? A St. Martin in which we come together not just because of economics, be it enterprise or labor, but to build St. Martin in the process.
A St. Martin where government is adamant about education and spends a great deal on such, but also where education is appreciated for the proverbial key it offers to many.
A St. Martin where we are all proud of our heritage, understanding of our present and excited about our future.
Had I given this speech a year ago, I could have cut myself short with the excuse that it was not up to us to make all of this happen.
Today it is!
And more than the Charter proclamation that sealed 10-10-10, is the zeal for a new St. Martin country.
Let the spirit that reigned for those brief moments on the eve of October 10, 2010, be the guiding light on our paths in 2011.
A certain nostalgia for the past, but much hope for the future.
From a personal perspective, 2010 has been a rollercoaster year, 2 elections with hugely different outcomes, realization of country status, the loss of 2 siblings, the appointment to the highest political office.
And in between, every-day life that is a challenge of its own.
As we break with the old, let us as a government be bold and pro-active. Let us use our new found autonomy wisely but creatively. Let’s not open the year "business as usual". Do something to identify with country. Do something to identify with St. Martin. Do something to identify with St. Martin’s heritage and culture.
Do something to identify with St. Maarten’s future.
I call on all to make this a priority for 2011. Let’s build our nation, step by step, block by block.
Have you made your step and laid that block?
Don’t lament about 2010, it’s much too significant a year to wallow in regrets. It’s a year that propelled us to where we are today and paved the way to where we want to go.
I pray that God lights our path with wisdom, understanding, strength and determination.
Happy New Year.