On Januray 13,2012, one month ago, on behalf of the members ofthe social organizations in Sint
Maarten, their family members, relatives and the people of Sint Maarten, the social organizations of Sint
Maarten have asked the 55 Parliamentarians in the Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation in Sonesta
Greta Bay Resort to cooperate to end the unequal discriminatory realization of all human rights in the
Kingdom of the Netherlands, especially our right to health care, our right to social protection, our right to
an adequate standard of living, wherever we choose to live in the Kingdom.
It was MP Roy Marlin the president of the parliamentary delegation of Sint Maarten, who on the last day
of the IPKO meeting on behalf of the social organizations of Sint Maarten requested to include into the
the agenda of the next Inter Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation in The Hague: "Cooperation for the
full realization of the economic, social and cultural rights, to guarantee all these rights without
discrimination of any kind throughout the Kingdom."
The Dutch parliamentary delegation had objections, towards the inclusion of this petition as an agenda
point, while the leader of the parliamentary delegation of Aruba proposed to handle this matter in the
Presidium ofthe next IPKO meeting.
Social organizations have not seen this agenda point yet for the next IPKC meeting of June they have sent
a follow up letter today to all Parliamentarians of the countries of the Kingdom. "As parliamentarians
we want you to address based upon article 2 of the International Covenant on Economic Social
Cultural Rights- how the countries in the Kingdom of the Netherlands can cooperate "to take
steps, individually and through international assistance and co-operation, especially economic and
techn ical, to the maximum of its available resources, with a view to achieving progressively the full
realization of the rights recognized in the present Covenant by all appropriate means, including
partic ularly the adoption of legislative measures." and how the countries of the Kingdom ofthe
Netherlands "undertake to guarantee that the rights enunciated in the present Covenant will be
exercised without discrimination of any kind" in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. We once more
appeal to you and especially the Presidium of the IPKO to include the proposed agendapoint ofthe
delegation of Sint Maarten on the agenda of your next IPKO in the Hague"
The social organizations expect from the chairlady of Parliament drs Gracita Arrindell and from MP Roy
Marlin the chairman ofthe Kingdom Relations Committee ofthe Parliament of St Maarten to fight for
this agenda point so that Sint maarten can get all the cooperation and maximum available resoureces in
the Kingdom ofthe Netherlands for the full and equal realization of our right to health care, our health
insurance system and our social provisions to come out of poverty.
COUNCIL OF MINISTERS SUPPORTED TO ASK MINISTER SPIES TO COOPERATE WITH SINT
MAAR TEN.
One month has passed since Prime inister Sarah Wescot-Williams and Deputy Prime Minister Thea
Heyliger have received the letter from the social organizations of January 12, 2012. In said letter the
social organizations have expressed their support to the government of Sint Maarten to demand from the
Kingdom Council of Ministers, as is required from all State parties that ratified the International Covenant
on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, to take steps "to the maximum of its available resources" to
guarantee us equal rights. The social organizations support the government of Sint Maarten because they
say that they are cogn icent of the fact that poverty is a violation of the human right to an adequate
standard of living for one’s health and wellbeing and of our dignity. Furthermore they find that with the
CFT and the limited balanced budget of Sint Maarten we cannot come out of poverty. Because of the
unequal and discriminatory implementation ofthe economic, social and cultural rights in the Kingdom of
the Netherlands, and realizing that it is the Kingdom government that has to guarantee the nondiscriminatory
and equal implementation throughout the Kingdom of the Netherlands, the social
organizations have petitioned the Council of Ministers on behalf of the members of their organizations,
their family members and the people of Sint Maarten to ask the Minister Plenipotenciary of Sint
Maarten to have this addressed in the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom.
Today the social organizations have delivered a follow up letter to the Council of Ministers ofSint
Maarten because they have not received any answer so far on their letter of January 12. They also could
not gather from the local newsmedia that the Council of Ministers of Sint Maarten has considered their
petition to have the Minister Plenipotenciary address our desire in the Council of Ministers of the
Kingdom.
So in their follow up letter from February 12, the social organizations ask the Prime Minister and Deputy
Porime Minister on behalf of the Council of Ministers to seize the opportunity now that the Minister of
Interior Affairs and Kingdom Relations Mrs Spies will be in Sint Maa1ten on Monday. The organizations
would like the Council of Ministers to ask Minister Spies to cooperate with the government of Sint
Maarten to realize the equal implementation of our social economic and cultural rights in the Kingdom of
the Netherlands, with the maximum of available resources in the Kingdom, so that we also can be
guaranteed an equal health care quality, an equal health insurance system, and equal social provisions.
Sint Maarten, February 12, 2012.
On behalf of the social organizations
ABVO-SXM, BBF, HAFH, SMSPA, UFA, SUNFED, WICLU, WICSU/PSU, WIFOL/ASEWI,
WITU
PETITION TO THE COUNCIL OF MINISTERS OF ST.MAARTEN
Dear Ministers
Sint Maarten, February 12, 201 2
In our letter of January 12, 2012, exactly one month ago, on behalf of the social organizations in Sint Maarten we
asked your attention and action on the following; to instruct the Minister Plenipotentiary who is a member of
the Kingdom Council of Ministers, to address our desire to put an end to the discriminatory systems of health
care and social provisions throughout the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and to guarantee all citizens of the
Kingdom equal rights, also when they choose to live here in Sint Maarten.
We have informed you of the letter we have delivered to the Dutch representative in Sint Maarten addressed to the
Kingdom Council of Ministers of January 12, 2012. Because of the unequal and discriminatory implementation of
the economic, social and cultural rights in the Kingdom of the Netherlands, and realizing that it is the Kingdom
government that has to guarantee the non-discriminatory and equal implementation throughout the Kingdom of the
Netherlands, we have petitioned you, on behalf of the members of our organizations and their family members,
and the people of Sint Maarten, to ask the Minister Plenipotentiary to have this addressed in the Council of
Ministers of the Kingdom.
We have expressed our support to you, the government of Sint Maarten, to demand from the Kingdom Council of
Ministers, as is required from all State parties that ratified the International Covenant of Economic, social and
cultural rights, to take steps "to the maximum of its available resources," to guarantee us equal rights. Cognicent of
the fact that poverty is a violation of the human right to an adequate standard of living f or one ‘s health and
wellbeing and of our dignity, and the fact that with the CFT and the limited balanced budget of Sint Maarten we
cannot come out of poverty, we want the Kingdom government to comply with the aforementioned Treaty
obligation.
We have not received any answer so far on our letter to you, nor could we gather from the local news media that the
Council of Ministers ofSint Maarten has considered our petition to have the Minister Plenipotentiary address our
desire in the Council of Ministers ofthe Kingdom.
Now that the Minister of Interior Affairs and Kingdom Relations Mrs. Spies will be in Sint Maarten on February
13 1
h, we would like you to ask Kingdom Relations Minister Spies, to cooperate with the government of Sint
Maarten, to realize the equal implementation of our social economic and cultural rights in the Kingdom ofthe
Netherlands, with the maximum of available resources in the Kingdom.
Sint Maarten, February 12, 2012.
On behalf of the social organizations
ABVO-SXM, BBF, HAFH, SMSPA, UFA, SUNFED, WICLU, WICSU/PSU, WIFOLIASEWI, WITU