On initiative of Emil Lee, candidate #4 on the Democratic Party list, the Open Government Partnership agreement has been endorsed by the DP and all candidates on the 2014 slate.
“Open and transparent government is not solely a state that St. Maarten should aspire, but it is rather the duty of all government officials and civil servants to commit to such. We, of the DP welcome this initiative, believing that talking the integrity talk alone is not sufficient. We also recognize that this is a global issue and many efforts around the world have been made to give content to integrity as a norm. We gladly associate ourselves with these initiatives.
It is with this kind of contribution in mind that the DP embrace candidates who subscribe to this vision. Emil Lee is definitely one of those. We will also continue our ‘You Can’t Buy My Vote” campaign’ , Prime Minister Wescott-Williams announced during the signing of the pledge by The DP SXM team.
Open Government Partnership was launched in 2011 to provide an international platform for domestic reformers committed to making their governments more open, accountable, and responsive to citizens. Since then, OGP has grown from 8 countries to 64 participating countries. In all of these countries, government and civil society are working together to develop and implement ambitious open government reforms.
The principles of this agreement involve heightened levels of government transparency, citizen involvement, and financial disclosure by politicians in order to achieve a government that the citizens can have confidence in trusting.
In order for St. Maarten to be able to join this growing worldwide integrity movement, St. Maarten will need to adopt a few laws. The members of the DP slate have signed a pledge to enact these laws once elected to Parliament.
Many of the steps that are required to join the growing league of nations who joined the Open Government Partnership have already been put into motion by Prime Minister Wescot-Williams in her capacity as Minister of General Affairs and responsible for good governance and integrity.
