We have an epidemic of massive proportions brewing on St. Maarten that if not dealt with will cause some serious social problems. Maybe it has already started. I am being contacted on a frequent basis by young people who were born here but not from here (born of foreign parents) as they are often told. Permit me to mention some cases.
I will refer to them as case 1, case 2 and 3. Case 1 was born on St. Maarten and is 18 years old. They attended pre-school, primary and completed their secondary studies graduated and have a valid residence permit. According to one of the articles in the law to obtain a Dutch passport they can do so through option. But they have one problem they can’t prove where they were residing during one of their 18 years. At that time they were three years old. Because of this they have to go through the Naturalization process. They are extremely frustrated and angry. Case 2, born St. Maarten 19 years old attended pre-school, primary and completed their secondary studies and have a valid residence permit. But the problem in this case is that neither can they prove where they were living during 1 of their 19 years. A pre-school where they attended was destroyed by fire. The owner has since moved to the Netherlands. Case 3 born on St. Maarten 19 years old (of foreign parents) attended pre-school, primary and secondary school is having problems renewing their residence permit. There are many such cases on St. Maarten. These young people find themselves between a rock and a hard place. In many instances probably we can blame their parents. But does this mean that they have to suffer because of this? Where are their rights? I want to be brief these young people aren’t going anywhere and as they will say to you plainly my parents might not be from here but I was born here. For some who received their residence permit for the first time they will have to wait 5 years providing the laws on naturalization don’t change before they can apply for a Dutch passport. I believe that when applying the law the specific situation should be taken into consideration, it should not just be applied across the board. According to me it should be a guideline used to help not hurt. We have enough social problems on St. Maarten and this is surely not helping. The Dutch Nationality is an authority of the Netherlands. It is time to take a closer look at the criteria. We have become a country or at least growing into one with all the pains that come along with it. We want to build a strong country an integrated country where everyone feels a part of. Finally, let us stop tell our children who are born here that they are not from here.