In principle, the idea of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunication (TEATT) Minister Stuart Johnson to rename landmarks created in the last two decades after people who made a significant contribution to modern society (see Thursday paper) is not unsympathetic. One often hears the complaint that such honours are usually bestowed posthumously when the person concerned can no longer appreciate it, which would be the case for only one of the three suggestions.
While the roles of Sarah Wescot-Williams and Theodore Heyliger in realising respectively the Simpson Bay fish marketplace and Boardwalk Boulevard were obvious, that connection may appear less evident for the late Joseph Richardson and the causeway. However, behind the scenes he was closely involved with the harbour company in making the road-bridge possible.
A potential issue is one of the candidates being the subject of a criminal investigation, which would seem to make it improper at least until that legal process has been concluded. On the other hand, controversy surrounding the late Claude Wathey did not stop them from calling the port co-financed with Dutch funds Dr. A.C. Wathey Cruise & Cargo Facility either.
Perhaps the biggest flaw of Johnson’s plan is that it regards (former) Democratic Party (DP) stalwarts but nobody from the other end of the political spectrum, most notably the St. Maarten Patriotic Movement (SPM) that later became the St. Maarten Patriotic Alliance (SPA) and finally the National Alliance (NA). The late Vance James Jr. and Edgar Lynch as well as “captain” Leo Chance, who served in both camps, come to mind as equally deserving of that kind of public recognition.
In fact, considering the effort recently-passed-away Roy Marlin put into having roundabouts constructed to alleviate the Dutch side’s traffic congestion, particularly the one on Cole Bay Hill where he was not allowed to place a local jewellery-sponsored clock due to restrictions made when the land was sold to government could also carry his name. The same goes for “Christophe Emmanuel’s Flag” at what he dubbed Bell’s Lookout Point, once it is raised on a permanent basis.
If Johnson is serious about his proposal, he should first broaden its scope to also include others not part of the same group as him and truly make it a community-wide initiative. He needs to do his homework and “come back again.”
