A new government takes office in challenging times, with the island still reeling from its worst calamity ever. It’s therefore comforting that four of the seven ministers have in fact stayed on, including the prime minister, making this the Leona Romeo-Marlin II cabinet.
In addition to General Affairs, also Justice, Public Health, Social Development and Labour as well as Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure will remain in the hands of the same persons, who can help guide their three first-time colleagues too.
Mind you, it won’t be easy. The economy and particularly stayover tourism as its backbone have been hard-hit, leading to a dramatic loss of jobs and/or income, while many homes are still with damage and businesses, including several resorts, remain closed, all this going into the second month of the 2018 Atlantic hurricane season.
But there are signs of ongoing recovery, possible in part because of insurance payments enabling (re)construction work. Port St. Maarten announced a first-quarter growth of close to 20 per cent in sea imports, a 9 per cent increase in cargo vessels and one of 26 per cent in heavy barges that often carry building materials.
However, that money is slowly running out and with the normally already slow period underway things are bound to get tough in both the private and public sectors. As the country faces a huge budget deficit, some economisation measures that don’t make the social situation on the ground even worse have been approved.
Compared to the harbour, where also cruise ship calls rebounded well, Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) continues to be a matter of concern. Various large visitor accommodations have completely or partially reopened and others are trying to do so, but without the passenger terminal back in use opportunities to attract more flights and guests may be frustrated, slowing down the restoration of the all-important hospitality industry.
Crucial in the coming months is finally getting the urgent projects to be funded from the Dutch Trust Fund managed by the World Bank started to tackle the issues they are meant to address and help boost economic activity in the process. With both the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP) and “Building a Sustainable St. Maarten” governing programme now squarely on the table, much is expected of the incoming team at the Government Administration Building.
