Of the 15 current members, only six will be part of the newly-elected Parliament to take office on Saturday. The nine others plus a suspended member are not returning, at least for the moment.
That could still change if any elected representatives are nominated as minister, particularly among the incoming coalition of United Resilient St. Maarten Movement (URSM), Democratic Party (DP), Party for Progress (PFP) and Nation Opportunity Wealth (NOW). It would allow the next vote-getter in line on their respective candidate lists to occupy a seat.
Regardless, there is considerable “fresh blood” with no less than five first-time legislators in Francisco Lacroes of United People’s (UP) party, Cloyd Marlin of the National Alliance (NA), Kevin Maingrette of NOW, Luc Mercelina and Sjamira Roseburg, both of URSM. The latter two parties were also newcomers.
One may thus speak of a partial change of guard, where a group of aspiring politicians will aim to make their mark. They would do well to learn the ropes from colleagues with more experience, both present and past.
Of course, there is no need to follow negative role-models or take poor advice, also not based on seniority. Oscar Wilde once said “with age comes wisdom, but sometimes age comes alone.”
In any case, the worst of examples can often serve as the best teachers on what not to do.
