From left to right Alberto Bute, Claire Elshot and Raymond Jessurun (file photo).
PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten Consumers Coalition questions whether poverty elimination will be an objective in the decolonisation process for St. Maarten.
The coalition said during Thursday’s press conference that it applauded the decision of parliament for its installation of a committee.
The coalition noted that the discussions by parliament have been focused on the finalisation of the decolonisation process and have concentrated on their dissatisfaction with St. Maarten’s degree of self-governance realised so far within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
The coalition stated that the limitation of sovereignty, by providing a degree of self-governance to the people in the Dutch Caribbean imposed since 1954, was further limited since 10-10-10 by 10 consensus Kingdom laws. “This is not a progressive development, but a regressive development, and it is in violation of Article 73 of the United Nations Charter,” the coalition added.
Quoting Article 73 of the United Nations (UN) Charter, the coalition said it is an obligation for all member states of the UN to develop the utmost self-government in the dependent territories under their administration, take due account of the people’s political aspirations, and assist them in the progressive development of their free political institutions, according to the particular circumstances of each territory and its people and their varying stages of advancement.
“Parliament wants to evaluate our degree of self-governance and achieve a full measure of self-governance, by being transparent with the people, … addressing their political aspirations and progressively developing their political institutions. [This – Ed.] is very positive,” said the coalition.
However, the coalition noted that there are other aspects that remain equally important, but did not get adequate attention during parliament’s discussion. It noted that this can also be found in Article 73 of the UN Charter. These are the principle that the interests of the inhabitants of the dependent territories are paramount, and the obligation to promote to the utmost the well-being of the inhabitants of these territories.
“Poverty is not in the interest of the people, and is against their wellbeing. The interest of the more than 13,000 poor and needy households in St. Maarten is not paramount,” they stated. “According to Article 73a it was the member state, the Netherlands, who had the obligation to respect the social advancement of our households, and who did not respect their social development.”
The coalition further stated that the Netherlands did not guarantee equal treatment of all citizens in the Kingdom. They said the Netherlands has not guaranteed equal protection of those poverty-stricken households in St. Maarten “against this abuse of their human right to an adequate standard of living”.
“How do we explain that the result of 75 years of development cooperation with the Netherlands has resulted in more than 13,000 households in St. Maarten living in poverty and are still without an equal social protection level such as is guaranteed to the people in the Netherlands?” they ask.
“We conclude that poverty in St. Maarten should have been [at] zero after 75 years of the decolonisation process. We want our elected parliamentarians and the new appointed governing coalition to stand up for the well-being of the households of St. Maarten living in poor and needy conditions.
“We want them to demand constructive measures from the Netherlands, instead of the regressive measures imposed on us to get liquidity support,” the Consumers Coalition concluded.
