SDM leader Benjamin Ortega and his wife Andrea present the party slate to the Main Voting Bureau.
HILIPSBURG--"A step in the rigPht direction of change" is how St. Maarten Development Movement (SDM) leader Benjamin Ortega described his party's move to contest the September 26 Parliamentary Elections. The need for change is reflected in the party slogan "the status quo has to go."
"St. Maarten has become a bit of a laughingstock in the Caribbean ... it is no longer the mecca it used to be," he said.
After handing in the slate of nine candidates to the Main Voting Bureau, Ortega said the movement seeks to bring about opportunities for all and expressed confidence that the list will be endorsed by the 146 voters tomorrow, Tuesday, at the Civil Registry on Pond Island. SDM needs the endorsement as a new party without representation in Parliament.
Ortega, facilities manager at Port of St. Maarten, is followed on the slate by Arthur Bute (businessman), Rosemary “Rosey” Richardson, (teacher), Raymond Matser (businessman), James Busby, and Terrance Frederick.
