MARIGOT—Soualiga United Movement stated on Sunday in a release that Préfète Déléguée Sylvie Feucher has taken a unilateral decision to extend the closure of the symbolic borders for an indefinite period of time in defiance of the spirit of the Treaty of Concordia that has guaranteed the free movement of people and goods for 372 years.
“This autocratic method of crisis management has failed miserably and proved disastrous for our country and the well-being of its people. COVID-19 contaminations have increased and the economic slump continues to gain ground,” Soualiga United said. “In spite of this observation, the Préfète seems deliberately to want to ignore the social, cultural and economic reality of St Martin.
“It is imperative to remember that the two parts of the island form a community of destiny. The false pretext of protecting the population, put forward by the Préfète is totally unfounded and has recently been castigated by a group of doctors.”
The population of St. Martin (North and South) therefore requests:
--The immediate opening of the borders, dismantling of the checkpoints and the free movement of people and goods;
--Official recognition by the French Republic and the Netherlands of the UNITY of the people of St. Martin/St. Maarten and the respect of their common historical and cultural heritage;
--Establishment of a collaborative approach (North and South) for the management of current and future crises;
--Strengthening the application of sanitary measures throughout the country in order to curb the resurgence of cases of coronavirus contamination;
--Implementation of a real awareness and prevention campaign around the coronavirus in all the districts of St. Martin, in the languages spoken in St Martin;
To demand respect for unity and community of destiny, Soualiga United invites the population to join the cause from Wednesday, September 16.
