PHILIPSBURG--United Democrats (UD) Number Six candidate Attorney Remco Stomp said on Sunday that the decision of government to not readily accept international election observers for the 2020 snap election can have “dangerous consequences”.
“The focus should not be on the former colonisers, but on the international community. We need to be part of that. Not accepting international election observers is a very unusual thing to do amongst the world’s nations,” Stomp said in a press release on Sunday.
“What’s worse is that by refusing or publicly stating [St. Maarten would – Ed.] rather not receive international observers to the country, a direct invitation is sent to Holland and other parties to start interfering in St. Maarten matters or worse.”
According to Stomp, if the objective is to “keep them out, by not welcoming the international observers, it’s going to work exactly the opposite way. The obvious, ‘See, they have something to hide’ will be printed in capital letters and used to immediately interfere in local matters, providing them with a wonderful excuse to interfere or use it to block the monies the country needs to get back on track.”
He said if the perception is that only so-called developing countries have to accept international observers, this perception is not correct.
“Indeed, developed countries are being monitored as well. The USA, for example, had to accept international observers, most recently during their midterm elections in 2018,” Stomp said.
“Even if government says that they will not refuse international observers once at the door, but certainly will not pay for them, it will be perceived as a clear signal that they are not wanted, creating a dangerous precedent for this young nation. St. Maarten should not make itself vulnerable to interference, and [should] keep up with the rest of the international community. Our day at the United Nations will then be extra-sweet,” Stomp concluded.
He said St. Maarten is an island nation that is ready and capable of running its own affairs.
“We have enough qualified and fired-up people who can make it work. We didn’t opt for autonomous status for nothing. Ultimately independence must be the end goal. We should all agree on that. If island states like Dominica can do it, there is no reason why we can’t. Certainly, much work still has to be done, but united we definitely can. By ‘united’ I mean all citizens of this country regardless of party, culture, age, sex or background,” Stomp said.
