Governor Ajamu Baly (front row, third left) with the newly sworn in ministers.
HARBOUR VIEW--“The patient is in your care,” Governor Ajamu Baly told the Mercelina II Cabinet during the swearing-in ceremony held at his Harbor View office on Tuesday.
The governor likened the country to a patient that is in need of care and implored on the ministers to provide the care that is needed. “We are counting on all of you in line with your oath, our democratic principles such as, but not limited to, good governance and the rule of law, to together as a team give the care needed via sound, cohesive, holistic and effective policy and in doing so, keeping the patient in a stable condition for four long years,” Baly said.
Appointed and sworn in Tuesday were Dr. Luc F.E. Mercelina, Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs; Richinel Brug, Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor; Nathalie Tackling, Minister of Justice; Marinka Gumbs, Minister of Finance; Grisha Heyliger-Marten, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication; Patrice Gumbs, Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure; Melissa Gumbs, Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports and Gracita Arrindell, Minister Plenipotentiary.
Highlighting some of the areas in which care is needed, the governor said the country’s finances are structurally running low and the pressure on utilities is high. He said also that there is an imbalance in the judicial system and this is in part why justice, law and order are under threat and in need of urgent attention. As it relates to the environment, he said this is a vital part of our very existence and is suffering from years of neglect and abuse. The country’s infrastructure has been in critical condition for some time now. The tourism product is under threat from internal and external forces, namely indecision and competition, respectively, and the high cost of living has residents’ quality of life steadily dwindling. “And our future may be lost if we do not tackle the educational, social and economic ailments plaguing our youth,” he said.
“Although politics always plays a hand in all that is going on, and although you all are politicians, you are a person first. We in this country are a people of persons, who care about our loved ones, our friends and family, our neighbours and each other. If you doubt what I am saying, just take a look at our history of jollification. So, at this crucial moment in time, this moment of administering the needed aid, we need to see, hear and care for each other's needs, our country's needs, making the right decisions for all the people of this country and not being complacent about anything,” he said.
Alluding to the events of the past months, including the January 11 election, May 3 swearing in of the new cabinet; government losing its support on May 20, and the calling of snap elections months later on August 19, Baly said based on the sequence of events of the last year or so, St. Maarten is in need of care at this moment.
He said the period of just over a year has been one of transitioning into an election period, elections, transitioning into the formation period, the formation, transitioning into elections for a second time, elections, transitioning into the formation period and now, the completion of yet another formation of government within one year.
He said all of this undeniably took government's attention away from fully focusing on governing. “And that at a crucial time of recovering, along with the rest of the world, from the economic impact of a pandemic the likes of which the world hadn't seen in over 100 years. And that on top of recovering from a catastrophic hurricane with the intensity and negative economic impact the likes of which St. Maarten had never seen before. Our country needs care at this moment,” Baly said.
“You, Prime Minister, Ministers, Minister of Plenipotentiary, are the group that has been indirectly democratically chosen by the people of St. Maarten to give our country the care that it needs at this moment. I will repeat that sentence and then I will proceed to dissect it as well. Prime Minister, Ministers, Minister of Plenipotentiary, you are the group that has been indirectly democratically chosen by the people of St. Maarten to give our country the care that it needs at this moment.”
He told the ministers that they are the group, not individuals, and hence they should work as such and not operate as or in silos. He advised them to not take decisions without considering if and how it may affect another ministry.
