On this special day, two words parade across my mind going back and forth. These are Unit and Unify.
Unit means One
Unify means make or become united.
In his song, Lino and the Hardway wrote, “All I see around me, one island, one people, one destiny. Come together, work together as one.” Lino must have known what unity looked and tasted like to write a song such as this, for it screams of a united heart and mind of the people of North and South St. Martin. A border-free country bonded together in friendship and brotherhood, a unit of shared cultures, united as one.
Celebrating St. Martin’s Day today is an honor and a privilege for our island, and even more momentous is the unifying of both north and south as One. This day is a crucial turning point for the people of St. Martin. We celebrate this day to highlight and preserve our perceptions of the unit we once were, and bring to memory the uncomplicated friendliness, peace, and brotherhood among the members of this nation, United with expressions of love and leadership.
The importance of this national day is to remind and empower the new generations of all the achievements of their predecessors and desire to instill cultural values in the hearts of a generation that is hungry and excited – excited to move forward using the past as a strong foundation and a step toward a higher standard to provide the best image of this country when raising awareness to preserve national unity.
As a people, we must emphasize the need for St. Martin’s unity and its inclusiveness to resolve turbulence, dynamism, and complexities as we face the many socio-economic challenges for the betterment and improvement of this country. United we stand, divided we fall.
With renewed determination, we can overcome and work towards building this nation by collaborating with a commitment to a higher purpose, country before self. This higher purpose must be loaded with integrity and morals, which we believe will give St. Maarten an awakening to build a new era – an era of transformation and commitment.
We can make this change!
St. Martin, a new start by bringing pride back to what it means to be a Saint Maartener. A small speck on the map but a big vibration of family and friendliness, a people looking out for each other. A place where two countries co-exist on 37 square miles with over 120 different nationalities living happily as one big extended family.
Remember the jollification days when our forefathers helped their neighbors build their houses on a weekend? And people never went hungry because our forefathers planted and shared with everyone. They worked hard seven days a week, mixed water in dishwashing liquid to make it last longer, and enjoyed the weekends by the beach with family and friends. We had a glimpse of what that was like after Hurricane Irma, That’s who we are, compassionate, generous, and always willing to help. That’s what St. Martin was! A sweet Saint Martin Land.
Oh, I love thy Paradise, Nature’s beauty fairly nice; Oh, I love thy Paradise nature’s beauty fairly nice (Father Kemp).
On behalf of the Unified St. Maarten Resilient Movement (URSM), I wish all residents of St. Martin a most wonderful and peaceful St. Martin’s Day filled with unity and friendship. We congratulate the beautiful people of St. Martin for the Unity Flag we now fly high, representing our national identity.
Dr. Luc Mercelina
Leader of the URSM
