St. Maarten Commissioner of Constitutional Affairs William Marlin (right) hands over a bound copy of St. Maarten's Constitution in English to final Round Table Conference (RTC) Chairman Dutch caretaker Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende at the end of the RTC in The Hague Thursday. (Suzanne Koelega photo)
THE HAGUE--The conclusion of the final Round Table Conference (RTC) in The Hague on Thursday signalled both the end of a long process to acquire more autonomy and the start of a new beginning, according to St. Maarten Leader of Government and Commissioner William Marlin. "We have reshaped the Kingdom."
St. Maarten had to wait 10 years and three months for this final signature needed to attain country status on October 10, 2010, after the people voted for separate status in the June 2000 referendum, stated Marlin after signing the conclusions of the final RTC.
"It has been a long and difficult trajectory, but we never gave up," he said, noting that St. Maarten's political leaders had been united since the referendum in their goal to realise the people's desire and fight St. Maarten's case.
Marlin said he considered it an "honour" to sign, yet humbly he said this was not about him, but about St. Maarten. "I feel overjoyed and happy, but not just for me," he said in an interview afterwards.
"All those that said it will not happen, we have proven that it can be done," he said.
He gave the credit to those persons who had worked "endlessly" to achieve this. In his speech at the signing of the document, Marlin specifically mentioned Dutch caretaker Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende who, he said, "never gave up faith," and State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ank Bijleveld-Schouten "who supported us all the way."
Two "big hurdles" remain: the elections on September 17 and the actual "crowning of all this work" on October 10, 2010, when St. Maarten's first Parliament and Council of Ministers are sworn in. "There will be many firsts for St. Maarten on that day," he said.
Marlin warned that St. Maarten wasn't there yet. "There are still years of work to be done. While we celebrate a new beginning, we will have to continue working hard to shape the future and build a country for the St. Maarten people," he said.
Addressing the delegations in his speech, Marlin wished the other islands Godspeed with their new constitutional statuses.
