Dear Editor,
For anyone who is really interested in the quality of life in the country he is visiting, the main question to ask is not about the best beaches, hotels, restaurants and casinos in that country, but "What are the political ideologies adhered to in that country and which is the dominant one?"
As a matter of fact, that should also be the main question for anyone living in any country.
Only by the answer to that question one can put what is seen in a country (be it poverty or wealth) in proper perspective.
Only then one can fully understand what actually is and is not happening in that country, what the media and the people are and are not talking about and ultimately also what the people are about.
For St. Maarten the answer to that question seems to be an easy one.
Everyone interested just a little bit in politics and government on the island knows that since the Netherlands Antilles acquired its autonomy, fifty odd years ago, the dominant political ideology in St. Maarten has been the classic liberal capitalistic one of "laissez faire laissez aller" minimal government, which brought tremendous economic progress, but has also seriously disrupted the social and ecological balance on the island. That answer, however, is not the total one.
Having been part of the Netherlands Antilles which tremendously contributed to the quality of life on this and all our other islands (although some in St. Maarten conveniently like to deny that, as some elsewhere deny the Holocaust), the answer to that question is substantially different as on the government and political level of the N.A. the dominant ideology has been the social democratic one, which is mid way between capitalism and socialism.
It is that ideology which has given all our islands the package of measures in the labour and other social fields including our progressive tax system, old age pension, minimum wages, unemployment provisions, social insurance, price control, etc., which package - although not a totally perfect one - has made our islands the envy of most other Caribbean and Latin American countries.
And it's the continuous adherence to that policy which has given our Netherlands Antilles the title of "the Achiever of our social democracy," as it not only promoted investments and other business interests but also the best possible protection to those who became disconnected in our communities.
In St. Maarten, however, many - particularly our politicians - don't like to give credit to what the N.A. has really meant to all of us. They talk as if it was all the doing of the Curaçao politicians who were only out to protect the interests of their sole island.
They do as if they did not really form part of the Netherlands Antilles or that, even if they did, they were merely puppets who were forced to agree with whatever "Curaçao decided" and that it therefore was best for St. Maarten to leave the N.A. political constellation.
The question now is what our St. Maarten politicians would like to do, for example as it relates to the N.A. social security package which undeniably is a most beautiful fruit of our social democratic ideology.
Of the four parties contesting the upcoming historical elections only the smallest one, our CPA, has publicly declared itself to adhere to the social democratic ideology.
The bigger three by default (for not distancing themselves publicly from the liberal capitalism) and also - by the way they are conducting their respective campaigns (e.g. by giving financial handouts financed by big business) - seem to just continue abiding by the liberal capitalistic ideology which favours big businesses to the detriment of the middle- and working classes.
That part of our community, which is seriously concerned about the existing dire social imbalance on the island, will only be able to find the right inspiration to contribute to correcting such imbalance in an ideology that has a healthy and socially balanced community as its main goal and to have such become the dominant ideology on this island.
Such an ideology, right now, is only the social democratic one, which is only represented by the CPA.
Jeffrey Richardson, Political Leader
and Elco Rosario, Director of
the Executive Bureau of the CPA.
