PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel on Tuesday called on Minister of Education Rodolph Samuel to explain his reason behind relieving the local acting Secretary General of the Department of Public Education of her position and replacing her with a non-St. Maarten national in government service.
The MP stressed that he has nothing against the person appointed and does not want his concerns misconstrued as anti-immigrant, but called the situation “yet another example of this government treating St. Maarten people as if they are somehow less capable than others. I am sure the good gentleman is skilled. People come to St. Maarten all the time and are gainfully employed. But this is not about him. This is a St. Maarten issue and the fact that we continuously place less value upon our people,” MP Emmanuel said.
Samuel’s letter to the civil servant who was relieved of her duties was leaked publicly and prompted outcry from many civil servants and others via social media. The letter, signed by Samuel, did not detail his reasons for the replacement. It is reported that the non-St. Maarten national is employed in the IT section of the same department.
MP Emmanuel said considering the outrage expressed by the public, including civil servants, the Minister owes the public an explanation. “Of the hundreds of civil servants under his responsibility in education, nobody else was qualified other than the individual chosen? Nothing against the gentleman, but when exactly is this government going to start appreciating their own and elevating our own people,” the MP asked.
He said Samuel in particular should be embarrassed by his own decision knowing his history of campaigning against anyone not local. The MP mentioned, for example, the campaign staged by Samuel to oust Pieter Drenth, a Dutchman, as CEO of TELem. “His entire premise was locals should be placed first in these positions,” the MP said.
“Today, the Minister apparently could not find a single qualified local in the civil service to fill that position, temporary or not. Who comes first in your country? Many people may not like how direct I am, but it is a fundamental question all elected representatives on St. Maarten, and by extension the people of St. Maarten, must ask themselves. Who comes first in your country? St. Maarteners cannot move to Guyana and be placed by the Guyanese government in top positions above Guyanese nationals. It would never stand,” MP Emmanuel said.
He continued: “This is why I am so disappointed in the National Alliance and why I pulled away. This is not what we used to stand for as the National Alliance. It was the party that defended the people at all costs. Now I do not recognize what kind of political organization that is and what kind of principles it is built upon. It surely isn’t people-centric anymore, and that’s very sad and disappointing. Worse yet, when you ask for explanations, they provide none. They feel as if they are not accountable to the people anymore,” the MP said.
The MP added that at all times the people of St. Maarten should be given the opportunity. If they are not successful or their actions are a detriment to the organization, such as the case with the former airport CEO, then they can be evaluated and replaced if necessary with another qualified St. Maartener.
“It cannot be so that St. Maarteners are only good enough to be used test rabbits. If one is not successful, that does not mean we should move on to a foreigner and not give another St. Maartener the opportunity. St. Maarten must always be for St. Maarteners first. But we have an issue with this and we must face it and change this narrative once and for all for the sake of future generations. The Minister of all people should understand this. But since it seems like he has climbed down from that potato box, he must explain himself now,” Emmanuel concluded.
