Chers concitoyens,
« Nous devons apprendre à vivre ensemble comme des frères, sinon nous allons mourir ensemble comme des idiots ».
C‘est sur cette célèbre citation de Martin Luther King que je souhaiterais célébrer avec vous les 372 ans du Traité de coopération qui lie le nord et le sud de l’île, notre Traité de Concordia.
C’est une date d’une grande importance historique pour notre île Saint-Martin, une date qui symbolise le partage, l’harmonie, la libre circulation des biens et des personnes entre les deux parties de l’île.
Alors que le monde affronte l’un de ses plus grands défis - car celui-ci est à l’échelle planétaire - nul n’est épargné.
C’est bien ce défi d’aujourd’hui qui doit nous rappeler l’origine de notre histoire commune. Cette histoire qui nous lie, qui nous définit en tant qu’individus.
En ce jour de commémoration, il est important de remettre au centre de nos décisions cette obligation partagée de vivre ensemble et surtout de penser à l’autre à tout moment.
Comment faire pour que la coopération soit au cœur des décisions qui nous concernent tous, et pas simplement évoquée lorsque nous traversons une crise comme aujourd’hui ?
Il est essentiel à mon sens que nous fassions de cette coopération une priorité politique et un véritable instrument de gouvernance.
Que ce soit au travers du United Congress French and Dutch ou d’un Parlement commun, il est primordial, à l’heure où les deux parties de l’île ont acquis une certaine autonomie, que la prochaine étape se concrétise par la création d’une gouvernance conjointe permettant d’asseoir nos spécificités communes.
En cette période de restriction et de confinement, continuons à partager avec nos proches notre vie quotidienne, profitons de ces moments de confinement pour faire ce que l’on a parfois oublié de faire depuis bien longtemps : parler, rire, écouter, conseiller, partager… vivre ensemble tout simplement.
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Today, we celebrate 372 years of the Treaty of Concordia, which was a formal arrangement that was primarily a friendly one, an alliance between two communities which determined the common rules for a joint use of the goods on our island.
Thanks to the people we continue to live in harmony with OPEN free borders.
This long-standing division has never impaired the peaceful living of the French and Dutch communities. WE simply continue to be our brother’s keeper.
Our bond has been put to the test, especially these last three years where we constantly face numerous challenges that indirectly bring us to rely on our strength and moral values as a people with the application OF LAWS WHICH brings out the difficulties of this LAND THAT hampers our cross-border relationship.
We so often repeat that THE GALE and PLAGUES do not stop at the border but let us TAKE A MINUTE and realize how these challenges go unnoticed in the everyday lives of our people.
When reality changes, the ways in which we handle those issues must also change.
This uniqueness so rare can not continue to be governed, issue by issue.
RETHINKING our coexistence is a must, time is of the essence.
We need to reactivate the importance of this day and revive in every one of us a reality that holds within itself the singularity and the challenges, THAT WE AS A PEOPLE RESIDENT of Saint-Martin, are confronted with politically, administratively, economically, socially and culturally every day.
As the Late Mrs. Daniella Jeffry once said, AND I QUOTE “A unique island requires a unique governance.”
Our President Daniel Gibbs clearly agrees as this majority truly believe that “The united congress French and Dutch” is a MUST.
On this special day, I acknowledge that YES, we were able to live like this for 372years.
But I also acknowledge that it is time to put in place a wide base governance that will set a body in charge of the cooperation between Saint-Martin and Sint Maarten, that will make possible the joint management and the finding of joint solutions to common issues and seal it with a renewal of the 1648 Treaty of Concordia agreement.
Keeping in mind that we are 1 island, 1 people.
In my capacity of 1st vice president of the territorial council of Saint-Martin in charge of Culture, it is my duty to remind you that in the midst of the challenges we are facing with today, we must not forget the importance of this day of celebration which defines us as a people.
It is our job to keep this tradition alive.
Nobody understands WE but WE
Nobody feels the reality of this territory like WE do.
Ask yourself what IS a country, without its identity?
We are in charge of our destiny.
Long live to the TREATY OF CONCORDIA.
Valérie DAMASEAU
Première vice-présidente
