PHILIPSBURG: --- On October 15, 2025, at the Governor's Symposium held at the American University of the Caribbean, Drs. Eugene B. Holiday, President of the Holiday Institute, delivered a powerful keynote address reflecting on Sint Maarten's 15-year journey as a self-governing country. His speech, "Fulfilling the Promise of Country Status, A Vision Driven Journey," offered a comprehensive look at the nation's past, a candid assessment of its present, and a bold vision for its future.
Dr. Holiday began by inviting all citizens to unite as "fellow custodians of Sint Maarten's future," proposing a shared vision: "Sint Maarten as the Gold Standard for progress, governance, and Innovation in our region." This ambitious goal sets the stage for a deep dive into the meaning and challenges of self-governance.
The Promise of 10-10-10
On October 10, 2010, Sint Maarten became a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, a status born from its people's "unwavering belief in our right of self-determination." Dr. Holiday defined the promise of country status as a commitment to responsible self-governance aimed at building a strong nation and improving the well-being of its people, guided by local values and needs within a framework of cooperation.
This milestone was not easily achieved. It was the culmination of over a century of calls for greater autonomy, solidified by a June 2000 referendum where nearly 70% of voters chose country status. What followed was a decade of intense and often "tense and heated" negotiations.
The central issue was defining the boundaries between Sint Maarten's authority and the Kingdom's oversight. Debates raged over financial supervision, law enforcement, and the very definition of self-governance. The process, which involved five target date changes, tested the resolve of "Team Sint Maarten," the small group of representatives who championed the nation's cause. Their persistence finally paid off, marking a hard-won victory for the island.
15 Years of Experience: A Mixed Reality
Reflecting on the past 15 years, Dr. Holiday acknowledged the "meaningful progress" made in building the country's institutions from the ground up. However, he presented a candid picture of the socioeconomic journey, which he described as "mixed."
Economic Gains and Social Gaps:
- Sint Maarten's GDP per capita has impressively grown from approximately USD $26,386 in 2011 to an estimated USD $38,154 in 2024, placing it among high-income countries.
- However, this growth has not benefited everyone equally. A significant income gap persists, with 60% of workers earning less than USD $1,875 net per month. This disparity, coupled with a high cost of living, impacts critical areas like education and health, undermining national progress.
- Other persistent challenges include youth unemployment, crime, brain drain, and environmental issues like waste management.
Instability and External Shocks:
Progress has been significantly hampered by internal and external factors.
- Political Instability: Between 2010 and 2024, Sint Maarten had eleven different governments, with an average term of just under 16 months. This constant churn created an uncertain policy and investment climate.
- External Shocks: The nation's vulnerability was exposed by four major shocks: the 2007-2009 great recession, the devastating 2017 hurricanes, the 2020 COVID-19 pandemic, and subsequent global inflation. These events led to volatile economic growth, averaging just 0.4% over the period.
To manage the fallout, Sint Maarten secured Dutch funding, which reignited familiar debates over Kingdom authority versus country autonomy, highlighting the urgent need for a formal dispute resolution mechanism. The economic pressures also caused the national debt-to-GDP ratio to climb from 15.4% in 2010 to 49% in 2024, limiting the government's ability to invest in key priorities.
A Vision for the Future: The Gold Standard by 2035
Despite the challenges, Dr. Holiday emphasized a message of hope and potential, noting that the overall economic trend, though modest, is upward. "Where do we go from here?" he asked, challenging the government and its people to aim high and harness the opportunities of the 21st century.
His answer is Vision 2035, a cohesive national strategy to mark the silver anniversary of Country Status by transforming Sint Maarten into "the Gold Standard for progress, governance, and innovation in the region."
The mission is to become a knowledge-driven, digital society that is more economically self-reliant, climate-resilient, and powered by solar energy. To achieve this, Dr. Holiday outlined a seven-point strategic roadmap:
- Human Development: Prioritize investment in education and health. This includes overhauling school curricula to focus on STEM, digital fluency, and civic education; establishing a civil servant training program; and creating an incentive program to bring skilled professionals back home.
- Digital Transformation: Accelerate the digitization of government services and invest heavily in data infrastructure, AI, and digital literacy to avoid falling behind.
- Solar Energy Transition: Advance energy independence and lower electricity costs by transitioning all government buildings to solar by 2030 and implementing phased community solar microgrids by 2035.
- Sustainable Economy: Upgrade the tourism product, enforce smart conservation policies, invest in climate-resilient infrastructure, and broaden the economic base by developing knowledge-based sectors like technology and healthcare.
- Active Regional Strategy: Become an associate member of CARICOM and position Sint Maarten as a regional leader by hosting an annual digital and green technology conference.
- Fiscal Reform: Fund these strategic investments by reprioritizing budgets and broadening the tax base, including a proposed USD $20 sustainability fee for non-resident air passengers.
- Exemplary Governance: Prioritize sound, data-driven financial management, recognizing that "financial independence is the foundation for policy independence and thus for self-governance."
Dr. Holiday concluded his address with a powerful call to action. "The choices we make in the next decade will shape the next half-century," he declared. He stressed that fulfilling the promise of Country Status requires moving beyond discussion to decisive action on human development, digitization, sustainability, and self-governance.
By drawing lessons from the past and uniting behind a shared vision, Sint Maarten has the opportunity to build a stronger, more resilient future. The journey is a difficult one—an enterprise in the truest sense of the word—but by investing in its people and its potential, Sint Maarten can transform itself into the regional G
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