PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams has issued a call for renewed national purpose in the new year, urging citizens and leadership alike to embrace responsibility, participation, and respect for Sint Maarten as the foundation for progress.
“As we enter a new year, hope and resilience remain important,” Wescot-Williams said. “But this moment also calls for realism and responsibility. Progress does not come from waiting or commentary; it comes from commitment, effort, and participation.”
She stressed that respect for Sint Maarten must begin at home.
“Respect for Sint Maarten is not something we demand of others first,” she stated. “It begins with how we govern, how we engage as citizens, how we protect our country, and how seriously we take the responsibility of nationhood.”
According to Wescot-Williams, Sint Maarten has the capacity to move forward, but only if there is a collective will and a shared sense of direction.
“We have what it takes,” she said. “The question is whether we have what it takes. And that answer lies with all of us, government and society together.”
In that context, Wescot-Williams announced the launch of a reflective call titled “Imagine This,” a separate message intended to encourage national dialogue around what Sint Maarten could become if it commits to a shared vision and acts on it collectively.
“‘Imagine This’ is about visualizing a Sint Maarten that respects itself and moves forward together,” she explained. “It is not about slogans. It is about responsibility, action, and participation.”
“I am inviting members of the community to share their own ‘Imagine This’ ideas, what they believe a respectful, forward-moving Sint Maarten should look like, and what we must do to get there. These ideas matter, and they belong in the national conversation.”
Wescot-Williams reaffirmed that she continues to serve within a political coalition consciously and responsibly, guided by the enduring values and principles of the party she represents. Her parliamentary focus for the year ahead, she said, will remain on collective forward movement, amplifying district voices, pressing for decisive parliamentary action on the course of government, and strengthening accountability so that power consistently serves the public interest.
She concluded with a call to action.
“This must be the year we stop waiting, stop excusing, and stop standing on the sidelines,” Wescot-Williams said. “Respect for Sint Maarten requires all of us to do our part.”
Always moving forward. Always progressing.
