GREAT BAY--Former MP Cloyd Marlin has taken issue with MP Viren Kotai’s statement at the solemn public meeting of Parliament marking 15 years of country status. Marlin said Kotai, and the Democratic Party, are trying to rewrite history for a new generation, which he called dangerous for the correct recording of history. He said he had to challenge it. "It was petty political revisionism over St. Maarten’s Country status," he said.
Marlin argued that MP Viren Kotai’s remarks could not have been written independently, suggesting that his party leader, MP Sarah Wescot-Williams, must have played a guiding role, or more accurately, a mis-guiding role. He expressed disappointment that Wescot-Williams, with her experience, would allow a young parliamentarian to utter historical inaccuracies meant to enhance the Democratic Party’s image in the constitutional process. He reminded the public that it was Wescot-Williams herself who once declared that separate status for St. Maarten was "unattainable", only to later support it when momentum shifted.
The signing of the final accord at the final Round Table Conference in September 2010. From left, front row: Advisor Eugene Holiday, then-Commissioner Sarah Wescot-Williams, then-Commissioner William Marlin and Rodolphe Samuel. (Daily Herald photo by Suzanne Koelega)
During the public meeting of Parliament on October 13, 2025, MP Kotai said that the anniversary of 10-10-10 represents both pride and reflection. “As we commemorate this milestone, we do so with pride, because the Democratic Party, under the leadership of Sarah Wescot-Williams, delivered country status to the people of St. Maarten,” he stated. He added that it was the Democratic Party that led the constitutional transition from island territory to country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands, guiding the process with vision and purpose. “It was the DP that laid the institutional foundation for our democracy, for Parliament, for the Council of Ministers, for key oversight institutions like the Ombudsman, the General Audit Chamber, and the early integrity frameworks that continue to guard our good governance today,” he said.
Marlin could not let these statements stand. He warned that carefully polished commemorations can freeze one narrative in place. He said a 25-year-old returning home with a master’s degree might hear a speech and take it as settled fact. He called on leaders and the media to keep the history honest.
Recalling the events of 2009, Marlin described how the Island Government collapsed and the National Alliance stepped in to form a coalition government. His father, William Marlin, then took on the role of Commissioner of Constitutional Affairs, and the constitutional transition process accelerated. “My father proposed that we set a firm target date and work toward it. That date was October 10, 2010. When he announced it, Wescot-Williams immediately dismissed it as unattainable,” Marlin said.
He went on to highlight those who played key roles in the effort, naming Dennis Richardson, former Governor Eugene Holiday, Joan Dovale-Meit, and Richard Gibson among others. This team, he said, formed the backbone of the technical and policy work that made the 10-10-10 transition a success. It was through their collective effort, not the actions of any single political party, that St. Maarten secured its new constitutional status within the Kingdom.
Marlin reiterated the institutional facts. The round table conference in 2010 ended with a final declaration that was signed by the Commissioner of Constitutional Affairs for St. Maarten, which was William Marlin’s portfolio at the time. “It was William Marlin who signed the final document.” His point was not to erase contributions. His point was that milestones like 10-10-10 are collective results that should not be attributed to one banner or one person.
Marlin tied his challenge to civic responsibility. “Speeches on solemn occasions shape memory. If a single biased account stands unchallenged, it can become the version that students, new professionals, and the wider public accept as fact.” He urged leaders to correct the record in real time, and he called on the media to serve as a check.
“Tell the truth. Speak truth of history. Do not try to rewrite it and repeat false tales your leader told you to repeat. History should record that 10 10 10 was delivered by a broad set of hands. Leaders should correct the record at the moment of mistake, not years later," Cloyd Marlin concluded.
https://tribune-site.webflow.io//articles/keep-history-honest-marlin-rebukes-dps-kotais-account-of-country-status
