PHILIPSBURG:— Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel has disclosed that the final choice for Head of the Section Repression at the Fire Department came down to a Dutchman and a qualified St. Maartener who has acted as the interim head of the same section on previous occasions. He said the Prime Minister of St. Maarten missed an opportunity to appoint a local professional and instead chose a Dutchman on the flawed premise of government being an “equal opportunity employer.”
The MP disclosed that after a two-week solicitation period, a total of four persons applied for the position, two from the Netherlands and two from St. Maarten. Two of the four moved on to the second round of interviews, one from St. Maarten and the other from the Netherlands.
“The St. Maarten candidate was not chosen simply because he has to finish up a program course. Mind you, this same person as early as March 2021, was placed in charge of the same Repression Department in the absence of the Fire Chief and another Dutchman who held the position but has since returned to Holland. He ran the Repression Department for approximately 6 months. So he was good enough to substitute for the Fire Chief, but not good enough to be given the position because of a course that he can easily finish now. That is why we have kept one of our own out of a top position,” Emmanuel said.
To add insult to injury, the MP continued, the same local fire officer was requested to execute the Head of Materials and Logistics position in an acting capacity at the Fire Department, a position with very similar qualification requirements as the position of Head of Repression.
“Our local candidate also completed courses in Curacao. From the successful candidates on Curacao, one has already been promoted to Head of Repression there and another as Head of a different department, with the same qualifications as the officer from St. Maarten. What is the matter with us on St. Maarten that we cannot promote our own people,” the MP said, adding that the PM can easily step in and stop this unfair treatment. “Or she can continue to show her true colors and stand against St. Maarten people and the families that depend on them,” he said.
He reiterated that he has no problem with people coming to St. Maarten to find work. He also has no problem with dismissing local people in top positions if they are not performing and failing terribly. But with the latter, the replacement should be with another qualified St. Maartener if available, and the former should see a local person getting the first opportunity if available.
“If we absolutely do not have another local applicant or candidate, then we can look elsewhere to appoint a non-local for a temporary period until a local can be trained for the position. But in this country, we have to start putting our own first. What has been done to the candidate at the Fire Department is an injustice after the same candidate has been running the department for you. These things must stop. We have to learn to embrace the culture of St. Maarten first. And if they fail, you dismiss them on fairgrounds and look for another St. Maartener. Nobody could ever fault us for looking out for our own first,” the MP concluded.
