GREAT BAY--Chairlady of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams has called on the people and leaders of St. Maarten to reclaim nation-building as a shared national responsibility, describing it as the most meaningful tribute that can be paid to the late Dr. Claude Wathey.
Wescot-Williams delivered the message on Friday, July 24, during the centennial celebration marking 100 years since the birth of Dr. Wathey. The event was held at Port St. Maarten.
“As we gather to mark the centennial of Dr. Claude Wathey’s birth, we do not simply turn a page of history. We open a chapter that is still being written, or that should be,” Wescot-Williams said.
She reflected on Wathey’s more than four decades of service to the development of St. Maarten, noting that his leadership helped transform the island’s economy, infrastructure and institutions.
“One hundred years is not a number. It is an era. An era that bent the course of St. Maarten toward a horizon few dared to imagine,” she said.
Wescot-Williams cautioned that remembrance should not be limited to admiration for the past. She said the responsibility of the present generation is not to preserve Wathey’s era as a historical relic, but to carry forward the vision that guided his work.
“Our task is to preserve his vision, by trimming our own sails to the winds of our own time, while holding fast to the destination he set for us. That is the true work of nation-building,” she said.
While acknowledging Wathey’s role in the development of the harbor, airport, economy and public institutions, Wescot-Williams focused on the man behind those achievements.
She described Wathey as a leader who valued competence, integrity and commitment above pedigree or protocol, and who encouraged capable people to enter public life.
Wescot-Williams recalled that during her early political career, Wathey proposed her for the positions of Lieutenant Governor and federal minister. Although those appointments did not materialize, she said his support demonstrated his willingness to identify and promote people he believed could contribute to the country.
“He was building a nation,” she said.
According to Wescot-Williams, one of Wathey’s most important lessons was that a country must build its economic and institutional foundation before pursuing major constitutional changes.
“Nation-building comes first. Before political status, strong institutions. Before constitutional change, economic strength. Before ambition, preparation,” she said.
She noted that Wathey spent more than three decades developing the economy before publicly advocating constitutional independence for St. Maarten.
Wescot-Williams said the centennial should serve as a call for a renewed national commitment to nation-building, not as a slogan belonging to one party or government, but as the shared responsibility of the entire population.
“It is time to reclaim the mantra of nation-building. Not as a political slogan. Not as the property of one government, or one party. But as the shared inheritance and shared responsibility of an entire people,” she said.
She identified discipline, vision, competence and preparation as principles that remain relevant to St. Maarten’s development.
“Every generation inherits a different country. Claude did not inherit the St. Maarten he helped build, and we did not inherit the St. Maarten our children deserve. That is our responsibility,” Wescot-Williams said.
She added that the country is again at a crossroads, with challenges involving the economy, public finances, education, healthcare, housing, justice, public institutions and opportunities for young people.
“These are not separate conversations. They are all part of one larger undertaking: the work of nation-building,” she said.
Wescot-Williams concluded that the centennial would have achieved a worthy purpose if it inspired the country to return to the work of building a stronger and more prepared St. Maarten.
“If this centennial does nothing more than call us back to the work of nation-building, then we will have given Dr. Claude Wathey the only tribute truly worthy of him.”
