THE HAGUE--If there was ever a real-life example of the pace, pressure that can come with public service, MP Sjamira Roseburg delivered one in the last 24 hours.
Roseburg, an attorney by profession and Chairlady of the Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Interparliamentary Relations of the Parliament of St. Maarten, went from concluding a court matter in Bonaire to representing St. Maarten at IPKO in the Plenary Hall of the Tweede Kamer, the House of Representatives of the Netherlands, in a day.
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Attorney Roseburg (center) with loved ones of Sheldon Johnson.
The 24-hour dash began after Roseburg completed her legal duties in Bonaire, where she represented the family of slain Saban firefighter Sheldon Johnson in a pro bono matter, providing legal representation free of charge to the family.
From Bonaire, Roseburg boarded a flight to Curaçao, then connected on a KLM flight to the Netherlands, where she was scheduled to deliver remarks on St. Maarten’s activities and priorities at the Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultation, IPKO.
Realizing that her flight would land with only about an hour before the session was scheduled to begin, Roseburg completed an entire wardrobe change on the plane, preparing herself to move directly from international travel to the formal setting of the Dutch Parliament.
Upon landing in the Netherlands, she went straight to The Hague. Her taxi made the trip to the Tweede Kamer in 29 minutes.
Roseburg arrived at the Plenary Hall as the representative from Aruba was wrapping up her speech, giving her just enough time to take her place and deliver her own address. In a stroke of good luck, technical issues with the hall’s sound system caused a short delay, giving her the few extra minutes needed to make the moment.
Despite the tight timing, multiple flights, court obligations and transatlantic travel, Roseburg arrived in time to fulfill her role as Chairlady of St. Maarten’s Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Interparliamentary Relations.
Sometimes public service happens in a courtroom. Sometimes it happens behind a microphone. And sometimes, apparently, it happens somewhere between Bonaire, Curaçao, a KLM seat, a taxi to The Hague, and a lucky (some might say heavenly) sound system delay. And she sure did earn that MP salary.
