In a fleeting tenure marked by immense challenges, Veronica Jansen-Webster proved that impact is not measured by the length of time but by the depth of dedication. Her journey as Minister of Public Health, Social Development, and Labor (VSA) was a testament to resilience, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to the people of St. Maarten. From securing critical mental health funding to tackling long-standing gaps in the healthcare and labor systems, she has left an indelible mark in a short span of time. Now transitioning into her role as Member of Parliament, she brings with her a wealth of experience, a steadfast work ethic, and a vision for a better future. In this candid interview, MP Jansen-Webster reflects on her accomplishments, lessons learned, and aspirations, offering a heartfelt glimpse into the challenges and triumphs that have shaped her public service journey.
What do you consider your most significant accomplishment during your tenure as Minister of VSA, and why?
Without a doubt, my most significant accomplishment was securing funding for mental health on St. Maarten. Not only securing funding to build a new mental health facility but also to build expertise on the island in the mental health institution and in our public health department and within other stakeholder organizations.
I’ve always wondered what I did differently, why I was successful when others were not so I finally asked people directly involved in the project on my last day in office and they told me that they were always told that there was no financing. I even managed to secure a dedicated budget line item for mental health care so that we could be certain that we could pay for the care of people in the mental health facility.
I think that because I have witnessed many cases of people suffering from mental health issues, I naturally wanted to find a solution and make this project work. I insisted that the minister of finance join me as we visited the local institution. I must say that after that visit, we both knew that we had to find the necessary funds.
Other accomplishments that I am proud of was the recently approving the expansion of the white and yellow cross facility. This means that they have to go ahead to expand their capacity for various care products making it possible for people to soon access the services and alleviate the long lines.
On a personal level, I am extremely proud to have been Minister of VSA, acting minister of VROMI for two months and I’ve had to assume the role of Deputy Prime Minister at least four times in the past six and a half months. I am truly blessed.
What challenges did you face that you feel prevented you from achieving more in your short term as Minister?
I always say that people shouldn’t underestimate the impact that the disruption of the government (after 17 days) had on the process of governance.We were still in the middle of our training period as ministers while carrying out our daily tasks. We then had to go over to election mode again. This slowed down the process and made it extra difficult to hit hard deadlines. I like to work systematically, civil servants from each department in the ministry came to an inhouse workshop where we brainstormed on what we urgently needed to work on in the ministry. We prioritized these issues together and were able to come up with a short, mid and long term plan for the ministry. That’s how I realized that mental health had high priority. After the fall of government, the focus wasn’t on working with a vision plan anymore, it became just trying to do the necessary to keep the ministry operational.
If you could go back to the start of your term, is there anything you would approach differently?
I don’t think we got a chance to have a “start of our term”. We were still actively busy with various onboarding trainings as ministers when government fell so the dynamics of being a minister never really existed in a peaceful manner. It was as if we switched to more of a survival mode and tried to accomplish day-to-day tasks. There was little room for creating policies and legislation or to finalize the ministry’s plan. We started out good, I had great intentions for the ministry but was not able to accomplish many of the envisioned innovations.
Your time as Minister was brief. Do you feel you had enough time to make a meaningful impact, and how do you measure that impact?
Sometimes I think that I didn’t have time to make an impact at all because there is not much that can be implemented in less than 7 months. But then I hear people who worked with me in the ministry thank me just for being willing to listen to them as civil servants. Or when they thank me for having been hands-on, enthusiastic and energetic about policy development, or the individuals in our community who contact me to tell me thanks for helping them with little things. Sometimes, people just want information. I hope that the people who came in contact with me and the cabinet staff in the “Meet the Minister” Wednesday sessions feel as if we helped them. Personally, I think we were able to help a lot of individuals.
What lessons have you learned as Minister that you believe will shape your approach as a Member of Parliament?
We learned in our orientation training for parliament that government and parliament should work together while parliament supervises and this process was described as these two public bodies dancing the tango. As a minister I know how I experienced the relationship with the parliamentarians based on some actions towards ministers that sometimes seemed unfounded. I understand the politics involved but I would not like to stoop to those levels and would much rather see us elevate the level of parliament and government so that we can find ways together to do what is best for the people. We need to have a time of governance.
What will be your top legislative priorities as you transition to Parliament, and how do they align with the work you started as Minister?
I would like to see parliament adopt the law for general health insurance. This is a project that I met in the ministry that was started in 2007. It is now time for us to take some difficult decisions or face the consequences.
Other legislation that keeps me up at night involves regulating the labor market. Assisting businesses to legally hire the employees they indicate that they need and sometimes can’t find on the island. To make it possible for the employees who are now undocumented get taken out of the grey economy and become contributing citizens of this country once they meet the requirements already established. To establish a policy for our brothers and sisters of the northern part of the island to work on the Dutch side with simplified procedures. To increase the employability of our young people and to keep unemployment in general at the record lows that we have seen in 2023.
The above were both projects that I already tackled as minister of VSA. I would also like to see government focus more on revenue generating measures. We had already started to brainstorm about revenue generating activities before I left and one that I would definitely like to se implemented is the collection of room taxes not only for hotels but definitely for the many apartments and villas mushrooming on St. Maarten that are under the radar despite there being existing legislation for them to pay their room taxes.
Another revenue generating measure that can and should be implemented post haste is a tourism tax. The other islands of the Dutch Caribbean have implemented this successfully and it definitely can work in St. Maarten as well. This tax s one of the revenue generation measures mentioned in the General Health Insurance project to help make the social insurance and health funds financially sustainable.
How do you plan to ensure that the initiatives you started as Minister are carried forward or completed?
I think that it is up to the new minister to decide his path forward and to carry the ministry how he thinks it should be run, however, if I see that something I started is discontinued and not replaced by anything satisfactory, I can always contact the minister to find out what his intentions and solutions are.
What kind of MP can the people of St. Maarten expect you to be, and how will your approach differ from your role as a Minister?
I would like to be an MP who is accessible to the people. Just as I was accessible as a minister. People contact me on FB messenger, on Instagram, by email or by text, any way that they can reach me and when I can assist I do and otherwise I can direct them to someone who can assist them.
I intend to give this function my all, because that is the only way I know how to work. Coming from a research background and from a public administration management background, I intend to combine these two competencies to test, formulate and amend any proposals in parliament. Anything else would be us just acting on anecdotes, stories about what we think is going on in our society, but we need to know what the reality is and to know that we need to do more research so that we can come with sound solutions.
What gaps or deficiencies in the Ministry of VSA do you believe require immediate attention, and how do you plan to address them in your new role?
Various key departments are severely understaffed and this hampers the services that they can give the public. The budget is tight but in some instances, something will just have to give otherwise we will come to a standstill.
Labor legislation should be adjusted. There should be more direct cooperation between the labor department and the immigration department, making the process more efficient for the customers.
Do you foresee challenges in transitioning from an executive role to a legislative one, and how do you plan to navigate those challenges?
I’ve always worked in a hands-on, operational/executive role. It’s what I know. This will be new and yes it will be a challenge for me. But as my mother reminded me during the last flooding events on the island when I was the acting minister of VROMI, she thinks I live for the thrill of the challenge. I’ve never backed down from a challenge. After completing the first day of the training for new and incoming parliamentarians in October, I already felt comfortable that it was something that I could be successful doing. In Dutch they say “Alles went”. I’ll get used to it soon enough.
In your view, what are the most pressing social and healthcare challenges facing St. Maarten today, and how do you intend to tackle them as an MP?
St. Maarten is plagued with mental health challenges. The number of people registered in SZV with mental health issues is way too high. When I listened to the forum at a recently concluded event for international day of the child/youth, it was astonishing to hear how many young people are or have considered suicide and we have seen the incidence of suicide increase in our society.
In my opinion, health care in St. Maarten in general is in trouble because costs have been increasing yearly for a while. If we continue without implementing changes then our social insurance and healthcare system could collapse with 6-10 years. Because I have seen the numbers and I have read the information provided by the consultants who have been working on a solution for many years, I believe that a financially viable solution is the implementation of general health insurance in St. Maarten. As a parliamentarian I would like to follow up with this to ensure that that we can get it off the ground and get the healthcare our people deserve.
How will you ensure accountability and transparency in Parliament, particularly on issues within the Ministry you once led?
Parliament has to ensure accountability and transparency in all ministries. I have experience in various other ministries besides the one I led. I have either worked as a civil servant or member of the cabinet. Armed with that knowledge and experience I endeavor to ask the pertinent questions, not to put the ministers in an awkward position but to give them the opportunity to explain the general community viewing these meetings of parliament what exactly is being done. I think it is very important how questions to government are framed.
You’re transitioning at a pivotal moment for the island. What personal values and principles will guide your work in Parliament?
Yes, I feel like we are at a cross roads now. Too much has been left undone for too long and we should make those important decisions and transform our island into the place we want it to be. The main personal value I take with me everywhere I go is my work ethic and drive. I’m going to give this my all. I also believe in making myself, as a public official, accessible to the people. How better will I know what issues are playing out in the community if our people cannot approach me to discuss matters. They can contact me on Facebook or Instagram or make an appointment via our faction staff. I will make myself available. I can come out to visit people too, not everyone will feel comfortable or would be able to climb the stairs to the parliament building.
What message do you have for critics who may feel that short ministerial terms like yours don’t allow for real accountability or measurable progress?
I would smile and say, go tell that to the Mental Health Foundation. Tell that to the average person who came out to our community awareness sessions on various topics and were able to learn something helpful. The stakeholders at the General Health Insurance information session who got a thorough breakdown of information about the project. Our patients in Colombia who were able to have their minister of health listen to their grievances and suggestions. We have data on the success of the job fair. Over 500 jobseekers showed up. 87 were offered jobs on the spot. Those are all examples of measurable progress. Minimum wage was also indexed during my term so people can see an increase in minimum wage as of January 2025
What would you like your legacy to be, both as a Minister of VSA and as a Member of Parliament?
I would want people to remember me as someone who cares for the wellbeing of the people of our community. All the people of our community.
Source: The Peoples Tribune https://www.thepeoplestribunesxm.com
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