President Louis Mussington giving his Bastille Day speech on the waterfront (Robert Luckock photo)
MARIGOT--Collectivité President Louis Mussington, in his Bastille Day speech, disclosed that the Collectivité has successfully secured the 38 million euros to purchase the remaining lots of the Beauperthuy succession land.
He said this was one of his “greatest achievements” of his four years in office despite being advised to abandon the project as it was a subject too difficult and complicated.
“Leadership is not about avoiding difficult decisions. Leadership is about protecting the interests of your people and preserving opportunities for future generations,” he insisted. “I have always believed the land in Saint Martin must benefit the people. Every Saint Martin family must have the opportunity to own a piece of land to build a home, raise children, and create their own future.
“I’m therefore proud to announce affordable lots will soon be available, opening the door for homeownership. This is more than a land acquisition, it is an investment in our future, our children, and future generations.”
Despite numerous difficult challenges, he listed some of the achievements of the Collectivité to date under his mandate. These included road resurfacing, installing and restoring public lighting, opening of the fully digital state-of-the-art Soualiga Collège, renovation of the media library in Concordia, acquiring land to build a new senior citizen’s home, acquiring land for a future administration building for public services, and opening of a children’s park on the waterfront.
“The work is far from finished. We still have to construct a new stadium and a new cultural centre in Sandy Ground. We are also committed to constructing new affordable housing developments.”
Elsewhere in his speech, he praised the work of the organising committee over the process to design and create Saint Martin’s own flag, a symbol of identity, which will be unveiled in December.
The process has involved a consultation stage with public meetings, and will move on to the competition stage for the design of the flag. The flag will not replace the national flag of the Republic, known as the “tricolour.”
He said he is also engaging with the Overseas Ministry in Paris for amendments to the Organic Law to ensure Saint Martin has the legal tools for greater autonomy.
“We must continue building a model of governance that reflects the aspirations of our people while strengthening the partnership with the French Republic.”
Touching on the significance of the national day, the historic storming of the Bastille fortress in Paris in 1789, sparked the French Revolution and overthrew the monarchy.
“It was a defining moment in history symbolising the people’s determination to stand up for liberty, equality, and justice; values that we still hold today,” he noted.
On the traditional Bastille Day activities, he reminded, with regret, that the traditional boat race between Anguilla and Saint Martin no longer takes place, but hoped it will be revived in the future.
