Unity, cooperation highlighted on St. Maarten/St. Martin Day | THE DAILY HERALD

Three ladies in colourful traditional wear in the Cultural Parade.

 

PHILIPSBURG–Unity and cooperation were the words of the day highlighted by French- and Dutch-side officials at the official ceremonies for St. Maarten/St. Martin Day yesterday.

  The official programme started with an ecumenical service at the Philipsburg Methodist Church, which was attended by dignitaries from the French and Dutch sides of the island.

  This was followed by a wreath-laying ceremony at the Cole Bay/Bellevue border monument shortly after 9:00am. During this ceremony, a band played the anthems of France and the Netherlands, as well as the St. Maarten song. Dutch side Governor Eugene Holiday and Préfète of St. Martin and St. Barths Sylvie Feucher laid wreaths at the foot of the monument, after which President of the Collectivité Daniel Gibbs and St. Maarten caretaker Prime Minister Wycliffe Smith laid one close to those placed by Holiday and Feucher.

  The dignitaries then moved to Philipsburg, where a uniformed services parade took place on Front Street. In this parade were personnel of the St. Maarten Volunteer Corps VKS, the St. Maarten Police Force KPSM, and the Gendarmerie. The parade also featured some of the island’s various Scout troops and drum bands. The dignitaries stood in front of the Philipsburg Courthouse and watched the uniformed services salute them as they passed.

  The official ceremony took place at Festival Village at 11:00am. A time capsule that had been buried under the old government administration building on November 11, 1975, was opened during this part of the programme.

  In the capsule were various documents and laws, as well as coins used at that time. The Constitution of the Netherlands Antilles, the Island Regulation of the Netherlands Antilles, was found within, among other laws. A speech by Dr. Claude Wathey was also placed in the time capsule.

   Also in the time capsule was the November 8, 1975, edition of newspaper Windward Islands Opinion.

  A new time capsule was presented by Culture Department Head Clara Reyes, in which various items selected by all government ministries were placed.

  An official scroll was also placed in the time capsule and Holiday; Smith; President of Parliament William Marlin; Caretaker Finance Minister Perry Geerlings; Caretaker Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Minister Stuart Johnson; and caretaker Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI Minister Chris Wever signed this document. Holiday then placed this, as well as the November 9, 2019, edition of The Daily Herald, in the new time capsule.

  Marlin, Holiday, Gibbs, Smith and Feucher then gave speeches that highlighted cooperation between the two sides of the island and its necessity. Some of the highlighted projects were the Cay Bay wastewater plant, the removal of boat wrecks from Simpson Bay Lagoon, the new radar site in St. Peters, and agreements on joint law enforcement, firefighting, tourism marketing, and disaster risk management.

  The speeches were followed by the burial of the new time capsule at the new government administration building on Pond Island and an official toast.

  A grand St. Maarten/St. Martin Cultural Parade began at John Cooper/Jose Lake Sr. Ballpark at approximately 3:00pm. Various groups danced their way along L.B. Scott Road, Bush Road, and Walter Nisbeth Road (Pondfill) before ending at Festival Village.

  The official programme ended with a concert at Festival Village entitled “A Concert for SXM.” This concert featured former calypso monarchs as well as other bands, choirs and orchestras.

Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/92385-unity-cooperation-highlighted-on-st-maarten-st-martin-day

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