Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
MARIGOT--In her first reaction to President François Hollande's official visit on Friday, President Aline Hanson first thanked the population for giving the Head of State a cordial welcome. Many people had lined the roads from Grand Case, La Savane, Rambaud and Cripple Gate to wave to the motorcade as it passed.
The President in turn reciprocated by chatting with well-wishers on his arrival at Hotel de la Collectivité.
Hanson said she was pleased with the outcome of the Presidential visit. "We were expecting concrete answers and the Head of State committed himself on several points critical to the functioning of our territory," she said.
The promises include redefining the access criteria to income from social benefit Revenu Solidarité Active (RSA), addressing the fraud situation by closing loopholes and providing a new schedule for paying off the debt to Caisse Allocation Familiale (CAF), currently 29 million euros. The aim is to have a reform of RSA more adaptable to St. Martin.
Hollande has also agreed to review the compensation for the transfer of competences which turned out to be a negative balance in favour of the State and not to the Collectivité.
A rehabilitation centre for troubled youth will be established, as well as a Center of Excellence for Languages in partnership with the University of Guadeloupe. The present courthouse and the adjacent former library will be turned into a Court of First Instance and be operational by January 2016. This "chamber detaché" of the Grand Tribunal of Guadeloupe will finally give the court of St. Martin autonomy over its judicial affairs.
The creation of a NATINF code, as soon as May 15, will permit Gendarmes to fine motorists for not paying their road tax.
Finally more Gendarmes will be added to the force this summer.
"These decisions respond to our requests, some of which have been in the pipeline for a very long time," Hanson added. "We will still continue to negotiate with the State on other pending files. Our objective is to obtain the necessary means for the proper functioning of the Collectivité and to better serve the general interests.
"In conclusion, I would like to thank the President of the Republic and the whole of his delegation for the attention paid to our territory and the responses to our grievances. Finally, I would like to pay tribute to Collectivité services, services of the Préfecture and the contributing companies for the quality of their work that made the visit a success."
Hanson attended the events in Martinique and Guadeloupe, accompanied by Senator Guillaume Arnell and Territorial Councillor Louis Fleming, responsible for cooperation.
