SXMElections.com

PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel has issued a call to Governor Eugene Holiday and the Marcel Gumbs Cabinet to talk with the Government of the Dominican Republic (DR) about putting a halt to the stripping of that country’s nationality from people of Haitian descent and from the move to deport tens of thousands of Haitians living in that country.

Emmanuel, wearing a T-shirt emblazoned with the words - “Haitian Lives Matter,” told The Daily Herald the governor “needs to indicate” via the Dutch Representative in St. Maarten that the Dominican Republic should “halt” its activities against Haitians. “What they are doing is wrong. They are taking rights from their own citizens.”

The governor and government of St. Maarten “can’t stay quiet on an issue like this when other people in the Caribbean are speaking out,” said Emmanuel. “This is a serious issue. We can’t have these atrocities.”

He called on the community to imagine that one day the Dutch Government, which is responsible for granting citizenship, decides to strip all persons of Dominicano descent of their Dutch citizenship. “Many of us won’t stand for that. We would say it’s wrong.”

The plight of Haitians and people of Haitian descent is of concern for St. Maarten, because the country is home to a large number of such people, said the MP. “We have boats leaving St. Maarten every day if people accept it or not. Soon, the boats will start coming to St. Maarten.”

The Dominican Republic, like every other country, “has the right to control its immigration,” said the MP. This issue, however, was caused by “a change to the country’s constitution” that has left tens of thousands of Haitians and people of Haitian descent, going back some five generations, virtually stateless. “But, a constitution is not set in stone,” he said.

“I want to make it clear – I don’t have an issue with Dominicano nationals, but with the government,” said the MP.

Asked if he intended to take his stance to Parliament, Emmanuel said, “We need to come together and find a standpoint.”

Independent MP Leona Marlin-Romeo had issued a call on June 18 to Parliament during a public meeting to take a stance on the events unfolding in the Dominican Republic. Parliament is yet to take up that call.

Emmanuel was present briefly for Friday’s public panel discussion about the Dominican Republic Government’s position. He left the session at Philipsburg Jubilee Library, because “I felt it wasn’t for me,” because the session was primarily in Spanish. “The people from the Dominican Republic already know about the situation and the majority of people in St. Maarten speak English. Why have it in Spanish.”

He called the discussion, which was later abandoned by the majority of the audience because of the persistent Spanish, “an attempt to save face.” The discussion was organised by Punto Latino International with the support of the Dominican Republic Consul to St. Maarten.

Emmanuel criticised the Dominican Republic consul for “not doing a good job” in explaining the situation in the country. He has “intentions” to meet with the consul and share his grievances and call to action to help the affected Haitian people.

Interest in St. Maarten about the plight of Haitians in the Dominican Republic heightened after Prime Minister of St. Vincent and the Grenadines Dr. Ralph Gonsalves spoke out about the need for the rest of the Caribbean to be the voice of the voiceless Haitian community. He was the keynote speaker at a lecture on June 27, organised by Independence of St. Martin Foundation, on the occasion of Emancipation Day.

Dr. Gonsalves said at the lecture the action of the Dominican Republic Government has “brought shame to the region,” because government’s actions appear to be discrimination purely based on “ethnicity.”

Independence for St. Martin Foundation (ISMF) issued a call on July 9 for a boycott of the travel and importation of goods from the Dominican Republic as it condemned the loss of rights to citizenship and the striping of Dominican Republic citizenship from Haitians and people of Haitian descent living in that country.