~ Islands making best of new status; St. Maarten traffic highlighted ~
By Judy H. Fitzpatrick
DAWN BEACH--The members of the royal family wrapped up their visit to the Dutch Caribbean on Sunday after showering praise on the islands for their ?warmth? and hospitality, and crediting the islands for making ?the best? of their new statuses within the Dutch Kingdom.
However, while Queen Beatrix, her son Crown Prince Willem-Alexander and his wife Princess M�xima were elated with the reception received, the traffic situation in St. Maarten seemed to be one of the issues that stood out for them.
Queen Beatrix hopes the infrastructure in St. Maarten improves to better the traffic situation, though it was noted that even in traffic, commuters were very ?enthusiastic? to greet the royal party.
The three members of the royal family met with the press, who were allowed to ask two questions each, at The Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Resort and Spa mid-morning Sunday, hours before the party departed St. Maarten and ended their Caribbean visit.
The royal family started the 10-day trip in Aruba on Friday, October 28, went to Bonaire on October 29, Cura�ao on November 1, St. Maarten on November 3, St. Eustatius on November 4 and Saba on November 5.
While they visited a number of locations on each island, the highlight for the queen was communicating directly with as many people as she could on each island. She was heartened by the efforts made by the people to welcome the members of the royal family. She spoke to many people and she saw people on the islands beaming with pride, and that meant a lot to her.
She saw the visit to the islands as an opportunity to express the bond between the Netherlands and other parts of the Kingdom. She has been visiting the islands since she was 20 years old and feels a deep connection with them.
On the constitutional front, the Queen was happy to witness the progress made on each island of the former Netherlands Antilles since it was dismantled on October 10 last year. She believes people are working hand-in-hand to make something of the new status and she sees that the islands are taking initiatives to stimulate development. She also noticed that a lot of the activities on the islands were driven by the community.
Aruba, which stepped out of the Netherland Antilles more than two decades ago, is now focussing on working on several initiatives with the Netherlands.
The Prince, who has been visiting the islands since age 20, welcomed the reception received. He saw the attitude of the people as very positive and thought the various islands were trying to make the best of their new statuses and therefore were headed for a sunny future. He also sees more realism in what the islands are doing now, compared to a decade ago. The islands are focussing on what is best for their respective communities and on what they are able to do.
St. Maarten
While in St. Maarten, the royals visited the Mental Health Foundation, Emilio Wilson Park, where they met with enviro-groups, Sundial School for a taste of education and attended a cultural manifestation themed: ?Embracing St. Maarten?s Traditions.?
The Queen was happy to see environmental organisations ?blooming? in St. Maarten, particularly in the areas of awareness and education of youngsters on values and conservation.
The Queen believed a lot was happening in the area of education. She expressed hope that the Social Vormingsplicht (social education) programme, which gives out-of-school youths and school dropouts a second chance at education, is still working to help persons who need it ?in a direct way,? so that these persons can ?find their way in society.?
The Queen had an ?interesting? talk on these and other subjects with a cross section of persons in society during an invitation-only state dinner at The Westin on Saturday evening.
The cultural manifestation left a lasting impression on the royals. Princess M�xima believed St. Maarten had grown stronger culturally and socially over the years. The island?s cultural pride was evident for the Princess on this trip as it was not before.
St. Maarten Pride Foundation was singled out by the Princess, who underscored the work spearheaded by the foundation in areas such as beach cleanups. She believes St. Maarten?s new constitutional status has given the young country a lot of ?positive potential.?
Prince Willem-Alexander was heartened by the enthusiasm displayed by the people of St. Maarten during the cultural manifestation. He noticed a genuine sense of enthusiasm from the performers.
Dutch public entities
The Queen has ?a lot of respect? for the resilience of the Dutch public entities in the Caribbean (Bonaire, Saba and Statia). She believes a lot of good things are happening on these islands, especially in the areas of education and healthcare.
Regarding the protest in Bonaire, the Queen plans to communicate the sentiments of the protestors to the responsible ministers in the Netherlands. She also received a petition while in St. Eustatius and this also will be forwarded, as authorities have to face these issues and not avoid them.
The Queen believes there was a lot of satisfaction on the islands, as well as new opportunities, particularly in the areas of health and education. She believes that while some things will go wrong, these should not necessarily be magnified.
The Princess believes a lot of progress has been made in Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius over the past year. She noticed strong development in St. Maarten since her last visit, but said islands such as Saba had remained intact.
The Queen dressed in a blue and white ensemble, the Prince in a blue shirt and khaki pants and the Princess in a knee-length blue and white dress greeted each member of the press at the start of the meeting. The royals were friendly, yet professional, and injected humour in their conversation with reporters.
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