PHILIPSBURG--Pastors of various churches told Parliamentarians they wanted a dress code and a code of conduct for tourists coming to St. Maarten, especially those arriving on the gay cruises, as a means of preventing the corruption of the local society.
The pastors made it clear that they are not against homosexuals as people, but against the "sin" they commit, and are against gay-bashing.
St. Maarten United Ministerial Foundation and St. Maarten/St. Martin Christian Council Foundation stated their position to Parliament's Committee for Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication on Tuesday morning. United People's (UP) party Member of Parliament (MP) Jules James heads the committee and chaired the meeting.
The committee will now prepare an advice to the Central Committee for further deliberations. The meeting was requested by the church representatives to talk specifically about the arrival of a cruise catering to homosexuals on April 1, but branched off into several other societal ills plaguing the island.
Pastor Wycliffe Smith, who headed the delegation, said the group was guided by the word of God and had not been politically motivated or manipulated by anyone to champion these issues. He said the churches were following the rule of God by loving the sinner, but hating the sin. "We are not saying it is right to do it hidden or in the closet," he said.
Smith said homosexuals were coming to the island every day via the airport and the harbour and there also were many who live here. His contention is that these people should not impose their way of life and should curb public displays of affection. "As a Christian nation, we love you [homosexuals], but we don't love your lifestyle," he said.
He also acknowledged that there were people living on the island who needed to adhere to a dress code and a code of conduct.
He added that the churches, like Jesus Christ, loved homosexuals, lesbians, murderers and fornicators, but not the sins. "Man's legislation doesn't make these evils right," he said.
Some of those "evils" include legalising same sex marriages, abortion and euthanasia, which are already legal in the Netherlands. Other "evils" affecting society are gambling and the proliferation of adult entertainment clubs.
Smith raised concern that the Netherlands would want to impose its legislation on same sex marriages, abortion, and euthanasia in St. Maarten as had been done in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. He said the democratic deficit in the kingdom must be addressed and legislation must not be forced on St. Maarten because it is small in size.
He also said corruption in the "high and low places" of society was rampant and "the brush-off of 'everybody is doing it'" needed to be stopped. Policies that allow gambling and labour exploitation must be reviewed and remedied.
He noted that the church representatives could not give any concrete solution to any of the areas of concern raised because of the short period within which the meeting had been called by Parliament. The church delegation, which did not include the Catholic and Anglican churches, requested the meeting late last week.
MP Leroy de Weever of the Democratic Party (DP) said there was grave concern for the societal ills, but the situation especially regarding homosexuals and restrictions needed to be properly looked at. He said any attempt to change laws and make them more restrictive would have to conform to treaties on human rights, among others, to which St. Maarten is party via the kingdom.
Pastor Elmead Allen said that while rights must not be violated, guidelines such as a code were needed.
Independent MP Patrick Illidge said St. Maarten, like any other country in the world, had gay people and how to accept certain lifestyles needed to be made clear and not dealt with on a technical level.
Pastor Leyland Sam said the concern was that the gay cruise would be an "avalanche" of gay people on the island. If St. Maarten doesn't stop this inflow, he added, probably 15 years down the line the island will have to expand its prisons and hospitals because of the gay people.
MP Dr. Lloyd Richardson (NA) said the matter must be approached with mutual respect for other human beings. He cautioned a gay cruise or a plethora of homosexuals did not mean "we must say something" because the island is facing more moral ills.
"If they are going to give us respect we are going to respect their way of life, and seek to give them a word of caution," Dr. Richardson said, adding that St. Maarten was in a kingdom in which the law allowed "some lawlessness" that was against what the Bible said.
Stopping the cruises or setting restrictions without proper structure could cause economic effects that might soon cause some of the same people protesting the cruises "looking for other shores to leave under the disguise of economic downturn" without admitting the cause.
Dr. Richardson said that to be alarmed and overreact to one issue while ignoring "a plethora of ills around us" had led these to become "not malignant, but benign from neglect."
The existing local societal illnesses don't affect people anymore and "we are only alerted to new ills," he said. There are lots of ills that don't have to do with "m[an] and m[an], or w[oman] and w[oman], but with m[an] and w[oman]. We have to be consistent and ask what Jesus would do."
Pastor Alberto Bute said it was time to address the needs and the strengthening of families as a way forward.
MP Johan "Janchi" Leonard quoted Articles 5 and 16 of the Constitution that guarantee equal rights to everyone living in St. Maarten. He called for the promotion of "mutual respect, even though they [homosexuals] should respect our life style and culture."
Preacher and activist Erna Mae Francis said the church representatives and MPs were "all saying the same thing." However, one of the problems is that often "we lack the courage necessary to take certain stands as a community."
MP Frans Richardson (NA) said a logical move would be to sit with cruise lines as Parliament and the churches to discuss the promotion of the gay cruises, as the branding of the cruises appeared to be the major issue.
President of Parliament MP Gracita Arrindell, who also participated in the meeting, said the Internet could be used to inform people that "they are welcome, but must adhere to our lifestyle." She said dealing with issues such as the gay cruises would not happen overnight.
"It has to be clear so we can't give a false expectation [...] we are a tolerant society." She said the concerns would be conveyed to the Council of Ministers for them to issue a decree on proper conduct for when these ships come.
For spiritual guidance in general, De Weever suggested that the pastors meet with Parliament every quarter "to remind us about our responsibilities."
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