HARBOUR VIEW--The "oneness" of the island celebrated on St. Maarten Day, November 11, calls for "all of us to embrace and celebrate the traditions unique to St. Maarten," said Governor Eugene Holiday in his message to mark the day. "After all St. Maarten's Day is uniquely reserved for that purpose."
He called on residents "to join in paying tribute to our St. Maarten Song, to join in the saluting of our St. Maarten Flag, in short to join in the complete observance of our national day. For as a people, we can only forge forward successfully through knowledge of and building on our heritage."
Further, "the oneness calls for us today, as our forefathers have in years gone by, to continue to live in harmony through mutual respect for one another. It is through this characteristic of harmony that we as a people have grown from strength to strength. [...] A harmony which transcends across the border of our shared island, a harmony uniquely St. Maarten as depicted in our St. Maarten Song."
Noting that the calendar date comprises a combination of a single number: one, Holiday said that this "message of oneness reemphasized on this St. Maarten's Day with its unique numerical alignment: the 11th day of the 11th month of the 11th year of this century, 11-11-11. [...] Let us therefore rally around the embedded message of the calendar date of our national day."
The governor called on the people to join in the festivities organised around the island, the celebration of traditional dances, songs and games, to commemorate of the oneness of the people of the entire island.
St. Maarten's Day is a celebration that embraces "our traditions and culture and project our potential as a people.
"As a St. Maarten people, we can look back at the extraordinary challenges we faced from the destructive forces of hurricanes and the disruptive impact of man-made crises and at how we overcame by coming together as a unified people."
This St. Maarten Day, one year, one month and one day since obtaining the status of country within the kingdom, "we can celebrate the victory of our indomitable spirit of unity. And as we celebrate, let us stay true to who we are and continue to drink from the spring of our unity; let us do so to garner the strength and inspiration necessary to overcome the challenges associated with building our country."
The number "one" in the date of St. Maarten's Day "stands for our common future. A future consistent with the words of the calypso song: 'St. Maarten the number one island.'"
That place of number one is "a position and future which is only possible by our continued reaching out to claim it. Let us do so cognizant of the fact that we live in a global community and even more so on a shared island, one island."
The governor continued: "Let us therefore transform our harmonious brotherly existence on our one island in real and concrete and tangible cooperation. A transformation which is imperative to realize, secure and sustain our island's maximum potential as the number one island."
In doing so, St. Maarteners individually and collectively should reinvigorate their commitment to excellence to build a better, stronger, more just and perfect St. Maarten. "Let each of us unite around the objective of St. Maarten the number one island for our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren.
"It is with this bright prospect that I hereby, on behalf of my wife Marie-Louise and myself, wish the people of St. Maarten/St. Martin a happy and safe day and May God bless you," stated Governor Holiday.
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