A Man of Integrity; A Man of His Word
Known to the people as Chacho, Claude Alfred Hans Peterson is the son of retired Police Affairs and Naturalization Department Head, Hans Peterson, and retired School Principal/Union Leader/Politician Aline Choisy. He is a Mechanical Engineer and businessman with a wide range of professional experiences in the private sector. His career spans 13 years as a General Contractor and 12 years in the restaurant sector on St. Maarten. Before returning to St. Maarten in 2001, Chacho spent nine years in the Hotel Management and Tourism sector in Aruba, where he gained invaluable firsthand knowledge and experience on the value of tourism.
Chacho has been a dedicated political activist for many years, enlightening the people through social media and public gatherings. He has consistently challenged the nepotism and corruption plaguing government related companies and Parliament. As a Member of Parliament from July 2018 to November 2019, MP Peterson represented the people with passion, diligence, and integrity, ensuring that the facts and truth were always told. Chacho is once again making himself available to serve in Parliament and defend the rights of the people. He has proven to be a man of integrity, stability, and his word. Chacho’s message is clear: “One GOAL, one PASSION!” The goal being to get Soualiga back on track. His passion being his love for country and his people.
Former MP Claude Peterson was a steadfast advocate for integrity and fiscal responsibility within government. One of his notable actions as a member of parliament was voluntarily taking a 10% reduction in salary, in accordance with the motion brought by the then party leader MP Wycliffe Smith.
During his time in parliament, Peterson fought to maintain stability within the Coalition. As a Member of Parliament he had all Coalition partners sign on to a Coalition Management Agreement, with a clear vision of stability for Country St. Maarten. After the fall of the government, MP Peterson immediately and voluntarily gave up his Parliamentary seat, returning it to then Party leader, Wycliffe Smith. This act of integrity stands in stark contrast to the past, where Parliamentarians often held on to their seats.
As the second chair of Parliament, Peterson directed important meetings, including the 2019 budget debates. His representation of his then party in the Coalition saw him being very vocal on issues confronting the island. To resolve the Princess Juliana International Airport crisis, Peterson advocated for the trust fund/European Investment Bank Financing option, which included liquidity support to cover day to day operations, employee payroll and for the airport reconstruction project. He exposed the sabotage and delays in the airport reconstruction and on the floor of parliament, called for a forensic audit of the airport finances and that of all government related companies. Peterson brought the first motion to resolve the impasse with the bondholders after they held back the insurance proceeds.
Peterson, as a Member of Parliament, initiated many parliament meetings, including the first meeting to discuss the viability of US preclearance for St. Maarten. He also initiated a request for a meeting with, then, Kingdom Relations State Secretary to discuss the reconstruction trust fund grant and other matters related to the devastation caused by Hurricane Irma. This request was publicly accepted by the State Secretary, a first time occurrence since becoming an autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. His exemplary attendance record in the Parliament of St. Maarten, as highlighted in the year-end report further evidences Peterson’s commitment to his duties.
Former MP Peterson, with the support and encouragement of his faction staff, also prepared an amendment to the traffic ordinance to accommodate breathalyzer testing, with the draft law ready for presentation in Parliament, when government fell. During the Ad Hoc Committee meeting on Electoral Reform on November 7, 2019, he proposed that “No coalition should be formed with ship jumpers.” Peterson advocated for a covenant among parties to not form governments with ship jumpers, taking away the incentive for MPs to go independent and form rogue factions.
His rationale was, and continues to be, straightforward: fiscal responsibility when spending taxpayer monies. Each independent MP in our rules of order, is considered a one seat party faction, and allotted a monthly budget to employ faction staff (naf. 13,800 in 2019). Without curbing the practice of “ship-jumping,” the country will incur significant costs, diverting thousands of guilders that could be more effectively allocated within the national budget. If elected on August 19th, 2024, as an MP representing the Soualiga Action Movement Party led by Former MP/Minister Franklin Meyers, Peterson will place electoral reform as a top priority and seek to implement his proposals for electoral reform to foster stability for Soualiga and de-incentivize ship jumping.
Claude A.H. Peterson has exemplified the highest standards of integrity and leadership during his notable but short stint in Parliament. His tenure is marked by an unwavering commitment to universal principles such as accountability, honesty, transparency, and moral values, which are foundational to good governance. Chacho has consistently demonstrated what it means to be a true leader, confronting and resolving issues within the coalition and government with steadfast ethics and an unwavering dedication to the country’s welfare above personal interests.
Claude “Chacho” Peterson, stands out as a man of integrity and a man of his word.
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