Petition: Group wants St. Maarten’s capital renamed

GREAT BAY/PHILIPSBURG — There is a movement spearheaded by a group of concerned citizens in the community headed by Joseph Lake to rename St. Maarten’s capital from Philipsburg to Great Bay.

According to the author and political analyst Joseph Lake, the group has presented a petition to the Chairman of Parliament Rolando Bryson on Friday.

Lake explained that one of the reasons for the name change was because John Philips, who the capital was named after, was a slave owner, and the name Philipsburg means Philips town. Lake stated that although John Philips died more than 300 years ago, we are keeping him alive. As a result, Lake feels that the time is right to change to Great Bay.

Lake pointed out that the people of this island traditionally have been using Great Bay as the name of the capital. “To explain how strongly the name of Great Bay was supported, in just two hours, we had more than 200 signatures for the petition,” said Lake.

He further said that once people are explained the reason for the change, they are fully behind it. “It is only the politicians in the Parliament of St. Maarten that have the authority to make the change.”

Lake is calling on the politicians not to keep the name Philipsburg for another 300 years, but to change it and hope that by the next Emancipation Day celebrations, the name will be officially changed to Great Bay.

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Related links:
Make “Great Bay” the official name of the Capital of St. Martin South