Dozens of initiatives in governing program

GREAT BAY – The National Alliance, the United St. Maarten party and the Democratic Party present themselves in the governing program for the 2016-2020 period as the United Democratic Alliance – an umbrella that magically contains parts of the names of all three parties.

The governing program runs 102 pages and contains, if we counted correctly 130 initiatives – one for every eleven days of the four-year governing period.

“This government emphasizes the importance of sound financial management and a balanced budget. We will therefore selectively and responsibly stimulate and diversify our economy to generate the needed revenues to meet our policy objectives for the years to come. In doing so we will strike a balance between budget cuts and boosting economic growth,” the introduction to the program states.

From economic residency program to management of cemeteries

The program mentions several ‘smart tools’ the government will use to execute and monitor the progress of its work. They are: SmartVision (helps government to translate their vision into concrete and achievable initiatives), SmartStart (assists to transform initiatives into projects and to start these projects in an effective manner), SmartDashboard (serves to monitor the progress of projects and to identify issues that hinder the progress of a project on time) and SmartEconomy –(a dashboard specifically for the monitoring of economic investment projects).

The five core objectives of the government are nation building and good governance, sound financial management, public safety, socio-economic and environmental sustainability and enhanced quality of life.

Funding of these objectives is based on “superior delivery of public friendly service of government.” Combined with an emphasis on enforcement this will lead to “improved compliance, creating substantial increase of government revenues without a need to increase tax rates.” Lower costs of operations, enabled by technology, will allow government to allocate more funding for executing strategic priorities, the program states.

Under the umbrella of nation building and good governance the program refers to a focus on strengthening morals and values. “High ethical values have always been and shall remain an integral part of our social fabric. Based on this core value this government is committed to accountability and transparency. Apathy and mistrust towards government entities can only be countered through a transparent government apparatus. It is this government’s aim to subscribe to and comply with the criteria of Open Government Partnership and Opengovguide.”

This chapter of the program mentions 36 initiatives that have the attention of the government. among them are a few remarkable ones, like “the promotion of patriotism and national pride,”  and creating a flexible work environment based on performance management (within the government organization).

In the field of sound financial management the government is going for the creation of a state-of-the-art tax office, including online services, and fostering a culture of tax compliance.

The government will move towards more indirect taxes and adopt revenue increasing measures “taking into consideration that additional financial burdening of the population is not desirable.” The two most important tracks for increasing government revenues without increasing tax rates are enhanced compliance and the elimination of backlogs in levying and collection, the program states.

A few initiatives stand out; seeking alternative ways within justice to contribute to the budget and ensuring effective and efficient use of the education budget. Finalizing the country’s position on dollarization is also on the agenda. Furthermore there is an initiative to develop an Investors Economic Residency Program.

In the area of public safety the government will introduce ordinances and policies that promote stiffer punishment for violent crimes. The prison, the police force and the Customs department have the attention of the government, as do illegal immigration, human smuggling and trafficking and youth crime.

The government will work towards “boosting and diversifying our economy through various initiatives and projects, focused on creating a good investment climate, facilitating business development, extending the tourist season and diversifying the tourism sector,” the program states.

Given the limits of physical growth, there will be emphasis on sustainable development.

The government wants to facilitate flexibility in the labor laws, stimulate agricultural initiatives and promote sport and educational tourism. Among the other initiatives are the development of the infrastructure of the Simpson Bay Strip, the realization of parking facilities and proper management of cemeteries.

The chapter enhanced quality of life mentions 25 initiatives; among them are the alleviation of poverty, the transition of the St. Maarten Medical Center to a general hospital, strengthening of mental health facilities and strengthening opportunities for the youth.

To read the program go to www.stabilityforprosperity.sx.

Photo caption above: The governing program for 2016-2020 is entitles Stability for prosperity. Photo screenshot

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