By Terrance Rey
Publisher & Editor, StMaartenNews.com
Like wars, we only remember the coups.
History doesn’t recall the years of peace; it remembers the World Wars, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, Iraq, Ukraine. Who recalls the in-between times, the quiet spells of peace? We don’t even have names for them. Maybe we should.
It’s the same with St. Maarten’s politics. Since we gained our status as a Country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands in 2010, we’ve had so many governments that if you blinked too long, you probably missed one. Up until the National Alliance finally managed to last a full term from 2020 to 2024, we averaged one government per year. That’s right—seven governments in seven years at one point. No one remembers who governed, only who jumped ship.
Take the current Luc Mercelina I Cabinet. It’s still new—less than a year in—and already, during this 2025 Carnival season, the whispers began: “Will it fall?” Rumors swirled faster than feathers on a road march costume. Because in St. Maarten, we love two things: bacchanal and politics. And you can’t stop either. As Herman Wouk wrote, Don’t Stop the Carnival. Around here, we don’t.
But alas, no Carnival Coup this year.
Yes, the thrill-seekers of politics must be sorely disappointed. No ministers toppling like dominoes. No Mexican standoffs in the Parliament this time. And no early elections to spice up the summer. It’s all just—stable. Boringly stable.
Remember 2012? The original “Carnival Coup” dropped right in the middle of the festivities. That set a precedent. In 2015, déjà vu. Then again in 2017. Who can forget the political pas de deux of Chanel Brownbill and Luc Mercelina defecting in 2019? Or Franklin Meyers dramatically declaring himself independent, tipping the scales? The halls of Parliament have more plot twists than a soap opera.
But ask the average person on Back Street who was in the Wescot-Williams II Cabinet, or whether the Gumbs Cabinet came before or after Marlin I, and you’ll likely be met with a shrug and a finger. Because just like we don’t remember the peace, we don’t remember the Cabinets. We only remember the coups.
There was an interim Jacobs Cabinet. Then a Jacobs II Cabinet. Which one lasted four years? People forget. But they remember the Carnival Coup. They remember the Mexican standoff of 2013—MPs holed up like it was the Wild West. Who remembers “You do not have the word!”? That was real entertainment. That was peak village politics.
And where better to analyze village politics than at The Festival Village itself? The place where political rumors flow freer than Rum and Red Bull at a Jouvert morning jam. Where “he seh, she seh” fills the air thicker than BBQ smoke. Where johnny cakes and coups go hand in hand.
But no, not this year. Carnival ends May 5, and there will be no political fireworks. No parliamentary confetti. No dance of the defectors. Instead, it’s back to work. Ministers, MPs—put down your chicken leg and pick up the legislative agenda. There’s a country to run. No excuses. No distractions. No disloyalties.
Let’s get wukking.
And yes, that means no more dancing in parades but back to doing your jobs.
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