Self above Country
By Hilbert Haar
Why anybody would break the law by buying votes in an attempt to capture a coveted seat in St. Maarten’s parliament is not a great mystery. Those seats are worth a lot of money, because MPs receive roughly $10,000 per month during their tenure. If they keep their seat for a full term of four years this means that they are looking at an income of $480,000.
This simple fact explains why aspiring politicians try again and again to buy their way into parliament. In the past, those who were caught for buying votes received relatively light sentences. But the sentence the court gave to former police officer Akeem Arrindell marks a significant change. Arrindell will have to spend 18 months in the Pointe Blanche prison and the court banned him from working as a civil servant for 6.5 years.
The sentence is sending a clear message to others who may be tempted to follow Arrindell’s example, but will it be strong enough? After all, you do not need a lot of votes to get elected. If you win 250 votes, you are good to go and if you paid $200 (or less) for each vote, the price still pales compared to the income your seat is going to generate. Paying $50,000 to win $480,000 gives a healthy return on your investment.
It is therefore an illusion to think that Arrindell’s sentence will change anything in St. Maarten’s political landscape. The potential rewards are simply way too attractive.
Candidates who buy their way into parliament also contribute to the political instability that is so common in St. Maarten. Candidates that have been bought once, can be bought again because they put personal financial gain above the interest of the country.
I think it is a mistake to assume that voters will think twice about selling their vote, now that they know, or at least should know, why candidates are so desperate to get their support. The motivation of these candidates is certainly not to represent the best interest of the community. Their commitment is to themselves and to their personal financial wellbeing.
Unfortunately, in a small country where most citizens live below or just above the poverty line, a little bit of extra cash is almost as attractive as winning a seat in parliament. In this sense, the relative poverty on our island is instrumental to election fraud.
Let’s not forget that the citizens who do sell their vote will never be prosecuted, even though they know, or at least should know, that they are taking part in a criminal activity.
The good news is that not all politicians are corrupt enough to offer money in exchange for a vote. The question is though whether these politicians have a brilliant idea to eradicate vote buying and if they do, whether they are prepared to act upon it.
St. Maarten’s political history is unfortunately not on the side of those who truly want to serve our country. The Democratic Party once came up with the tantalizing slogan Country above Self. So far, corrupt politicians have tended to turn this slogan on its head and go with Self above Country. Sad but true.
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Related article: Former MP Arrindell sent to prison for vote buying
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