MP Brison Presents at IPKO on Environmental Issues and Prosperity
THE HAGUE — As part of the presentations at the Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultations (IPKO) members of Parliament took the floor. There was an emphasis on the sustainable development goals (SDG) of the island, particularly since the post-Irma development of the island. Member of Parliament Brison, who was part of the panel at the IPKO this week, directly addressed the Environmental issues as well as the possible prosperity of the island.
“Planet and prosperity is one of the keys to our rebuilding efforts. And thus as stated by our chairlady of Parliament, our sustainable development goals are really based on how they are integrated into our national development, national recovery and ministerial activities.” Said MP Brison.
The first SDG would be Sustainable and Renewable Energy. It is one that St. Maarten has been grappling with for quite some time, but the island remains hopeful that there is the proverbial light at the end of the tunnel.
A common theme being heard for some time from the government would be the waste-to-energy project that could help solve two SDG’s in one. The first refers to sustainable consumption and production. “While the projects have not kicked off as yet, having heard the concern from my fellow colleagues over this issue at the recent budget debate, my personal feeling is that we might finally be on the right track if government can avoid making this a political issue, and rather look at it from a human, sustainability perspective.” said MP Brison, referring to the imminent crisis that is the landfill. He went on to state that “The resilient people of our country have also taken up the mantle on their own, with many integrating solar and wind energy during their own rebuilding efforts, something that we should continue to encourage and promote.”
The second SDG that can be achieved would be decent work and economic growth. “During our rebuilding effort, one of the things we have done is to ensure our people can benefit from the booming construction sector, while also taking care of those who have lost jobs in the tourism sector. There was a training program initiated late last year, shortly after Irma, where displaced workers can actually be paid a wage to train is a step in the right direction.” said MP Brison
Economic growth has been encourage by all facets of government. While the passing of hurricane Irma was indeed quite a terrible occurrence, MP Brison believes that the people cannot deny the opportunities presenting themselves from an economic perspective. One very important aspect would be the island’s economic diversification. MP Brison went on to mention how the bleak job situation in the tourism sector has seen an increase in the construction and other service sectors.
Innovation in infrastructure is one of the key conditions for reconstruction in St. Maarten. MP Brison touched on the topic of how Sonesta Maho has begun reconstruction with materials that can withstand winds of over 240 miles per hour. He went on to give his seal of approval. “I even had the pleasure of seeing a video of one of the structural integrity test showing a jet engine blowing winds close to 300 mph into the material to be used to reconstruct the resort.” He assured that other business and necessary infrastructures like the airport and hospitals are following suit in changing their plans and rebuilding better.
“We have long seen a top down, trickle down economy no longer working for the island. The opportunities people seek need to be for all of our people, not just some, as the economy must work for all of our citizens going forward. Fortunately we see great strides, we see an increase in the number of small, sole proprietorship construction services opening, which is a good sign as such companies are easily opened by our local people with less red tape.“
The sustainability of our communities however is mainly hampered by one major issue, which is our waste management and dump. This has been expressed as a top priority for many members of this parliament in the recent budget debate, and an urgent meeting has been called to address this issue by this new parliament to make the solving of this an absolute top priority. There are health, environmental and also economic implications of this potentially disastrous situation remaining unchecked.
Finally MP Brison made mention of the protection of the beaches and seas. He stated, “A passion of mine is to finally see our beaches return to the people of the country. There are some land disputes that exist on our beaches, such as Mullet Bay beach which has existed for far too long, are unfair to both the people, our visitors and the ecosystems of this beach. The government, through the minister responsible, has given us commitments in the budget debate to ensure that our beaches are protected, and the beach ordinance is on the horizon to help curb land and usage disputes on beaches.”
