Business View Caribbean | May 2019

39 BUSINESS VIEW CARIBBEAN MAY 2019 THE PR IME MINI STER OF ST . MAARTEN sewage management division under our electricity company, because no one in St. Maarten pays for garbage disposal, so we have to see how we can make that sustainable, as well.” Revive and Restore “Revive and Restore is about rebuilding with the emphasis on being more sustainable. We’re looking at creating more homes because we have a serious shortage. Our airport was severely destroyed and we’re still building it back up to full operation. We want to make sure we have U.S. pre-clearance here on St. Maarten, because that will give us a competitive edge over the other islands by enhancing our attractiveness as a top destination. We’re working on establishing an economic master plan that introduces incentive programs for small businesses; stimulating entrepreneurships and job creation. We have started a program to train persons who lost their jobs in the hotel industry, for example, and others who are learning trades needed for the rebuilding process. We’re also looking at diversifying our economy and promoting our tourism industry.” Restructuring Government “This is about improving the efficiency of government and giving the general public better service. For example: e-governance, modernizing the way we work, synchronizing our data bases, linking different offices – the whole IT and technology aspect of it that would improve our service; looking at strengthening the government apparatus through staff training and creating programs that fill in deficiencies. Whether we’re sending our workers abroad, or bringing people in to help train them, or implementing a counterpart policy where someone with a specific expertise would be able to train our workers. We’re even looking at strengthening our judicial department, where we have a lack of persons to write laws. Right now, we’re exploring the possibility of having virtual classes offering the opportunity to specialize in writing legislation and several other areas across the board. This approach fits with our overall aim to restructure our government. pictured below Prime Minister, Leona Romeo-Marlin