Oh, the Irony

There are appointments that make anyone familiar with St. Maarten politics pause, smile and say: never a dull moment. The appointment of former Minister Emil Lee as Government’s representative on the Supervisory Council of the St. Maarten Tourism Authority Foundation falls firmly into the second category.

In July 2019, Parliament passed a motion of no confidence against Lee, who was then Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor. The motion was presented by then MP of the United Democrats Dr. Luc Mercelina and passed eight votes to seven, with all seven opposition MPs joining Mercelina in voting for Lee’s removal. It was an extraordinary moment because Mercelina belonged to the governing coalition that had appointed Lee.

Several of the political players from that episode remain firmly on the board today. Rolando Brison, one of the MPs who supported the motion against Lee, now serves as a senior policy advisor within the same TEATT Ministry whose minister selected Lee for the Tourism Authority Foundation. Ardwell Irion and Egbert Doran, who also voted for the motion, are back in Parliament. The work of the Tourism Authority will almost certainly come before Parliament at some stage, meaning Lee could once again find himself, directly or indirectly, facing questions from people who once voted to send him home.

Most strikingly, Mercelina, the man who presented the motion that ended Lee’s ministerial tenure, is now Prime Minister of the government Lee has been appointed to represent on the Foundation’s Supervisory Council. Mercelina went from presenting the motion that politically removed Lee to leading the government that is now placing its confidence in him. Oh, the irony.

But once the political humour has been properly appreciated, the appointment should also be examined on its merits. In that regard, Lee’s experience in tourism is unassailable.

Lee has been associated with Princess Heights Hotel since 1991 and remains identified as its general manager. He led the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association for more than a decade, overseeing advocacy, destination marketing, product improvement and private-sector cooperation with government. He later became the first person from St. Maarten to serve as president of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association, giving him direct experience with the regional institutions, hotel executives, destination managers and industry interests that influence Caribbean tourism.

Whatever anyone may think of Lee politically, he understands the hotel sector, knows the major tourism players and has spent years operating within the local and regional industry. His voice carries weight in that arena. Establishing the St. Maarten Tourism Authority is not another minor government project and his supervisory role will be crucial as the STA crawls, then walks and hopefully, eventually, sprints.

The STA is intended to become an independent public body responsible for bringing greater coordination, data-based planning, destination management, product development and long-term direction to the country’s most important economic sector. Government has presented it as part of a move away from fragmented tourism management and toward a more professional and results-oriented structure.

That is why Lee’s appointment may be strategic, but not necessarily in a sinister political sense. It may be strategic in the most practical sense of the word: appointing someone who understands the sector, knows the personalities involved and can move through rooms where other government representatives might immediately encounter resistance.

The Tourism Authority will be populated and supported by familiar institutions and familiar industry players. These are people with established positions, competing interests and long memories. Building agreement among them will require more than government authority. It will require credibility, relationships and a person whose experience cannot easily be dismissed.

Where another representative might face months of bureaucratic resistance, hesitation or institutional posturing, Lee may represent the path of least resistance and one with significant reach in the region. Sometimes, for national work to move forward, government must place someone at the table whose voice the other participants respect, or at least someone they are prepared to hear and afford the benefit of the doubt. It simply improves the chances of execution.

St. Maarten has reached a stage in its development where results must carry more weight than old political grudges. The country cannot afford to reject capable people simply because they once stood on a different political side, served in a previous government or were involved in an earlier political confrontation. In a small country, the same names will often return in different roles. It is simply the reality of a limited pool of people with the experience, relationships and institutional knowledge required to get complicated work done.

Still, the irony is at least a little fun to discuss. Only in St. Maarten could yesterday’s political dismissal become today’s strategic appointment. Never a dull moment, indeed. But at this stage, if the appointment helps produce the Tourism Authority the country has discussed for years, perhaps the most important response should be a simple one:

Get it done.

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