PHILIPSBURG – Leader of the United St. Maarten Party (USP) Frans Richardson, on Wednesday, July 20, stressed that while he is the political leader of the party, any good leader must embrace the fact that leadership is more about moving forward together than thinking and acting individually.
Richardson said that leadership within the USP is about being decisive and clear in motive, but also having the ability to structure a team and movement in which everyone can see themselves in.
Speaking with Lady Grace on 102.7FM on Wednesday morning, Richardson said it is very encouraging to him and the party board to hear from so many people who have confidence in USP’s team structure.
“We reflect true leadership and behave as a family where everyone has a voice. And though times aren’t always easy and compromises aren’t always embraced, in a leadership position you cannot give up. You were elected to lead and to take St. Maarten to a better place, this is exactly what USP will do,” Richardson stated.
He added that as part of the USP family, the population will see “young dynamic” individuals who want to be the new leaders of this country. They are an example of being fearless in a time when many people have given up on the system. “They are saying they are not scared because they’ve surrounded themselves with good people and a team that will work with them, not against them,” he continued.
Richardson recalled that the major challenge his party faced when it contested elections for the first time in 2014, was to convince people to join and believe in the party’s vision and his own as leader of the party.
“The outreach to the electorate continues, but we proved a lot of pundits wrong in 2014. Today USP is considered a major political party. We believe we have that standing because we stress that everyone has a role to play in the political arena. With the USP you are not just a member of the party, you are a decision maker where everyone’s ideas gel together, you can express yourself. When we do this together, we can accomplish great things for St. Maarten,” Richardson concluded.
