PHILIPSBURG – Political games cannot have any presence in issues such as our pension stated Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Leona Marlin Romeo.
After attending the 5th Henderson Insurance Conference, one of the messages that was made clear was that there is a need for an urgent national dialog where all stakeholders including both government and parliament congregate to analyse, discuss and set a clear strategic plan for the sustainability of the pension system on Sint Maarten.
Whether the decision is to follow the Aruba model of passing a law where it is mandatory to contribute to the pension system or to create a new solution, an urgent plan is needed, unpopular decisions need to be made in order for Sint Maarten to be able to sustain the current pension system, considering the aging population, MP Leona Marlin-Romeo pointed out.
“If this is not done collectively then Sint Maarten will be facing the same dilemma as Curacao. We have the opportunity to do it right, but tough measures must be taken across the board especially getting a better grasp on the population demographics and synchronizing the various systems.
“The public must be made aware of the current situation and what risks are involved if everyone does not contribute. This has the concern my concern which resulted in I asking the organizers to request an audience with Parliament to give the same awakening presentation,” MP Leona Marlin-Romeo concluded.
