Island Politics

There was an election recently - to vote for the head of the collectivite. Although I am eligible to vote, I don't really understand the system nor the local politics, and made a somewhat unconscious decision to abstain. I was intrigued by certain things, like the electoral boards that went up around the neighborhoods with posters of various politicians representing different political parties. I believe there were like 5-6 parties running, and each of them had to present a "list" of their candidates - but you vote for the party, not the individual candidates. I guess it's like voting Republican in the US but not choosing the Vice President yourself - that choice is made for you.

Anyway, it was the RRR party that won the local election (see people celebrating above) - but what has really got my attention is the scandal that (already) rocked the new government merely 2-3 days after it took power. Apparently the new president gave a speech - it may have been the inauguration speech - and somehow someone got wind of the strange coincidence between that speech and another speech given by the Prime Minister of Burkina Faso back in 2011. The biggest laugh was on the speech writer, who claimed that it was actually written by a consultant, who had also written the original speech in Burkina Faso. This consultant however is nowhere to be found. He was found on Facebook, with an account that was created a week ago, and with only one friend - the President's speech writer.

Hmmmm? Isn't life interesting on SXM?

The other interesting factoid is that SXM registered the lowest turnout nationally for the first round of the French presidential election last Sunday. Less than 30% of registered voters turned up to vote. I venture to guess that lots of people on SXM do not really feel French - a large number do not even speak French - and they may feel that whatever happens on the mainland doesn't matter for the island. St Barths, however, had a 56% turnout and voted overwhelmingly for Sarkozy (62% vs 34% in SXM). I wonder if more people will turn up to vote the second round?

Prohibited (Now?)

These signs started going up a couple of months ago:

Women go topless in all the beaches on the island, but naturists stick mostly to the south end of Orient Bay, Cupecoy or Happy Bay (or so I hear). Makes me wonder why the authorities felt these signs necessary now - I've seen them in Long Bay, Plum Bay, Friars Bay, Galisbay.

On a related note, last week a naked man was found loitering in the Nettle Bay Beach Club, was taken to the Police Station and then, God knows how, he promptly escaped. He remains at large.

Sunset Beach Bar

Planespotting at the Sunset Beach Bar is always on all the must-do lists for St Maarten. Truth be told, the food is mediocre and the live music is always too loud, but it remains one of my favorite things to do when people visit.

You can't help but get excited spotting a plane approaching - a tiny dot in the sky. As it gets closer everyone gets their cameras ready on the decks or run out to lie on the beach to get a shot of it from below. When it's a big jumbo, the thrill is palpable.

For departures, it's a bit less exciting than it used to be since they elongated the runway about two years ago. The planes no longer have to back up all the way to the fence. Still, when a jumbo takes off, the blast is still powerful enough to send caps, beach umbrellas, books, towels and some lightweight people out into the water. I never tried it myself, but a girl who braved it said that it feels like a sand blast - and proudly showed me scratches on her arms from the projectile sand.

We last went there last Wednesday with my dad and my niece. It was packed - I had forgotten that 7 cruise ships were in town - see below:

Lots of landings...

...including the majestic Air France:

Then the anticipation as a jumbo prepares for takeoff:


And the chaos that ensues along with the sand blasts:

Good times!

To be 7 years old...

... where life is still full of possibilities but you are starting to learn where your limits are; where you ask tons of questions all the time but don't understand all the answers (and you don't really care); where you don't worry about much beyond the composition of the next snack. I feel like this is where my Mano is these days. Want to capture this moment forever.

Rainbows Galore

Rainbows were rare affairs back when we were living up north. Here it seems a dime a dozen. They really are magnificent and the other day we caught sight of double rainbows:

Beautiful!

St Martin's Got Religion

Judging by the proliferation of cars with proclamations of God's Greatness, it's a pretty religious island. See below:







Countless other cars have more or less the same proclamations as above.

Every once in a while though, a car ahead of me leaves me scratching my head in great puzzlement. An example below:

Not sure if the Lord himself needs blessing, but if he does, he is covered.

Seborga in St Martin

In the Marina Royale in Marigot, I came across this sign:


Consulat de Seborga - Seborga Consulate

I am pretty good in geography, and yet I had never come across a place called Seborga before. Googling promptly ensued.

Little did I know that Seborga is steeped in somewhat comical history. It's a municipality in northwest Italy that has claimed a micro nation status, harking back to the Middle Ages and the sale of an independent principality that was never legally registered. According to Wiki:

"In the early 1960s, Giorgio Carbone, then head of the local flower-growers co-operative, began promoting the idea that Seborga retained its historic independence as a principality. By 1963 the people of Seborga were sufficiently convinced of these arguments to elect Carbone as their ostensible head of state. He then assumed the self-styled title Giorgio I, Prince of Seborga, which he claimed thereafter.

Carbone's status as prince (although without any legal power) was further supported by locals on 23 April 1995, when, in an informal referendum, Seborgans voted 304 in favour, 4 against, for the principality's constitution, and in favour of independence from Italy. Carbone reigned until his death on 25 November 2009. The prince was known locally as Sua Tremendità ('Your Tremendousness')."

I love the flamboyant title! Your Tremendousness! You go, Seborga!

As of 2009, around 20 states recognized Seborga as an independent entity - the first one was Burkina Faso. Consular representation is maintained in 10 countries. I guess St Martin, though not a country, is one of them. Or it could just be an overzealous Seborga native having vacationed in St Martin and planting the flag and the consular plaque smack in the middle of the capital? Who's to say no?