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March 5, 2009
bron The Daily Herald
SABA - Prime Minister Emily de Jongh-Elhage held a press conference Wednesday afternoon, March 4, in which she explained the purpose of her short visit to Saba. It was to let Sabans know that the current opportunities for constitutional changes are a once in a lifetime opportunity. "We are blessed," she said.
The Prime Minister was last on Saba over a year ago, and explained that she could not get away earlier because of the continual stream of Dutch officials visiting Curaçao.
Of course, Curaçao is on the brink of a much-debated referendum to validate or invalidate the agreements. De Jongh-Elhage reiterated that she would resign if "yes" is not the answer, and that this was her decision alone, and not her party's.
She reassured that if the Curaçao referendum is "no" that this would not in any way affect the progress of the BES islands towards their new future. She said she saw the constitutional changes as a package deal and was quite sure that the referendum would be positive. "This is on a golden platter, and there is up until now, no alternative," she said.
De Jongh and Governor Frits Goedgedrag met Tuesday afternoon with Lt. Governor Jonathan Johnson, the Executive Council, and the Island Council.
On Wednesday, she and Goedgedrag toured Saba schools, met with administration at the Saba Medical School, and visited the Hospital, the Every Home for the Aged, and the Artisan Foundation.
In the early afternoon, the dignitaries met with a select group of operators in the tourism sector and Head of Tourism Glenn Holm.
The global economic crisis was discussed more in depth during the tourism discussions. One concern that was mentioned was the uncertainties surrounding airline Winair's future and its current level of service.
Commissioner Johnson added that it was indeed possible that some of the private sector businesses would have to restructure if they cannot meet the challenge of the expected downturn. He said that government does all it can to be timely in allocating work permits and financing presence at various international tourism trade shows.
The Prime Minister concluded that no matter what happened, the five islands would remain friends and family. She complimented Saba on its handling of the changes to become part of the Netherlands.
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