Gumbs: I have a responsibility to be honest to the people, national pride does not rest with government alone

GREAT BAY--Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Melissa Gumbs says the Ministry of ECYS has a responsibility to be honest with the people of St. Maarten about the financial realities currently facing the ministry and the country, while also reminding the community that national pride and cultural ownership do not rest with government alone.

In a statement addressing her announcement on Tuesday that the celebration of Flag Day 2026 will take on more of a digital format, Minister Gumbs explained that ECYS, like most ministries, is operating in a severely constrained financial environment. She stressed that this is not an excuse, but the current reality in which the ministry must make decisions. The Minister's statement was obviously a clear response to public critique about the decision.  

As an example, the Minister disclosed that last year’s St. Maarten's Day celebrations cost the Department of Culture approximately Cg. 105,000. She noted that payments to the locally owned businesses involved in those activities are only now being executed, underscoring the difference between what may be listed in a budget and what is possible based on cash flow. “A budget can say one number and cash flow can say another. That is our reality,” Minister Gumbs said.

The Minister explained that ECYS is not an income-generating ministry. In addition, a significant portion of its budget is legally and structurally committed to education, including the subsidies required to support the operation of schools. This means the discretionary space available for national events, incidental subsidies and other important initiatives has become increasingly limited.

In light of these realities, the ministry has had to make difficult but necessary adjustments. Minister Gumbs said these decisions are not taken lightly. They are made with the understanding that every guilder spent must be carefully considered and that the ministry must find more creative and cost-conscious ways to meet its responsibilities.

For Flag Day 2026, this means the ministry will not host the traditional full public program. Instead, ECYS will pivot to a more digital, symbolic and community-centered celebration. The adjusted program will include contributions from school children, including messages from students who would ordinarily have participated in the Flag Day Parade, a symbolic flag-hoisting component, a short media feature on the history and significance of Flag Day, and recorded messages from national officials. Minister Gumbs said she will also be present at the schools that were scheduled to participate in the parade, where she will observe and celebrate the day with students.

However, the Minister made clear that scaling back the official government program does not mean scaling back national pride. “Flag Day, and indeed every national day, belongs to the people of St. Maarten,” Minister Gumbs said. “It belongs in our schools, in our homes, in our communities, on our cars, in our businesses, on our boats, and in the conversations we have with our children about who we are and where we come from.”

Minister Gumbs said reducing the official part of a national observance is not unusual, especially during challenging global economic times. She pointed to several international examples where governments adjusted or canceled official national celebrations due to financial pressures.

She noted that in 2022, the Government of Tanzania canceled its official Independence Day celebrations due to budget challenges and redirected funds to critical youth-related initiatives. That decision, she said, did not stop the people of Tanzania from marking and celebrating their Independence Day.

She also referenced Trinidad and Tobago, where the government canceled official Independence Day celebrations last year due to budget concerns. While the decision frustrated the population, it did not stop citizens from observing the occasion. In March of this year, the Government of Pakistan canceled its National Day military parade to save costs, while global tensions continued to affect fuel prices and other basic costs. Still, the day was marked and observed by the people.

“The principle is simple. National pride does not disappear because government makes a fiscally responsible decision to reduce the cost of an official ceremony,” Minister Gumbs said.

The Minister said the same spirit is visible among the people of Aruba, including how Arubans celebrate their national days in St. Maarten. She said that while she cannot speak officially on behalf of the people of Aruba, she is confident that even if Aruba’s government were ever unable to financially sustain the official part of Dia di Bandera, the people would still celebrate their Flag Day.

“Culture and the activities that celebrate and reflect it rely on the participation of the people, not only the government, whether represented by this ministry or any other,” Minister Gumbs said.

She emphasized that pride in national symbols, whether an event, a person or a flag, is not built in a government office. It is built in homes, in conversations families choose to have about country, in the flags placed on cars or outside homes and businesses, in posters on children’s walls, in books on shelves, and in the songs played on the radio, on stage and throughout the year.

Minister Gumbs said nation-building is a responsibility shared by all who benefit from the opportunities, freedoms and identity that St. Maarten provides. She said the country must also reflect on the events and people it chooses to show up for.

“For example, there were more people on the strip for iShowSpeed than there were on the side of the road to welcome home our CARIFTA athletes,” the Minister said. “I do not make this reference to shame anyone, but to remind us that we do have the ability to show up in large numbers when something captures our attention. My encouragement today is simple: let St. Maarten capture that same attention. Let our flag capture that same energy.”

Minister Gumbs also addressed comments about other national communities in St. Maarten being able to organize visible and vibrant Flag Day celebrations. She said the governments of Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Guyana, Dominica, Aruba and others are not the ones planning those Flag Day celebrations in St. Maarten. Rather, persons with roots and bloodlines from those countries come together, buy their flags, request their permits, plan their logistics and make it a point year after year to mark their national days.

“They know what we cannot seem to comprehend: culture is not something driven only by government,” Minister Gumbs said. “While that may sound harsh, I see it less as criticism and more as a wake-up call to action. It shows what happens when people take ownership of their culture and make a conscious decision to celebrate who they are. That is the spirit I want to encourage among St. Maarteners and residents of this country.”

Minister Gumbs said that as a Member of Parliament, she attended every Flag Day, St. Maarten Day and Constitution Day celebration planned by the previous government. She said she observed the cost of planning and execution, from truck rentals to DJs, bands, steel pan, snacks and logistics. She also observed who was present waving their flags, which was often schoolchildren.

With that in mind, the Minister is inviting the public to participate in Flag Day in a visible way. She called on residents to place flags on their homes, vehicles, boats and businesses wherever appropriate. “If 10,000 people could find $30 for a cowboy outfit on Amazon for Bacchanal Sunday, we can find $10 for a St. Maarten flag, a rag or a mug at Arnia’s Bookstore,” Minister Gumbs said.

She called on schools to speak with students about the meaning of the flag. She called on parents and guardians to speak with children at home about what it means to love and build a country. She called on businesses to decorate their storefronts, drivers to place flags on their vehicles, and residents to wear the colors, fly the flag, take photos, share stories and make the day visible.

“Show up and show off for your country,” Minister Gumbs said. “Not because government planned a large ceremony, but because St. Maarten is ours to honor.”

Minister Gumbs said that while the format may be different this year, the meaning remains the same. She said the decision to scale back the official ceremony reflects the approach she believes is necessary in this moment: to be transparent about the challenges the country faces, responsible in how public funds are spent, and creative in ensuring that national observances continue in a meaningful way.

“Flag Day is not only about ceremony. It is about pride, identity, unity, participation and respect for the symbol that represents who we are as a people,” Minister Gumbs said. “Yes, the ministry is scaling back the official celebration this year, but I am also inviting the people of St. Maarten to scale up their own participation.”

The Minister said ECYS will continue to do its best to meet its commitments, even under difficult circumstances, and will continue to do so honestly, carefully, and with the people of St. Maarten at the center of every decision. “Let us make Flag Day visible. Let us make it educational. Let us make it meaningful. Let us make it ours,” Minister Gumbs said.

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