MP Roseburg: Emancipation Day demands more than words

GREAT BAY--Member of Parliament Sjamira Roseburg, Chairlady of CKAIR and the Committee for Constitutional Affairs and Decolonization, issued a strong Emancipation Day message calling on St. Maarten and the wider Kingdom to move beyond symbolic gestures and commit to meaningful action on equality, dignity and historical justice.

Marking the 163rd anniversary of the abolition of slavery on July 1, 2026, MP Roseburg said Emancipation Day remains one of the most important moments of reflection for the people of St. Maarten and the Caribbean.

Roseburg said the 2022 apology from the Netherlands for its role in slavery was significant, but should never be treated as the completion of the process.

“The apology was not a full stop. It was a comma,” Roseburg said. “It created an obligation to continue the work with honesty, consultation and concrete steps. Apology without action cannot be the standard.”

She pointed to the Netherlands’ recent abstention on a United Nations vote concerning the recognition of the transatlantic slave trade as the worst crime against humanity, noting that the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom were not consulted beforehand.

“For St. Maarten and the Caribbean, this was not a minor procedural matter. This touched our history directly,” Roseburg said. “No decision that speaks to the legacy of slavery should be taken without meaningful consultation with the people whose ancestors lived that reality.”

Roseburg said she welcomed the renewed pledge this week to do better, but stressed that commitments must be followed by measurable action.

“We cannot continue with a cycle where pain is acknowledged in one moment and overlooked in the next,” she said. “Respect must be demonstrated in how decisions are made, whose voices are included and what changes are actually delivered.”

The MP also referred to the racist online abuse directed at Dutch football players following a recent loss, saying it exposed the continuing presence of racism in society.

“These players gave years of talent, pride and service to Oranje, yet the moment disappointment came, they were met with racist abuse,” Roseburg said. “That tells us clearly that racism is not only a matter of the past. It remains present, and it must be confronted without hesitation.”

As Chairlady of CKAIR and the Committee for Constitutional Affairs and Decolonization, Roseburg said she will continue to advocate for St. Maarten’s voice to be respected in discussions concerning decolonization, equality, Kingdom relations and reparatory justice.

“Promises are not enough. Action is owed,” Roseburg said. “I will continue to do my part, but this work belongs to all of us. It belongs in Parliament, in schools, in homes, in policy, in diplomacy and in every space where our people’s dignity must be protected.”

Roseburg concluded by extending Emancipation Day greetings to the people of St. Maarten.

“Happy Emancipation Day, St. Maarten. Buss di chain. Free your mind. Honor the ancestors, defend the truth and keep moving forward. Never forget that our ancestors did not wait for permission to be free. They took it!"

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