MP Sjamira Roseburg says she paid own way to Curaçao summit

Member of Parliament Sjamira Roseburg said she paid her own expenses to attend the Caribbean United in Excellence Summit in Curaçao on Friday 9 October. Roseburg said the visit, from 8 to 10 October, was not an official parliamentary work trip.

According to Roseburg, she attended after receiving an invitation because she wanted Sint Maarten represented in regional discussions. She said she plans to build on contacts made during the visit, including a conversation with Jamaican Prime Minister Dr. Andrew Holness about Jamaica's approach to violent crime.

Roseburg said she and Holness agreed to follow up after the summit. She said she intends to request information about measures Jamaica has used so that approaches that could be studied or adapted for Sint Maarten can be examined.

Roseburg also attended a Guinness World Records recognition ceremony at Plasa Brion in Otrobanda, Willemstad, on Saturday 10 October. She said Curaçao was recognised for three sports records, including being the smallest nation by population to win the Little League World Series.

The visit coincided with Curaçao's Autonomy Day and Sint Maarten's Constitution Day, which mark the constitutional changes of 10 October 2010. Roseburg is chair of Parliament's Committee for Constitutional Affairs and Decolonization.