~ Theo says division has to be clear ~

PHILIPSBURG--Commissioner Frans Richardson, in a phone call from Germany on Wednesday, said it wasn't he, but his colleague Commissioner Hyacinth Richardson, who had made direct comments about no separation of church and state in St. Maarten, and he had been "grouped" wrongfully with the statement. Frans said he had only alluded to it.

Frans issued a press release in which he once again defended Government's decision to build a Methodist chapel for NAf. 500,000 and pointed out that it had been a unanimous decision by the Executive Council. He also indicated what he had said at the groundbreaking ceremony for the new chapel in Belvedere last week Saturday.

"I also said they always talk about separation of church and Government, but I know every year, every so often, the government calls on the church to pray for it. Why is it okay to pray for you, but it is not okay to build a temple to pray in?" he asked. He reiterated that the decision to construct the church had been made to correct an oversight on the part of Government.

The oversight to which he referred, and on which he had commented some two weeks ago, was the apparent go-ahead given to church leaders by St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF) to use an abandoned structure as a church.

However, the church leaders never secured a permit or permission from the Island Government, which owns the land. Furthermore, the work the church leaders had already done on the structure reportedly cost much less than NAf. 500,000. The gist of the public debate is the precedent Government created by deciding to build the church when Government was not at fault.

At the groundbreaking on Saturday, Hyacinth stated: "It is evident that God's hands are at work, for what He pre-destined He shall make come to pass. The timing of this groundbreaking cannot be overlooked because we are commencing this historical moment intertwined in the most sacred of Christian events: the Lenten season. So with this we reinforce our commitment that there will be no separation between church and state, as there is no separation between God and man."

He was followed by Frans, who made the remark quoted earlier, and went on to state: "We must change our way of thinking as a people. No longer can we continue to be influenced by the outer world. We have always been a close community in which we know what happens with each other.

"We continue to think St. Maarten is like America, like bigger countries, and we measure ourselves against those countries. That is one of our biggest mistakes, and forgetting what St. Maarten is. When we can realise St. Maarten is what it is, then we will all understand the true meaning of being together."

Frans said he hoped the church and the sports field managers would develop programmes jointly for the youth, emphasising the need for stronger cooperation and understanding between the two institutions – Government (sports field) and the church – which "have perhaps the greatest impact on our daily lives."

"However, I also understand the sensitivity in some quarters about the issue of the separation of church and state. This is a problem all over the world, even in the U.S., where President Obama has continued the 'faith-based initiative' of former President George W. Bush, which many see as an attempt to erase the separation between church and state," he said.

"The separation of church and state is not only a legal and political doctrine to keep both institutions independent of each other, it also has a biblical foundation. Jesus Christ himself established that separation when he commanded his followers to 'Give unto Caesar what is Caesar's and unto God, what belongs to God.'

"There are several European countries where the state subsidises the churches, Belgium and Greece being two good examples. In fact, some countries considered to be very liberal in outlook, such as Sweden, Norway, and Germany, also do the same or something very similar, although no one would ever accuse them of not practising separation of church and state.

"Similarly, when the Island Government pays teachers' salaries and other subsidies for religious schools, nobody sees that as an affront to the separation of church and state."

Frans is currently in Germany attending the ITB Berlin trade show.

Equality

In the meantime, the issue of Government spending NAf. 500,000 from the tourism budget to construct a church is still very much a topic of heated debate, with the latest salvo from St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) calling Government's action fiscally irresponsible.

Article 124 of the eighth chapter of the Antillean Constitution clearly states that contributions from any public treasury to religious societies and communities, including to their ministers and teachers, shall be granted on the basis of equal rights and according to rules laid down by federal ordinance. Article 125 further clarifies that the followers of the various religious beliefs shall all enjoy the same civil and civic rights, and are equally entitled to dignities, offices and functions.

Despite efforts to obtain information, the Island Government has not provided any clarity on whether the proper process was followed with regard to moving funds within the budget from one sector to the next, and from a current account to a capital account. In this case, as it relates to the church, it was from the tourism budget to the social affairs budget.

Heyliger

Commissioner Theo Heyliger offered his comments on the controversy by stating that he believed in a clear and absolute division of church and state. He said he did not foresee a St. Maarten where a priest or minister of any religion telling Government how to act, or a pastor telling his congregation for whom to vote, would become the norm.

He said he recognised that the issue was a sensitive one and that church and Government would cross paths in some instances as a consequence of the size of the island. "The concept of separation of church and state is sound and should be abided by. We have to stay out of church business and the church out of ours," he said.

Public office, he said, should not be compromised by any one religious group or by religion in general, while everyone's right to freedom of religion should still be respected. "Our religious views are our own private affair, not to be imposed on others, or for others to impose theirs on us. Being controlled by religion or having the control of religion historically has proven to be disastrous," he said.