The Netherlands Antilles flag was lowered in front of the Courthouse at the stroke of midnight Saturday, October 9th and the St. Maarten flag was hoisted to mark symbolically the end of one era and the birth of new Country St. Maarten, rounding off a decade of lobbying, negotiations and agreements.
The folded Netherlands Antilles flag was presented to the St. Maarten Museum to preserve as a symbol of the dismantled Netherlands Antilles. With the St. Maarten song playing in the background, roars of applause rang out from the crowd that gathered to witness the ceremony when the St. Maarten flag, designed by Roselle “Rosie” Richardson in 1985, was hoisted.
This was followed by fireworks and a celebratory mood as officials embraced and congratulated each other on St. Maarten’s increased autonomy. The national anthem of the Netherlands, the Wilhelmus, the anthem of the Netherlands Antilles, and the St. Maarten song had been played earlier in the
ceremony.
Calling the occasion “momentous” and “historical,” former Acting Lt. Governor Reynold Groeneveldt, who was appointed Acting Governor on Sunday, lauded the “dignified manner” in which country status had been achieved without violence – a point echoed by Dutch Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Ballin.
St. Maarten Flag
The St. Maarten flag was adopted in June 1985 and was officially hoisted for the first time in front of the Government Administration Building in the same year.
The color red in the flag represents solidarity and courage; while white stands for peace and friendliness and blue represents the environment, such as the skies, beaches and seas. The coat of arms in the flag depicts the Court House in Philipsburg; the island’s national flower the yellow sage and St. Maarten’s national bird the Brown Pelican in flight with the sun as its backdrop. It also has a silhouette of the border monument and the words “Semper pro grediens” (latin for ‘ever moving forward’) towards the bottom.
For more information you can go to our website www.visitstmaarten.com
