I strongly believe that integrity should be at the core of all members of our community. But it starts with the government organisation. That is why we are making efforts to integrate integrity into our organisation. In order to ensure that our entire organisation is on the same page, it is important to have an Integrity Office with integrity advisers.
With financial support from the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations, Quartermaster Marco van Rooijen took the first necessary steps at the beginning of 2024, including an integrity policy and a reporting procedure.
His successor, Alexandra Sizoo, began recruiting and training confidential advisers and also training La Toya Blijden in her new role as integrity adviser. At the start of 2025, Jantien Bosscher joined the Integrity Office and, during the general assembly in February, the integrity advisers and confidential counsellors were presented to the organisation. Since then, they have been working diligently alongside the Executive Council and myself to raise awareness of integrity (for example, the training courses facilitated by Nelly Schotborgh), to develop integrity-related communications (for example, the infographic and the launch of an integrity landing page on Insync), and to refine existing procedures and develop new ones (for example, the reporting policy and the investigation protocol).
Much has already been accomplished, but much still needs to be done. Being a relatively small island with a close-knit community, we face challenges when it comes to integrity. For example, we need to teach ourselves that development does not come through favouring those we know. Development comes by serving the general interest of our island, and not our own. Since this requires a cultural change, we must remain vigilant, but we must also give it time. Together, we can help each other find common ground on how to move this forward.
While collectively we form the Statia Government, each of us has taken the oath individually. Each of us has pledged to uphold the core values and principles of government, and not to do anything that conflicts with established rules, guidelines, and the laws that govern this island, which could result in reputational damage. I therefore remind us all not to lose focus, but rather to guard our integrity every single day.
To be able to talk about integrity in confidence, it is essential to provide a safe place. This is your safe place. That is why I am proud to have hosted the official opening of the Integrity Office building.
