The Federation Medef Fipcom St Martin organized last Wednesday at Maison Gumbs, a Meeting of Entrepreneurs with the candidates approached for the Presidency of the Collectivity of Saint-Martin. Six questions were submitted to the various candidates ahead of the event, which brought together more than 150 people and where the press was invited. The meeting was led and moderated by Sandrine Jabouley Delahaye and Fancesca Hunt. Summarized feedback on the first question, the response time of which was five minutes. Each candidate was accompanied by a running mate. Were present: Jules Charvilles and Roméo Piper (Generation Hope), Yawo Nyuadzi and Sabrina Rivere (Avenir Saint-Martin), Valérie Damaseau and Jean-Raymond Benjamin (Alternative 2022), Daniel Gibbs and Marie-Dominique Ramphort (Team gibbs 2022) , Louis Mussington and Alain Richardson (Rassemblement Saint-Martinois) and finally, Jacques Hamlet and Rosette Gumbs Lake (Saint-Martin with you).

What would be the main axes of the economic development of the territory and how to revitalize the economy of Saint Martin?

• Louis Mussington 

“Since there is no structure for economic development (port and airport), it would therefore be necessary to stimulate public procurement. Then, of course, tourism, which remains one of the locomotives of our territory which has suffered a lot in particular because of the covid, it must be rethought but first of all, the recovery must be done at the local level by the commitment to work in symbiosis with the socio-professionals of this sector so that we can guarantee the safety, the beautification of the territory but also the quality of the service. Beyond these usual areas, it is important that our territory think about and set up other development sectors and in particular a sector that is dear to us, the innovative science sector (computing, internet) since we do indeed have this chance to have a growing number of young people from the territory who are qualified in this sector and therefore, it is our ambition to create in our territory a zone specially dedicated to companies. »

• Yawo Nyuadzi 

“Tourism is important and it seems to me that when you look at the budget of our community, our efforts are insufficient. Of course, we have other issues, and I think there is one that should not be missed, and that is the digital transition. I insist on this, this bend, you can't miss it. I had the opportunity to work on the Interreg Caribix project, I believe that it is fundamental for us to focus on the pooling of networks to build. It is fundamental for us to be well listened to. From there, we can explore sectors such as health, telemedicine, education, training, it is important that this transition, this digital revolution, this digital battle, we can win it. I also think that in terms of economic issues, we don't often think about it, we must also encourage culture. We must develop the cultural and artistic economy and God knows if we have a certain number of talents given the quality of the productions that can be made. On the sidelines, we have adjacent activities, such as agriculture. » 

•Daniel Gibbs 

“When we talk about the economy of a territory like Saint Martin based on 95% of the economy, which is tourism, we would start with this aspect. I would like to separate the part of things a little bit, there are two ways, two axes, a public axis and a private axis. There are numbers that show this community is on the right track. It is on the right track because despite all this, we arrive today with -3% unemployment rate in 2022 starting from 2017. We arrive at -8% among young people  under 25 years old. And we also manage to justify by taxation thanks also to you, a record taxation on local taxation since we arrived at 120 million, the record was 93 million and that means that there was a strong participation of the world socio-professional, and a large part of the population in general, has therefore settled a tax citizenship. And who says tax citizenship says confidence in the management in place. We must focus on fisheries-agriculture diversification of course, from 1,5 to 2% of our economic activity, we can do better. » 

• Jules Charvilles 

“In general, we will have to create a climate of trust and security, a sufficiently pleasant living environment. And of course, a tax system adapted to make Saint Martin, on the French side, attractive. We have to start at the beginning. First, the living environment. To attract investors, you have to make Saint Martin clean, pleasant and with a visual signature. This is why we have planned to launch a clean-up campaign for all of Saint Martin. Also, we have planned a campaign to beautify public places. We are also going to offer grants for individuals to beautify their gardens so that tourists can see a certain cachet of yesteryear that will remind them why they fell in love with Saint Martin. Secondly, security, we will have to strengthen security. Third, public health. We know very well when investors in a territory like to have a high-performance and reassuring care offer, in the same way  than the rest of the population, that's the base. » 

• James Hamlet 

“The issue of the upcoming elections is crucial. It's not just about replacing a team to do pretty much the same thing. What voters expect from us today is a reversal of the trend, a real takeoff of Saint Martin. 

This is why we decided to offer them a real development project. It is in this perspective that we must put forward the tools that will allow us to contribute to development, I would like to point out that development is everyone's business, and that it is carried out above all by the socio-economic actors. economic and cultural. Initially, tourism remains the pillar of our development, the community's mission is to facilitate the development of crafts, rotating market, exhibitions, fairs. To make all citizens eco-responsible. Secondly, encourage the revival of trade through an incentive tax policy and the organization of events ensuring the promotion of brands. Human capital is the basis of the development we envision for the benefit of the entire population. »

• Valerie Damaseau 

“Alternative safe: innovate, preserve and transmit.

This evening, we want to share with you certain areas of economic development such as transforming or improving all places with tourist potential. This is the reason why we propose this artisanal zone in Cul de Sac and renovation of the pier, the development of public beaches, the installation of toilets, shaded areas, tables, benches and embellishment. Within the economic development department, we want to assist project leaders who want to create guest rooms. Build major infrastructure for hosting major events, conference room. Promote entrepreneurship, encourage our young people to start a business. And anticipate the future needs of the territory in the field of waste treatment, have a company or an association that manages selective sorting and awareness. At the service level, deploy online service platforms. The promotion of digital use. In retirement homes, the implementation of a videoconference allows families to stay connected. »

Continued in our Monday edition…

Louis Mussington, Valérie Damaseau, Jules Charville, Jacques Hamlet, Daniel Gibbs and Yawo Nyuadzi