Paulina Nzinga Lake: “I believe in St. Maarten”

GREAT BAY, St. Martin —“The future is vast … , full of challenges and beautiful surprises … I embrace this certainty with an open heart, a hopeful spirit, and clear thinking, full of confidence,” said Paulina Nzinga Lake in connection with her first election bid for parliament. 

Lake is the #6 candidate of Soualiga Action Movement (SAM), fielding its first list of 12 candidates in the election of August 19, 2024. SAM is headed by Frankie Meyers. The businessman and former legislator has also served as the territory’s minister of tourism, economic affairs, telecommunications, and transportation. 

“I believe in St. Maarten,” said Paulina Nzinga Lake. “My drive for positive change and dedication to St. Maarten reflects over 20 years of private and public sector experience and community service.” 

Lake is the president of St. Maarten Small Properties Association. She is a board member of the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce & Industry and Charlotte Brookson Academy for the Performing Arts (CBA).  

In keeping with SAM’s platform, Lake plans to advocate for tax break legislation for strategic small-to-medium size businesses. “Small and medium size hotels should be in line for financial advantages that large hotels have benefited from over the years,” said Lake.  

“St. Maarten has been in the tourism industry for over 65 years. There is no reason why more St. Maarteners are not hotel owners,” said Lake. She is a former product development assistant at St. Maarten Tourist Bureau and cruise service manager with Port St. Maarten.  

“I have no doubt about our people’s will and hard work for success. But where are the incentives, even with NRPB guidelines and requirements? The incentives for St. Maarteners to get in more hospitality businesses, and with stronger footing?” said Lake. “I will advocate, from SAM’s education platform, for more St. Maarten teachers. That includes meeting the challenges for more male teachers. It is also urgent for more St. Maarten medical and health professionals to staff our expanding hospital and clinics.” 

“The full accreditation of the University of St. Martin must be put in place in 2025. Government cannot be an obstacle to USM fulfilling its higher education purpose and objectives and adding its economic motor as an island and regional institution.  

“I will advocate with SAM, and with all parliamentarians, for government to work closer with institutions like NIPA. To provide, maintain, and keep developing the links between training and the St. Maarten job market needs and innovations. 

You know, areas of innovations are especially important for ambitious new graduates and small entrepreneurs to get on their footing. I agree with the SAM manifesto on crime. In keeping with that, I would champion a wide awareness of the law related to stalking. Stalking affects women and girls in St. Maarten. It is an underreported danger that can quickly become a violent crime.  Women don’t talk about it often or publicly but make no mistake it happens. The men in some families and sometimes a boyfriend eventually step up in the female’s defense and stop the stalkers in their crazy tracks when things are getting way out of hand. But we all need to know how the law applies for the protection of women and girls. Should the law be updated? If no specific law or article of law exists against stalking, then the whole parliament must work with legal and judicial experts to put it in place ASAP,” said Lake.  

“As for translating our laws from Dutch to English, all parliamentarians must work in solidarity. I grew up in a house where this was a normal conversation. My father, Joseph Lake, Jr., wrote about this in his Newsday newspaper since the early 1980s, especially when it comes to the education, court, and prison systems.

“Since 2010, books like The Laws of St. Maarten have been published. But parliament must make it a legal standard to publish all our laws in both official languages. All the St. Maarten people, and definitely those facing the judge in any case, should clearly understand the laws affecting their rights, freedom, responsibility, their property and their very life,” said Lake.

The St. Thomas University graduate has worked as an executive assistant at the Parliament of St. Maarten. She was the performing arts director at CBA; and founded the popular Little Miss St. Martin Pageant. 

Lake’s grandfather was the late José H. Lake, Sr., the island’s “father of journalism.” He was a politician here and championed workers’ rights island-wide from 1959 to 1976. Lake, Sr. fought for workers’ rights at Lago in Aruba and was elected to Aruba’s Island Council in 1955.

Paulina Nzinga holds a SCELL journalism certificate from USM, and the Accredited Director certification from the Chartered Governance Institute of Canada.  

Lake has been an instructor for St. Maarten AIDS Foundation; sergeant-at-arms with Toastmasters International; and the Children’s Room coordinator for St. Martin Book Fair. She works with VOICES foundation against domestic abuse and youth and gun violence; and is the Office Manager of the Rent Tribunal. 

With her campaign slogan, “Committed to You. Service over Self,” on August 19, parliamentary election day, “whether you are residing as a registered voter on the South or North of our island, I’m asking for your vote,” said Paulina Nzinga Lake, SAM candidate 6. 

Caption: 

Paulina Nzinga Lake, candidate for the parliamentary election of August 19, 2024.