OPINION: ‘Eat Crackers,’ Says Sint Maarten Prime Minister
Felipe Lobo Koerich (SFS ‘21) is the Caravel’s publisher and is guest writing for the Caravel’s opinion section. The content and opinions of this piece are the writer’s and the writer’s alone. They do not reflect the opinions of the Caravel or its staff.
Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs bluntly addressed Sint Maarten on April 1. (Government of Sint Maarten)
Sint Maarten Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs took the internet by storm on April 1 with a fabulously blunt message on COVID-19 and the responsibilities of her citizens.
In light of the pandemic and the threat it poses to her small Caribbean country of just more than 40,000 people, Jacobs instituted a national ban on nonessential movement, according to Buzzfeed News. Grocery stores and other essential services remain open, although the prime minister warned that they could close in coming weeks if citizens failed to heed the social distancing guidelines set in place.
Jacobs’ hour-long briefing included a plea for citizens’ cooperation, as well as a thorough scolding. “Stop moving. Simply stop moving.... if you do not have the type of bread you like in your house, eat crackers. If you do not have bread, eat cereal, eat oats, sardines,” she said.
Jacobs begged her citizens to stay indoors and also threatened—much like a parent to an unruly child—the possibility of a full lockdown. Citizens were warned to stock up with two-week’s worth of food and emergency supplies prior to the start of the current social distancing guidelines in case a full lockdown was required, in which case even essential services like grocery stores would close.
She bluntly said that she did not want to enact a full lockdown because she knew that some of her citizens likely failed to properly prepare. She expressed a hesitation to close grocery stores. But, Jacobs clarified in a statement that she would “have no other choice” if “the people of Sint Maarten do not adhere to the measures that the government of Sint Maarten is putting in place.”
Social media seized on her comments, contrasting her with the useless, ineffective, and downright dangerous briefings conducted by President Donald Trump and some other U.S. officials. Some likened her to a stern grandmother.
Governor Eugene Holiday appointed Jacobs as prime minister of Sint Maarten in late 2019 after the collapse of the previous cabinet. A snap election in January confirmed her cabinet and her position. Sint Maarten is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
In these trying times, as billions of citizens nervously look to their governments for guidance and comfort, Jacobs’s behavior sets the standard. An exemplar of competence, honesty, straightforwardness, transparency, and effectiveness, Jacobs made it clear she was in command, effectively managing her government’s response to COVID-19 and provided her citizens with blunt—but clear—expectations about her potential future decisions.
We can only hope that our leaders can rise to the challenge of these intensely challenging times. Honesty, bluntness, and competence will determine whether governments maintain the confidence of their citizens or whether situations worsen and suffering increases unchecked.
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