Culture
Both sides of St. Martin adopted the Unity Flag as a shared cultural symbol in 2022
In autumn 2022 the Collectivité de Saint-Martin and the Government of Sint Maarten adopted the St. Martin Unity Flag, first unveiled in 1990, as a joint cultural symbol of the whole island.
By SXM Daily ·
Reported 9 November 2022.
In the autumn of 2022, the governments on both sides of St. Martin agreed to treat the St. Martin Unity Flag as a shared cultural symbol of the whole island. The flag itself was not new: it was first unveiled on 31 August 1990, according to Faxinfo.
The French side's vote
Faxinfo reported on 4 October 2022 that Collectivité President Louis Mussington had asked the Territorial Council, at a plenary session the previous Thursday, to adopt the green, yellow and blue flag as a joint symbol of the island's unity and identity. The idea followed a meeting on 23 August 2022 between Mussington and the Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, Silveria Jacobs.
All councillors backed the principle of a common flag with the Dutch side, Faxinfo reported. Team Gibbs and Angeline Laurence chose not to take part in the vote, saying they would have preferred the public to be consulted on the choice of flag.
The Dutch side
On 9 November 2022, NEWS.SX reported that Prime Minister Jacobs and Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Minister Rodolphe Samuel had presented the flag to Parliament, with the ONE SXM Foundation, which included the flag's owner Lasana M. Sekou of House Nehesi. Jacobs told MPs that she and the Collectivité President would sign a memorandum of understanding on St. Martin Day to use the flag as a joint cultural symbol.
Le Pélican reported on 9 November 2022 that the two sides had formally adopted the flag as a cultural symbol on Tuesday 8 November, days before St. Martin Day.
A year later
Le97150 reported that on 6 November 2023 the flag was raised in front of the Hôtel de la Collectivité in Marigot, alongside the French and European flags. The outlet described its two stars, for Saint-Martin and Sint Maarten, and the motto "One Island, One People, One Destiny".
Not the same as the 2026 flag vote
The Unity Flag is a cultural flag for the whole island. It is separate from the French side's 2026 public vote on a flag for the Collectivité, which SXM Daily covered in My Saint-Martin flag: 42 designs put to a vote and how to vote in the Saint-Martin flag poll.
Sources
- https://www.faxinfo.fr/en/conseil-executif-ladoption-du-saint-martin-unity-flag-comme-symbole-dunite-fait-debat-sur-la-forme/
- https://news.sx/parliament/ministers-and-one-sxm-foundation-present-st-martin-unity-flag-to-parliament/
- https://www.lepelican-journal.com/unity-flag-l-interview-de-louis-mussington/
- https://www.le97150.fr/en/societe-cache/le-saint-martin-unity-flag-hisse-sur-le-parvis-de-la-collectivite
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