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Wycliffe Smith: educator, poet and Prime Minister of Sint Maarten in 2019

A profile of Wycliffe Smith, the Saba-born educator, pastor and poet who was Lieutenant Governor of Saba and briefly Prime Minister of Sint Maarten in 2019.

By SXM Daily ·

Wycliffe Smith served as Prime Minister of Sint Maarten from 10 October to 19 November 2019. Born in 1948, he was earlier Lieutenant Governor of Saba, according to the reference site Rulers.org, and before becoming Prime Minister he was Sint Maarten's Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport.

Wycliffe Smith, December 2015

Photo: Lionell Charles, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Lieutenant Governor of Saba

He was Lieutenant Governor (gezaghebber) of Saba from 1983 to 1989, according to Rulers.org. The Lieutenant Governor heads the island government of Saba.

Politics and premiership

In the cabinet led by Leona Marlin-Romeo, Smith served as Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport, The Daily Herald reported.

On Thursday 10 October 2019, after Marlin-Romeo resigned, the Council of Ministers appointed him Prime Minister, The Daily Herald reported. He kept the education portfolio and served until 19 November 2019, when Silveria Jacobs succeeded him.

Smith led the Sint Maarten Christian Party (SMCP), which held cabinet posts from June 2018 until November 2019, StMaartenNews.com and SMN-News reported.

Sources

  • https://web.archive.org/web/20191017030908/www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/91653-smith-appointed-prime-minister
  • https://www.rulers.org/ruls1.html
  • https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:WycliffeSmithSaba.jpg
  • https://stmaartennews.com/government/smcp-achieve-government/
  • https://sxmelections.com/news/31717/former-pm-wycliffe-smith-feels-st-maarten-needs-stability-now-more-than-ever

Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20191017030908/www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/91653-smith-appointed-prime-minister

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