Gracita Arrindell (born 1956) is a Dutch politician, writer and women's rights activist, who was the first woman to be appointed President of the Parliament of Sint Maarten, a role she held for two terms.

Biography

Born in Sint Maarten,[1] she was awarded an MA degree in political science from the Catholic University, Nijmegen. In 1988, she became deputy secretary of the Island Council.[2] In 1994 she was the chair of the Constitutional Referendum Committee. In 1999 she was a candidate in the Island Council (IC) elections, representing the Democratic Party. However she later joined the People's Progressive Alliance (PPA), who won their first seat in 2003.[2]

Arrindell was the first woman to be elected President of the Parliament of Sint Maarten. She held the role of President for two terms: the first from 10 October 2010 to 14 July 2012; the second from 24 June 2013 to 9 October 2014.[3][4] During her tenure she was also the leader of the PPA.[5] She has spoken out against the nepotism that has been common in political appointments on the island.[6]

In Looking Back to Move Forward, Arrindell edited a collection of speeches by former Prime Ministers of the Netherlands Antilles.[2] She is president of the Peridot Foundation, an organisation she founded to combat domestic violence in Saba, Sint Eustasius and Sint Maarten.[7][2] She was also chair of the supervisory board of Directors of the Princess Juliana International Airport.[2]

Awards

In 2009 she was recognised with an Emerald Award from the Women of Great Esteem (WGE) Organization.[8]

References

  1. ↑ admin. "ARRINDELL: HIGH COUNCILS OF STATE & FIRST RESPONDERS CARRIED OUR DEMOCRACY | SXM Talks". Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 "Welcome to House of Nehesi Publishers". www.houseofnehesipublish.com. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
  3. ↑ "Arrindell elected president of first parliament of St. Maarten" (PDF). The Daily Herald. 11 October 2010. p. 4.
  4. ↑ "Gracita Arrindell back as President of the Parliament" (PDF). The Daily Herald. 25 June 2013. pp. 1, 10.
  5. ↑ admin. "GRACITA: PARLIAMENT'S ELECTORAL REFORM AD-HOC COMMITTEE SLUMBERS | SXM Talks". Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  6. ↑ TALKS, SXM. "GRACITA: TIME TO RISE TO THE OCCASION | SOUALIGA NEWSDAY | SXM Talks". Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  7. ↑ admin. ""Peridot Foundation to Celebrate International Women's Day 2022 Theme: #Break the Bias Exciting Program " | SXM Talks". Retrieved 2022-03-07.
  8. ↑ "Two Jamaicans Among 2009 Woman of Great Esteem – Jamaica Information Service". jis.gov.jm. Retrieved 2022-03-02.
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