The ONESXM Association is calling for an island-wide dialogue and referendum following the recent ratification of the St. Martin border agreement between France and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
In a statement, the organization described the decision as a missed historic opportunity, arguing that the island's division traces back to an agreement reached in 1648 between two colonial powers without the knowledge, participation, or consent of the people of St. Martin.
ONESXM says those negotiations took place during a period when Indigenous people and Africans brought to the island in bondage were denied political rights and treated as property. The association argues that, rather than using the current process to begin a broader discussion about the island's constitutional future, governments have instead chosen to give modern legal recognition to a colonial-era division.
While acknowledging the need for legal certainty over issues such as jurisdiction, environmental management, maritime boundaries, and the long-disputed Oyster Pond area, ONESXM says legal clarity should not be confused with democratic legitimacy.
The organization notes that no island-wide referendum or broad public consultation was held before the agreement moved forward and argues that constitutional questions affecting the island's identity, territory, and future should ultimately be decided with the direct participation of the people.
ONESXM is renewing its call for meaningful public dialogue, including a referendum, maintaining that the future of St. Martin should be shaped not only by governments, but by the people who call the island home.