On June 1st, Island Council Member Hemmie van Xanten resigned from the political party WIPM. He communicated this to the Sabans through a Whatapp message. It reads:

“Dear People of Saba and especially to my constituency,

On June 1st, I officially informed the Governor of the Public Entity Saba, Mr. Jonathan Johnson, that I no longer will be an island council member, representing the political party WIPM.

From June 1st, I have resigned as a party member of the WIPM and will continue to serve my term without any affiliation with a political group or party.

The reason for my resignation is mainly based on the fact that the functioning of the party does not meet my expectation of running a professional political party.

Maybe because my cultural background differs, maybe because of my professional experience as a school director worldwide. But if this is the norm and has been the norm over the past decennia, I will respect this, but I do not agree with it and therefore have resigned as a party member.

To me, the future looks bright and open to numerous possibilities. I will continue to serve my term on the Island Council in the interest of all Sabans and will be open to any advice, support, or criticism.

Believe me, I don’t know it all, but together we all know a lot. Equality and prosperity.

Hemmie”