Esmeralda Johnson

Last updated
Esmeralda Johnson
Education Lindenwood University
OccupationPolitician
Years active2019 – 2023
Known forYoungest ever member of the Island Council of Saba
Political party Windward Islands People's Movement

Esmeralda Johnson is a politician from Saba, and former member of the Saba Island Council for the Windward Islands People's Movement. She held this post since 28 March 2019 when, at age 21, she became the youngest person to serve in that capacity.

Contents

Biography

Johnson graduated from Lindenwood University in 2018, with a BA in Mathematics and Economics. [1] In 2019, aged 21 years old, Johnson ran for election to a seat on the Island Council of Saba. [2] She was the youngest female candidate to ever take part in the Saba Island elections. [1] She is a member of the Windward Islands People's Movement. [1] Her campaign focused on the issues of youth empowerment, education and women's rights. [1]

In May 2019, she was elected to a council seat with 39 votes. [2] With her election, she became the youngest ever member of the Island Council of Saba. [3] She is also the only female member of the current iteration of the council. [3] Her grandfather, David Johnson was also a member of the island council; he was elected in 1979. [3]

In June 2021, Johnson visited the Netherlands as part of a delegation from Saba Island. [4] [5] Issues that the group wanted clarification on from the Dutch government included: development, agricultural investment, transport links with Sint Maarten, educational investment, and affordable banking, amongst others. [4] In September 2021, she was part of a delegation that visited Bonaire, where members of both island councils discussed issues such as access to medical care. [6] [7]

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Netherlands Antilles</span> 1954–2010 Caribbean constituent country of the Netherlands

The Netherlands Antilles was a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The country consisted of several island territories located in the Caribbean Sea. The islands were also informally known as the Dutch Antilles. The country came into being in 1954 as the autonomous successor of the Dutch colony of Curaçao and Dependencies. The Antilles were dissolved in 2010. The Dutch colony of Surinam, although it was relatively close by on the continent of South America, did not become part of the Netherlands Antilles but became a separate autonomous country in 1954. All the island territories that belonged to the Netherlands Antilles remain part of the kingdom today, although the legal status of each differs. As a group they are still commonly called the Dutch Caribbean, regardless of their legal status. People from this former territory continue to be called Antilleans in the Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Saba (island)</span> Special municipality of the Netherlands in Caribbean Netherlands

Saba is a Caribbean island and the smallest special municipality of the Netherlands. It consists largely of the active volcano Mount Scenery, which at 887 metres (2,910 ft) is the highest point of the entire Kingdom of the Netherlands. The island lies in the northern Leeward Islands portion of the West Indies, southeast of the Virgin Islands. Together with Bonaire and Sint Eustatius it forms the BES islands, also known as the Caribbean Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">SSS islands</span> Group of islands in the Caribbean Sea

The SSS islands, locally also known as the Windward Islands, is a collective term for the three territories of the Dutch Caribbean that are located within the Leeward Islands group of the Lesser Antilles. In order of population size, they are: Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba. In some contexts, the term is also used to refer to the entire island of Saint Martin, alongside Sint Eustatius and Saba.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Windward Islands People's Movement</span> Political party in Saba

The Windward Islands People's Movement (WIPM) is a political party in Saba, which held all five seats in the Island Council after the 2019 elections and until June 1, 2022, when council member Hemmie Van Xanten resigned from the party while continuing to serve as a councilor. When party member Esmeralda Johnson was elected to a seat on the island council in 2019, she became the youngest person ever to serve on it.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles</span> 2010 dissolution of the autonomous Caribbean country of the Netherlands

The Netherlands Antilles was an autonomous Caribbean country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands. It was dissolved on 10 October 2010.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Caribbean Netherlands</span> Overseas region of the Netherlands

The Caribbean Netherlands are the three public bodies of the Netherlands that are located in the Caribbean Sea. They consist of the islands of Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba, although the term "Caribbean Netherlands" is sometimes used to refer to all of the islands in the Dutch Caribbean. In legislation, the three islands are also known as Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba or the BES islands. The islands are currently classified as public bodies in the Netherlands and as overseas countries and territories of the European Union; thus, European Union law does not automatically apply.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dutch Caribbean</span> Parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands located in the Caribbean

The Dutch Caribbean are the territories, colonies, and countries, former and current, of the Dutch Empire and the Kingdom of the Netherlands in the Caribbean Sea. They are in the north and south-west of the Lesser Antilles archipelago.

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Monique Wilson is a Saban politician. She served as a member of the Saba Island Council for the Saba Labour Party between 2015 and 2019.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Island Council of Saba</span> Legislative body of the Dutch special municipality

The Island Council of Saba is the legislative body of the Dutch special municipality of Saba. It consists of five members and elections take place every four years. The Island Council appoints and supervises the commissioners in the Executive Council. The Island Council is chaired by the Island Governor.

Island council elections were held in the Caribbean Netherlands on 20 March 2019 to elect the members of the island councils of Bonaire and Saba. The elections were held on the same day as the electoral college elections in the Caribbean Netherlands, and the provincial and water board elections in the European Netherlands. The election was won by the Bonaire People's Movement in Bonaire and by the Windward Islands People's Movement in Saba.

Island council elections were held in the Caribbean Netherlands on 2 March 2011 to elect the members of the island councils of Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius. They were the first island council elections since the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010.

Island council elections were held in the Caribbean Netherlands on 18 March 2015 to elect the members of the island councils of Bonaire, Saba and Sint Eustatius. The elections were held on the same day as the provincial and water board elections in the European Netherlands. The election was won by the Movement of Bonaire People in Bonaire, the Windward Islands People's Movement in Saba, and the Progressive Labour Party in Sint Eustatius.

Island council elections were held in the Netherlands Antilles on 29 April and 6 May 1983 to elect the members of the island councils of its six island territories. The election was won by the People's Electoral Movement in Aruba, the Bonaire Democratic Party in Bonaire, the New Antilles Movement in Curaçao, the Windward Islands People's Movement in Saba, the Democratic Party Statia in Sint Eustatius, and the Democratic Party in Sint Maarten.

Island council elections were held in the Netherlands Antilles on 12 April 1991 to elect the members of the island councils of its five island territories. The election was won by the Bonaire Patriotic Union in Bonaire, the National People's Party in Curaçao, the Windward Islands People's Movement in Saba, and the Sint Maarten Patriotic Alliance in Sint Maarten.

Island council elections were held in the Netherlands Antilles on 7 April and 12 May 1995 to elect the members of the island councils of its five island territories. The election was won by the Bonaire Democratic Party in Bonaire, the Party for the Restructured Antilles in Curaçao, the Saba Democratic Labour Movement in Saba, the Democratic Party Statia in Sint Eustatius, and the Democratic Party in Sint Maarten.

Island council elections were held in the Netherlands Antilles on 7 May and 21 May 1999 to elect the members of the island councils of its five island territories. The election was won by the Party for the Restructured Antilles in Curaçao, the Windward Islands People's Movement in Saba, the Sint Eustatius Alliance in Sint Eustatius, and the Democratic Party in Sint Maarten.

Island council elections were held in the Netherlands Antilles on 9 May and 23 May 2003 to elect the members of the island councils of its five island territories. The election was won by the Bonaire Patriotic Union in Bonaire, the Workers' Liberation Front in Curaçao, the Windward Islands People's Movement in Saba, the Democratic Party Statia in Sint Eustatius, and the Democratic Party in Sint Maarten.

Island council elections were held in the Netherlands Antilles on 20 April 2007 to elect the members of the island councils of its five island territories. They were the last regular island council elections before the dissolution of the Netherlands Antilles in 2010.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 "Saba youngest female (21) campaigns in Island Elections | Caribbean Network". 2021-10-24. Archived from the original on 2021-10-24. Retrieved 2021-10-24.
  2. 1 2 Shein, Erica; Ellena, Katherine (2019). Saba 2019 Island Council and Senate Electoral College Elections: Technical Observation and Assessment Final Report (PDF). Kingdom of the Netherlands.
  3. 1 2 3 "New Island Council, Commissioners sworn in - Saba News". 2021-10-24. Archived from the original on 2021-10-24. Retrieved 2021-10-24.
  4. 1 2 "The Daily Herald - Saba Island Council visits the Netherlands". 2021-10-24. Archived from the original on 2021-10-24. Retrieved 2021-10-24.
  5. "Gesprek met de eilandsraad van Saba, Den Haag - verplaatst". www.europa-nu.nl (in Dutch). Retrieved 2021-10-24.
  6. "Saba Island Council visits Bonaire - Saba News". 2021-10-24. Archived from the original on 2021-10-24. Retrieved 2021-10-24.
  7. "Island Council pays working visit to Bonaire". 2021-10-24. Archived from the original on 2021-10-24. Retrieved 2021-10-24.