Gracita Arrindell | |
|---|---|
| President of Parliament | |
| In office 10 October 2010 [1] –14 July 2012 | |
| Monarch | Willem-Alexander |
| Governor | Eugene Holiday |
| Preceded by | Office created |
| Succeeded by | Rodolphe E. Samuel |
| In office 24 June 2013 –9 October 2014 | |
| Preceded by | Rodolphe E. Samuel |
| Succeeded by | Lloyd J. Richardson |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 4 March 1956 |
| Political party | Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement |
Gracita Arrindell (born 4 March 1956) is a politician of Sint Maarten,writer and women's rights activist,who was the first President of the Parliament of Sint Maarten,a role she held for two non-consecutive terms.
In 2025 she is Minister Plenipotentiary. [2]
Born in Curaçao, [3] she was awarded an MA degree in political science from the Catholic University,Nijmegen. In 1988,she became deputy secretary of the Island Council. [4] 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. [4]
In Looking Back to Move Forward (2006),Arrindell edited a collection of speeches by former Prime Ministers of the Netherlands Antilles. [5]
Arrindell was the first person 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. [6] [7] During her tenure she was also the leader of the PPA. [8] She has spoken out against the nepotism that has been common in political appointments on the island. [9]
In 2022,she was chair of the supervisory board of Directors of the Princess Juliana International Airport. [4]
In 2024,she was president of the Peridot Foundation,an organisation she founded to combat domestic violence in Saba,Sint Eustasius and Sint Maarten. [10] [11]
In 2024,she was Deputy Minister Plenipotentiary. [12] In the same year she published From Slavery to Freedom. [13]
In 2009 she was recognised with an Emerald Award from the Women of Great Esteem (WGE) Organization. [14]