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Gracita Arrindell | |
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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 | Sint Maarten | 4 March 1956
Political party | Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement |
Gracita Arrindell (born 4 March 1956) is a Dutch politician,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.
Born in Sint Maarten, [2] she was awarded an MA degree in political science from the Catholic University,Nijmegen. In 1988,she became deputy secretary of the Island Council. [3] 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. [3]
Arrindell was the first 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. [4] [5] During her tenure she was also the leader of the PPA. [6] She has spoken out against the nepotism that has been common in political appointments on the island. [7]
In Looking Back to Move Forward,Arrindell edited a collection of speeches by former Prime Ministers of the Netherlands Antilles. [3] She is president of the Peridot Foundation,an organisation she founded to combat domestic violence in Saba,Sint Eustasius and Sint Maarten. [8] [3] She was also chair of the supervisory board of Directors of the Princess Juliana International Airport. [3]
In 2009 she was recognised with an Emerald Award from the Women of Great Esteem (WGE) Organization. [9]