the following remarks were made by  Mr. Franklyn E. Richards, Governor of St. Maarten, on occasion of the 12th anniversary of the VKS:

It has been 12 years since the voluntary corps, VKS, was established with a clear mission to protect and serve St Maarten by providing much needed assistance in situations which taught us that such aid is definitely required. 

Today, the VKS is widely recognized for its structured, efficient assistance to the police, fire department, EMS and any disaster recovery effort.The VKS is a Para-military organization that provides security and peace-keeping capabilities for Sint Maarten, and for the Netherlands Antilles. 

the following lecture was presented by St. Maarten's governor Mr. Franklyn Richards, to members of the Rotary Club on June 3, 2009:

Allow me to begin my remarks by expressing gratitude for your invitation through Mr. Michael Ferrier to address you once more. The last time I was able to do so was on April 23 of last year when I had the opportunity to elucidate on the topic of safety and security on St. Maarten.

Today, I would like to share with you some thoughts on an issue which has as theme ‘Good Governance’.