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“I look forward to working with the civil servants to achieve the goals of the organization.” This is the objective of incoming Island Secretary of Saba, Wim van Twuijver. The new head of the civil service takes up his post in the organization on Monday, November 24th and says he is looking forward to this new experience.
(Photo GIS Saba)
Mr. van Twuijver brings to Saba a significant amount of experience of in leading governmental organizations. Previously he was the City Manager in two municipalities, the most recent being Hollands-Kroon a city that is made up of 25 villages with a population of more than 50,000 people, where he spent four years. Before that he was the City Manager of Oostzaan, a municipality near Amsterdam. He spent the early part of his career as a detective in the police force, before obtaining a degree in Legal Affairs.
The tasks of a City Manager are similar to those of an Island Secretary, which is to lead the organization and be the main advisor to Commissioners and the Island Governor. The main task is working on the results that government wants to achieve. He believes in working with the employees of the civil service for community based results. “As a civil servant you have to be proud of what you do,” he remarked.
The top civil servant said that he wanted to come to Saba to make a difference. “When I first came to Saba, I saw a lot of hard working people working for the government, but I felt something was missing. I believe that I can make them shine. I want people to reach their goals with a smile on their face.”
“I also want to help the Commissioners and Governor achieve their political goals, so that they can do things that benefit the island,” explained Mr. van Twuijver.
In the first few weeks on the job the new Island Secretary plans to meet with everyone in the organization. He will visit each department so he can see the work they do.
Mr. Twuijver also moved to Saba with his wife and his two children a boy and a girl.
At least his CV is better than the CV of his predecessor and hopefully he will take care that the dualistic system in which the Island Council is the boss and not the Executive Council will be implemented at last. And I hope that he will be able to learn if nesessary.