Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
PHILIPSBURG--United St. Maarten Party (USP) has not made a decision to remove Justice Minister Dennis Richardson from his post.
Instead, party leader Member of Parliament (MP) Frans Richardson is set to meet the Justice Minister next week to discuss the agreement signed by the Minister with the Dutch Kingdom Government on the establishment of the Integrity Chamber for St. Maarten and other matters of concern.
The USP leader had a meeting with the party board and advisors on Thursday evening to discuss the possible removal of the Minister following the signing of the agreement.
The USP leader told The Daily Herald on Friday that it had been decided he would meet the Minister after the Kingdom Justice Ministers meeting that will be held in St. Maarten next week. "We decided I will sit with the Minister to get updates and explanations. I haven't met with him in a while," he said.
Asked whether the board and advisors were in agreement with his meeting the Minister rather than making a solid decision on whether to request the Minister's resignation, the party leader said the board supported the decision to meet with the Minister.
USP did not propose the current Justice Minister for the post. He was serving in the post already since the Marcel Gumbs Cabinet took office in December 2014. USP joined the governing coalition in January of this year. The party has an agreement with coalition leader United People's (UP) party that the Justice Minister, who is also a former Lt. Governor of St. Maarten, would stay in his post for at least a year.
The USP leader, like many other MPs, has been critical of the Minister for signing the agreement that puts Parliament on a deadline of June 30 to pass the draft National Ordinance to establish the Integrity Chamber for the country.
The party board and its leader are still somewhat annoyed with the minister for not keeping them in the loop about the negotiations with the Dutch Government. "The USP and its leader must be respected at all times and be involved in decisions," said the party leader. "We are the ones holding the portfolio."
Minister Richardson said Thursday night that he had not received any request from USP for his resignation. He was a guest on television talk show "Oral Gibbes Live." He pointed out that while USP had control of the Justice portfolio based on its agreement to join the UP party-led coalition, "no one party has a minister."
Ministers are appointed based on coalition agreement, said the Justice Minister, who would consider a request to resign only if it were a call from the majority of the coalition formed by UP (seven seats), independent MPs Cornelius de Weever and Leona Marlin-Romeo (one seat each), and USP, also with one seat.
The Minister said he had heard only from "third parties" about supposed calls from USP for his removal. He is prepared to meet with the USP leader to explain the agreement made with The Hague. He said if the June 30 deadline for the adoption of the draft national ordinance by Parliament was not acceptable, he just had to be told this and he would head back to The Hague and negotiate a new deadline.
The deadline for the establishment of the national ordinance was demanded by the Dutch Government because Dutch officials did not want an open-ended timeframe for the passing of the law they consider critical for St. Maarten's development.
