Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
Members of the Permanent Committee for Kingdom Affairs and Inter-Parliamentary Relations are scheduled to meet this morning. Topics include a debriefing on the recent Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation IPKO in The Hague. Although not on the agenda, the protocol regarding an Integrity Chamber for St. Maarten signed around the same time between Justice Minister Dennis Richardson and Dutch Kingdom Relations Minister Ronald Plasterk is likely to come up. After all, several legislators have voiced their disapproval over this perceived “bypassing of Parliament†in no uncertain terms.
In one case it actually concerns governing partner USP, which was given precisely the Justice portfolio when joining the UP-led coalition in January. There were indications the party in question might demand that Richardson step down, despite an agreement made at the time that he would remain in office for at least another year.
It did not come to that, however, because USP leader Frans Richardson agreed with his rank and file to meet with the Minister first following the Kingdom Justice meeting taking place here this week.
During his joint press conference with Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs on Sunday (see Monday paper), it was made abundantly clear that the Justice Minister had acted with the full backing of the complete Council of Ministers. A possible motion of no-confidence against him therefore would be directed at the entire Gumbs cabinet, they warned.
Taking into account that the UP-led coalition has 10 of 15 seats in the legislature, USP alone wouldn’t be able to make the minister resign. Besides, the latter had already stated he would do so only if requested by the majority.
Of course, that doesn’t automatically mean the protocol and related draft legislation for the Integrity Chamber will receive the required support when they are handled in a Parliament meeting requested by Government. It’s very much a “take or leave it†proposition in the sense that any changes also will render null and void the agreement reached.
But those who want to go in that direction should keep in mind that the alternative is an earlier-announced general measure of kingdom governance that was taken off the table with the protocol. Sometimes it’s necessary to settle for the lesser of two evils.
