SXMElections.com

PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister William Marlin told members of the media on Wednesday that his government has a number of priorities they are working on including the establishment of an integrity chamber. The statements came after the Ministers were asked when they will appoint a director to the office of the cadaster. Marlin said that the cadastre office falls under the Minister of Finance, he said that there is a process to recruit someone to take up the vacant post. He said it might come to the point where government would have to park the current procedure and start over the process. Marlin further explained that they have list legislations that have to be finalized. He said that even if these procedures are being outsourced when the final legislation is ready, legal affairs of government would have to vet these legislations before it is sent to the SER, Council of Advice before it reaches parliament.
Marlin made clear that no one outside of St. Maarten dictate what a priority for his government is. Marlin said up to Tuesday his government discussed the integrity breaches that have been taking place and must be stopped. He said that civil servants and others have been doing things a certain way and they want to continue the same way, but that cannot be.
As for the Netherlands, he said just last year they had Euro 2B yet they gave St. Maarten an instruction stating that St. Maarten must implement the National Health Insurance by December 31st, 2017. Marlin said even the US cannot find a proper solution on how to fix their healthcare problems and while the Netherlands took 23 years to fix their healthcare problems, however, they have imposed an instruction on St. Maarten, a country that is just 7 years old.
Marlin said that while the current situation does not really affect health care, but the Kingdom will use the NHI to punish St. Maarten in other ways such as the country not being able to borrow.