Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
That outgoing Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure VROMI Maurice Lake wants the Council of Ministers to get on with approving the much-discussed purchase of the Vorst land in Cay Hill (see Friday paper) is to a certain extent understandable. After all, the family has been waiting since the days of former Minister Roland Duncan and his plans for a Justice Park on that location.
Not only that, but they have agreed to lower the price at least twice. In addition, the transaction was part of the capital investments in the revised 2014 budget approved by the Advisory Council as well as the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT and the required bond loan already has been issued by the Central Bank.
However, the former Parliament did pass a motion submitted by then DP fraction leader Roy Marlin to take the Vorst land purchase out of the amendments. While it regards an expressed desire of the legislature rather than a direct order, governments nevertheless are expected to comply with the wish of a democratic majority where possible.
Under those circumstances, other cabinet members, including Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams, might indeed be even more hesitant than they already are in light of their caretaker status. Even though the money is available, with such a motion still on the books and the prospect of a new incoming Council of Ministers backed by the UP/De Weever/Marlin-Romeo coalition, some degree of reluctance therefore isn't unthinkable.
The comparison with Emilio Wilson Estate (EWE) is not entirely correct, as no motion against the deal was adopted in that case. The good news is that Lake is also a Member of Parliament (MP) and thus always can initiate a new vote on the issue to take the earlier motion off the table.
