Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
St. Maarten —Minister Cornelius de Weever yesterday officially severed ties with the Democratic Party by officially informing the leader of that party and care taker Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams that he is resigning from the party.
Minister De Weever ran on the DP’s ticket in the August 2014 elections but secretly formed a coalition with the UP party shortly after the elections while the DP had publicly announced that it has signed an agreement and was forming a coalition with the US and NA. The DP had received only two seats in that election, once from Minister de Weever and the other from the care taker Prime Minister. The new UP coalition, which also saw US candidate Romero-Marlin defecting to the UP, effectively forced then formateur and NA leader William Marlin out of a majority. DP leader Wescott-Williams then followed de Weever’s lead and joined the UP coalition but later opted out of the said coalition.
“Due to the manner in which she and/or the DP publicly tried to portray me in a negative light, I have decided to reconsider my future with the DP and hereby resign my affiliation with the Democratic Party. I campaigned as a New Democrat with a “new” Democratic Party but it is readily apparent to many that it is the same old political strategy of trying to shame and blame,†Minister de Weever states.
Minister De Weever further stated that he expected an internal “issue” to be handled internally, professionally and to avoid giving others more ammunition against St. Maarten. “I expected to be treated fairly and equally and I will not get into the many adjectives used by you (Wescott-Williams) in your letter to me. Consequently, by means of this letter, I tender my resignation from the “old†Democratic Party, effective immediately,†Minister Cornelius de Weever states in his official letter of resignation.
The minister added that he would like to further thank the Democratic Party “very much for the opportunities afforded†to him and he will continue to work with MP Wescot-Williams and all other parties in Parliament where “the original democratic principles of taking care of the people will guide me through every decision I makeâ€.
