Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
~ If govt. doesn’t resign by today ~
PHILIPSBURG--If the ministers in the Gumbs cabinet fail to make their positions available by today, Tuesday, supporters of the new majority coalition in Parliament plan to take to the streets in a peaceful protest tomorrow, Wednesday, to send a strong message to Government that they “cannot hold the country hostage any longer.â€
The Daily Herald understands that the supporters of the new majority have given the Gumbs cabinet up to today to demit office, as a motion of no confidence against them was passed almost two weeks ago, on Wednesday, September 30.
This newspaper understands that supporters met with their representatives of the new majority coalition over the weekend to determine how to proceed, given that Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs and members of the cabinet have refused to resign.
The protest action is expected to be held at the Government Administration Building early Wednesday only if the ministers have not made their positions available by the end of the day today.
Members of Parliament (MPs) Frans Richardson, Silvio Matser and Maurice Lake informed Governor Eugene Holiday on September 30 that they had withdrawn their support from the United People’s (UP) party-led coalition government.
Holiday was informed just after noon on the same day that Parliament had passed a motion of no-confidence against the current cabinet of ministers. Article 33, second paragraph, of the Constitution of St. Maarten states that if a minister no longer has the confidence of Parliament, he shall make his position available.
Holiday also received a separate letter signed by the four members of the National Alliance fraction in Parliament, the Democratic Party ((DP)) fraction, the United St. Maarten Party (USP) fraction and MPs Matser and Lake signalling their willingness to form the next Government of St. Maarten. The letter included a Governing Accord signed by the eight MPs forming the new majority coalition.
Following the motion of no confidence, the Council of Ministers invoked article 59 of the Constitution and submitted to the Governor a national decree to call for new elections and dissolve Parliament.
Holiday had said in an earlier release that a new Government could be formed in St. Maarten based on the new majority in Parliament. “There is no basis not to form a new Government based on the new majority in Parliament,†Holiday had said. He issued an appeal “to all stakeholders to do all that is necessary to maintain and protect the integrity of our constitutional democracy and to foster actions in keeping with our constitution based on the rule of law.â€
