SXMElections.com

St. Maarten – Vromi-Minister Maurice Lake says he is preparing for a legal battle about the Vorst property based on the outcome of Friday’s Central Committee.

“I am going to prepare myself legally because some parliamentarians are making this issue a personal one.  This is not about politics anymore. I have to defend myself now with the slandering of my name. I don’t have any butter on my head. I have listened, and I took a lot during the election campaign, and the latter is politics. When elections are over, we move on as a people together,” Lake stated in a press release last night.

“I understand politics but some parliamentarians are crossing the line and creating confusion in the community,” he added. “As Minister of Vromi, I made a decision in the best interest of the people to purchase the Vorst Estate rather than leasing the property which was going to cost several million dollars more, and you don’t own the property at the end of the lease.”

If the government wants to overrule the decision and go back to leasing so be it, the minister stated. “I have not done anything wrong and I don’t fear man but God. I will continue to be strong in all what I am doing for the people despite the fact that some parliamentarians and some of those in government are trying everything to hold me liable.”

“As the old people say when you dig a hole, you have to dig two,” Lake stated. “I would like to know from the same parliamentarians who have made the Vorst issue a personal vendetta, who we should hold liable for the government building that sat empty for years or for increasing the price of the Emilio Wilson Estate without approval from the Council of Ministers. Then there is the asphalt and sand deal, the St. Peters Hill illegal construction without a deed, and building of an illegal Co2 gas tank on a Good Friday in Dutch Quarter while the Dutch Quarter Council and residents protested.”

Lake scoffed that the last meetings of Parliament “are just spent talking about Maurice Lake who is working for the people” rather than passing laws and legislation for the people. “On two occasions, a Member of Parliament held a meeting at his home about firing Maurice Lake because he was working too hard for the people. Discuss the safety and security concerns of the people where armed robberies have seemingly become a way of life.  Six armed robberies in the past week alone with the latest one being an armed robbery in a tourist area in Cupecoy on Sunday morning. This is an issue where the people and tourists are feeling unsafe and action is needed.”

With a couple of weeks left in government, we are not going to accomplish things in the interests of the country with that mind-set of the Executive Council and Island Council way of doing things, Lake charged. “Each minister has a budget and makes his own decision on how those funds are to be spent, but still consults with his colleagues in the Council if or when necessary. We need to start working together and stop trying to bring each other down. What message are we sending to young professionals? We are only embarrassing ourselves and making Government very unstable. We got to focus on preparing our people for the hard times ahead and empowering them to become and continue to be leaders within their own country.

We need to have people in government who are going to be creative to move this country forward.  Right now the new government in waiting is just creating mass confusion and putting people against each other with a tunnel vision mentality for the country prior to being sworn in.”
Lake stated that he is looking forward to represent his people in parliament to move this Country forward.  “I am also going to prepare myself and defend myself while some parliamentarians plan for me. I can foresee already the level of mass confusion, passing the buck and blame games. This is why certain political parties cannot perform in government. I HOPE and pray they follow the white line while in government because I am going to raise the bar in Parliament and continue to be open and transparent with the people’s business, and they better be prepared to do the same,” Lake concluded.