Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
PHILIPSBURG--The public plenary session of Parliament on amendments to the 2014 budget was cancelled for the second time on Friday, as only four Members of Parliament (MPs) showed up and signed in for the meeting.
The meeting was first called off on Wednesday, due to the lack of a quorum when seven MPs were signed in, though United People's (UP) party MPs and Independent MP Dr. Lloyd Richardson had been in the building.
Present at Friday's session were National Alliance (NA) MPs Hyacinth Richardson and George Pantophlet, Democratic Party ((DP)) MP Roy Marlin and United People's (UP) party MP Gracita Arrindell. MPs Romain Laville (Independent) Leroy de Weever ((DP)), Jules James (UP) and Richardson (Independent) were off island attending a Parlatino meeting and submitted notices of absence. Notices of absence were also provided for NA MPs William Marlin and Louie Laveist.
Absent without notice were UP MPs Theo Heyliger, Silvia Meyers-Olivacci, Johan "Janchi" Leonard and Independent MPs Patrick Illidge and Frans Richardson.
At least eight MPs are needed for the meeting to have proceeded.
Since Friday's session had been the second one called for the budget amendments, a third meeting has to be called in two times 24 hours. This meeting can be held irrespective of the number of MPs present.
The meeting was called to handle amendments tabled to the 2014 budget, which included the purchase of Emilio Wilson Park for US $17 million; the reduction of Parliament's travel budget; the re-allocation of funds to subsidies and the controversial change in the financing proposal for the Vorst Estate land.
A number of MPs, who had attended the meeting of the central committee of Parliament on this issue last week, had said they wanted the Vorst land purchase to be removed from the amendment. MP Roy Marlin had planned to submit an amendment to the budget to this effect. Marlin told the press on Friday that he will still be tabling his amendment to the budget.
Also on the agenda of yesterday's meeting were incoming business and the discussion on two resolutions adopted by the Tripartite meeting requesting the Kingdom Government to request the Kingdom Council of State to advise on the actions of the Kingdom Government with regards to the instruction given to the Governor of St Maarten and the Governor of Aruba, as well as the introduction of an independent institution that will issue binding rulings in strictly legal disputes within the Kingdom.
