Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
Judging by his statements in Parliament, the cabinet headed by Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs will be diligent about tackling misspending within the public sector. In answering questions during the 2015 budget debate on, for example, the use by officials of credit cards, cell phones and rental cars, he did not hide his disapproval of the apparently excessive cost involved, nor his intention to do something about it.
That must have sounded like music to the ears of many who have grown wary of watching obvious waste of taxpayers' hard-earned money year after year, while essential collective needs cannot be addressed properly due to lack of funds. Of course, several others who came before him had made similar pledges, but – as the current prime minister himself argued – he won't be looking for re-election and thus isn't too worried about winning any popularity contest.
That may be true, but continued backing in the legislature still will be needed to deal with urgent issues facing the country, such as the protection of its dominant timeshare industry before it's too late and the all-important stay-over tourism economy suffers even more serious, lasting damage.
Another matter related to labour, perhaps even more crucial than the counterpart policy, turns out to be the seemingly unabated abuse of short-term contracts, taking into account the revelation – if correct – that 70 per cent at local supermarkets and 80 per cent at casinos are employed with such a non-permanent arrangement.
The UP/De Weever/Marlin-Romeo/US Party combination's two-thirds majority in any case provides a broad support base that should allow for firm decision-making and strong actions in the general interest, without the constant, undermining threat of yet another political crisis.
Then again, of the UP-led coalition's 10 seats, two belong to independent parliamentarians and a third to the one-man US Party fraction. Therefore, it well could be that UP with its own seven seats and having won the most recent election might end up one day again on the opposition benches in the 15-seat chamber, especially considering the recent history of so-called "fence-jumping" in St. Maarten.
Hopefully, common sense will prevail and following years of political upheaval with all its consequences the people finally can look forward to some stability in government, so that the administrators also can be judged on their performance over an entire governing term. Now that's not too much to ask, is it?
