Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
PHILIPSBURG:--- Several civil servants working at the Government Administration Building are disgusted and are ready to take action if Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs continues with what they consider as 'dictatorship" attitude. The civil servants who prefer to remain anonymous said that if they are seen in the corridor talking to a colleague or going to the kitchen the Prime Minister will come up to them and say "get back to work, it's not yet happy hour." Those who spoke to SMN News said that the Prime Minister would go as far as checking to see if civil servants are at their desk working. "We want to know if we are in Cuba or are we in St. Maarten?The workers told SMN News that the Prime Minister's secretary even threatened to resign because she cannot deal with Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs. SMN news tried reaching Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs for a comment on the allegations but he could not be reached by telephone.
Granger's Resignation --- Conflict of Interest and Integrity.
The government workers said that the Press Secretary Michael Granger was overheard saying that he cannot stand how the Prime Minister speaks to people and that is also one of the reasons he resigned. They also said when Granger checked with the Department of Finance and saw what he will be receiving as a monthly salary and found out that the deal he had with government for his company M&M PR Consultancy did not go through he felt the salary he was getting is not enough and he tendered his resignation. The workers said while the Prime Minister fought with Granger to choose between St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) and his cabinet because of integrity issues and conflict of interest, they said the real issue the Prime Minister did not address with Granger while the Kingdom is looking down on St. Maarten. The workers said that Granger is the President of St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) and his company M&M PR Consultancy is the one marketing and promoting carnival. The workers said troupe leaders and many other persons including video productions, Gordon Yee and others were not paid for 2014 carnival. "Where did the money go and what did Granger do with the government subsidies should be the real question coming from the Prime Minister if he is so concerned about integrity on St. Maarten." On Friday Granger told SMN News that sponsorship for 2014 carnival was a real challenge for SCDF and that was one of the reasons the troupes were not paid. He assured that this year all outstanding debts will be paid since SCDF got more funds for the 20i5 carnival.
Alleged Victimization in Process --- Reliable Sources.
While the civil servants poured out their anger on how they are being treated they also stated that it is highly rumored that the current coalition plans to replace the director of the St. Maarten House in the Netherlands Perry Geerlings. The workers said what they have been hearing is that Geerlings a civil servant will have to return to St. Maarten and Veronica Janson Webster will be taking up his position."We believe that this government is not working for the people of St. Maarten they are busy victimizing workers while neglecting to address the real issues affecting the country.
