Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
PHILIPSBURG--It's been almost three months since the current Marcel Gumbs Cabinet has taken office and it is still two ministers short of the usual complement of seven. March 19 will mark three months since the cabinet was sworn-in by Governor Eugene Holiday.
To date, there has neither been word from the UP/De Weever/Marlin-Romeo coalition regarding the nomination of the two additional ministers nor about the completion of the Governing Programme for the coalition for 2014-2018.
The current Council of Ministers only numbering five is not in any way illegal as the Constitution states the country can have "up to a maximum of seven ministers."
De-facto government leader United People's (UP) leader Member of Parliament Theo Heyliger had said in his New Year's address that he "would like to see a complete seven-member cabinet in place within 60 days or less as of the beginning of the New Year."
He also stated in that same address, "I am very confident in the team of ministers who have been appointed so far to carry out the people's business."
Ministers are needed for the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development, and Labour VSA and the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI.
Prime Minister/General Affairs Minister Marcel Gumbs serves as ad-interim VROMI minister while Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Minister Rita Bourne-Gumbs is
ad- interim VSA minister.
It is speculated that potential candidates are shying away from the ministerial nominations, because of the somewhat invasive checks into the lives of minister candidates, their family and friends.
One person close to the issue said, some people do not want even their name to be mentioned as a potential candidate. "The system now is you are guilty until proven innocent. There is no stopping someone from making a bogus claim against you to the Police or Prosecutor's Office then you are left to fend for yourself. The burden is on you."
Another reason potential candidates are said to be reluctant to step forward is the length of time the Prosecutor's Office takes with complaints as was seen in the case of former minister Maria Buncamper-Molanus and the still-pending complaints against former minister candidates.
Originally, nine minister candidates were submitted for security and justice screening last year. Three candidates who were found to have issues in their checks were considered not compatible with integrity norms.
At announcement of what was then the UP/De Weever Governing Accord on October 9, it was stated by coalition partners that a governing programme will be established and ratified by Parliament "as soon as it is completed."
The then incoming coalition had planned to present the governing programme "within 60 days of taking office." The coalition took office on October 10, 2014, when the new Parliamentary Year started. At that time the coalition was 10 members strong with Democratic Party leader MP Sarah Wescot-Williams and newly independent MP Leona Marlin-Romeo coming aboard.
Wescot-Williams left the coalition less than a month after joining, following differences with then DP, now independent MP Cornelius de Weever.
The coalition then continued on with nine members until this February when United St. Maarten Party (USP) leader MP Frans Richardson joined, receiving the Justice Ministry portfolio when he signed on to the coalition.
Some coalition insiders suggest that due to the changes to the composition of the coalition the Governing Programme has been undergoing some adjustment to reflect the positions as much as possible of all members.
