Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
The public learned in Saturday's edition that Member of Parliament Cornelius de Weever wears a bulletproof vest and was afforded extra police protection late 2014 at his request. The then-still-caretaker minister had filed a complaint of threats when he broke with the DP to help form a new UP-led coalition instead of the NA/DP/US combination for which the three party leaders had signed an accord immediately following the end of August elections.
This was confirmed in a March 18 letter by Justice Minister Dennis Richardson that featured during De Weever's rectification court case in the Netherlands against Dutch Second Chamber of Parliament Member Andre Bosman. The latter was quoted by mass circulation daily De Telegraaf on September 23 of last year as saying the meanwhile-independent parliamentarian "was simply bought" by UP leader Theo Heyliger.
De Weever's attorneys say Bosman's statements helped create the atmosphere in which the threats were uttered, because they made it seem as though he had sold out. This also unjustly damaged their client's reputation and his political career.
That may be true, but – with all due respect – his "jumping ship" in the first place the way he did soon after being elected and for the reasons given didn't exactly improve his own image either.
Nevertheless, it's about time someone stands up to vague allegations without facts to back them coming from particularly certain politicians in The Hague. Bosman now says his words were taken out of context and he has parliamentary immunity, but extending the latter to the corridors of the building rather than the legislative hall while in session is a pretty broad legal interpretation.
The judge will rule on April 3, but regardless of the outcome the case hopefully will make legislators on both side of the ocean at least think twice before they accuse what are ultimately colleagues within the Dutch kingdom unless they can present proof. Perhaps the next Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation IPOK in The Hague May 25-29 is a good occasion to discuss that.
