Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
Government has ‘autonomous right’ to dissolve Parliament
~ Governor wrote in 2013 letter ~
PHILIPSBURG--“The right to dissolve Parliament by national decree is a constitutional and autonomous right of the Government,†wrote Governor Eugene Holiday in a letter dated May 16, 2013, to then-Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams when she tried to stopped the then-National Alliance (NA)-led Council of Ministers from invoking Article 59 of the Constitution.
The letter came to light this week as political tension intensified between the newest NA-led coalition with a majority in Parliament and the UP/De Weever/Marlin-Romeo-supported Council of Ministers, after the crumbling of the United People’s (UP) party-led coalition.
The current Marcel Gumbs Cabinet has held tight to the view that it is its right to dissolve Parliament in the face of the shifted majority in Parliament Read more
New coalition says De Weever acted illegally, calls for urgent meeting
PHILIPSBURG--Second Vice-Chairman of Parliament Cornelius de Weever performed an “illegal act†when he chaired Tuesday’s plenary session of Parliament and closed it swiftly without giving Members of Parliament (MPs) the possibility to react, say representatives of the new coalition in Parliament.
After De Weever closed the session they submitted a request for an urgent meeting of Parliament to talk about his “illegal act†as well as “the consequences for the functioning of Parliament and for the representation of the people of St Read more
New coalition wants ministers to resign before talks on stability
PHILIPSBURG--Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs’ invitation to faction leaders in Parliament to meet separately with him today, Wednesday, in an attempt to get “support for solutions for stability in government†has been rebuffed by members of the new coalition in Parliament.
In response to Gumbs’ invitation to meet, faction leaders Members of Parliament (MPs) William Marlin (National Alliance), Sarah Wescot-Williams (Democratic Party), Frans Richardson (United St Read more
Editorial - No real change
As the constitutional impasse continues and people reflect on five years of country status, a remark made by NA leader William Marlin on Oral Gibbes Live caught the attention. He was talking about political instability and the phenomenon of “ship-jumping†that has been so prevalent since 10-10-10.
In his opinion a revision made to the electoral laws whereby seats – then in the Island Council and now in Parliament – are given out according to the number of individual votes and no longer according to positions on candidate lists has something to do with it Read more
William tells Dennis to ‘do the right thing,’ ‘lead by example’ and resign
~ Govt. holding country, Governor hostage ~
PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) leader Member of Parliament (MP) William Marlin issued a firm call to Justice Minister Dennis Richardson on Wednesday to “do the right thing†and “uphold the constitution†by resigning, given the no-confidence motion passed against the Council of Ministers.
Marlin also accused Government of staying in office and deliberately stalling the process to buy time to make deals and further plunder Government-owned companies such as utilities company GEBE and the Harbour and to “fix deals†about issues such as the waste-to-energy plant.
He said Ministers still were travelling and squandering the country’s money while they should have made their positions available to pave the way for a new cabinet Read more
Gumbs vows not to resign
PHILIPSBURG--Feeling strengthened by the opinion of constitutional law expert Professor Arjen van Rijn and convinced that the St. Maarten Constitution must be upheld, St. Maarten Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs has decided not to resign, and neither will the rest of the Council of Ministers.
“As Prime Minister I have the responsibility to protect the Constitution and to carry it out the way it was written Read more
William to meet Governor today
PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) leader Member of Parliament (MP) William Marlin will be meeting with Governor Eugene Holiday today, Monday, on the formation of the new majority coalition in Parliament.
The meeting is on request of Governor Holiday Read more
Sarah confirms she will assume Chairmanship of Parliament
PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party (DP) leader Member of Parliament (MP) Sarah Wescot-Williams confirmed on Friday that she will be assuming the position of the new Chairperson of Parliament.
DP forms part of the new eight-seat-majority coalition in Parliament Read more
Editorial - Eyes on the ball
It appears St. Maarten is again caught in a “Mexican standoff,†as NA leader William Marlin called it back in 2013 when much of the cabinet with his party’s signature wanted to dissolve Parliament and call early elections after losing its majority support Read more
MPs pass unanimous motion calling for Schram’s resignation
PHILIPSBURG--Members of Parliament (MPs) from across party lines on Wednesday voted unanimously in favour of a motion calling for the resignation of Attorney General (AG) Guus Schram over his “insulting, degrading and unacceptable†statements made during the swearing in of judge Sander van Rijen on September 11.
The motion tabled by National Alliance (NA) Leader MP William Marlin states that the remarks by Schram that the underworld and legitimate society in St Read more
New majority in Parliament to focus on ‘needs of residents’
~ Portfolios divided, NA gets PM ~
HARBOUR VIEW--The new eight-seat-majority coalition in Parliament formed on Wednesday plans to focus on the needs of residents and is prepared to make safety and security “a top priority†and to give the people of St. Maarten “an open Government that gives account on all levels.â€
The new majority comprises former United People’s (UP) party Members of Parliament (MPs) Silvio Matser and Maurice Lake; National Alliance (NA) MPs William Marlin, Silveria Jacobs, Christophe Emmanuel and George Pantophlet; Democratic Party (DP) MP Sarah Wescot-Williams; and United St Read more