Opposition missed golden
opportunity, says Sarah
PHILIPSBURG--The Island Council has missed a golden opportunity to prove it is willing to work with government and deal with matters on the table relating to constitutional change for St. Maarten, Constitutional Affairs Commissioner Sarah Wescot-Williams said at the end of the 2008 draft budget debate.
She accused the opposition in particular of missing a chance for cooperation that would reflect the move to country status.
She said the budget not only reflected the projected income of government, but also included several funding sources such as development aid through Dutch funding agency USONA. For the first time the Island Council could have participated in the discussion regarding the borrowing authority, the collective sector and the interest burden norm for country St. Maarten.
“A complete chapter is devoted to that,” the Commissioner said. She stated that the ceiling for interest stood at NAf. 7.5 million guilders for 2008.
Furthermore, she said she had expected questions on the multi-annual projections for 2009 and beyond, and the Ministries for country St. Maarten. “But these matters were not debated and instead, trivial issues were tabled.”
Another matter that was not debated, according to the Commissioner, was the 2006 annual account, which is ready in draft form. “In the past 10 years a financial statement hadn’t been produced.”
She also stated that some critical issues had been brought forward in the policy plans presented by the Island Government of St. Maarten.
She gave as an example that in the area of economy it was stated that St. Maarten could not continue to support immigrants coming to the island and that immigration could not be allowed to lead to chaos in education.
Implementing an employee-assistance entity, establishing a public service centre, establishing a national archive and prioritising capital investments for infrastructural means are also part of the policy, she said.
In conclusion, she said that apart from attacks by the opposition on the budget, she hadn’t heard a single proposal from the Island Council. “Instead of criticising from behind the lectern, the Island Council members have the right to present a proposal or a motion,” Wescot-Williams stated.
