Marathon sessions coming up
soon on constitutional change
PHILIPSBURG--The planned meetings on constitutional affairs in St. Maarten at the end of January will be critical for the process of attaining new status within the Kingdom by the islands of the Netherlands Antilles, Finance Minister Ersilia de Lannooy told The Daily Herald Tuesday.
She said several days of “marathon sessions” had been scheduled to discuss numerous topics of importance to the process.
Preceding the meeting of the Kingdom Political Steering Group planned for Tuesday, January 22, various other meetings will take place in the weekend of January 20-21.
“We will make use of the opportunity that everyone will be in St. Maarten to discuss a lot of matters,” De Lannooy said. On Saturday, January 20, the Netherlands Antilles Safety Plan will be discussed in the justice tripartite meeting of Aruba, the Netherlands and the Netherlands Antilles.
However, Aruban Justice Minister Rudy Croes has cancelled his participation in the tripartite justice meeting because of the continuing saga between Aruba and the Netherlands over the division of proceeds from the sale of the Plant Hotel (now Marriott).
De Lannooy said that among other matters to be discussed would be the division of assets and liabilities, the future of Winair, the Social Insurance Bank SVB and the Central Bank. She was positive about the manner in which Dutch State Secretary of Kingdom Relations Ank Bijleveld-Schouten had been dealing with the process.
Because the State Secretary was formerly a mayor in the Netherlands, she knows very well how to address the problems of the islands and knows what type of help the islands need, said De Lannooy.
Constitutional Affairs Minister Roland Duncan, who is also looking forward to the meetings, said Bijleveld-Schouten would have to give some answers. “It will be a sweet meeting,” he predicted.
Referring to Bijleveld-Schouten’s comments in the Dutch Second Chamber about St. Maarten, Duncan added: “She said St. Maarten does not have enough administrative capability. What does she mean by that? I want details and motivation, because it falls under my jurisdiction.”
He said that if the Netherlands had a problem with St. Maarten it should say so, but St. Maarten had to wake up and challenge certain matters also. He gave as an example the WODC report. He believes St. Maarten should have challenged the conclusions of that report.
