MPs object to treatment
they received at airport
PHILIPSBURG--Members of Parliament (MPs), the highest elected officials of the Netherlands Antilles, have severe complaints about the treatment they have been receiving at Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA).
A meeting is planned between President of Parliament Pedro Atacho and PJIA operating company director Eugene Holiday on Monday to address what is considered to be a “serious incident” that occurred at the airport on Wednesday.
Once again the treatment MPs receive at PJIA – considered against all parliamentary protocol – became painfully clear when a large delegation of Parliamentarians travelled to Saba on Wednesday morning for the celebrations of 70 years of parliamentary democracy in the Netherlands Antilles.
The treatment received at the security checkpoint was reason for Atacho to seek immediate follow-up with Holiday on the matter.
Atacho told The Daily Herald it was usual at all airports within the Netherlands Antilles that MPs receive different treatment when going through security checks, based on their status as the country’s highest elected people’s representatives.
However, he noticed that in St. Maarten, the policies at the airport were different that on the other islands. The main complaint is that in St. Maarten, MPs are also required to take off shoes, belts and sometimes even other parts of their clothing.
National Alliance MP Frans Richardson had serious complaints about the treatment he receives almost every week, as he frequently flies to Curaçao for Parliamentary meetings.
“The treatment is different compared to the treatment we receive in Curaçao. In St. Maarten we are basically being stripped down and are almost treated like criminals, while we are the highest elected officials of the country. We have no interest in doing illegal things and embarrassing our own country,” Richardson stated. He considered what happened a “serious incident.”
He said that in Curaçao he was asked to take off those items that could set off the metal detector, but if he chose not to he would be checked with the handheld metal detector.
Atacho stressed that everybody had to go through security checks, including Members of Parliament.
“However, when the highest elected officials of your country, of whom some even have diplomatic passports, go through security checks it’s usual that their status is taken into account and a different protocol is to be applied. This should especially be the case when the parliamentarians are travelling within their own country, the Netherlands Antilles, he said.
The situation with MPs at PJIA has been occurring for some time. “This is a total breakdown of protocol and it’s not the first time it has happened,” Richardson stated.
Based on past complaints, Atacho said he had already sent a letter to the Central Government to deal with the matter through the Island Government of St. Maarten.
However, considering Wednesday’s experience, he said he had scheduled a meeting with Holiday to see if a temporary agreement could be reached about the treatment MPs received at the airport while a structural solution is being sought through the Central Government.
