Lecture on “Understanding Your Constitutional Parliamentary Government” to be held at USM.

Philipsburg:--- “Understanding your Constitutional Parliamentary Government” is the title of the informative and interactive lecture by Political Analyst Julio R. Romney, PhD (ABD) that will be held at the University of St. Martin on February 15, 2011.

Members of the general public are invited to attend this free event which will be from 7:00-8:30 pm at the USM lecture hall. This is part of the USM lecture series to keep the community informed and up to date.

The lecture will be “on the principals, powers and procedures of St. Maarten governmental structure, post 10.10.10.,” Romney said. He added that the objective here is to provide citizens with a basic understanding of the governmental structure and the workings of government, at both the Kingdom and local levels including how draft ordinances become law and to encourage participation in the political process. As an informed citizen is our best citizen. He will also speak to the political correctness of the “pet terms” often used i.e., “Country St. Maarten”, “dualism” and “separation of powers.”

Romney, who regards himself as “a companionate patriotic St. Maartener,” is a scholar of Comparative Government & Politics.  He has conducted numerous public opinion surveys/polls, assessing the political sentiments of the electorate of St. Maarten and has written several scholarly papers to include: “Electoral Systems: A comparative introduction with an analytical overview of Dutch / French St. Maarten electoral systems (2005),” “Cultural Unity within Political Diversity: the social, economic, and legal implications of the constitutional changes of Saint Martin and Sint Maarten (2005)”, and “Unfolding St. Maarten Political Culture: . . . (2007).”

Romney has also served as a member of the Landelijke Commissie Herstructurering van de Nederlandse Antillen (The National Commission for the Political Restructuring of the Netherlands Antilles), representing St. Maarten (1995).