Philipsburg:--- The central committee meeting that was called by the United People's Party regarding the way the two UP appointed board members of the supervisory board were dismissed was held on Friday. The two members Mr. Mike Alexander and Kenneth Bloyden finally resigned. Since the shareholder representative started the dismissal process the two board members have resigned from the Supervisory Board of the Harbour, to date no other members have been appointed and the Harbour Group of Companies still does not have a complete and legal Supervisory Board in place.
Member of Parliament Sylvia Meyers representing the UP faction posed several questions to the Minister and shareholder representative regarding the dismissal of the UP appointed members and the consequences. MP Meyers asked the Minister if the dismissal had anything to do with having the supervisory board approve the travel expenses for a Member of Parliament to travel with him overseas. MP Meyers said she wants clarity on if an MP travelled with the Minister to the Netherlands to meet with Volker Stevens to discuss the construction of the causeway. MP Meyers refused to indicate which Member of Parliament she was referring to which created a nit-picking among the other Members of Parliament representing the National Alliance Faction and Independent Member of Parliament Frans Richardson. Independent Member of Parliament Frans Richardson asked for a point of clarification and asked the Member of Parliament to indicate who she was referring to and not to allow her statements to live a life of its own.
Members of Parliament Louie Laviest and Member of Parliament George Pantophlet expressed the same sentiments. However, MP Meyers remained on point with her questions. She further stated that the United Peoples Party is disappointed with the kind of language that was used during the dismissal process of the two board members. MP Meyers said it appears as though St. Maarten has become a "banana republic" in the way things are being done. MP Meyers also asked who authorized the removal of the sand from the harbor to the Great Salt Pond. The Chair of Parliament Romain La Ville asked the Members of Parliament to stay on course and not to stray away from the agenda point. La Ville told MPs from the UP Party, especially Dr. Ruth Douglas, that they needed to stay on course. MP Meyers asked if the new members of the Supervisory board were appointed and who are these members.
MP Dr. Ruth Douglas asked several questions regarding of the sand on the Great Salt Pond which she said is affecting the residents living in the area. MP Ruth Douglas focused on the removal of the sand from the habour to the Great Salt Pond without tying in her questions to the agenda point. Her questions pushed the chair to remind her several times to stay on course by sticking to the agenda point.
Members of the Democratic Party Faction Petrus Leroy De Weever and Roy Marlin also shared the sentiments of United Peoples Party. First Petrus Leroy De Weever and Roy Marlin who are part of the present coalition told the chair that even though they are part of the coalition they will not allow the chair to muzzle the Members of Parliament. Chairman Romain La Ville said he will not allow anyone to accuse him of muzzling any Member of Parliament. MP De Weever in his presentation said that the dismissal has consequences and if the moving of sand is one of them then the questions should be allowed. De Weever said that the current government has accused the former government of using the Harbour as their piggy bank. He said he wants to know if an audit was done at the harbor and if it was not done then why. MP De Weever said he wants to know if the accusation made against the former government is true and if the present board is on the same trend by using the harbor funds as their personal piggy bank. MP De Weever said that he supports the request of MP Laveist to have the CEO of the harbor present so that they can get some answers from him. MP De Weever said his concern is not the sand, but so far he is seeing that more stores are being built at the harbor and this he said is affecting the stores in Philipsburg. The MP said that he is very much concerned about the economy and effects the building of stores at the harbour will have on the business people in Philipsburg.
When the point of orders were made Member of Parliament Ruth Douglas said that those Members of Parliament sucking their teeth should check with the dentist if they have cavities. She further stated that she will ask her questions because she does not have sand in her eyes.
MP Patrick Illidge in a point of order said he applauds the UP faction for asking the questions they are asking now because during their time in government they took several decisions without seeking the authorization of Parliament or government.
MP Johan Janchi Leonard in his presentation said he is a former policeman and he wants all the answers provided to him in writing. He asked how much money was given to TEMPO for their anniversary. MP Leonard further asked the Minister how much money was paid to the Festival Village. Chairman of Parliament Romain La Ville said that one of the two questions are legitimate while the other one strayed away from the agenda point.
Member of Parliament Roy Marlin in a point of order impressed that he will not sit back and allow the chair to muzzle the Members of Parliament. He said that some of the questions that are asked are legitimate. He said some of the decisions taken by the management of the harbor has to be authorized by the supervisory board.
MP Marlin said that he wants the MPs to get a copy of the Island Council decision number 1756 to establish the Corporate Governance Council. MP Marlin said that the MPs and Ministers must know that they can get themselves in trouble because it only takes one person to file a complaint against an MP or Minister. Marlin said that everyone should read what is taking place in Curacao with government owned companies and ask themselves if they want that to happen on St. Maarten. Marlin said that the resolution on the Corporate Governance Council states that the shareholder representative must get an advice from the Corporate Governance Council to dismiss supervisory board members because there is no in between when it comes to following the law. He asked the Minister to provide Parliament with all communications he had with the Corporate Governance Council on the dismissal of the two board members. Furthermore, Marlin even asked the Minister to provide Parliament with the resolution that made him the shareholder representative of the harbour.
Marlin said he wants to know if the harbour took any major decisions while there is no legal supervisory board in place. MP Marlin he has no problem attacking UP Leader Theo Heyliger because it was done before when he took on the construction of the boardwalk. Marlin said he is not in full agreement on how the causeway project was done. He said he has a problem with this because when the causeway is completed he does not want St. Maarten to have debt in millions. MP Marlin said he does not think that the CEO of a government owned company should take a decision to increase container fees and gasoline. Marlin said that will affect the people of St. Maarten and Parliament was not consulted.
Member of Parliament Jules James took jabs at the Members of Parliament who asked for point of orders when his colleagues were posing questions that according to him is not their liking.
MP James asked the Minister and shareholder representative Romeo Pantophlet to provide Parliament with the minutes of the meeting he held with Volker Stevens. MP James said that he wants to know if the UP Leader Theodore Heyliger instructed the contractor of the causeway to change the height of the causeway.
MP James also asked for the Landsbesluit that shows when he was appointed as the shareholder representative of the harbor group of companies. MP James said that he wants the Minister to provide him with the open ended letter he sent to Bloyden and Alexander that states that they are not authorized to take any decisions. "The open ended letter had no date maybe these men have to wait until the rapture." MP James said he wants to know why the Minister did not follow rules 8 & 9 of the Corporate Governance Council. He said he want the Minister to tell Parliament and the people of St. Maarten who authorized the dumping of sand at the Great Salt Pond. MP James asked several questions on the dismissal of Mike Alexander and Kenneth Bloyden.
Independent Member of Parliament Patrick Illidge said in his presentation that he is of the opinion that what should come to Parliament is a document that would permit all members of Supervisory Board to resign when the political party is not in government. MP Illidge said in doing so the Minister and shareholder representatives would get the leeway they need when in power.
MP Richardson Fires Back on Dismissal and Appointment of Board Members --- We can open Pandora Box of the past with the selling of sand.
Member of Parliament Frans Richardson said that some of the Members of Parliament should get away from the idea of the Island Council procedures and adjust themselves to the procedures of Parliament. Richardson said that he was saddened to hear the first speaker referring to the two board members as UP appointees. MP Richardson said if these persons are representatives of the UP then it is clear that the two board members will carry out the vision of the party that appointed them. MP Richardson in his presentation said that there are supervisory boards that waited some seven years and never got a Landsbesluit. He said that it is amazing that suddenly the UP faction wants to know when the Minister got his official decree when their Minister waited seven years to obtain theirs. MP Richardson made clear he does not own any store, tendering services, or even marketing company at the harbour. He also asked the Minister if the current government changed or stopped any of the projects that were undertaken by the former government which was authorized by the former supervisory board. Richardson also asked the Minister to tell Parliament who approved the dredging of the sand that is dumped in the Salt Pond. MP Richardson also asked the Minister to provide Parliament with the amount of companies that were created under the Harbor Group of Companies. "Minister I need you to provide Parliament with the entire list of companies that were created under the harbor and what type of services they are providing for the people of St. Maarten." Richardson said he wants to know how many board members approved the construction of Pier 2. He said since some MPs are questioning the legality of the supervisory board members then we all need to know how many of the members signed off on each of the projects that are being undertaken by the harbor. Richardson said St. Maarten is building a country and it is impossible for St. Maarten to appoint "Paul and All" to certain positions while leaving out St. Maarteners. He said Mike Alexander is a resident of Curacao yet he sits on almost every board on St. Maarten. "This for me is a conflict of interest and St. Maarten legislators should not allow this to happen and give Alexander special or royal treatment. We have to feed Alexander pay for his air fares, pay for his hotels, and most off all set meetings on his schedule while St. Maarteners are not given an opportunity to be on these boards. The Corporate Governance Council gave an advice on the appointment of the board members and the Minister respected that advice. The article of incorporation clearly states that the board members must reside of St. Maarten." Richardson said that several things were brought in such as TEMPO, and the dredging of sand while forgetting the issues of the Down Street Boys.
MP Richardson also asked Minister Romeo Pantophlet to inform Parliament if the harbor ever paid for an MP to travel with him to any destination and not only to the Netherlands. Richardson said he also wants the Minister to tell Parliament when and how certain board members were appointed. "The same UP leader went to Mr. Lambert and asked him to sign his resignation on Sunday when the UP/DP government collapsed and then appointed who he wanted on the board."
"When you want to see who were dragged in the mud and dismissed by the UP member then you look at those sitting at the head table and taking questions." MP Richardson also asked the Minister to provide information on the age of board members. "We need know if there is an age limit for board members and how long can board members serve. I also want to know which company was hired for the dredging of Pier 2 and how much monies they were paid. I want to know who is conducting the dredging of the sand now and what are the two companies being paid. Tell Parliament how many board members approved this project also, the people really need to know." Richardson said the MPs sitting in Parliament asked questions that benefits them personally. "They asked who is trucking the sand and who own the land that the sand is sitting on. Neither of them asked who gave away the biggest portion of the harbor and who got the monies. I expected the key questions that would educate the people. I also need you Minister to inform Parliament the time limit the harbor has to remove the sand from the harbor and who owns the land that the sand is sitting on. Let the people know what is to be built where the sand is sitting. I need you to tell us what the money used for, I need to know what it was spent on."
MP Richardson said one of the MPs asked who bought and sold sand today during this Central Committee meeting. "We would need to call another meeting and ask who bought and sold sand in the first dredging. This time we will question who sold sand back then compare now. We can open the Pandora box on the selling of sand in the past. We need to know who sold sand and land because history has a trail that can be followed. I know where the sand is and who placed it there."
MP Richardson said he wants to know what the 'sugar' is or benefits to persons that wants to remain on boards. "Someone has to tell me the benefits for someone that sits on every board. Moreover someone has to tell me why the MPs cannot defend the poor workers of Pelican who was dismissed by a Member of Parliament. St. Maarten has young lawyers who can be on these boards but they are pushed aside. No one wants to appoint our own young professionals. Mike Alexander has roots in French Quarter but chose to live in Curacao and here the MPs are fighting for him to remain on a board."
Laveist fed up and tired of UP Leader Heyliger and his Mentality --- If it walks like a Duck, Quack Like a Duck then it is a Duck.
Member of Parliament Louie Laveist in his address told Parliament that he is fed up and tired with the mentality of the leader of the United Peoples Party Theodore Heyliger and his elite group. Laveist said that he knew what he said when he asked if St. Maarten has two governments, namely the harbour and Council Ministers. Laveist said he wants to know why an MP would defend Mike Alexander and Kenneth Bloyden. He asked why St. Maarten MPs have so much interest in defending Alexander who is not a registered on St Maarten and he does not even vote on St. Maarten. Mike Alexander has multiple jobs and is better off than the 182 people that were fired by MP Jules James. The 182 mothers, fathers, sisters that were fired by MP Jules James with the blessings of the UP leader Theodore Heyliger. "Those persons are the ones that have the headache on how to pay their school fees and paid their mortgages. I did not hear any of the UP members mumble a word like what I am hearing in defense of Mike Alexander and Kenneth Bloyden. I did not hear anything from anyone when Romeo Pantophlet, Christina Labega, and Mr. Donker were fired by the UP leader." Laveist who got emotional while making his presentation made clear that he will not defend anyone that is living in Curacao because he knows for sure that Curacao will not appoint a St. Maartener on any boards there. "The UP leader cannot accept that a Middle Region man is now over "his" harbor. I heard what MP Marlin said of the Corporate Governance Council but I am more interested to hear what his colleague from the DP faction thinks about that council."
He asked if there is no St. Maartener that is capable to sit on the Supervisory Board of the harbor. Laveist said he is insulted by the statements made by the UP in defense of Mike Alexander. He said he refused to accept that competent young people are not on St. Maarten while government is spending thousands on education every year. Laviest said he is of the opinion that UP Members are giving the impression that the Minister did not follow the articles of incorporation when he dismissed and appointed the new members of the supervisory board of the Harbor Holding Companies. Laviest went as far as saying that he believes that the articles of incorporation of the Harbour Holding Companies has to be changed because he is of the opinion that the supervisory board goes too far. "It appears to me that the harbor got their own Parliament because they building a bridge, increase container fees, gasoline, planting palm trees while none of it was approved by the Parliament of St. Maarten. MP Laveist asked the Minister to provide him documentation showing if proper procedures were followed when the increase of container fees and gasoline was done. I also want to know if any research was done when these increases were applied and if there is surety that there will not be any price grouches in the supermarkets."
While MP Laviest was making his statements in Parliament, MP Johan Janchi Leonard and MP Jules James interrupted the meeting claiming that Laveist was not staying on the agenda point. Laviest said he will maintain that he will not defend Mike Alexander simply because he is not living on the island and does not vote here. Laveist said that one of the biggest conflict of interest of having Mike Alexander on the Supervisory Board is the author of the articles of incorporation of the Supervisory board. Laveist said that Mike Alexander got paid for writing these articles of incorporation. Laveist said he might have any law degree or doctorate degree behind his name but if someone walks like a duck, quacks like a duck then it is a duck.
Leader of the National Alliance Faction George Pantophlet asked the Minister to inform Parliament of St. Maarten who owns the crane.
Pantophlet said based on the statements made by the two Democratic Party members who supports the government, he is now wondering if the coalition still consists of ten members. MP Pantophlet said that even if the two DP members who were against the corporate governance council abandons the ship they still have the majority.
MP Pantophlet asked the Minister to tell Parliament if the two board members Alexander and Bloyden were on the board when the sand was dumped in the pond in 2009 for the "Ring Road." MP Pantophlet said statements were made about an operational audit done and he personally wants such an audit done because they would be amazed as to what they will find. As for the Ring Road, Pantophlet wants to know which company or companies took the sand to the Ring Road. He said based on his knowledge he knows that there were only two companies that were trucking the sand from the harbor to Ring Road. The MP said that the Harbor Holding Companies made monies on St. Maarten and used it for purchasing of palm trees and side-walks while nothing was done by the company for education and its facilities.
MP Hyacinth Richardson said sometimes it is good to set the record straight because all three of the persons that are bombarded with questions were fired by the leader of United Peoples Party Theodore Heyliger.
MP Hyacinth Richardson said while one of the National Alliance Member of Parliament mentioned it, he wants to make clear that having Mike Alexander on the Supervisory Board is a conflict of interest since he wrote the articles of incorporation for the Harbor Holding Companies. He said that both persons have resigned and he cannot see the reason why the meeting was called and if it was just to drag the two persons through the mud.
Minister Pantophlet who finally got the floor after 5pm opted to return to Parliament on another date to provide the answers to the Members of Parliament. Minister Pantophlet asked the MPs to send him all their questions in writing so that his cabinet, including advisors, and the CEO of the Harbor Holding Company can answer their questions. Minister Pantophlet said that even though the day was long there was no question posed during the meeting that he cannot answer.
Minister Pantophlet also promised that he will make a PowerPoint presentation when he returns to Parliament.