PHILIPSBURG:--- The recent announcement that the Council of Ministers of St. Maarten has approved the appointment of attorney Jairo Bloem as Chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten (CBCS) raises serious legal concerns and undermines the statutory framework of the Central Bank.
Under Article 25 of the Statute of the CBCS, the process for appointing the Chairman of the Supervisory Board is clear and leaves no room for shortcuts. The Chairman cannot be nominated by politicians. The nomination must come directly from the Supervisory Board itself, and only if at least five-sixths (5/6) of its members agree. Once such a nomination is made, the appointment or dismissal of the Chairman can only be executed jointly by the Countries through a landsbesluit, based on a joint proposal of the Ministers.
The law is therefore unambiguous. The Council of Ministers of St. Maarten cannot unilaterally nominate or appoint a Chairman of the Supervisory Board. Any attempt to do so is outside of the law, undermines the statutory framework of the Central Bank, and directly interferes with the division of powers between the two Countries, which is the cornerstone of the joint institution.
A Broader Pattern of Improper Governance
This latest action cannot be viewed in isolation. It is part of a broader pattern that has come to define the behavior of this coalition.
We saw it with the Soul Beach subsidies, pushed through without transparency or accountability despite serious legal and eligibility concerns. We saw it again with the tax holidays, advanced despite negative advice from experts, seemingly to please political donors rather than to serve the public interest. We now see it in payments made to entities that legally require national decrees but were never included in the budget, a clear violation of financial law and oversight.
And today, the same disregard for proper governance continues at the Central Bank. While top local professionals who were nominated more than a year ago are still waiting for their national decrees to be finalized, the government has attempted to skip over them and rush through an illegal appointment of the Chairman. This not only disrespects qualified professionals but also places the credibility of one of our most vital institutions at risk.
The Central Bank is not just another institution. It is the cornerstone of our financial stability, monetary policy, and public trust. For this reason, its statutes require a careful, independent, and joint process for the appointment of the Chairman. These requirements are not optional—they exist to protect the balance of powers between Curaçao and St. Maarten, and to ensure the independence of the Bank from political influence.
By ignoring these procedures, the Council of Ministers risks weakening public confidence in our financial institutions, creating legal uncertainty, and damaging St. Maarten’s credibility both locally and internationally.
Questions That Must Be Answered
These questions have therefore been formally submitted to the Minister of Finance and the Council of Ministers:
1. What is the legal basis for this so called appointment?
2. Do you acknowledge that both the nomination and appointment procedures must be followed as outlined in Article 25 of the Statute?
3. Why are steps being taken that suggest a completed appointment when both Countries have not yet properly complied with the law?
4. Why have the current board members, who consist of top local professionals, still not received their national decrees (landsbesluiten) more than a year after their nomination?
5. Who were the other nominees, if any, considered for the position of Chairman?
6. Does the current nominee have any affiliation with Ansari or other individuals that the Central Bank is holding accountable for the Ennia case?
Once again, this coalition has shown a willingness to bypass the very procedures that exist to safeguard our institutions. From Soul Beach, to tax holidays for donors, to unauthorized payments to unbudgeted entities, and now to the CBCS, the pattern is undeniable. Even more troubling is that qualified local professionals remain sidelined while political expediency drives an illegal appointment at the very top.
As Parliament, we cannot allow such practices to become the norm. Our responsibility is to ensure that legality, transparency, and good governance prevail over expediency and political convenience. Only then can we protect the stability of our country and the trust of our people.