Philipsburg:--- Members of the Democratic Party told members of the media on Tuesday that while the trip to the Netherlands has been dubbed as being very important there was no preparation meeting on St. Maarten. The opposition island council members said that St. Maarten did not even send a delegation to Holland since the commissioner of constitutional affairs William Marlin went as an invited guest of the Parliament of the Netherlands Antilles.
Former commissioner of constitutional affairs commissioner Sarah Wescot Williams said the other members of the National Alliance who are currently on the trip is not representing St. Maarten instead they are there as parliamentarians. She further explained that she was not invited neither was she informed about the trip. "The only thing I got was an e-ticket and spending monies on my desk. But no information was given to me, and there was no preparation as to what we would do when we get to the Netherlands." Wescott Williams said.
She said despite all of that she did try to get a flight to the Netherlands but they were all booked. The only flight she said was available was on April 13 and her return was scheduled for April 16. Wescott Williams said at that point she refused to go ahead with the trip since she felt it would have been a waste of monies.
While island councilman Roy Marlin in his statements said that, everyone is looking at the leader of the Democratic Party faction who did not attend the meetings. He said the island council of St. Maarten has eleven members with four factions.
The Democratic Party, the National Alliance as well as the two independent members Theo Heyliger and Louie Laveist. Marlin said he went as far as asking the two independent members of the island council if they were invited to the Netherlands and if they were informed about the trip and both Laveist and Heyliger told him they were not invited neither were they briefed. Marlin said even if the leader of the Democratic Party had gone on the trip she would not have been able to speak since the second chamber meetings are for parliamentarians.
Marlin said ever since the National Alliance took over government they did not hold no more than two PCCA meetings, the first he said had no quorum while on the second meeting Leader of the Democratic Party Sarah Wescot Williams handed over the mantle to now commissioner of Constitutional Affairs William Marlin.