Philipsburg: ---- The National Alliance remains focus and persistent in their demands for the resignation of all four of the present commissioners before talks can begin to form a new government. Leader of the National Alliance William Marlin and island council member Rudolph Samuel met with Leader of Government Sarah Westcott Williams and Commissioner Theodore Heyliger at the Holland House Hotel as was scheduled to begin talks on the formation of a broad base government.
At Holland House, a special conference room was assigned to the island council members who spend no less than five minutes before emerging from the room to speak with waiting journalists.
Leader of the National Alliance said that even though they are not putting a gun to anybody's head it is something that is required before any type of negotiations can begin if they are to start at ground zero. Marlin said as long as there is a government in place they are negotiating with that government.
He said even though the Democratic Party has lost its majority there is a government in place (caretaker government) and even if the commissioners resign that government would be in its still in its position.
Marlin said the only difference right now is that they can call an island council meeting at anytime to replace Laveist since his seat is the only one that is vacant. Marlin said the only way to appoint commissioners if they resign which has not been done or use the ERNA regulations and bring forward a motion of non-confidence against them.
The NA leader said he does not believe the latter is the way to go at this point because already the government has no majority but that can only be proven on the floor of the island council. Marlin said he if the two sides are willing to begin talks on the formation of a new government then the present government (commissioners) must tender their resignation.
The NA leader said if the DP wants to facilitate the process then the right and obvious thing for them to do is resign.
Marlin further explained that if they are to work hard to form a new government now and appoint two of the four existing commissioners and the other two decided they are not going to resign that would prevent them from installing the new government.
Marlin said that the NA is not telling the DP when their commissioners should resign, if that party believes they need one more week or however, long then they are entitled to that time. He said he does not see the reason why the commissioners would need that amount of time to write a simple letter of resignation but the decision has to be taken by the DP.
Leader of Democratic Party Sarah Wescot Williams said she indicated to Marlin that she does not feel the resignation should be an issue for the talks to begin. She did agree resigning would be the most ethical thing for them to do and it would happen sometime next week.
She said it was very important for the two parties to establish their willingness to work together and a declaration of intent is necessary to show that the two parties are willing to work together. She said if that is made clear to the population, she believes that the people would give them, the necessary time needed to work out the details of a National Government.
Wescot Williams said she felt that the preliminary talks could have begun since the process would take some time before it could have been finalized. 
Wescot Williams said her party has decided that the right and ethical thing to do is for them to resign but not as pre-condition. That she said would happen next week, but did not pin point a day when it would take place.
She said that right now two of the members of the Democratic Party are off island, namely commissioner Roy Marlin and Island Councilman Petrus Leroy DeWeever. Pressed on saying whether or not the commissioners have agreed to resigning Wescot Williams said that they could have done it yesterday (Thursday) but they did not want it to be a precondition before initial talks could begin.
The DP leader further explained that prior to the handing down of the verdict of Louie Laveist the DP had forwarded a declaration of intent to the National Alliance that they believe should have been a basis to them to begin with.
Governor to Get Letter.
SMN News further understands that that the National Alliance intends to send a letter to the island Lt. Governor Frankly Richards as early as today where they would inform him that the island government of St. Maarten has lost its majority. Knowing that there is only a caretaker government in place then they cannot take any major decision on projects or issue any type of permits.
Should the government issue any permits, buses, and or taxi licenses it must be reviewed when the new government are formed and takes office.
