OPPOSITION PLANS TO HOLD BI-MONTHLY PRESS CONFERENCES---SAYS GOVERNMENT TREND IS SCARY.

Philipsburg: --- The Democratic Party faction has promised to hold bi-monthly press conferences in order to keep the population abreast with information on issues and concerns, so says leader of the Democratic Party Sarah Wescot Williams at press conference on Monday. Present at the press conference were the party’s leader Wescot Williams, Island Council lady Maria Buncamper Molanus, island council man Roy Marlin and president of the Democratic Party Michael Ferrier.

Revised Labour Policy

Wescot Williams in her opening statements gave an elucidation on the procedures she followed in trying to obtain an island council meeting to further discuss the revised labour policy which was shelved by the National Alliance/Heyliger government. The former leader of government said she is amazed with the reasons given by the sitting executive council. She said the NA/ Heyliger executive council felt that such a discussion is not urgent and that it can wait until the recess is over. Wescot Williams said upon receiving that information she reacted by sending a letter to the chairman where she objected to the position taken by the executive council, after doing such the DP faction managed to obtain that meeting for Tuesday afternoon. Wescot Williams said if the required amount of members of the island council requested a meeting that meeting had to be held within the seven day period as stipulated in the ERNA. Wescot Williams said her faction believes the people of St. Maarten are entitled to know government’s stance on the revised labour policy. She said over the past months there has been a lot of flip flopping on the issue. Wescot Williams quoted several media reports on the matter and said she they believed the tripartite committee who worked on the policy needs an explanation on what government really intends to do with the policy before them taking a stand.

Wescot Williams said they are going to be demanding that the executive council sanction the changes that were agreed to by the social partners. Those changes she said included the age limits as well as housing requirements and others. Wescot Williams said they would also be suggesting that the changes be adopted immediately prior to the August assessment of the policy.

Wescot Williams said during the last island council meeting of July 2 she asked some questions regarding the harbour group of companies. Wescot Williams said she did receive a letter from the commissioner in charge but several of her questions were not answered. The Democratic Party leader said regarding the financing she was told that financing took place according to the present project dossier taking into the account the recession the island is facing. She said the commissioner also announced that the loan from Royal Caribbean had increased from 5 million to ten million US dollars. Wescot Williams said that part of the letter deserves more elucidation for the people of St. Maarten. She said she did not receive any answer as to the overall position of the St. Maarten Harbour Holding Companies N.V giving the drop in cruise passengers arriving at the Harbour. Wescot Williams said she intends to send a letter to the executive council asking them to provide her with answers to that hoping that she would receive an answer.

The Democratic Party leader said she had asked for the objections that were filed by the environmental foundations. Wescot Williams said while she did receive the objections that were filed by St. Maarten Pride Foundation and EPIC, Nature Foundation and Monument foundation but she did not get the response sent to these foundations by government.

The DP leader said they learnt from press reports that a response was sent neither did she get a response on how far their concerns were addressed. Wescot Williams said in the press reports it was mentioned twice that the Ring Road Project was part of the Democratic Party governing program 2007-2011. She said it seem as if the report was intended to remind the Democratic Party that they too was in favor of the Ring Road project. She said she wants to the government to know that the DP faction does not need to be reminded, and as such they have questions and would be using their good rights and pose those questions. Wescot Williams said if they were in government they would have asked the same questions and now that they are in opposition they intend to ask questions.

Wescot Williams said she asked questions pertaining to the land owners and those questions were not answered, as well as those related to employment.

The DP faction leader said they have taken note of the work that was given out to truckers and she also commended the truckers for the work they have provided by stepping up to the plate. However, she wants to know if all registered truckers that have all adequate equipments were contracted and if so how were they contracted. She wants to know if they received their contracts through an association or if it was individual. Wescot Williams said the DP faction also wants to know if there is more work available and what type of work is available and how much this would be cost to the harbour.

The DP Faction is expecting the National Alliance/ Heyliger government to have on the floor of the island council within short the draft legislations on the gaming control board, the legislation on the ombudsman, and the so- called environment fee that is to be levied on cruise passengers as well as the compulsory education ordinance which is necessary for the implementation of compulsory education.

Wescot Williams said the executive council does not go on recess and as such she would like to the legislation on the floor of the island council since the present government did make a commitment.

Wescot Williams said the DP faction is also waiting on a response pertaining to the letter that was sent to the State Secretary regarding cooperate governance. She said during the last island council meeting she asked who sent the response to the State Secretary and was told the Governor did and that the executive council had not meet neither did they take a position on the letter that was sent. Wescot Williams said she believed the executive council had enough time and felt they needed to make their position known. Wescot Williams said the DP faction also wants to know if government is in keeping with the quarterly reports regarding financial supervision. Since the DP has not yet received these reports.

Island Councilman Roy Marlin also expressed concerns over the agreements that had to be sent to the CFT regarding financial supervision. He said he requested information from the current finance commissioner regarding the first draft and to date he has not received them. Marlin said he is rather concerned about the way the executive council is dealing with matters regarding financial supervision. He said the executive council has until August 2009 to submit its draft budget for 2010, he said he received information that there is no active participation taking place regarding the preparation of 2010 budget. Marlin is urging the executive council to adhere to the rules and regulation that are on the books in order to comply with the temporary measures laid down for financial supervision. He said already the laws on cooperate governance has been handled by the island council which was sent off and finally the state secretary reacted to which the executive council has to respond. He said the governor reacted to the State Secretary while it is clearly stated that the State Secretary and the executive council should reach an agreement by August 2009. Marlin said if the agreements are not reached then the Dutch Government can unilaterally impose their rules and regulation on cooperate governance on government owned companies

Marlin said the executive council should make sure or at least begin deliberations with the State Secretary, or at least they needed to react to her letter.

Island Council lady Maria Buncamper Molanus who was off island said she intends to send a letter to the chairman of the island council to request the transcripts of the June 8th island council meeting. Buncamper Molanus said she would be requesting the transcripts of the statements made by island council man Louie Laveist as well as those of Commissioner Hyacinth Richardson.

Buncamper Molanus also gave an elucidation on the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex project which is now being shelved by the current government. The former commissioner of sports said even though government has no obligation towards the Raoul Ilidge Sports Complex foundation she managed to get the former executive council to put aside some Naf. 1.7 million guilders in the 2009 budget for the renovation and expansion of that sports complex. Buncamper Molanus said while government had no say in the functioning of the foundation government needed a guarantee that the monies allocated to them would be well spent.

Buncamper Molanus said when holding the sports portfolio she had to make sure the foundation was brought up to par if they were to receive government funding, one of the things that had to be done is to upgrade and re-organize the foundation by laws. Government she said also appointed someone in the sports field to work on a plan for the sports complex. That plan she said was already presented to the new board of Raoul Illidge and she does not know if they already responded on the proposal that was given to them. She said right now there is a proposal which was drafted on the instruction of the executive council and to hear that the project is now shelved is not a decision that can be taken by government.

Buncamper Molanus said while working on the project they discovered that the federal government transferred the land and to the island government which was to be transferred to the foundation, however that transfer never took place. She said she also discovered that the reason the transfer was not made was due to transfer taxes which she also managed to get an exemption for. The former sports commissioner further explained that the structures that are on the property of Raoul Illidge was built by the Dutch Government with the intention that it would be transferred to the foundation.

Buncamper Molanus said when the foundation receives this land they would then have assets which they could then take to any bank for financing to further improve the facility. Buncamper Molanus said right now they are waiting on the island government to bring to the floor of the island council the land transfer something she said they have competences to carry out.

Marketing Stimulus ---Roy Marlin

Island Councilman Roy Marlin said he also took note of the statements that were made by the commissioner of tourism Frans Richardson regarding the marketing stimulus. Marlin said he does not know what type of approval the executive council has to make since the process started since February. Marlin said he was the one who held meetings with the Dutch representatives on behalf of the Democratic Party where he convinces them to make some adjustments to the SEI funds. Approval he said was granted in May. Marlin said the final step was to send the financing request to USONA.

Marlin said when the DP faction received the reaction of the executive council pertaining to the request they made for an island council meeting he found the response rather scary. He said he could not imagine the executive council would make such a proposal even though there is a clear outline in the island regulations. Marlin said he hopes that this would not be the basis on which the executive council would function in the future. He said he hopes that this is not the way the current executive council would deal with their future requests. He said when the DP was in government they always respected the rules of the island council when the National Alliance had requested meetings.