Building Permits not Signed by Acting Minister of VROMI --- Reliable Sources
PHILIPSBURG:--- The situation at the Ministry of VROMI is not only disturbing to the former Minister Maurice Lake now Member of Parliament whom it is said tendered his resignation from the United Peoples Party prior to leaving the island. SMN News understands that several Members of Parliament from the UP faction was not speaking to Lake who began sending out some anti-government press releases about two weeks ago. SMN News learnt that the MP felt he was set up by his own party with the purchase of the VORST Estate and now that the family lowered the sales price by USD$1M and it is budgeted in the 2015 budget the Prime Minister refused to sign off on the payment for the property which would avoid government from having another court litigation. The former Minister even faced a motion of non-confidence while being the Minister of VROMI. Former Minister Maurice Lake was caught lying to Parliament about the purchase agreement of the Emilio Wilson Estate. Lake even went as far as saying he found the agreement that was put in place by former Minister William Marlin in an envelope stuck in cornor of his office one year after taking office. Yet the copy he took to Parliament bore the DIF registration number when the agreement was registered at General Affairs by former Minister of VROMI William Marlin.
He was severely criticized for purchasing the VORST estate for $495.00 per square meter. It is not clear if any Member of Parliament will support the purchase of the estate even though the price decreased by USDS1M.
SMN News learnt that the acting Minister of VROMI and Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs refused to sign off on several building permits, one such permit belongs to Taliesin Construction who won the bid for the construction of the Fixed Based Operations (FBO) section at the Princess Juliana International Airport. The source said that the Prime Minister received orders from the leader of the UP not to sign off on the building permit because he does not like the contractor that won the bid. However, SMN News could not confirm the allegation since everyone from the UP camp are tightlipped while Member of Parliament Maurice Lake has left the island.
Another building permit that is not being signed off is the one for development of Simpson Bay area that that involves the Gioa's. Residents of Simpson Bay have been protesting this project therefore it is still not clear why the Prime Minister refused to sign off on the project.
SMN News further learnt that several permits for the cleaning of trenches are not being signed off and these are some of the things that brought MP Maurice Lake to his wits ends because he promised several youngsters in various districts jobs but because the permits are not being signed off the projects are being delayed.
An insider at the Ministry of VROMI told SMN News that there are so many advices that were left behind by the former Minister that the current acting Minister refused to touch. Some of them involves the cleaning of trenches to contain the chikungunya virus.
Besides the grievances from MP Maurice Lake the United Peoples Party (UPP) have problems with several of their Members of Parliament that forms the current coalition. One of the issues that is also burning is the fact that the party leader Theo Heyliger chose to give Independent Member of Parliament Leona Marlin the Ministry of TEATT without consulting with his deputy leader Franklin Meyers who appointed Minister Claret Conner. Efforts made to reach the UP Members of Parliament proved futile on Sunday knowing that they all seem to have issues with their leader.
A political pundit told SMN News that right now the Members of Parliament that are mumbling and grumbling will settle back down and hold on to the huge salaries they all have including the traveling benefits because many of them will not get re-elected if they have to face the voters once more.
While MP Maurice Lake has refused to answer his phone on the information SMN News received he told another media outlet he did not say anything to anyone about pulling his support from the United Peoples Party. Obviousbly the Member of Parliament thinks that everyone on St. Maarten forgot his habit of lying for almost everything.
PRIME MINISTER LOOKING TO DISSOLVE PARLIAMENT.
SMN News further learnt that Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs main focus at the moment is to dissolve the Parliament of St. Maarten and call for new elections. A source close to the Prime Minister said that PM Gumbs will not do anything that he does not agree with and if it means that he has to dissolve the Parliament of St. Maarten to get rid of what they describe as selfish Members of Parliament he is ready to do just that. SMN News further learnt that the Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs already secured the support from his entire cabinet to dissolve the parliament of St. Maarten and call for new elections.
Click here to read one of MP Lake anti-government press releases.
