AMSTERDAM/PHILIPSBURG:--- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson is in the hot seat now that he has signed an agreement with the Minister of Interior and Foreign Affairs Ronald Plasterk to install an integrity chamber on St. Maarten, especially since Minister Richardson chose to place the Parliament of St. Maarten in an awkward position by placing a deadline on Parliament to approve the national ordinance by June 30th. Minister Richardson gave his Dutch counterpart the best part of the deal regarding the Integrity Chamber of St. Maarten. Minister Richardson presented a draft motion to the Parliament of St. Maarten which was heavily disputed. In that draft motion it states that a three member supervisory council would have been appointed. However the agreement signed on Saturday deviates from the draft that was provided to the Parliament of St. Maarten. The agreement states that one member will be appointed by National decree based on a binding recommendation from the Council of Ministers of the Netherlands. The second member will be appointed by a binding recommendation from the council of Ministers of St. Maarten while the third member will be appointed by royal decree based on a binding recommendation from two members of the Kingdom Council, in short the Kingdom has a two third majority in the three member supervisory council.
The agreement further stated that the Landsreacherche will be strengthened through the RST and the Public Prosecutors Office and the Common Court of Justice will also be strengthened and the Royal Marechaussee will lend additional support where necessary. However, Members of Parliament that are currently in the Netherlands attending the IPKO meetings are totally against the decision taken by the deputy Prime Minister who chose to sign an agreement and is binding the Parliament of St. Maarten to do what the Kingdom wants without consultation with the Parliament of St. Maarten. Member of Parliament William Marlin told SMN News that the Prime Minister and his cabinet should pack up and leave because the parliament of St. Maarten has lost confidence in the government. Marlin said that the Deputy Prime Minister ridiculed the Dutch in the Parliament of St. Maarten yet he did what they wanted without consulting with Parliament or the Council of Ministers.
The agreement signed by the Minister of Justice caused an uproar among members of the coalition who met on Monday to discuss the matter further. SMN News understands that the leader of the United Peoples Party Theodore Heyliger is not at all pleased with the decisions taken by Minister Richardson. Already there are discussions to remove the Minister of Justice from his post and his latest decision might be the straw that will break the camel's back.
Click here to view the signed document on the installation of an Integrity Chamber on St. Maarten
