PHILIPSBURG: --- The USP board will be holding a board meeting on Tuesday to determine whether or not they will continue to support the current coalition or if they will leave and go back to the opposition benches.
SMN News understands that Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson informed the Council of Ministers and members of the coalition on Friday during the coalition meeting of the letter he received from Member of Parliament Frans Richardson also on Friday who asked him to resign effective immediately.
According to information SMN News received it appears as though several members of the coalition will not be voting for the motion if MP Frans Richardson brings it to the floor of Parliament. “It is clear that several members of the coalition will not show up to the meeting when it is called, and that only leaves to USP with two choices, either he accepts to work with the current Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson or he leaves the coalition and return to the opposition benches, that decision will be taken on Tuesday when the USP board meets.”
SMN News further learnt that Minister Richardson, the author of St. Maarten’s constitution referred the members of the coalition to the constitution which governs the country. Further to that he informs the coalition that the current government has a majority and they simply have to say whether or not they will support the move by the leader of the USP. It should that Minister Richardson has the full support of Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs and the other Ministers from the Council of Ministers. Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs said last week that if Parliament brings a motion of non-confidence against Minister Richardson then he would consider it as a motion against the Council of Ministers because not only did Minister Richardson signed the protocol to establish an integrity chamber on his behalf but the Council of Ministers also approved the signed protocol that has to be ratified by the Parliament of St. Maarten.
According to well-placed sources the leader of the USP Frans Richardson met with the leader of the UPP Theodore Heyliger with MP Franklin Meyers and their coalition partner MP Cornelius de Weever, it is not yet known what is the outcome of that meeting.
Efforts made to reach MP Frans Richardson proved futile on Monday.
