PHILIPSBURG: --- The chairman of Parliament MP Lloyd Richardson had to go back on his decision and remove an agenda point he added on Monday even though several Members of Parliament objected to the additional agenda point claiming that procedures were not followed.
MP De Weever asked the chair of Parliament to add the motion that was suspended in December 2013 which was to widen the scope of medical coverage for independent workers, namely bus drivers, taxi drivers and vendors.
When the motion was in parliament it had to be suspended when it became clear that there was no law in place to support the motion.
MP William Marlin was the first MP to object to the chairman’s decision citing that procedures were not being followed, Marlin even ask the chairman of parliament if the Parliament of St. Maarten would deal with the old motion or an amended version. He said if it’s the old motion then all Members of Parliament have to do was go ahead with the voting since five MP’s had voted when the motion was suspended. Marlin even suggested to the chair to seek legal advice from government legal advisors that were seated in parliament since he was sure that the chair was not abiding by its own rules of order.
MP Sarah Wescot Williams backed MP Marlin when she quoted articles of the rules of order and pointed out that if there are changes to the motion then it cannot be placed on the agenda of Monday’s meeting. Wescot Williams a former Prime Minister and chairlady of Parliament told the chair that she was in fact assisting him because it was clear he did not take the right decision.
MP Cornelius de Weever felt that Members of Parliament were not interested in the needs of the people of St. Maarten but he ended up retracting the motion he had placed on the agenda when they sought legal advice and realized that the motion MP de Weever had placed on the agenda on Monday was an amended version and not the same one that was presented in December 2013.
