“I was thrown under the roller by the UPP”
PHILIPSBURG:---- Member of Parliament Silvio Matser who left the United Peoples Party also showed up in front of the Government Administration Building on Wednesday to show his support to the people whom he said elected him. MP Master said he is not concerned about the amount of people that protested on Wednesday because for him when one person speak it’s enough for him to act. The Member of Parliament said the buzz word today is integrity and he wants those that are talking about integrity to look within themselves. The Independent MP said that if he was in the position as the Gumbs cabinet he would have left office the very first day he is fired. He said those people that are speaking about integrity and self-consciousness are afraid to give up the position they hold even after they are fired. He said he does not know why the ousted Ministers don’t want to leave office but whatever it is that is keeping them in office has to be something sweet.
Asked what is the next step for the majority? Matser said that they asked for an urgent meeting pf parliament and hopefully they will get to do what have to be done. He said the crowd might be small now but he is convinced that the people will move in the near future and the new coalition would get the opportunity to take office and work for the people of St. Maarten.
“I was thrown under the roller not the bus”
When asked why he left the UPP and what took him so long Master said that while he was member of the UPP he has been expressing his concerns that the government were not doing anything for the people and even though he spoke it fell on deaf ears. He said that he was elected to represent the people and he had to do what was best for those that elected him when he realize that his concerns were falling on deaf ears.
Asked why he took this long to move even though he was thown under the bus by the UPP leader Master said he thrown under the roller and not the bus but everything in life takes time. He said he had plans to leave a long time ago because he could not remain in a coalition where he did not have a say in how the country is governed. “I had no clue as to what was happening in the UPP/De Weever/ LRM coalition so I had no choice but to walk away. I must say I gave the UPP coalition the benefit of the doubt and chances for them to prove themselves. However, when I see that my concerns were going on deaf ears I had to leave even if this causes me my political career. I had to make a choice to work in the interest of the people that voted for me. I also want to make a difference for the island.”
Matser said the people of St. Maarten are very passive people but when one enter their living room or kitchen that is when you would see how these people are hurting.
As Matser was speaking to the media the protestors decided to approach the building where they wanted to chain the doors of the building. That caused an outburst with the head of security.
The protestors said that the Council of Ministers must step down, these government officials are not following the law therefore the people do not have to follow the law.
One of the protestors made clear that they will not use violence as they are not savages. He said that the Gumbs cabinet must leave because they are no longer Ministers.
