Where is the Instruction Mark Rutte threatened to impose on St. Maarten?
The Hague/ St. Maarten:--- The Secretary General of St. Maarten Hensley Plantijn and the Secretary General of the Netherlands F.J. Arkenbout signed an agreement on July 6th, 2017.
The agreement that was signed is based on the summary of the reported session held on July 6th.
Parties meaning the Country St. Maarten and the Netherlands have to continue the discussion of the national ordinance through which an integrity chamber will be established while taking into account the verdict of the constitutional court regarding the necessity to establish such a national ordinance and the framework proposed by the court.
The Council of Ministers on St. Maarten will have to promote and boost the acceptance of the national ordinance by the Parliament of St. Maarten which also has to be ratified by the Governor as soon as possible but no later than October 31st, 2017
Discussions will be held by parties in a transparent manner by both sides and that the delegations from both parties will consist for this purpose of highly positioned civil servants, preferably not being the already appointed quartermasters
The outcome of the discussion will be reported no later than November 1st, 2017 to the specially established arbitration committee for the dispute which the government of Sint Maarten has taken up to the Kingdom Council of State through its petition of May 8th, 2017.
Clearly, the Kingdom Council of Ministers was put in its place on Thursday since they threatened to issue an instruction to St. Maarten and even the Prime Minister of the Netherlands Mark Rutte had told the Prime Minister of St. Maarten William Marlin that if he does not comply with what the Netherlands is going to do then St. Maarten as a country should get out of the Kingdom.
Even though an agreement which is far more transparent and gives St. Maarten more leverage when negotiating the national ordinance for the establishment of the integrity chamber, there are still quite some hurdles that lie ahead, one being that the Governor of St. Maarten could well refuse to sign the national ordinance when it is prepared while the Ombudsman could also challenge it court if she sees that it is not in the interest of the people of St. Maarten.
