Dear Editor,
In your publication I read that President of Parliament, Mr. Rudolph Samuel, will be traveling to Holland for the King's inauguration later this month.
My question is, how in his rightful mind can the President of Parliament decide to attend such a prestigious occasion when the Parliament he resides over has done NOTHING to date in relation to the Bada Bing scandal? Not one Parliamentarian (not even the opposition!) has asked for a parliamentary inquiry or formally requested MP Illidge to vacate his seat while the investigation is ongoing.
Mr. Rudolphe presides over a Parliament that has one convicted member (MP Laveist) for bribery, while another (MP Illidge) is the center of an investigation for similar alleged charges. For a new country barely 2.5 years old, this is not something to be very proud of.
A strong message would have been from the President of Parliament to decline the invitation on the grounds that St. Maarten needs to get her own house in order first before she can celebrate another being officially inaugurated. That would have earned him respect locally and abroad.
After Curacao, now it is St. Maarten that has become the black sheep in the Kingdom as our Parliament is not carrying out their duties (or simply inept) and thus is co-responsible for trampling on good governance.
To our leaders: the people of St. Maarten demand swift action, which is certainly not asking some foreign organization to carry out a 12-15 month study on integrity (= buying time to the next election).
We want and deserve swift and decisive action now to repair our tainted image as accessories in and facilitators of corruption.
Thank you.
Clyde Angust
Dutch Quarter
