Philipsburg:--- Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams confirmed on Wednesday during the Council of Ministers' weekly press briefing that St. Maarten was fully aware that St. Maarten would have been cut out of the Border Management System (BMS). "The so-called disconnect did not come totally unexpected. However, the Minister of Justice's views on how the system is set up is very clear to the Council of Ministers. When we informed the other parties that we will not agree to the way Curacao and the Netherlands want to set up the system we were told we would be disconnected. The Minister of Justice is working very hard to pick up from where the system was cut off and move on."
Minister of Justice Roland Duncan told SMN News that based on what he has seen with the ongoing disagreement with the joint Central Bank, he did not think it wise for St. Maarten to have another joint agreement. On this point, the Prime Minister said the two issues are totally different and in the case of the joint Central Bank there is an agreement and if parties cannot agree then they must agree to disagree. Wescot- Williams agreed that having all of St. Maarten's information stored in Curacao is not feasible to the country's economy. She insisted that when St. Maarten informed the other partners that the island will not be part of the system they were informed that they will be cut out of it. The Prime Minister further explained that St. Maarten is working with what it has even though it is not an ideal situation. "We do not have a complete system in place but the Ministry of Justice is working on the issue." When asked if the Council of Ministers has the same view as the Minister of Justice with regards to holding the Dutch Government liable for the damages the island suffered during the period of time it was cut off, the Prime Minister said that was not discussed. She said she is in favor of seeking the country's right if they were wronged but she could not say how successful they are going to be on such a mission.
