Philipsburg:--- The supervisory board of SZV had to postpone their meeting on Monday evening which was called to discuss the letter the Minister of Health Cornelius de Weever sent to them regarding the appointment of Reginald Willemsburg as Director of SZV. According to well placed sources, the Supervisory Board meeting had to be postponed due to a lack of quorum. SMN News learnt that meeting will now be held on Monday February 18th, 2013.
The supervisory board sent their advice to the Minister of Health some months ago where they suggested Willemsberg as the candidate for the position. However, some two weeks ago the Minister responded to the Supervisory Board informing them that he has several concerns regarding the person they selected. One of those concerns was that he (the Minister) did not feel that Willemsburg could bring SZV to the level he would want it to be while the Minister also wants to appoint both the Director and Assistant Director at the same time, therefore he asked the Supervisory Board to reopen the selection process so that more suitable candidates can be selected for the positions that are available at SZV.
According to information SMN News received, some six persons applied for the position, two of which are from St. Maarten namely former Minister of Health Maria Buncamper Molanus and Reginald Willemsburg while the other candidates were from outside of St. Maarten.
SMN News reported last week that one of the reasons the Minister of Health wanted to re-open the selection process was because the Democratic Party wanted to appoint the former Minister of Health to the position. SMN News was told after the article was published that the Democratic Party and the Minister of Health Cornelius de Weever who is a Minister appointed by the DP Fraction had absolutely no influence in the selection process. A source close to the SZV board said the Minister of Health and his legal advisors met with the Supervisory Board last week and they raised some legitimate issues regarding the appointment of Willemsburg. The source said that while the Minister of Health expressed his concerns on the person that was selected, no definite decision has been taken on the appointment. It should also be noted that while the Supervisory Board would send an advice to the Minister on a candidate they feel should be appointed, the Minister of Health is the one that has the final say in the appointment of persons to senior positions.