Philipsburg:--- Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot Williams gave reporters more details on the statement she made regarding the Bada Bing bribery allegation involving Member of Parliament Patrick Illidge.
Wescot Williams said that she addressed three main issues in her statement issued on Sunday. Wescot Williams said she thought it would be fitting that she explain the functions of the VDSM (National Security Department of St. Maarten). She said the VDSM is governed by law in how it executes its duties. Furthermore, the National Security has its responsibilities which are separate from the judicial system. She said politically she is responsible for the VDSM but the organization operates independently, it does its work after careful analysis in accordance of the law they are governed by and they also execute their duties in accordance with the law. She said the second point she commented on was the statements she heard over recent days about invoking the guarantee function which is in the Kingdom charter. Wescot Williams said that guarantee function has no place on St. Maarten or for St. Maarten as far as the government of St. Maarten is concerned. She said the guarantee function that is in the Kingdom Charter can only be invoked when all other authorities locally fails. Wescot Williams said she was pleased to see that Minister Plasterk said the same thing to Members of Parliament in the Kingdom when they mentioned invoking the guarantee function for St. Maarten. Minister Plasterk she said made it clear to the Members of Parliament in the Netherlands that this can only happened when agencies on St. Maarten are not executing their task. The Prime Minister said that it is the opinion of the Government of St. Maarten that is not the case currently because all wheels are turning and were turning even before the tape was released in the media. She said that as regretful as this may be, those that are responsible for certain actions will see what will come out of the investigation currently taking place. Wescot Williams said the system and agencies on St. Maarten are very much intact. "The agencies are functioning and the government of St. Maarten is also very much intact." The third point she raised in her statement is respect for the government of St. Maarten. "Regardless of what the circumstances are, I expect respect for the government of St. Maarten at least from the other governments that form the Kingdom. I can imagine an event like this is a field day for others to blow this up. But when it comes from government to government I expect respect from the other governments and members of government especially in the Kingdom. I know the statements I am referring to did not come from the government of the Kingdom as a body, but there is show of sensationalism of not knowing the facts. Statements are coming especially from the members of the second chamber. Everyone has their opinion on this matter but the only place this matter will be settled is via the judicial channels."
Wescot Williams made a call on persons not to sensationalize the situation that is currently under investigation. She said on Tuesday a member of the Dutch Parliament suggested that interference/assistance should come from the United States in the ongoing investigation. Wescot Williams said she hopes that everyone including to the general public of St. Maarten will understand that when it comes to statements such as those made by the members of parliament in the Kingdom she must react to protect the image of the government in general and the people of St. Maarten.
Wescot Williams further stated that St. Maarten spent a lot of time in ensuring that the foundations and institutions are in place which is the bedrock of a democratic system. There are checks and balances in all areas, until these agencies are not functioning then she will remain put on her statement.
The Prime Minister said she intends to travel to the Netherlands and speak to these persons who do not have the information. However, she made clear that when the constitution was being worked on they ensured that laws are in place because they did not want politicians to get away with " murder".
When SMN News reporter asked Wescot Williams if the VDSM was ever in possession of the tape and if she was aware of it. Wescot Williams said that even if she knew that she would not divulge the information. She said she met with the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice shortly after the Minister of Finance returned to St. Maarten and informed the government that while he was in the Netherlands he heard rumors of the existence of such a tape.
Deputy Prime Minister William Marlin said what is seen on tape is a very serious matter and that is one of the reasons he kept his statement very short. Marlin said right now there is another twist to the story where the leader of another political party is involved. This he said has created a new direction and it's now starting to look like a "James Bond" movie but in reality, the legal system and constitution have provisions in place to handle these matters. Marlin said everyone is having a field day through the electronic media on the situation. He said he is confronted by several questions regarding Illidge but he has to constantly be referring to the system in place to deal with politicians that are under investigation. Marlin said when the Minister of Justice and himself met with the Prime Minister to discuss the existence of such a tape, immediately after that meeting was held the Minister of Justice sent a letter to pertinent authorities to get the tape and to properly investigate the matter. Marlin said when the tape was released the Minister of Justice sent a second letter to the authorities to investigate the matter thoroughly.
