Philipsburg:--- The political crisis on St. Maarten is becoming more confusing by the day and it appears as though no one seems to know what is legal from what is illegal. On Tuesday afternoon, the Vice Chairman of Parliament Romaine Laville sent out an invitation to all Members of Parliament inviting them to a Parliamentary meeting that will take place at the A.C. Wathey Legislative Hall on Thursday at 10am. The invitation which was sent through Roddy Heyliger and not the griffier of Parliament states that the meeting "no. 6" that was postponed for the third time on Monday will reconvene to discuss the political situation on St. Maarten.
On the invitation the Vice Chairman of Parliament has two agenda points, the first being the one requested by MPs George Pantophlet, Frans Richardson, and Louie Laveist, while the second agenda point is the motion of non-confidence to be brought against four Ministers, namely William Marlin, Roland Tuitt, Silvera Jacobs, and Romeo Pantophlet.
What makes the entire political crisis confusing is that the Governor of St. Maarten in a press release on May 15th called on politicians to follow the rules of order and the constitution in order to resolve the political crisis on St. Maarten.
While the Vice Chairman sent out an invitation to all Members of Parliament and has taken the liberty to advance a meeting that was adjourned by the President of Parliament to Friday. On Tuesday afternoon, the Prime Minister of St. Maarten dispatched a letter to the Chairman of Parliament Rodolphe Samuel informing him that the decision and motion that was passed by the eight members of Parliament on May 13th, 2013 is binding. The Prime Minister in her letter said that based on advice she received from the Department of Legal Affairs the meeting is binding and the members of the Council of Ministers who no longer enjoy the support of Parliament have to submit their resignation.
