Reminds that Giving of Gifts, Bribing or Coercing for Votes Already Established as Illegal Under the Penal Code
PHILIPSBURG:--- During her weekly radio program One on One with the Prime Minister, the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams gave clarity on her push for electoral reform. The Prime Minister commented on the program aired weekly on 98.1 Pearl FM that since the constitutional change of the tenth of October 2010 many issues had to be ironed out: "We had to have elections in 101010 for a new political system; a system that we never knew before; from an island council to a parliamentary system. We put everything in place to have that new constitutional system and what we have noticed is that, because of the frequent changes in the political landscape there is a need for reform in the system in order to put more emphasis on political stability. What we have seen is that in our young democracy there is a tension of two parts; persons are elected and get into Parliament depending on how many seats the party gets and not necessarily with regards to the amount of seats that person gets. Because of that you have had frequent changes in Government and in the minute you have a shift in the coalition position in parliament following the composition in 101010 you had a shift in the allegiance of Parliament thus effecting Government.
The Prime Minister emphasized that her focus with regards to electoral change is to ensure that there is stability in the system and clarity for the people who have elected their representatives, doing so on the basis of a clear program and vision of a particular political party, with the party then being able to execute their respective programs.
"Based on the frequent changes because of the shifting of alliances and allegiances in Parliament that is one of the matters in electoral reform that I have received advice on and there are various options to look at. I am now preparing a paper to submit to Parliament in order to have a discussion, a discussion devoid of politicking but in the interest of the people. There are various options with regards to electoral reform. For example within a Political Party itself or ultimately, which I believe should be the ultimate option, with changes to the constitution.
"It is also important to make the public aware of the dynamics of our politics and how important it is to elect persons who voters understand have a clear vision and clear objective. Tied into this is the issue of campaign reform, the change in the way we conduct politics. During the budget handling Parliament passed a motion on electoral reform. The content of the motion was to not bribe, pay or accept cash, give objects or give preferential treatment to influence the vote for or against a candidate. Also not to coerce persons to nominate or not to nominate a candidate. I indicated that much of these matters are already outlined in our laws, but it does require educating and informing Parliament and the people of St. Maarten. I therefore gave an overview where this is already mentioned in our law. Matters like bribing someone to vote are outlined in the penal code, specifically in article 2.14 that states that the person who bribes someone to vote in a particular through the giving of money or gifts or in any other way will be punished with incarceration for two years or fines as categorized by the law. The voter or a representative of a voter who allows his or herself to be bought will be punished in the same manner," commented the Prime Minister.
The PM stressed that, with regards to elections it is the duty of all responsible parties to adhere to the law, which clearly outlines what is and what is not allowed during National Elections. "Eventually, as our society becomes more complex and larger, you may have a situation where elections might be contested because things have not happened according to the law. The initiator of the Parliamentary Motion, MP Frans Richardson, may not have been aware of the law so I will be pointing this out in my reply to Parliament so that the necessary discussions will take place," concluded Wescot-Williams.
From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister