PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of VROMI Maurice Lake got another whooping from Members of Parliament on Wednesday afternoon. Almost all Members of Parliament that attended the meeting made clear that they will not support the purchase agreement Minister Lake signed with the Vorst family to purchase 11.129 square meters of land in Cay Hill for $494.00 per square meter.
Member of Parliament Roy Marlin made clear that the letter of intent former Minister of Justice Roland Duncan signed was null and void because the former Minister was very responsible when he included a clause in the letter of intent protecting the Government of St. Maarten from any type of lawsuits.
MP Roy Marlin made clear that the letter of intent that Minister Lake is using as the basis to sign a purchase agreement is not acceptable. Furthermore, he said Minister Lake continues to tell parliament that he saved the country monies compared to the long lease the former Minister of Justice wanted to enter into with the Vorst family.
Shortly after making his statements MP Roy Marlin submitted two motions to Parliament. The motions called for clear legislation or documentation of procedures to be followed before Ministers are allowed to commit government to pay huge sums of monies.
After the discussions, Members of Parliament voted on the two motions presented by MP Roy Marlin. Both motions were rejected by Parliament since only four MPs voted in favor of the motion while seven MPs voted against the motions. While MP Romain Laville flagged the Minister of VROMI for the purchase of the Vorst family he voted against the motions presented claiming that he being a coalition partner in SWW-3 cabinet was not consulted on the motions that were tabled by MP Roy Marlin his coalition partner.
MP Roy Marlin made clear that even though the motions were not carried by parliament because of the lack of support, he believes that the message in both motions have been sent to government including the Minister of VROMI Maurice Lake.
Click here to view the motions submitted by MP Roy Marlin.