Philipsburg:--- After severe insistence the members of parliament will be meeting in a central committee meeting to discuss the appointment of the general secretary that is proposed by chairlady of parliament Gracita Arrindell. Senator William Marlin informed the chair that it is not normal for parliament to discuss a person's appointment when they are taking part in the meeting.Marlin said his faction has a number of questions on the appointment of the general secretary as well as the functions of the general secretary. Marlin said rather than having a public debate his faction proposes to have the discussion in a closed door central committee meeting and the decision taken in that meeting can then be ratified at a later date in a public meeting. The proposal from Marlin was seconded by senator George Pantophlet and also supported by senator Roy Marlin.
Marlin said their proposal is not to delay the process because the candidate is already functioning as such. Marlin said he has no qualms with the candidate and most importantly he worked with Franklyn Hanze in the parliament of the Netherlands Antilles for several years. He said if parliament is to follow proper procedures then it would not be right to have a public debate on his appointment while he is sitting in the meetings. Marlin said his faction also has questions on the entire personnel of parliament all of which will be discussed in the central committee. At that point, senator Roy Marlin from the Democratic Party indicated that their faction would concur with the proposal of the National Alliance. However, the chairlady wanted to adjourn the meeting so that central committee could be held. She told parliament that she wanted to make sure she had her 'right hand' on her side to move along with the people's business. Senator Roy Marlin then indicated that he would concur with the proposal of the leader of the National Alliance because should they enter into a central committee meeting then they would not have been able to deal with the election of the vice chair.
General Secretary (Griffier)
Based on the proposal submitted to parliament for the appointment of Franklyn Hanze as general secretary he will be receiving Naf. 11,210 per week. The breakdown for the weekly amount is as follows:--
Verblijf(housing) Naf:- 1474—
Car Rental Naf:- 546—
Food Naf:- 600--
Airport Tax Naf:- 120--
Ticket Naf:- 470—
Fee Naf:- 8000
Total bedrag per week Naf 11.210
SMN News has been reliably informed that the members of the National Alliance are concerned about the high cost of appointing Hanze while they are also concerned about his language barrier. Hanze is fluent in Dutch and Papiamento but has serious difficulty with the English language.
The parliament of St. Maarten will be conducted in the English language for the benefit of the people. SMN News learnt that the members of parliament believe while Hanze might be versed on the law his language handicap could work against him and the parliament of country St Maarten.
SMN News has been reliably informed that the former executive council had trained one of its own Cassandra Janssen who worked for a number of years in the island secretariat to take on the position of griffier (general secretary) but the chairlady it is alleged has refused to accept Janssen thus forcing her to withdraw her application for the position. SMN News learnt that Jensen trained in Holland and Curacao and she has undergone these trainings for more than one year. It is also understood that the chairlady of parliament is at loggerheads with Janssen as they both worked at the island secretariat.
