PHILIPSBURG: --- Eight members of parliament, including two from the NOW faction, voted in favor of the motion presented by the National Alliance and United Peoples Party to suspend the decision taken by the Council of Ministers last week to suspend all political gatherings for public meetings and on election day, while five members voted against the motion.
The NOW faction, a part of the 2 x 4 government, supported the motion on Friday after the Minister of Justice Lyndon Lewis provided parliament with the answers to the questions they posed last week and on Friday when the meeting reconvened.
Minister Lewis told Parliament that he was the Minister responsible for public safety and that he was busy preparing the guidelines for the halting of public gatherings. The Minister of Justice also made clear that the guidelines that were prepared were only drafts that he sent for legal advice.
Members of Parliament asked the Minister to explain the statements made by Prime Minister Luc Mercelina since the guidelines were not yet prepared when he announced last Wednesday at the Council of Ministers press briefing. Lewis said he was unable to speak on behalf of the Prime Minister. Lewis was also asked to explain to the members of parliament of St. Maarten if he, as Minister of Justice or the Council of Ministers, had any additional information from the justice chain that would suggest that the shootings that took place on July 17th, 2024 and July 28th, 2024 were political, Lewis that there has never been any information that suggests any of the shootings on St. Maarten are political.
The Members of Parliament also quizzed the Minister of Justice on the security that has been provided to at least one family of the Council of Ministers since the shooting. Lewis confirmed that extra security was provided to at least one family. However, he explained that the KPSM made the decision since it had to do with where the “person” worked. He said that the extra security was no longer needed because the police did their assessment and concluded that there was no more need to further protect that person.
