PHILIPSBURG:--- During Wednesday's weekly press briefing, Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina directly addressed the recent controversy involving the Chief of Staff of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development, and Labor (VSA), Suenah Laville-Martis. The Prime Minister emphasized that the situation is an internal matter and underscored his administration's commitment to confidentiality, due process, and respect for established government protocols.
When asked about the feud involving his cabinet, the Minister of VSA, and the media coverage concerning the suspension or firing of the Chef de Cabinet, Dr. Mercelina was candid, stating, “That question I'm asking myself also. From my side, there has been no contact with any media outlet concerning giving any explanation of this recent development.”
He made it clear that the only public statement made so far originated from the board of the Unified Resilient St. Martin Movement (URSM) — his political party — and not from his office as Prime Minister. “One statement has been made and that has been made by the Board of the URSM. But that is only a board's position of my political party. But from my side as being the Prime Minister of this government, I have never sought contact with the media to give any declaration.”
Dr. Mercelina firmly reminded the public and the media that the matter “falls within the internal operation of the executive branch of government” and that it is crucial for society to recognize and respect the “strict standards of confidentiality, due process, and established administrative protocols.” He reinforced that not every internal issue should play out in the public or media sphere, saying, “Not every issue that arises should be litigated in the public domain. I think that is incorrect . . . for this Prime Minister, this government, it's important for me to state that those type of issues should not be litigated in the public domain.”
He expanded on this point by highlighting the values of discretion, professionalism, and discipline. “Effective governance depends not only on transparency... But I think there is something else that we call discipline, respect for internal processes, and of course, we must not forget also that it is equally important to uphold the dignity and privacy of those public servants that are involved in these matters.”
Addressing the core question on Laville-Martis’ employment status, Dr. Mercelina was unambiguous: “Was the person in question fired or suspended? The person in question was not fired. That is the answer that I can give you.”
The Prime Minister closed his remarks by stressing the importance of handling executive matters within the appropriate institutional framework, without speculation or unnecessary escalation, to safeguard both the integrity of government and the privacy of the individuals involved.
