Philipsburg: ---- The 2010 budget has been making headlines for weeks now, while two-island council meetings were called by the opposition, could not take place for the lack of a quorum.Last week the Democratic Party faction requested a meeting to discuss the 2010 budget, which is still to be presented to the island council, but that meeting was adjourned and re-called on Wednesday. Wednesday's meeting also had to be rescheduled to Monday March 22 on the same date that the budget debate is scheduled to take place since the Democratic Party still did not have a quorum to question the draft 2010 budget.
While the Democratic Party faction has been highlighting their concerns and the implications this would have on St. Maarten for not having an approved budget for 2010 that received the blessing of the CFT they are yet to say that the 2010 was supposed to be ready since 1 May 2009 while they were in government.
The Island Regulations clearly states that the budget for the following year must be ready by May 1 of the preceding year. Leader of the Democratic Party Sarah Wescot Williams confirmed on Wednesday that budgets are supposed to be ready by May 1 but the CFT regulation states that the budgets must be approved by August 15 of the preceding year. Wescot Williams also told members of the media that they sent a number of questions on the draft 2010 budget to the current executive council and the answers provided are not satisfactory. In a follow up question leader of government, William Marlin confirmed that the budget was supposed to be ready at least one month before he took office last year. However, he agreed that budget preparations are always late but if one wants to stick to the rules then the National Alliance/ Heyliger government should have reached the 2010 budget when they took office on June 8 2009.
The Democratic Party leader also expressed her dissatisfaction with the way executive council and their members refused to sign in for the meeting to take place. She said after the meeting was adjourned for the second time the members of the island council received the notifications for the March 22 meeting where the budget will be debated. Wescot Williams also expressed her dissatisfaction on an agenda point that was placed on the meeting of PCCA they requested. That agenda point is to discuss the federal law on dualistic system be used in St. Maarten.
As for not signing in for the island council meeting Wescot Williams said the National Alliance Heyliger Government does not want to answer to the people of St. Maarten, however, she felt that the executive council should tell the people how they intend to address the budget of 2010 since the people want to know what magical trick they have pulled out of their hats to have a surplus on the 2010 budget.
William Says DP Still frustrated with loss of Federal Election.
In response to the allegations made by the Democratic Party against the executive council, Leader of Government William Marlin said that there are rules that govern the island council and this is not the first time an island council meeting has been convened and there was no quorum. Marlin reminded that on more than one occasion, the National Alliance called for meetings when they were in opposition and the meetings could not be held for a lack of quorum, one of those times he said was when former commissioner of telecommunications Maria Buncamper Molanus was caught in a conflict of interest with TELEM and Sky is the Limit. Marlin said the Democratic Party has to realize there are rules and when its is applied they too have to abide by them. Marlin further said that even though he understands that all politics are local he believes that the members of the Democratic Party are still frustrated because they lost the Federal elections held on January 22 bitterly.
As for the agenda points of the island council meeting that was requested "the consequences of not having a budget" Marlin says everyone knows the consequences of not having an approved budget and they also know that government is allowed to spend from the budget of the former year which clarifies the reasons why the retroactive payments were not made since it is not reflected in the 2009 budget.
The island leader said that the budget debate will take place on Monday March 22 and assured that St. Maarten has a budget that went through the central committee. He said during any public hearing the amendments could be submitted then. Giving explanations about the fall out and the CFT Marlin said the executive council and the commissioner of finance has a difference of opinion on how the budget should be prior to October 10 2010 when St. Maarten gets its country status. Marlin said since St. Maarten has a signed agreement that the island would become country as of October 10 they incorporated the taxes that would be collected from October 10 to December 31 in the 2010 budget. However, the CFT he said has a difference of opinion saying as long as St. Maarten does not become country they cannot include the expected taxes for the last three months of the year. Marlin said the CFT also does not want St. Maarten to include the funds coming to St. Maarten with the transfer of tasks. He said the CFT wants a budget for the island territory of St. Maarten and when the island gets its status then they can make the necessary amendments to include the additional incoming finances. Marlin said when he was informed of the CFT suggestions the matter was discussed in the executive council and it was agreed to follow the suggestions made by the CFT, which was done by the finance department. He said when the finance department did this they indicated based on the income taxes for the last months of 2009 and the first few months of 2010, they projected that the revenues for St. Maarten will be higher all of which was discussed and coordinated with the CFT.
Marlin said while the Democratic Party is saying they don't have information they know the exact figures as well as the advice that is given to executive council. He said the National Alliance/ Heyliger government disagrees with the Democratic Party who wants them to pull back the budget and present a new one. Marlin explained that the policies have not changed and the only thing changed is the projection of income for the island government and certain expenditures that has to deal with the dismantling process.
Marlin said he already made sure that all civil servants were officially informed as to why they did not receive their retroactive pay. As for the PCCA agenda point that was added on behalf of the executive council Marlin said some two weeks ago he requested the island secretary to schedule a PCCA meeting since he understood that the members of the Democratic Party does not intend to support the federal law which would allow St. Maarten to expand its island council to 15 seats and for Curacao and St. Maarten to hold their early elections in June 2010. Marlin said that the meeting had to be re-scheduled due to his travel plans and meetings the Minister of Constitutional Affairs Roland Duncan had since Duncan was invited to attend the PCCA meeting. He said when the Democratic Party requested the PCCA meeting the decision was taken to include all the agenda points.
In the meantime, the Democratic Party has sent a letter to the chairman of the island council requesting information on how the state secretary for Kingdom Affairs reacted on the information she received from the CFT. The Democratic Party faction in their letter said should the executive council have any correspondence from the state secretary they are requesting that it be passed on members of the island council prior to March 22.
