Philipsburg:--- Members of Parliament blasted the Minister of Labor and Social Welfare Cornelius de Weever for his dysfunctional staff during the continuation of a Central Committee meeting on Monday. The meeting was called to discuss the processing of Social Welfare (Onderstand) and the medical aid for Social Aid recipients. Minister de Weever in his response said that when he took office the department of Social Affairs was the first place he visited to gather information on the functioning of the system. He said he was given a power point presentation and he immediately identified the bottle necks that his Ministry is working to rectify. He called on the Members of Parliament to take an inventory on the realities within the Social Welfare System.Minister De Weever said his aim is to make sure the people of St. Maarten get fair treatment when they submit a request for social assistance and as such his office has an open door policy in place since his Ministry is about helping the people of St. Maarten. The mission of the Ministry the Minister said is to make sure everyone has access to health care, to make sure every person who is able to work is placed in the job market, and to provide a safety net for persons in financial difficulties.
Minister De Weever said he too has been confronted with the cries of the people just as the Members of Parliament. "People approach me at my office, on the road, in a store, and even at receptions to ask why they or members of their families were taken off financial and medical assistance." The Minister said when he inquired at the department he was informed that the department was busy with an extensive cleaning up of their registry since St. Maarten changed its constitutional status on October 10th 2010. Minister De Weever said over the years government had nothing structurally in place to assist people when they were taken off of medical and financial assistance.
The Minister said upon reviewing the law, anyone who was cut off from financial and medical assistance has the right to appeal within six weeks of receiving the decision. The Minister said he has established an appeals committee since taking office since there was none in place in the history of St. Maarten's existence. That committee he said is responsible for reviewing the laws as well as establishing the assignments of the committee and to provide recommendations that will improve the system in accordance with the laws. The objective of the committee is to review each case and to hear the clients if necessary and advise the Minister accordingly. Minister De Weever said the people of this island is worthy of having professional services and most importantly they are geared at being professional when they are handling the people's business. "Our people should not be subjected to their political colors or who they know at the time. Every citizen has the right to apply for assistance and if they fulfill the criteria they should be helped, they are entitled to it."
Minister De Weever further informed parliament that after numerous visits to the department he quickly realized that changes had to be made at the department and the work environment needed to be improved and they are in the process of hiring additional staff while training will also be provided for the current staff of the department. The Minister also called on the employees of the Social Affairs Department to treat everyone with respect. He made clear that it is his obligation to assist those that need it most, while he has to be financially responsible in how he handles the tax-payers monies.
Health Care and Social Assistance recipients are informed verbally to begin the renewal process at least three months prior to the expiration date the Minister said.
Although he provided an outline, Minister De Weever did not respond to all the questions that were posed to him during the first round of the meeting. Member of Parliament Louie Laviest expressed disappointment at the Minister and his support staff since they did not provide the answers to the questions he posed. Laveist also expressed concerns as to why the system would cut off the elderly and handicapped from the list of recipients of Social Aid. He asked if it was not possible for the department to simplify the process, especially for the elderly and handicapped. Laviest said that while he was grateful for the information that the Minister provided to parliament on his plans of approach. The Member of Parliament said the reason he posed his questions was to be able to put forward some proposals on how the system could have been simplified but the fact that the Minister and his staff did not provide the answers and documents he requested defeats the purpose of his questioning.The Member of Parliament readily posed the same questions he posed in the first round during the second round hoping that the Minister and his staff will provide the answers during the second continuation of the meeting which is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon. Laveist said he finds it hard to accept that the department would cut off the financial assistance and medical care for people they know would not get better. He said he is upset at the entire situation since he also experienced difficulties when the medical aid (doctor card) is not renewed for the elderly or handicapped. He said he cannot understand how the department cannot understand the pain of bedridden persons whose benefits are cut. He also asked the Minister to bring clarity to parliament with regards why these persons have to provide their banking records when they apply for assistance.
Send them Home Without Pay.
Alternatively, Member of Parliament Romain La Ville was more radical when he advised the Minister to send home civil servants (4th power) who are taking decisions on their own. La Ville said he is of the opinion that certain department heads hinder Ministers from doing their duties since these civil servants are in their positions for a long time. He stressed that the Minister should send home civil servants who refuse to take directives from Ministers or hinder the process. "It does not matter who the individuals are, if they are hindering the process just send them home for a while, which would allow them to think about their job description." La Ville said he is also bombarded by people for simple matters that can be rectified by the stroke of a pen. Some department heads he said refuses to follow instructions which has people bombarding Members of Parliament.
