PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion said on Wednesday that St. Maarten is not treated as equal partners from the part of the Kingdom. He said that the State Secretary does not show any respect to St. Maarten’s Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs. Ardwell said that was the sentiment they felt during a meeting on Tuesday.
Irion said it is highly unfortunate since St. Maarten being blamed for the delay in projects such as construction and projects that were undertaken by the World Bank. The Minister of Finance said St. Maarten is now stuck between a rock and hard place, he said the rock is COVID-19 while the hard place is the election slated for March 2021 in the Netherlands.
In the meantime, Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs said she dispatched a letter to the Kingdom Council of Ministers addressing several issues. She made clear St. Maarten did not request a handout from the Dutch Government but asked for a loan. Jacobs also said that St. Maarten was not treated with respect in the meeting held on Tuesday with Raymond Knops, she said almost everything St. Maarten brought up in the meeting was disregarded. She said that her cabinet was accused of not have enough communication with the World Bank. However, Jacobs debunked the accusations and outlined some of the meetings she held with the World Bank since taking office.
