~ No vacation pay is the result of govt. actions ~
PHILIPSBURG:--- Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel on Wednesday said the Prime Minister of St. Maarten has somehow convinced herself that the people of St. Maarten are incapable of recognizing her spinning, blatant misleading, and dishonest statements. Emmanuel was responding to the PM’s statements made during the LIVE Council of Ministers Press briefing in which she made several statements that he dubbed “out of touch and insulting in their nature.”
First and foremost, he condemned her statements that it is not financially possible to pay any portion of the vacation pay because St. Maarten has to live up to its agreements with the Netherlands and the 39 million has to go to pay the backlog of SSRP. “And all of this even after the Netherlands did not live up to agreements with St. Maarten. This is government’s problem, not that of public servants. Government should have had the foresight to not compromise a right that public servants have worked for. Instead, government caved and sold out,” Emmanuel said.
Additionally, the PM said that even if the government were to “fix it” (pay the vacation pay) it will have negative consequences on government operations. “How? Emmanuel asked. Government has to go find the money the same way it found the money for other projects in the budget. There are many things in the budget that can be put on hold and wastage that must be addressed.
“The money is there. Find it. I have outlined previously at least 3 million guilders that can be saved. They can simply bring a budget amendment to re-allocate some of the funds to ensure that even what is owed to public servants since last year, could be paid. The CFT, Knops, not even the King can tell you that you can’t take care of your people. It is our people protesting, not Dutch voters. You are supposed to stand for our people.”
MP Emmanuel was also very critical of the PM’s “continued false claim” that the laws and conditions were imposed on the government and that government did not impose them on the country. “It is past time that the PM stops telling herself and the country this lie. The song is getting old. This is the same Prime Minister who told the world that she and her government have no Plan B, they have no clue how to solve the issues that the country faces,” he said.
“This is the same Prime Minister who continues to say that they have tried everything to avoid conditions but as of this day cannot say what exactly they tried. This is the same Prime Minister who did not disclose that she had already laid out changes to corporate governance at PJIA all the while pretending that she did not know what Knops wanted. How can you in good conscience turn and tell the people that these things were imposed on them by Holland? You allowed and accepted them and by default invited more by admitting you have no clue, no plan b. So a government without a plan B and vision stands to be manipulated by others. In this case, it is Holland taking full advantage of a very weak and dishonest government.”
Emmanuel also reminded the public that it was the Prime Minister and a supporting MP of her coalition who said that “civil servants were happy and understand the benefit cuts” and “nobody is storming the government building.”
“Now that public servants who are feeling the financial strains of losing their income are at the steps of the government building, the PM has the audacity to say that she is traveling to Holland to tell Knops that these regulations passed by her government are no good because they are causing unrest in the country. Really? So had the public servants not marched to the government building, this government would have continued to ignore them and their plight,” Emmanuel said.
The MP said the PM’s closing statement was particularly insulting. “She signed off her press briefing by telling the people to stay positive and stay forward-thinking. This is how out of touch this government is. Parents cannot meet their obligations for their families, you just admitted that you will not be paying any vacation pay that is owed or that is due.”
He continued: “But you’re out here telling people to stay positive. You have told us that you are totally dependent on liquidity support from Holland and that you can’t think of alternatives, but here you are telling people to stay forward-thinking when this ability eludes you. The PM and her colleague Ministers might be able to stay positive and think forward because they will be able to pay their bills and live well. But you cannot be serious by telling people to stay positive when you have completely failed them and in fact gave away their rights.”
“You told them that nothing will be enacted if they trample on the laws and rights of St. Maarten. That was a lie because you went ahead from the very start and told your Minister Plenipotentiary to accept everything unconditionally. Today you are waiting on a ruling from the Constitutional Court and cannot say what you will do no matter how the court rules. The people of St. Maarten must never forget that this government is in a situation of its own making built on a foundation of embarrassing weakness,” he concluded.
