St. Maarten facing situation where 15 elected parliamentarians realize any eight can form the government; party leaders and political parties are irrelevant. It is possible that any eight MP's can form a government without any party leader
The electorate should brace themselves for one of the most exciting periods in the country's young political and constitutional life. We are facing a situation with the present formation, where elected Parliamentarians have finally come face to face with the enormous power their election has brought them. Any permutation of eight MP' s can form the government. They do not need their party leader or their party. The party system as we know it has become obsolete. This is a reflection of our constitutional laws which allow an MP-elect to declare him/herself independent a la Connie de Weever.
There's nothing the Democratic Party can do about his defection. He is de facto a free agent. But so are the other 14 MP's. It is now everyman for himself. We are facing a period of intense political negotiations as the 15 MP's jockey to cobble together an eight seat coalition to present to the governor.
The eight who signed the earlier agreement are totally free to withdraw from that agreement at any time. It is not a legally binding document, because an MP as we know can "jump ship" or withdraw his support of the government-in-formation at any time. This is especially true now, before the government is sworn in. The informateurs are now reduced to bystanders. The real actors are going to be the 15 MP's. The power has shifted from the leader to the MP's. If for example an MP receives an offer to join a coalition in which he will be appointed Prime Minister plus be allowed to appoint another Minister, giving him in effect two ministerial posts, what can his party leader do if he accepts? Absolutely nothing! It is conceivable in this scenario that a government can be formed which does not include, say for example, Theo Heyliger, or William Marlin. Once any eight MP's can form a coalition of eight they do not need to include the party leader.
As the MP's realize their true power and begin to negotiate among themselves, we will witness a truly democratic process. It will not be always pretty to watch, but boy is it democratic. No more party leader calling the shots, but fifteen independent MP's trading and negotiating among themselves to form a government. We are really witnessing the dawn of new era in St. Maarten politics, one where party leaders and party loyalty become a thing of the past and the power really returns to the people via their elected representatives. We will still need political parties as vehicles for elections, but once the elections are over, we will have 15 free agent-MP's. Who knows, perhaps other countries might even copy our model...
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