PHILIPSBURG:--- In response to a question posed by SMN News regarding the land that was given to the Chamber of Commerce by the Gumbs cabinet one day before that cabinet exited office Prime Minister Marlin said that there is a resolution signed by the former Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs to give the Chamber of Commerce some 10,800 square meters of land but the Governor of St. Maarten refused to sign off on it because of a motion that was passed in parliament prohibiting the Gumbs cabinet from doing things that would affect the country.
Marlin said that at this moment there is a lack of clarity with regards to the location.
Marlin said that he spoke about the land given to the Chamber of Commerce on a radio program sometime before but he needed to clarify that the land was given to the Chamber of Commerce for one guilder for a certain period in long lease after which it would increase to two or more guilder.
Marlin said recently he received a letter from the Chamber asking if the government had changed their mind on the issuance of the land to the chamber of commerce. He said the Chamber is now saying that they did not ask for that amount of land, instead they asked for a parcel of land for the construction of an office but government offered them the land for developing a business center. Marlin said the concept between government and the chamber of commerce and because of that a national decree is needed, he said that that national decree was sent back to government unsigned due to the motion that was passed in parliament by a majority making it a controversial issue.
Marlin said that the Chamber got the land without the development plan. He stressed that the Chamber is stating that they did not ask for that amount of land, but instead asked for land to construct an office.
