On Tuesday August 17th Ms. De Windt called the DP President with the "breaking news" that NA Commissioner Hyacinth Richardson offered her a car and $20,000 for distribution amongst her "constituents", if she would run on the National Alliance list. She said she defiantly refused the offer adding that "she was not for sale". Ferrier thanked her for her stance and show of integrity. That afternoon she again called the DP President, this time to ask him to critique a speech she had prepared in English that she wanted to give at a "Meet & Mingle" get together the DP was hosting for its candidates and their significant others that evening. Ferrier and another DP member listened to her on speakerphone and congratulated her for the obvious effort she put in formulating the speech. Unfortunately that evening she was a "no-show" and all efforts to reach her proved to be futile. The next morning (postulation day) the DP leadership heard on the news that de Windt showed up as candidate # 18 on the NA slate. The Democratic Party now asks, if the offer of a car and $20,000 did not convince de Windt to join the National Alliance, what did? Could it have been more money? A nicer car maybe? In alluding to the above, Democratic Party Leader Wescot-Williams has on Postulation Day already publically stated that it is lamentable that political parties would exploit the hardships of Dutch citizens on St. Maarten for political reasons. DP President Ferrier added that the stories of vote buying with raw cash by bagmen working on behalf of the National Alliance in the January elections were numerous and plentiful. Ferrier considers this practice, if true, a threat to the democratic process in our Country-to-be. He therefore calls on the competent authorities to be vigilant before and during this crucial election scheduled for September 17, 2010 and goes as far as to ask that independent election observers be invited to St. Maarten to monitor this upcoming election. He calls on the office of the Lt. Governor to urgently issue the rules and regulations that need to be adhered to by one and all to allow the voters of St. Maarten their God given right to cast their vote free form all pressure and in a fair and peaceful manner. Ferrier thinks that prohibiting voters from entering the voting booths with a cell phone or other devices that are capable of taking pictures of how the voter has cast his/her vote, will already be a giant step in the right direction. Additionally, according to the DP President, no party paraphernalia and/or party supporters should be allowed within five hundred meters of any of the polling stations, and this should be strictly enforced by the police.
The National Alliance cannot ignore the fact that when an elected Island Council member accepts the position he/she is elected to in any election, he/she must either promise or swear that he/she has accepted nothing from anyone, or promised any one anything to hold the highest public office in the land. The Democratic Party wonders how this will apply to the NA Candidate # 18, if God forbid she gets enough votes to be elected to public office on September 17th.
In an invited comment Leader of the National Alliance William Marlin urged the president of the Democratic Party to go to the Prosecutor's Office and to file a complaint if he has proof to substantiate his claims.
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