Philipsburg: ---- The Democratic Party Faction refused to participate in yesterday's island council meeting which had only one agenda point which was to discuss the letter sent to the chairman stating they have the support of six members of the Island Council. Despite five of the DP faction members were in the building they did not sign the attendance list to make the quorum for the meeting. Inside the A.C Legislative Hall was Councilman Petrus De Weever who signed on to the announcement list and not the attendance list. The Chairman of the Island Council Lt. Governor Franklyn Richards opened the meeting and adjourned for 30 minutes in the hope the other councillors would have come in. During the adjournment the Chairman was served with a letter from party leader and leader of Government Sarah Westcot Williams that reads:--
"Honourable Chairman, We acknowledge receipt of your convocation dated November 25 for an island council meeting to be held on Friday November 28, 2008. Your decision to convene a meeting for this day is based on a request dated November 24 for an urgent island council meeting by two members of the island council, namely Mr. William Marlin and Mr. Rodolphe Samuel of the National Alliance. No contact was made with me or as far as I know any member of the Democratic Party.
This is in contrast to your decision to postpone the meeting which was scheduled for December 1 due to objections by members of the NA against the date of December 1 because of travel of two of its members. If any meeting was to be convened for Friday November 28 it should have been the one to discuss the annual accounts of the island territory of St. Maarten, as planned for December 1.
Now to request a meeting for Friday 28: 2 members of the NA have requested an urgent meeting mind you to discuss the "letter sent to the Chairman of the Island Council by six members of the Island Council, declaring their support for a new executive council." As motivation for the request the NA members state in their letter that "clarity is needed on the support of the existing executive council.
With respect to the aforementioned, we wish to inform you as follows: the letter in question of November 16 is signed by six duly elected members of the island council. Any member of the island council is entitled by law to question the Executive Council of St. Maarten. The Executive Council is by law accountable to the island council. No member of the island council can question his or her colleague island council members. Hence the basis for you convening this meeting is invalid and we hereby inform you that we will not attend the island council meeting of November 28.
The letter was signed by five of the DP faction members namely Sarah Wescot Williams, Louie Laviest, Maria Buncamper Molanus, Theodore Heyliger, Petrus L. De Weever. While Commissioner Roy Marlin had informed the Chairman that he could not attend since he was off island.
In a press release to the media Wescot Williams said no members of the island council is entitled to question another member or members of the island council. She said the letter by the six island council members of November 16 is self explanatory and as such any member requiring clarity as members of the NA have done in their letter, or by member inferring that support for the Executive Council is there?
Wescot Williams said members of the Executive Council are appointed by the island council and can be dismissed by the island council. Members can resign from the Executive Council. In the absence of this happening, the members of the executive council are in function. If it is felt by whomever that there is no support for one or more members of the Executive Council, they can test this in the island council. Firstly they can take a meeting of the island council and see if they pass a motion to dismiss a commissioner; secondly they can table a motion or proposal against the executive council or in contradiction to an executive council proposal as see if they get the majority support for this.
The island leader further explains that they(NA) can attempt to appoint commissioners and see if they get the support. Looking at the frivolity of the request agenda point, we have decided not to be part of another NA charade. Surely the people of St. Maarten are not looking forward to this. No with al the attention required from the government for the many challenges facing the nation.
If the NA is seeking to carry on with its political rhetoric, as demonstrated since the failed bid to muster support for a NA-led government, the DP faction members and island council member Louie Laveist will not be part of it.
Chairman gives Explanation
In reaction to the letter the chairman of the island council Franklyn Richards said he disagreed with the opinion of the DP faction which stated in their letter that the reasons for calling the meeting was invalid.
He said he disagreed with the argument made by the DP faction. Richards said the reasons are not invalid and if one should look at what they asked to discuss the letter sent the chairman of November 16.
Richards said he does not know what the intention of the National Alliance and if they were going to discuss the members of the island council. Neither did he know if the NA was going to discuss the position of Commissioner Louie Laviest who supports and executive council with four members. Richards said there needs to be some explanation from the councilman since one would want to know if he (Laveist) is no longer supporting himself in the executive council, next to that there is no such thing as an non active commissioner as Laveist stated to him in one of his letters.
Richards further explained that he did receive a letter from the DP faction with six signatures and one where Laviest is supporting the other four members of the Executive Council except himself. "So one would ask themselves if Laveist is in the EXCO and if he is not supporting himself as a commissioner, I could understand why this matter has to be debated since people is still asking themselves what position is Mr. Laveist is holding. I know he is an Island Council member and based on the ERNA rules of order such members cannot be sent home."
Richards said it is up to the island council to see if they have the necessary trust or confidence in the member or he Laveist can do the honourable thing and resign from the Island Council.
Richards further said he has no power to do anything to fix this matter except to discussion with the members of the Executive Council and Faction leaders, something he is already doing behind the scenes.
Richards said the same topic can be put on the agenda for the meeting at another date. He said anything can be debated since these island council members were elected by the people to represent the people.
NA Leader William Marlin Reacts to DP Letter
Leader of the National Alliance William Marlin at a press conference said that one way or the other the DP faction would debate the letter they sent to the Island Council. Marlin said he already requested from the Lt. Governor and Chairman of the Island Council to add this agenda point to Monday's Island Council Meeting.
Marlin said he had the opportunity to see the press release that was sent to the media and it is rather disgusting to see members of government behave the way they are right now. He said the Democratic Party and Independent member Louie Laveist is cooking up a flimsy excuse because clearly realized mistakes have been made with their practising bad governance. Marlin said he felt that the DP faction was not prepared to deal with the meeting that was scheduled for yesterday morning.
Marlin said this has nothing to do with failed attempts to forming a government but it is simply about good governance. He said that letters have been written back and forth by members of the Executive Council namely Louie Laveist which has been registered since they are official documents, which gives reason for discussion.
Marlin said there are clear indications that the DP faction and its members are not in the same line since Councilman Petrus De Weever came with the intention to participate in the meeting since he signed the speakers list. He said de Weever did not sign the attendance list but it is clear that he was called to a meeting where a decision was taken with regards to their non participation. Marlin said that even though the DP maybe exercising their good right the matter will be discussed whether or not they liked it.
Marlin said they already made a request to have this agenda point added to Monday's meeting and he is waiting to see if the DP faction would not show up for their own meeting. Furthermore, Marlin said he wants to see in which way the chairman of the island council will play. "I want to see if the chairman will play along with them and not put this agenda point on the next meeting." Marlin said that what is happening on St. Maarten is not right. He also indicated that the chairman's job is to over see and make sure good governance is upheld. Marlin said the chairman has a role to play in his capacity as higher supervision.
He further said that St. Maarten cannot be sitting with other people discussing good governance something they pledge to uphold and the sitting government is involved in blatant conflict of interest one after the other and well as lack of good governance.
Marlin said his faction had no intention to question island council members instead they have a list of questions for the executive council which will be presented to them on Monday during the next island council meeting. He said the executive council is the body that is responsible for the daily management of the people's affairs. He said the executive council has to now state its position on Laveist declaration where he said he is a non active commissioner in the present EXCO. He said they learnt from media reports that the current executive council had stripped Laveist from his portfolios and they need to say when this did happen and why and who are the persons currently handling those portfolios.
He concluded by saying that there are a number of issues that are pertinent to good governance and the Executive Council would have to answer to them, since it appears to be two executive council which cannot be.
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