Wednesday’s Central Committee meeting generated some interest, it being the first one of the newly-elected Parliament. Normally legislators gather immediately following their installation by the Governor to choose a president and vice-president from among them, but with coalition talks still in progress this did not take place.
There actually hadn’t been any parliamentary sessions for more than two months, by any standards quite a long time for voters not to see their representatives in action. Electoral reform was once again on the agenda, as little progress had been made in this area despite much public discussion during the past years.
The proposal on the table is to establish an ad hoc committee and terms of reference for outsourcing to seek advice particularly on how to combat what became widely known as “ship-jumping.” However, effectively tackling this issue is beginning to seem like a “mission impossible” due to the “free mandate” principle in the democratic system of the entire Dutch Kingdom.
Even allowing MPs who break with their party to keep their seat but not use such to help form a next government was considered undesirable by the Council of State in The Hague, because that creates two different kinds of MPs and is thus discriminatory. In addition, executing the idea could conceivably lead to a governing impasse between a new legislative majority and the existing Council of Ministers that doesn’t have its support.
The reality is that spending a lot of time and money on this matter may simply not be worth it. What’s more, efforts to solve the same problem in The Netherlands have so far failed.
The other topic of the meeting regarded the fraction staff members. Currently parties with one seat can have two, those with two to four seats three and those with five or more seats a maximum of four.
The suggestion now is that each fraction gets one staffer per seat. This obviously did not go down well especially with two-seat US Party and one-seat St. Maarten Christian Party (SMCP).
One thing missing in the debate was the effect of technological developments. For example, in today’s digital world with its advanced computers and other electronic devices, full-time administrative assistants in the traditional sense might be considered a bit obsolete.
After all, MPs ought to at least be able to type and send out their own letters, releases, written questions, etc. What they would still need help with is drafting and amending legislation, for which a lawyer will join the Secretariat as of September 1.
Also considering the current financial crisis, this is something politicians should certainly keep in mind. In other words: “Do it yourself.”
