Dutch State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops issued what some might consider a veiled warning (see related story) to the Parliament of St. Maarten and particularly opposition members. He wants the legislature to take a formal position on the offer of US $100 million for the full restoration of Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA), of which half is a soft loan from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the other half a grant from the World Bank-managed Trust Fund sponsored by the Netherlands.
Knops claims the two no-confidence motions submitted against Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin and Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Stuart Johnson, who is also PJIA’s shareholder representative, during meetings on this topic are holding hostage much-needed progress regarding the island’s main gateway that is crucial to its tourism economy. Should these motions be adopted it could cause significant delays, especially if a new government is formed that objects to the deal.
He said the Netherlands already can’t move forward on this project that includes involvement of the Royal Schiphol Group without the explicit backing of elected representatives in Philipsburg. After all, there is no clarity at this point whether the current UD/SMCP cabinet still has majority backing.
It’s no secret either that the factions of NA and US Party oppose the conditions tied to the financing, which include one position each on both the supervisory and management boards of the government-owned company. That is their good right, but the reality of the situation is that viable alternatives are yet to be presented and time remains of the essence.
