Should the Romeo-Marlin government step down after – now former – United Democrats (UD) faction leader Franklin Meyers said in Parliament he would no longer support the UD/St. Maarten Christian Party (SMCP) government, leaving it without majority backing in the legislature? The opposition certainly thinks so and United St. Maarten Party (US Party) has asked Governor Eugene Holiday for clarity (see related story).
To be sure, Meyers did not – at least publicly – put that position on paper, but declared himself an independent Member of Parliament. At the same time, he indicated his willingness to discuss supporting the same UD/SMCP coalition.
Talks in that direction may already be taking place and if successful could restore the current government’s majority. One could argue that without a vote of disapproval in Parliament, there is no pressing reason to leave office.
However, the reality is that a Council of Ministers which loses its majority legislative support is supposed to promptly submit its resignation, after which the governor usually requests that they stay on and continue day-to-day operations without significant new policy decisions. After all, these may not or no longer have the necessary support among elected representatives, which, of course, public administrators aren’t.
Then again, the interpretation of this primary rule of parliamentary democracy within the Dutch Kingdom has been stretched no more so than in the Netherlands, notably by cabinets of current Prime Minister Mark Rutte and his “tolerance arrangement” or – more recently – “seeking majorities” on a case-by-case basis. Another spin applied several times in St. Maarten is a sitting government not giving in to a “new majority” by quickly passing a national decree to dissolve Parliament and consequently hold early elections.
Neither the latter nor forming a different government seems to be the intention behind the latest developments. As a matter of fact, indications are that only one minister’s job is possibly at risk.
