With the immediate resignation of Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin and Justice Minister Cornelius de Weever the caretaker United Democrats (UD)/St. Maarten Christian Party (SMCP) cabinet is down to just four members, as the Public Health, Social Development and Labour VSA portfolio remains vacant. Motions of no confidence had also been passed against three of these by the new Parliament, but they were not asked to leave office right away.
Minister of Education, Youth, Culture and Sports (EYCS) Wycliffe Smith is now also Prime Minister in charge of General Affairs, while Justice went to Finance Minister Perry Geerlings and Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI Christopher Wever took over VSA, which was being handled by Romeo-Marlin. Together with Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Stuart Johnson they will “hold the fort” until an interim cabinet being formed by National Alliance (NA) leader Silveria Jacobs is appointed, with a term that ends when the next legislature to be elected January 9 is installed on February 10.
Both departing ministers in their separate releases mentioned urgent legislation against money-laundering and the financing of terrorism based on recommendations of the Caribbean Financial Actions Task Force (CFATF) to prevent the country’s blacklisting as a non-compliant fiscal jurisdiction with all possible consequences. Dutch State Secretary of Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops on Thursday told the Second Chamber of Parliament in The Hague about the risk of non-working automated teller machines (ATMs) and tourists unable to use their bankcards.
The relevant two law amendments and draft revised Penal Procedure Code are the topic of a Parliament meeting today, Friday. With Romeo-Marlin and De Weever gone it’s not clear which – if any – of the remaining ministers will be present, but the proposals in question brought to the floor of Parliament by the outgoing government so far haven’t been well-received by the current coalition.
Much is therefore expected of United St. Martin Party (US Party) faction leader Roland Brison, who took it upon himself to present an alternative package that would meet the international requirements yet address some of the objections raised by elected representatives. As now-former prime minister Romeo-Marlin alluded to in her final statement as such, “the clock is ticking to the point of no return.”
