An interim cabinet will be sworn in Tuesday (see related story) to manage the country’s affairs until the new Parliament to be elected on January 9 takes office per February 10 and appoints a next one for the usual – intended – term of four years. That the incoming Council of Ministers has only five instead of the normal seven members is no big deal considering its transitional nature and short duration, also in terms of saving some money to limit the extra cost involved with these frequent premature changes in government.
It’s interesting that three of the five are current National Alliance (NA) Members of Parliament (MPs), while a fourth was a candidate on the same party’s list. The fifth is current VROMI minister of the former UD/SMCP coalition Christopher Wever, who has been permitted to stay on just as he was excluded from the motion of no confidence against the Romeo-Marlin Cabinet.
It thus appears that neither the two independent – former UD – parliamentarians Mercelina and Brownbill nor the United St. Maarten Party (US Party) that are part of the current legislative majority of nine will – at least for now – have a cabinet member they nominated, unless Wever represents one or more of them. That may have something to do with the two ministers’ posts still to be filled, plus that of plenipotentiary minister in The Hague.
Having several MPs join the executive branch at this time might not be a bad development. For one thing, it allows them to carry responsibility for helping to bring down the outgoing government.
Their main priorities have also been clearly laid out by Governor Eugene Holiday in the task he gave “formateur” and future Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs, which includes executing agreements with the Netherlands on financing the national recovery, specifically the all-important rehabilitation of Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA). The new ministers consequently have their work cut out for them.
