PHILIPSBURG--Outgoing President of the United Haitian Community (UHC) Association in St. Maarten Jestan Guerrier says the Permanent Electoral Council (PEC) is not authorised to coordinate elections among Haitian nationals residing in St. Maarten.
Guerrier said on Sunday that PEC’s announcement that it will be coordinating elections among Haitian nationals in the country this October is “illegal” and unauthorised. “PEC is illegal. They have no mandate from the United Haitian Community and have no right to say they will organise elections for the Haitian community. Whatever you want to do for the Association, it has to pass through the board for it to be ratified,” Guerrier said.
He said the group of persons who form the PEC has been constantly trying to derail the efforts of the UHC Association, which he said is the only legally established body to represent the interests of Haitian nationals in St. Maarten. He said PEC hasn’t contacted anyone from the board regarding its plans.
“The board of the United Haitian Community in St. Maarten doesn’t know anything about this group and they are not allowed to organise elections because the board of the United Haitian Community is now busy organising elections for December, and the board to be elected will take office on January 30, 2016,” Guerrier said.
“The persons from PEC have a radio show and they use the radio show to trouble the Haitian people.”
Guerrier said the constitution of the UHC in St. Maarten states that elections are to be held every four years. He said when the Association attempted to organise elections in June of this year, PEC disrupted it by discouraging voters. He said another attempt is now being made to coordinate elections for December and he is inviting PEC members to come on board.
Guerrier said he has been in office since being elected in 2011 and he does not plan to contest the upcoming elections. He is tired of the negativity PEC has been shedding on the Association. “They (PEC) use their radio show to discourage the Haitian population about everything the board of the Association is doing.”
Guerrier said the information about the legal upcoming elections will be published next week. “Whoever is elected in December will take office on January 30,” he said. “Any electoral board that wants to organise elections must have a mandate from the current board. The board is registered at the Chamber of Commerce, and after elections, you must have all your electoral declarations and everything and the PEC is not part of the Association.”
He claimed that PEC began trying to destroy the Association since one of its members ran on a political party slate. According to Guerrier the current board of the Association includes himself, Vice President Jean Bastien, Treasurer David Edouard, Secretary Glyne Muller Dacius and several board members.
Guerrier said the doors of the association have always been open and will remain open for the PEC members to join so that ideas can be pooled for the betterment of the Haitian community in St. Maarten and for St. Maarten in general. “The door of the Association is still open. Many times I called for them to come. We need to get together and share ideas. The Association is very important for the Haitian community. I want to end my term in the Association, but I can’t just run and leave it like that.”
PEC Vice President Dominique Vital had told this newspaper last week that PEC will be coordinating elections among Haitian nationals in the country this October and that those elected were hoping to represent the interests of Haitian nationals residing in St. Maarten under the auspices of the PEC.
Vital had said Haitians in St. Maarten were dissatisfied with the current Association and stressed that it did not represent the interests of Haitians in St. Maarten and it hasn’t had elections in a very long time.
Vital had said at the time that PEC elections will be held on October 5.
