Members of the Jacobs Cabinet (from left): Jacobs, Doran, Wever, Irion and Violenus. (Dimetri Whitfield photo)
PHILIPSBURG--Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs on Tuesday assured that the new interim government will honour all agreements in place, including that for the reconstruction of Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA).
“In no way can anyone feel that this is not a priority for this government,” she made clear. “As we move on, we will honour all agreements – the elections and all the other agreements. We have agreed to that with the formation assignment and all the members sitting before you have agreed to take this country to the next level. That is our priority.”
She gave the assurance during the constituting meeting held between the newly sworn-in ministers and Governor Eugene Holiday.
“We do know the seriousness of the reconstruction and rehabilitation [of St. Maarten – Ed.] and we have agreed to prioritize and recognize the importance of the agreements already made, especially as it comes to rehabilitating the country and especially the airport,” Jacobs stressed.
Following the constituting meeting, the Council of Ministers met with the National Recovery Programme Bureau (NRPB) and the management of the airport to get an update on the trust fund and the airport. The meeting was held at the request of the new government. “This was done at our request in earnest to get to the bottom of and finalise this situation,” she said, adding that the Council of Ministers will also visit the airport on Wednesday afternoon to witness first-hand the progress made thus far.
The weekly Council of Ministers press briefings will continue, with the first one for the new cabinet being held at 10:00am today, during which the various ministers will give a short introduction to themselves, indicate their priorities and be open for questions from the media.
The finalization of the draft 2020 budget is also a priority of the new government.
She commented on the fact that many of the ministers are young. “I believe that the youth represented here are the voice of St. Maarten and we expect that though it is an interim government, which we have formed under circumstances that we have agreed to knowing that St. Maarten is in trying times and has been going through very difficult challenges, we believe that with the right mindset and with a heart for country we will persevere. Despite all obstacles, we will be successful in achieving the goals that have been set forth in the agreement made in the formation assignment,” Jacobs noted.
