Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs in Parliament on Friday.
PHILIPSBURG--The Caribbean Body for Reform and Development COHO can only be removed if infringement of St. Maarten’s rights is found, Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs told Members of Parliament (MPs) on Friday.
She was delivering her closing remarks at the time and addressing some of the concerns raised during the continuation of a meeting of the Central Committee of Parliament regarding the country packages.
Jacobs said she had not read the petition Parliament had submitted to the United Nations requesting that it “investigate violations of a UN mandate right to a full measure of self-government for the people of St. Maarten.”
“I have not had the opportunity to read the entire petition. However, I did read, I believe, the conclusion of the petition which clearly requested of the rapporteur that an investigation be done to ensure that this same COHO, with all that is, insofar as they know, because they only have the first draft, if this is an infringement of our rights as an autonomous country and what steps could be taken thereafter,” Jacobs said.
“The only way that this recommendation to remove the COHO would come forth is if it is found to be an infringement of our rights. This is how I see the petition. It is not a petition I signed. It is not a petition I submitted.
“The Members of Parliament that support me in Parliament, the Members of Parliament who are part of the Decolonization Committee, I would like to charge them with ensuring that besides this independent group, to ensure that information to the general public is shared as to what is decolonisation, what does that mean [and – Ed.] why a committee even exists that would be looking at this.”
She said a letter from former Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, which had been read in the meeting by an MP, gives a clear indication that this is an unresolved issue.
“The focus of the petition, to my understanding, is requesting an investigation into claims that have been presented. That the claims are seen by the Netherlands as exorbitant, out of order and what not, is what it is. … The petitioners are asking for the independent person to assist in something that they cannot do for themselves because we do not have the tools here in St. Maarten for that type of investigation.
“The outcome of the investigation hopefully and at the very least will provide information and clarity on the claims as cited in the report. So, the investigation itself will state that these are outlandish requests or these are grounded in fact. As such it will either affirm the claims or refute them.
“No one in good standing or country in good standing being alleged to be carrying out such thigs as have been presented in the petition should be afraid of an independent investigation if they stand behind the procedures that they utilised to get to this point and believe, in fact, that it is objective and sound and does not infringe on the rights of Kingdom Laws or the local laws or even international laws as was promised back then.”
Jacobs said she had maintained the same position from the inception, when she spoke out about the process towards arriving at the consensus and the fact that it had been presented in a “take it or leave it” manner. She said it was only based on changes that had come forth and the fact that St. Maarten had been assured that it would still have an opportunity to give input into changes, that this had been presented to Parliament and received support to continue with the process.
“I have stated as well that the COHO. and I am now talking specifically about the law, is an indecent proposal and that there were provisions that I found questionable in the first draft. However, after consideration of the legislative process … and knowing that we as government would have the opportunity to once again sit and, taking the recommendation of the Council of State into consideration, together with our colleagues, [be able to make – Ed.] some changes.”
