TEATT Minister Roger Lawrence
PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Roger Lawrence updated Members of Parliament (MPs) on the timeshare ordinance during the recent debate on the country's 2022 national budget.
He was responding to a question from United Democrats (UD) MP Sarah Wescot-Williams, who asked whether the timeshare law can be adapted in a way that is acceptable to the government.
Lawrence said there were three trajectories to solve the issue of the timeshare ordinance. One is a suggestion from the Advisory Council and Governor Eugene Holiday for the government to ask the judges of the Joint Court of Justice if they can apply or execute the ordinance in English. “If the court has no objections, we resubmit the ordinance to the Governor together with the positive response from the Joint Court,” Lawrence explained.
“At the same time, we can also start drafting an LBHAM for certain definitions and translations, as suggested by the Governor. This is not a requirement, but an advice from the Governor, especially relevant if we expect more legislation to be drafted in English,” he said.
Another trajectory is to have the law translated to Dutch and put it in the proper format. “This would imply the start of a new legislative process, implying we return to the Advisory Council, amongst others. We opt for the first option,” Lawrence said.
The timeshare law was approved unanimously by Parliament on February 22, 2017. The law had been highlighted in a case of Alegría Real Estate vs, Timeshare Owners at Caravanserai Association (TOCA) and others. The law is intended to give extensive protection to timeshare buyers by offering safety and comfort in one of the largest money-generating sectors of the country.
The draft law was formulated by former Democratic Party (DP) MP Leroy de Weever in response to a series of mishaps in the country’s timeshare industry that left many buyers out in the cold. The initiative was then taken over by Wescot-Williams, who separated the timeshare ordinance from the Timeshare Authority. The Timeshare Ordinance was eventually debated and approved unanimously by Parliament on February 22, 2017.
All laws proposed in Parliament must be ratified before they can be enacted. This process means that the laws are to be co-signed by government and the Governor before they can come into force.
