POND ISLAND--Prime Minister William Marlin is vehemently sticking to his challenge to the Dutch Government to bring in the troops to enforce the establishment of an Integrity Chamber, a new institution that is to be imposed on the country via a kingdom instruction issued last week Friday.
“I will stick to my statement. If they want to force an Integrity Chamber down our throats knowing that it is wrong, then they got to bring the troops,” said Marlin at the Council of Ministers press briefing on Wednesday.
His remark about bringing the troops was made last week before he headed to the Netherlands ahead of the issuing of the instruction. While there he met with Dutch Kingdom Affairs Minister Ronald Plasterk about what he terms the unlawful imposition of the Chamber via the instruction.
Plasterk at that meeting did not express any disappointment about the troops remark, said Marlin. Plasterk was confronted with questions from Dutch Members of Parliament about the remark and from that he sent a verbal message to Marlin on Tuesday via Dutch Representative Chris Johnson.
After the message was delivered, Marlin said he had told Johnson that a verbal message was not acceptable, because there is no record of it.
Marlin said his statement alone should not be debated in the Dutch Parliament and called for the statement made to him by Plasterk about St. Maarten and leaving the Dutch Kingdom should also be on the agenda for debate.
