PHILIPSBURG--Caretaker Finance Minister Perry Geerlings did not attend Thursday’s plenary public session of Parliament on the state of affairs at Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA). Without anyone who could answer the questions of Members of Parliament (MPs), Parliament Chairperson William Marlin adjourned the meeting until further notice.
This meeting was to be a continuation of the plenary public session of August 16. At the end of that session, Geerlings, caretaker Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin, and PJIA chief executive officer (CEO) Brian Mingo requested time to provide answers to the questions posed by MPs.
Geerlings was expected to be present on Thursday. Romeo-Marlin, who is currently attending the United Nations (UN) General Assembly in New York City, was to be represented by Acting caretaker Prime Minister Wycliffe Smith. Also to be in attendance were National Recovery Programme Bureau (NRPB) Director Claret Connor and senior policy advisor Abel Knottnerus.
When the session opened at 2:30pm, Smith notified Parliament that he was running late. Marlin then adjourned the meeting for 10 minutes to allow for Smith’s arrival.
When the meeting reconvened, Marlin said Parliament had received an e-mail from the Cabinet of the Prime Minister on September 19 indicating that Geerlings would attend the meeting on behalf of Romeo-Marlin, as well as Connor and Knottnerus.
He said Parliament had received another communication on behalf of Geerlings on Wednesday, September 25, which noted that both Romeo-Marlin and caretaker Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications (TEATT) Minister Stuart Johnson are off-island and Geerlings would need the presence of these ministers to attend the meeting and give a holistic account to Parliament.
Geerlings later requested that Parliament postpone the session to Monday, September 30. Marlin declined this request.
Although Smith walked into the session shortly after 2:40pm, he had no information to present to MPs, adding that he had been asked to attend this meeting “a couple hours ago” on Thursday morning.
“Since specifically an invitation was extended to me, I felt that it was my duty to respond to Parliament and to come, even though I don’t have any information myself to share with Parliament about this matter,” Smith said.
Marlin asked Smith whether he had any prepared statements by Romeo-Marlin on the questions posed in the first session. Smith said he had not received any prepared statements.
“It is clear to me … that this is a clear and blatant disrespect to Parliament by the Minister of Finance. It is quite clear that the answers were ready for this meeting to have be scheduled in the first place,” said National Alliance (NA) party leader MP Silveria Jacobs on the floor of Parliament.
The session was adjourned at 3:00pm to be reconvened at 4:00pm. During the break, Smith was to contact the Prime Minister’s Cabinet to “get the relevant information” to present to Parliament, and to contact Connor and Knottnerus to get them to attend at 4:00pm.
The session reconvened at 4:00pm, but Smith, Connor and Knottnerus were not present. Marlin then adjourned the meeting until further notice.
Smith walked up the steps of the Parliament building several minutes after the adjournment, as MPs were filing out of the legislative hall. Connor and Knottnerus were not with him.
