PHILIPSBURG--The decision of the Council of Ministers taken on Tuesday to cancel all public political meetings leading up to the August 19 elections cannot be upheld, Minister of Justice Lyndon Lewis said in Parliament on Thursday. “As Minister of Justice, I am responsible for the guidelines, and there is no official guideline signed by my person.”
During the Council of Ministers press briefing on Wednesday, Prime Minister Luc Mercelina made the sweeping announcement that a public gathering ban is in place with immediate effect. “We are not going to permit – allow – public meetings any more heading towards election day. We do not want gatherings of people … that there is a threat for agglomeration of people in our society where we cannot guarantee the safety of each individual person that wants to be present or assist one of these public meetings,” Mercelina said.
However, Lewis told Members of Parliament on Thursday that they, as members of political parties contesting in the upcoming elections, can continue with their public rallies. “Those that have public meetings at this moment, we cannot stop you from having these meetings,” said Lewis, who underscored that he, as Minister of Justice, has the obligation to consult with law enforcement agencies before a ban can be imposed.
Mercelina announced on Wednesday that all public meetings requiring a permit under existing legislation are now subject to new restrictions. According to the second paragraph of Article 13 of the Constitution of St. Maarten, the right to assemble can be limited to protect public health and traffic interests, and to prevent disorderly conduct and public safety risks.
It is standard procedure to seek advice from the St. Maarten Police Force KPSM regarding the safety risks associated with each event before issuing a permit. Mercelina said the Council of Ministers had decided on Tuesday that no new permits would be granted for public meetings.
However, he did not address during the press briefing the status of meetings that had already been scheduled prior to this announcement.
