~ With sale of govt. building ~
PHILIPSBURG--Members of Parliament (MPs) on Friday expressed opposing views over the decision to sell the new government administration building on Pond Island to General Pension Fund APS and Social Health Insurance SZV as part of a solution to reduce government’s debt to the two health care organisations.
Several opposition MPs were critical of the sale and questioned whether it was an attempt by government to bypass Parliament and slip the sale of a government asset into the budget as a “fastball.” But MPs supporting the administration felt that Finance Minister Richard Gibson Sr. needed to be commended for finally coming up with a creative solution, after just three months in office, to help solve the long term debt situation that others had been unable to achieve while they had the opportunity.
Friday’s meeting of the Central Committee of Parliament, which was adjourned after the first round of questioning, opened with Gibson giving a brief presentation about the motive behind the sale of the new government administration building.
Gibson said the instruction that St. Maarten had received stipulated that the country has to settle its debts to APS and SZV, but not through a loan. He said government came to an agreement with SZV and APS to allow the asset to be sold and the debt reduced according to the instruction received. The debt, he noted, had been built up from premiums deducted from civil servants, which were not turned over to the SZV and APS over the years. The attempt to reduce the debt through this measure had been vetted as one of the items in the draft budget, by the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT, prior to the budget being handled in Parliament, on the request of the Finance Minister.
Gibson said it can be concluded based on CFT’s response to the draft budget, that the solution reached is not being looked at as a loan.
United People’s (UP) party leader MP Theo Heyliger asked a number of questions on the sale. He enquired whether government had intended to bring this issue to Parliament. He also wanted to know whether government needs Parliament’s approval for the sale of a government asset such as the government administration building. He also asked how the long lease on which the building stands, will affect the sale transaction; how many buildings government currently rents and asked for the appraisal report of the new government building, etc.
Independent MP Cornelius de Weever said it is thought that government is trying to “throw a curveball” by including the sale of the government administration building into the 2016 budget as a way of getting it passed when the budget is tabled in a public plenary session of Parliament. He enquired, what is the correct procedure that must be followed when government wants to sell a government asset?
United St. Maarten (US) party Frans Richardson was shocked to hear some MPs ask questions when they already had the answers in their possession in the draft 2016 budget such as the appraisal report, a copy of which Richardson said he had. He said some MPs were making it seem as though this issue had been new to them when it wasn’t. He said the sitting government is finally a responsible one that managed to reduce the long standing debts with APS and SZV.
National Alliance (NA) MP Christophe Emmanuel said St. Maarten had failed in the past to solve the debt issue and had been creating a “balloon of debt.” He said the country just failed to prepare and just “couldn’t get it done” in the past. Now, he said, the country has “a responsible government and a responsible minister” who got it done.
NA MP Rodolphe Samuel said one needs to question whether the people of St. Maarten is getting adequate representation, when an experienced MP, who usually gets the most votes during elections, poses questions in Parliament, when the answers are already in the draft 2016 budget. He questioned whether the MP even cared to read the draft budget. The MP had been acting as if he hadn’t received an appraisal report for the new government administration building.
Samuel considered Friday’s meeting a third round of the Central Committee on the draft 2016 budget as the MP in question did not care, was hardly in attendance and didn’t ask questions. Samuel said in the past he had seen projects that never even made it to the press and said he had heard of a NAf. 270 million loan that did not go to Parliament noting that whether this had to be paid by Port St. Maarten or from government’s coffers, both were money that belonged to the people and “spending people’s money should come to Parliament.”
Independent MP Maurice Lake said the people of St. Maarten do not care which government did what, they only care the job has been done thanks to Minister Gibson, APS and SZV.
UP MP Franklin Meyers recalled when SZV “made a land deal with the Harbour,” questions had been asked about that deal and comments had been made that the deal needed to be investigated and persons needed to be arrested. Meyers said he didn’t care who got the job done when it comes to the new government administration building, because he knows it will benefit the people. Meyers said he was just concerned about the manner in which the sale was being “sneaked into the budget” like a “fastball.”
NA MP George Pantophlet said no one is throwing fastball because information regarding the sale of the new government administration building to APS and SZV is outlined on page 12 of the draft budget.
UP MP Johan “Janchi” Leonard spoke about the right of MPs to ask questions during parliamentary meetings.
At the end of the first round of questioning, the meeting was adjourned to give Gibson time to answer the questions. The meeting will most likely resume after the plenary session on the draft 2016 budget, which is scheduled to start on Monday.
