PHILIPSBURG--Prime Minister William Marlin should strike while there is momentum and attention for St. Maarten in the Netherlands, said Democratic Party (DP) Member of Parliament Perry Geerlings on Friday as he called for Government not to delay its request for aid from the Dutch Government.
“We are fortunate to be part of the kingdom, but there is a high risk we lose the momentum in Holland,” he told The Daily Herald on Friday.
Marlin told Parliament on Thursday that Government has not formally asked the Dutch for aid. Instead, Government has commissioned a National Recovery Plan (NRP) to form a concrete basis for its request to The Hague.
“You as a Prime Minister should have a vision. Right now there is no vision. People don’t know what to expect,” Geerlings said. “I have a huge issue with the way Government is handling offers [of aid – Ed.].”
He criticised Marlin for “downplaying” his question posed in Thursday’s session of Parliament about whether Government has formally requested aid. This does not sit well with Geerlings, a member of the governing coalition.
“The danger is the NRP goes to the Netherlands and calculations are made. What if the Dutch say they can’t meet the demands?” he asked, adding that the least Marlin should do is “to find out the criteria for the aid and be in a dialogue with them. ... We need to know the mind-set of the Dutch.”
The fear of a Dutch takeover of the country should be put aside. This is not the sentiment on the streets, he said. Should the Prime Minister seek to counter his claim with someone who does not want the Dutch here, Geerlings said he could produce “born and bred here St. Maarteners” who feel differently.
Residents are in “a surreal situation” as normalcy returns to the country with power back on, water through the taps in many places and Internet access. “There is no sustainability, though. What happens next month when people are faced with no salary, no job?” Geerlings asked. “This is when Government needs to come with plans and solutions.“
The aid from other organisations coming into the country should be put into a separate account to assist the people ïn picking up their lives and to extend support to small and medium entrepreneurs, he said, calling for transparency overall.
Although a coalition partner, Geerlings said his job as an MP is to ensure there are checks and balances, and his questions and criticism were part of that process. “In a coalition, there is constructive criticism,” he said.
However, a coalition is not “someone at the helm of the ship deciding which direction and whichever direction is the right one.”
Geerlings was also very critical of the way Prime Minister Marlin (National Alliance) has handled the preparations for monster Hurricane Irma and management of the devastated country to date. “People want to feel comfortable with the Government they have,” he said.
More Marines should have been called in prior to the storm and stationed in economically-important spots to safeguard the economy, he said.
In the first two weeks after Irma “Government should have called Parliament in” to discuss the recovery effort, Geerlings said. Asked whether it is not Parliament’s job to call in Government, he said the country is in “exceptional times” and in such times “you do things differently.”
MPs have a vital role, he said. “This is why I have asked for us to do away with coalition meetings and bring in all faction leaders in Parliament.” His suggestion was met with “silence.”
Looking to the future, Geerlings said: “I want the country to rebuild. ... If I have to go on my knees to the Dutch, I will do that. I will still be Perry the next day, but I would make sure I have provided for the people.”
