MP Sarah Wescot-Williams.
~ Given that Curaçao, Martinique approved ~
PHILIPSBURG--United Democrats (UD) Member of Parliament (MP) Sarah Wescot-Williams wants to know the status of St. Maarten’s application for Associate Membership of CARICOM given that Curaçao and Martinique have been given the green light as associate members.
The formal communication with CARICOM to become an associate member began in 2015. St. Maarten cannot become a member of CARICOM as it is not an independent nation, but it can be an associate member.
“I need to ‘investigate’ how come Curaçao and Martinique got approval to be associate members of Caricom and not a word about St. Maarten’s request,” Wescot-Williams told The Daily Herald on Tuesday.
“Have we asked the Kingdom for ‘dispensation,’ so we can represent ourselves at these forums?” she asked. “We have been in the negotiations for a long time. What’s the hold up? It must be mentioned that when asked about our foreign relations policy, we were copied the one that I left as Prime Minister. Regional cooperation, integration and collaboration was a key issue then and it still is for the Democratic Party today,” said Wescot-Williams
“And then there is the proposal St. Maarten made regarding refinancing the Dutch loans, which is under discussion. The St. Maarten ministers would do well to take a page from State Secretary [for Kingdom Relations and Digitization Alexandra – Ed.] van Huffelen, when it comes to informing and keeping her Parliament informed. [We are also] still awaiting the amended 2023 budget, promised in April. I remain concerned about the overall health of our nation, with no further word on the NHI [National Health Insurance] that should go into effect on 1-1-24. I guess “another can down the road” and in the meantime a great number of persons are falling through the cracks. The government’s approach that Parliament is its rubber stamp needs to stop,” stated Wescot-Williams.
