Dear Editor,
Today is precisely two months since the Council of Ministers has taken office. To date, we have no idea where they are taking us, simply because the majority has lost their vision and gotten off track. These ministers are working as if they were given the mandate up until 2018. If they continue to please themselves and not the people, their rating would be just as disappointing as that of the previous government.
First of all, why would Prime Minister William Marlin choose to undertake such an enormous challenge to complete the government building, located on Pond Island? This kind of project takes time, which he does not have. Who cares about the completion of the government building right now? It is not an issue that is affecting our lives directly. I was expecting that issues like electoral reform, restarting the negotiations to change the situation at the dump and reducing electricity cost, would be his priority. These matters of concern were hotly debated on the floor of Parliament just recently.
How much longer do we have to beg for effective representation, be victims of a polluted atmosphere and remain strangled with astronomical energy cost and a broken political system?
Politicians should stick to the needs of the people and not what they want to do. This is a very conscientious community and politicians must be mindful of this fact. Right now, the only minister who has my attention is Finance Minister Richard Gibson. I like his decisive and no non-sense attitude. From the moment he got into office and assessed the financial status of the island, he made a conscious decision to change the way government handles its finances. Up until present, he remains focused and undeterred, to reduce our financial debt. He made it clear, that he will not entertain any proposal that would increase government’s liability. This is a bold and overdue stand that can only be taken by a minister who is neither swayed nor worried about political opinion.
Have we realized that some ministers are dancing to the tunes of parliamentarians? As I have stated before, electoral reform would never be effective as long as parliamentarians are allowed to select their individual ministers. Right here is where the problem is. Ship jumpers do not jump just like that. They are compensated heavily (no matter how much they deny it), for the breaking up of governments. Look at this scenario: Prime Minister William Marlin states that with electoral reform, a ship jumper will not be allowed to form a government.
Instead, the negotiations would be between or among parties only. Currently, this government is supported by three parties, plus two Independent Members.
If I were to agree with the prime minister’s idea, why is it that this current government did not set the example for his proposal? Why is it that the formation of government had to include MP Maurice Lake and MP Silvio Matser? If they were sincere with their reasons for leaving their previous party, then they could have supported the change of government without any demands (not being tied to any minister). So, this would have been the ideal model for the prime minister’s proposal. Ha! We all know that the formation of government would not have taken place. Hence, this proves the validity of my argument, which simply opposes parliamentarians of having the privilege to select personal ministers.
Look at what is happening. Out of all the available land that could be developed for low income houses, why would the VROMI Minister Angel Myers focus his attention on the Vorst property at this time? Who was the then Minister of VROMI that fiercely defended the price of this controversial issue?
Where is the Tourism Minister Ariana Arrindell? When will there be an end to this constant harassment of tourists that is taking place on Great Bay beach and in front of the A.C. Wathey Cruise Facility? What are our guests experiencing and how much longer would they tolerate this hostility?
I expected that the Minister of Education Silveria Jacobs would have made a decision on the ongoing saga at Nipa, as the future of our children is more important than the board of the institution. It is also imperative that the minister put a stop to the influx of students from abroad who are burdening the school system and tax payers alike.
Minister Emile Lee, there is nothing wrong with the St. Maarten Medical Center. Why get caught up into something that cannot be accomplished right away? There is more to the building of a new hospital than what meets the eye. Job creation is what the people need.
I wish that other ministers would emulate the attitude of the Finance Minister Richard Gibson, who has taken the decision to be in command of his ministry.
Joslyn Morton
