Now that Governor Eugene Holiday has tasked NA leader William Marlin with forming a Government that is to prepare for new elections, there can be little doubt that the citizens of St. Maarten will be going back to the polls early next year. The Governor indicated
earlier that he had not yet signed the national decree to dissolve Parliament because he wanted the current Council of Ministers to step down first, but the assumption is clearly that a vote will take place within the legal three-month timeframe afterward.
Up to now members of the Gumbs cabinet have refused to submit their resignations, insisting that the dissolution decree be signed first. Again, perhaps some sort of break-the-ice joint ceremony to do both simultaneously or “boter bij de vis” exchange, as the Dutch saying goes, is in order by now.
What is important to realise is that the prospect of becoming a Minister in an interim cabinet at this point is hardly like booking a cruise. The 2015 budget is in big trouble and that of 2016 looks problematic as well, so very-short-term measures to increase revenues and/or cut cost could be required.
A host of other issues need to be addressed urgently and there will be preciously little time to do so. Because of the latter, any candidates from the private sector also may have to get permission and leave of absence from their employer so they can return when done, because they obviously won’t qualify for Ministers’ pensions. Moreover, candidates must go through the same stringent screening process that those of the former UP-led coalition did.
The intention is not to discourage anyone from serving their country, just to illustrate that it surely won’t be a walk in the park. To the contrary, those who choose to take on this huge responsibility and in a sense thankless job actually should be commended up front for their courage.
