That Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour VSA Richinel Brug faces a motion of no confidence (see related story) during an urgent plenary session of Parliament scheduled for 2:00pm today, Friday is no longer a surprise. This became obvious during Thursday’s meeting on integrity matters at the ministry that was adjourned until further notice.
Leaving aside whose right or wrong, Brug’s ongoing row with Prime Minister Luc Mercelina (General Affairs) appears to have made a healthy working relationship between the two public administrators unfeasible despite both representing United Resilient St. Maarten (URSM), the latter also as political leader. This afternoon’s agenda point was requested by that same party’s faction members Christopher Wever and Veronica Jansen-Webster plus Franklin Meyers of Soualiga Action Movement (SAM).
Notably, MPs of the other two governing partners the Democratic Party (DP) and Party for Progress (PFP) were not mentioned. Nevertheless, expectations are that the coalition with nine of fifteen seats will be able to pass this motion.
Brug became minister after snap elections were called when the Mercelina I Cabinet lost its majority support and dissolved the legislature in response. He got more votes than at that time caretaker VSA Minister Jansen-Webster and demanded to be appointed as such.
Were it possible to handle the current conflict in a more amicable manner internally, swapping positions by naming Jansen-Webster VSA Minister again and letting Brug take over her seat might have been one option. A similar move was made with Javier Silvania by MFK in Curacao, although he was told to step down as minister for different reasons.
URSM had already asked Brug to resign, so that station seems to have long been passed here. The present saga is therefore likely to end with a parliamentary decision.
The minister’s fate should become clear once heads are counted.
