St. Maarten may get yet another “Christmas Cabinet” after the December 19, 2014, installation of the Government headed by former Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs. “Formateur” William Marlin was asked to present his final report on the newly-established NA/US Party/DP combination to Governor Eugene Holiday by December 12.
Of course, the latter is an ultimate deadline, so the formation process could always be completed earlier. The portfolios have already been divided, whereby US Party and DP together basically received what UP was to get until NA turned to the two other parties.
Moreover, NA’s three current ministers are expected to stay on, so that only the party’s fourth intended cabinet member will require a complete new screening. Actually, one has to assume that’s already been done during the now-abandoned efforts of the past weeks to form an UP/NA government.
DP too is almost certain to continue with Emil Lee as Minister of Health, Social Development and Labour VSA and have party leader Sarah Wescot-Williams return as President of Parliament. This would open the door for Perry Geerlings to enter Parliament as next in line on the DP candidate list, unless he remains in the Netherlands possibly as Deputy Plenipotentiary Minister, a post also afforded to the red party.
US Party is yet announce its two prospective cabinet members, but the current Minister of Justice in the “Coalition of Eight” already represents the blue party, while the Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunication (TEATT) Minister was nominated by then-independent parliamentarian Silvio Matser, who is now with US Party as well. Were either of these existing ministers to return, they probably wouldn’t require much screening either.
So, at first glance the new formation task seems a rather straightforward one and a smooth process appears likely. Still, if there’s one thing recent experience with political developments in St. Maarten has shown over and again, it’s that one really never knows.
