Timing is everything they say, but whether “good” or “bad” often depends where one is coming from. Take, for instance, today’s article on a report of the St. Maarten Progress Committee just when the four Justice Ministers in the Dutch Kingdom are meeting on the island.
The report, which dates back to May, urged Government to get the so-called function books of prison guards and police as well as the latter’s legal position regulation formalised, adding that this is not the first time it has called for such. The matter had remained pending since country status was obtained per 20-10-10 and is a long-standing complaint of labour unions representing local law enforcement personnel, along with the lack of proper evaluations and other issues, including a 16.3 per cent Windward Islands allowance for officers of the Police Force and the Coast Guard.
Last Friday they even announced plans to give Justice Minister Rafael Boasman specific deadlines to handle some of their grievances. For them the timing of today’s story is probably great, so that his colleagues of the Netherlands, Curaçao and Aruba are made aware what’s going on in the host country.
Boasman did indicate in the past that while these things look good on paper, it takes resources to execute them. There is something to be said for that argument, as nice concepts and Plans of Approach were prepared at the time of the constitutional reforms, but often without accompanying funds to make them happen.
Nevertheless, setting priorities is clearly in order, because ultimately agreements must be honoured and commitments met.
