PHILIPSBURG--The appointment of the new Acting General Secretary of Parliament will now be tabled in a plenary session of Parliament. The review of the appointment was wrapped up in a Central Committee meeting of Parliament on Tuesday morning.
Proposed for the post is Ann Gumbs, present second Acting General Secretary. Once her appointment is accepted in the plenary session, she will fill the post now vacant after the retirement of Acting General Secretary Van Dyke Bell.
Tuesday’s session was a continuation of the discussions started in late January. Members of Parliament (MPs) had posed a number of questions about the pending appointment to the Presidium of Parliament, from which the proposal was submitted.
Independent MP Cornelius de Weever said the pushing ahead with the appointment, although the candidate does not have all the required training, was not the best route. He also expressed disappointment about the Presidium’s decision not to pursue the hiring of a jurist for Parliament. “This is a major setback for Parliament,” he said.
United St. Maarten Party (USP) leader MP Frans Richardson, who is a member of the Presidium, said, there was “still room” for a jurist to lessen the workload on the current General Secretary. The more Parliament’s Secretariat can be strengthened the better, he said. Richardson called for Parliament staff to follow law courses that are offered in the country to better their skills and knowledge.
National Alliance (NA) MP George Pantophlet shared the sentiments of Richardson. He said the more training taken by or made available to staff the better Parliament will become in the future.
The Central Committee session was chaired by Parliament Chairwoman Democratic Party leader MP Sarah Wescot-Williams.
