~ Council of Advice critical of construction Reform Entity ~
PHILIPSBURG--The St. Maarten Council of Advice late July 2020 urgently advised country St. Maarten and the Kingdom to engage in constructive consultations, keeping in mind the people’s well-being and the exceptionally precarious situation that the population is faced with.
The Advisory Council on July 28 submitted its advice, which is actually a series of recommendations, with regard to the preliminary draft Kingdom Consensus Law on the Caribbean Reform Entity for Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten to Governor Eugene Holiday. The 14-page document has not been made public, but The Daily Herald has obtained a copy of it.
The Council pointed out that consultations between St. Maarten and the Netherlands are indispensable if the countries are to reach a consensus on the proposal Caribbean Reform Entity (CRE) and the measures that The Hague wants to see implemented in order for St. Maarten to receive liquidity support to help overcome the dramatic effects of the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic.
The preliminary law proposal for the CRE, which is part of the conditions tied to the third tranche of liquidity support, does not have the political support of St. Maarten. In St. Maarten, the law proposal and conditions are politically perceived as an attempt to illegally violate the country’s autonomy.
Strictly legally speaking, the Council remarked that the term “violation” was incorrect, and that not every restriction of autonomy resulted in a violation. However, a restriction of autonomy always constitutes an “infringement” on that autonomy.