Francisco Lacroes
PHILIPSBURG--United People’s party (UP) Member of Parliament (MP) Francisco Lacroes on Thursday issued a strong warning that he will be the one to bring a motion of no-confidence if the government does not sufficiently move the country forward.
“If I, Francisco Alberto Lacroes, an elected member of this Parliament, believe that this government is not willing and able to bring this country forward, then it is in my right to bring a motion of disapproval or a motion of no-confidence the same way I have praised all ministers when they did something good,” Lacroes said during the start of the public plenary discussions on the draft 2025 budget.
He outlined the process for such a motion. “A motion to send home a minister that passed in Parliament needs a majority of the elected members of Parliament. The choice to send the people back to the polls lies in the hands of the Council of Ministers headed by the Prime Minister himself as he is the one to call the meeting and the one to deliver the decision to the governor.”
The MP said he will not be muzzled. “You and no one will muzzle me from representing the people of St. Maarten.”
He defended MPs’ rights to vote freely, unrestrained by pressure within Parliament. “The right to vote your conscience and I do not care what others think or believe. If you are not doing what you should be doing to better this country, it is my job to call you out on it.” Lacroes recalled previous budget debates where he pressed for progress only to receive vague assurances. “I have asked many questions in the previous budget meeting to only be answered with promises, we are working on this and we are working on that. I feel real senses of responsibility, not only to speak about our national budget, but to fight for the future of our country, a future that, I fear, is at risk if we do not make the right choices today,” Lacroes stated.
He said “the definition of insanity is to do the same thing under the same circumstances and expect a different result… Today I advocate for change.”
Lacroes criticized the budget as falling short of national needs. “The budget before us is a reflection of our government’s priorities, their values, and commitment to the well-being of all our people… I must express my deep concern that this budget, in its current form, falls short of the bold vision we need to tackle the challenges facing our nation.”
