~ Theo refutes claims of locking out independents ~
PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) leader Prime Minister William Marlin made it clear on Friday afternoon that he is not seeking to form any new governing coalition, but he does hope to receive support from opposition MPs for the adoption of the draft 2016 budget in Parliament.
Marlin said at a press conference in Dr. A.C. Wathey Legislative Hall that United People’s (UP) party leader Member of Parliament Theo Heyliger had suggested, among other things, the formation of a national government or a government of only the four political parties in Parliament and essentially locking out the four independent MPs.
However, in an invited comment Heyliger refuted Marlin’s claim about locking out the independents. Heyliger told The Daily Herald his suggestion was indeed in the first instance a national government, but he at no time had made any suggestion to lock out all of the independents.
“The support of the Super Seven was offered as a bloc, all seven of us – the five UP parliamentarians and the two independents,” Heyliger said.
In return for the support of the Super Seven, Heyliger said the portfolios of the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI and the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) had been requested. “We simply wanted nothing more than what the two independents who are currently supporting the Coalition have. Nothing more, nothing less in return for the support of seven seats in Parliament,” Heyliger said.
Marlin said in the press conference that he wanted “to make it abundantly clear – there is a government in place” and that he, unlike Heyliger, was not making any attempt to form any government.
The budget is “extremely important” for the country and needs to be approved “to remove” the instruction placed by the Kingdom Council of Ministers on the country to get its financial house in order, said Marlin. That instruction was placed on the former United People’s (UP) party-led government, Marlin said.
Approving the budget would give Government access to some NAf. 55 million for capital projects. Those projects will create jobs, boost the economy, build classrooms and improve the road network, he said.
Anyone who is against the 2016 budget, which has received preliminary approval from the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT, “does not really care for the welfare of the future of St. Maarten and its people,” Marlin added.
The drive
In an effort to obtain at least the eight votes needed to pass the budget, Marlin disclosed that NA parliamentarians had reached out to MP Dr. Lloyd Richardson (UP) to court his support for the budget. That meeting, held in Marlin’s car on the drive through Pointe Blanche, ended up being one that included UP leader MP Theo Heyliger and Finance Minister Richard Gibson.
Dr. Richardson was approached based on his presentation in the first round of the budget debate, which “was indicative of someone who was prepared to support the budget,” and his willingness in the past to “cross the aisle” on issues of importance to the country, Marlin said.
Marlin said that at no time during that drive had he proposed the formation of a new government, because the NA-led Government was in place. “What we don’t have is a majority in Parliament at this point in time so that the [budget – Ed.] meeting could continue,” he said, explaining the reason for courting Dr. Richardson.
He said Heyliger was the one who had proposed the formation of a national government and even had gone as far as suggesting holding off on elections until 2018 to give the national government time to fix things in the country and to complete electoral reform.
While Heyliger wanted a national government, Marlin said all he wanted “was support for the budget meeting to continue.”
Demands
Heyliger had offered as another option, Marlin said – support for the budget and for elections to be called immediately via the dissolution of Parliament.
Heyliger’s third proposal was the formation of a government with NA, UP, the Democratic Party (DP) and United St. Maarten Party (USP), according to Marlin. When asked what he really wanted, Heyliger’s response, according to Marlin, was that if such a government were formed, it would “keep out all the independent members and have a government formed only by political parties.”
In the third scenario, Marlin said, UP wanted the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI and the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT). Marlin said he had reacted to this suggestion with “loud laughter.”
“I said, ‘You guys can’t be serious. You seem to want the whole government and all we want is support with the budget,’” said Marlin.
