MP Francisco Lacroes holds up a copy of The Daily Herald prior to presenting his motion.
PHILIPSBURG--United People’s Party (UP) Member of Parliament (MP) Francisco Lacroes on Wednesday presented a motion sharply criticising Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina for his handling of the Fire Department, Ambulance Services, and several government departments during the continuation of an urgent public meeting of Parliament.
The motion was presented in the absence of the Prime Minister, who was represented at the meeting by Deputy Prime Minister Grisha Heyliger-Marten. Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor VSA Richinel Brug was also present.
The motion was signed by MP Francisco Lacroes, Nation Opportunity Wealth (NOW) MP Lyndon Lewis, and UP MP Omar Ottley.
In the motion, Lacroes said the Prime Minister is “legally and politically responsible for the proper functioning, administration, and oversight” of the portfolios of Legal Affairs, Personnel and Organisation, Facilities, the Department of BAK, and the Fire Department. According to the motion, these departments have “consistently failed to provide adequate support and services to other ministries,” contributing to operational failures and undermining effective public administration.
The motion further notes that a “persistent lack of coordination, assistance, and timely support” has negatively affected service delivery to the community and “significantly diminished public trust in government institutions.”
A central issue raised is the ongoing go-slow by the Fire Department and Ambulance Services, which, according to the motion, has been in effect since April of the previous year. The motion states that this situation arose “as a direct consequence of the Prime Minister’s actions, inaction, and failure to engage constructively with essential services,” and that it has “severely impair[ed] emergency response capacity and plac[ed] the safety, security, and well-being of the population – including the country’s vulnerable tourism sector – at serious risk.”
The motion also accuses the Prime Minister of repeatedly failing to honour commitments made to WICSU-PSU, Fire Department personnel, and Ambulance personnel regarding long-standing personnel and labour issues. It further states that the Prime Minister has “refused to properly recognise and compensate Fire Department personnel for years worked within an incorrect salary scale.”
According to the motion, the Fire Department’s decision to escalate its personnel matters and go-slow actions to the Council of Ministers was “necessitated by continued inaction on the part of the Prime Minister.”
After tabling the motion, Lacroes said he hoped the message was clear, stating that Parliament is not happy with the way things are going and will not sit back and watch while nothing is happening and promises are being made and not kept. He said he received two messages from ambulance personnel, who commented that the Minister of VSA is doing what he needs to do. Lacroes added that he had said in a previous meeting that the Prime Minister should get in touch with the Minister of VSA, see how he is handling the situation, and “copy and paste.”
Through the motion, Parliament resolves to “strongly disapprove the manner in which the Prime Minister has handled the above-mentioned situation” in both his role as Prime Minister and as minister responsible for the affected portfolios. The motion also strongly requests that the Prime Minister urgently address the concerns outlined and resolve the long-standing issues affecting Fire Department personnel and relevant departments.
The motion also called on the Prime Minister to return to Parliament within six weeks with a full update on the matter.
