PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten will not have representation at next week’s Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation, as Members of Parliament (MPs) will stay home to handle the more-than-half-a-year-overdue 2019 draft budget. The debate is set to start on Monday.
Representatives of the four parliaments of the kingdom consulted ahead of IPKO via video-conference on Tuesday. The non-attendance of local parliamentarians was communicated in the forum.
Parliament Chairwoman Sarah Wescot-Williams told The Daily Herald the main reason for St. Maarten staying away from IPKO is the budget. She added that there is “understanding” among MPs that this of paramount importance.
However, fellow kingdom MPs did not sit still and accept St. Maarten’s absence with notice. Wescot-Williams said there had been attempts to convince local MPs to be at the meeting in The Hague.
Parliamentarian Claude Peterson of St. Maarten Christian Party (SMCP) had already signalled more than a week ago that he would not attend IPKO because the budget was not yet approved. Wescot-Williams (United Democrats) had also indicated in the same parliament sitting dealing with the dispute regulation that she did not think it was wise to travel.
MP Silveria Jacobs (National Alliance) had called on parliament to consider how important it saw kingdom relations and that it should take issues close to home, such as the budget, into account.
Curaçao MP Ana-Maria Pauletta (PAR), who is head of the Committee on Kingdom Affairs, told Curaçao media: “We are extremely sorry, but we understand their position. State President of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot-Williams also stated that it was a great pity, but stated that the Parliament chose to attend to the budget.”
Non-attendance at IPKO also means St. Maarten will not attend the tripartite meeting of the Parliaments of Curaçao, Aruba and St. Maarten, traditionally the day before the start of the IPKO.
St. Maarten will also not send any delegates to the meeting of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament to attend the discussion of the draft National Dispute Settlement Act for the Kingdom on July 2.
