PHILIPSBURG--Recently-appointed Justice Minister Cornelius de Weever was originally proposed to become Minister Plenipotentiary to represent St. Maarten in The Hague. However, he was later asked to serve as Minister in the current cabinet as there had been a need there, United Democrats (UD) deputy leader and Chairperson of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams told reporters at a press conference on Thursday.
Currently, there is no Minister Plenipotentiary. Hasani Ellis was recently sworn in as Deputy Minister Plenipotentiary.
When asked, Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin had told reporters at the Council of Ministers press briefing on Wednesday that the position would be filled shortly. Wescot-Williams, who had served as the second formateur for the formation of the recently-installed Government after first formateur Franklin Meyers handed back the assignment, said no new candidate has been put forward for the Minister Plenipotentiary’s post as yet.
“A proposal will be discussed in the political setting and Government will then put forward a candidate and that person will have to be screened before being appointed. But we haven’t spoken about names for that particular position as yet,” Wescot-Williams told reporters at the press conference in response to questions on the matter.
“In the first instance someone was put forward for the Minister Plenipotentiary. However, given the time and not having the Ministers for all of the posts, that person was then put in the position of a Minister. That was Minister de Weever,” she said.
