MPs who were present for the gathering of Parliament on Thursday.
~ Meeting rescheduled for Monday ~
PHILIPSBURG--Thursday’s scheduled meeting of Parliament to examine the credentials and admit incoming Members of Parliament (MPs) Richniel Brug and Viren Vinod Kotai to the legislature could not be held due to the lack of a quorum.
Only five MPs were present leading to Chairperson of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams announcing that the gathering of Parliament will be closed due to insufficient members being present. In addition to Wescot-Williams, present were Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement Association (URSM) MPs Sjamira Roseburg and Dr. Luc Mercelina, Democratic Party (DP) MP Grisha Heyliger-Marten and Party for Progress (PFP) MP Melissa Gumbs. Heyliger-Marten and Mercelina will be sworn in as ministers today Friday, May 3.
Their swearing in will reduce the number of members in Parliament to 13, and the numbers of MPs for the coalition to 6, but this is not likely to be the case for long.
Wescot-Williams told “The Daily Herald” that the meeting to admit the new MPs has been rescheduled for Monday.
Wescot-Williams told MPs at the opening of the gathering of Parliament on Thursday that notices of absence were received from PFP MP Ludmila de Weever, who it is understood is off island, National Alliance (NA) MPs Silveria Jacobs and Cloyd Marlin and Nation Opportunity Wealth (NOW) MP Kevin Maingrette.
“This would have been public meeting number 16 … However, if I look at the list of persons present, I do not have at least the half plus one of Members of Parliament, so therefore this meeting of Parliament cannot be opened,” the Chair said.
“Given that the half hour has passed and not having a quorum to convene a public meeting of Parliament I will hereby thank those of you tuned in for the meeting, the MPs here present and the support staff and I hereby close this gathering of Parliament.”
The meeting was called to examine the credentials and admit Brug and Kotai to take up the positions that will be left vacant by the two MPs who will be moving to the Council of Ministers. Brug, with 204 votes, is next in line to replace Mercelina in Parliament and Kotai, who secured 249 votes, is next in line to replace Heyliger-Marten as MP for the DP.
Governor Ajamu Baly had said in a press statement on April 24, that the formateur (Mercelina) had nominated the following persons who, based on the results of the screenings, are to be appointed. Mercelina will be appointed as Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs; Veronica Jansen-Webster as Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor VSA and Acting Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI; Lyndon Lewis as Minister of Justice and Acting Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports (ECYS); Marinka Gumbs as Minister of Finance; Heyliger-Marten as Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT); Patrice Gumbs as Minister Plenipotentiary and Gracita Arrindell as Acting Minister Plenipotentiary.
