PHILIPSBURG--The debate on the draft 2016 budget could not continue in the second round today, Wednesday. The minimum required number of Members of Parliament (MPs) – eight – were not signed in for the plenary session in Parliament House to start after the maximum half-an-hour waiting period elapsed at 10:30am.
Parliament Chairwoman Sarah Wescot-Williams, who was very keen on having the budget handling completed this week, had no choice but to cancel the day’s session. She now has to recall the session within four days, as is required by the Rules of Order of Parliament. A new date and time for the session is expected to be announced later today.
Although the debate started on Monday morning and continued through yesterday, Tuesday, this morning session, as with other mornings required the minimum number of MPs to sign in for the commencement of the session.
The ruling Coalition of Eight has exactly the minimum number of MPs needed to get a meeting started and all it those MPs were not present for the start of the session. Of the eight coalition MPs, only independent MP Silvio Matser was not present for the session. Matser was said to have been detained by authorities.
Even though 14 of the 15 MPs who make up Parliament were present for the session, none of the seven opposition MPs signed in to form a quorum for the session. The premise of those MPs, referred to as the “Super Seven,” is that the governing coalition should have all of its members present and accounted for at all times.
