PHILIPSBURG--The two parliament meetings that were scheduled for Tuesday, April 23, had to be cancelled due to lack of quorum and would have to be reconvened.
The first session, scheduled for 1:00pm, was a meeting of the Central Committee to discuss the approval of travel and provisions for the Chairperson of Parliament to attend a symposium on the 150th anniversary of the Common Court in Curaçao on Friday, May 3.
Chairperson of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams said notices of absence had been received from Members of Parliament (MPs) Claude Peterson – United Democrats (UD), Dr. Luc Mercelina (UD), Chanel Brownbill (UD), Silveria Jacobs – National Alliance (NA), William Marlin (NA), Egbert Jurendy Doran (NA) and Christophe Emmanuel (NA).
Only five MPs signed in for the meeting “making it impossible,” for the meeting of the Central Committee to be held. Wescot-Williams said as there were no third parties present for the meeting, the required quorum of at least eight members were needed for the meeting to take place.
The second meeting, a public plenary session, scheduled for 2:00pm was to discuss several draft laws related to unusual financial transactions. The agenda items included the National Ordinance amending the National Ordinance on the obligation to notify cross-border money transfers in response to recommendations 32 and 33 of the Financial Action Task Force; the National Ordinance containing rules to comply with recommendation 29 of the Financial Action Task Force concerning Financial Intelligence units (National Ordinance Financial Intelligence Unit), and the National Ordinance containing rules to prevent and combat money laundering and terrorism financing in response to the recommendations of the Financial Action Task Force (National Ordinance combatting money laundering and terrorism financing).
Only five MPs were present for that meeting: UD MPs Sidhart “Cookie” Bijlani, Jules James, Tamara Leonard, Franklin Meyers and Wescot-Williams. Notices of absence were received from UD MPs Mercelina, Brownbill and Peterson. Wescot-Williams said due to lack of quorum and as a result the meeting could not proceed. She thanked Minister of Justice Cornelius de Weever and his support staff for attending and said the meeting will be reconvened to another date.
