~ Individual not the issue, failure to follow law is ~
PHILIPSBURG--The United People’s (UP) party, National Alliance (NA) and Nation Opportunity Wealth (NOW) factions have sent an official letter via Parliament calling on Minister of Finance Marinka Gumbs to immediately retract her controversial nomination of chairman of the Supervisory Board of the Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten (CBCS).
The three factions stressed that the objection is not about the individual, but about “the blatant disregard” of Article 25 of the Bank Charter, which outlines the lawful process for filing such a critical position for both countries.
As stated publicly on September 24, 2025, by the CBCS Supervisory Board, “Nowhere in Article 25 does it say the Minister can unilaterally nominate a candidate without a recommendation from the Supervisory Board adopted by a five-sixths majority.”
The factions said the Minister cannot bend the Charter to suit her needs. “Based on the above, it is evident that Minister Gumbs violated the law,” the factions said.
According to the CBCS Charter, the Chairman of the Supervisory Board must be appointed jointly by the countries, based on a recommendation of the Supervisory Board supported by a five-sixths majority. The factions warned that the misstep projects incompetence in the government and damages St. Maarten’s credibility in handling serious financial governance matters.
“This blunder paints a bad picture of St. Maarten’s ability to manage major decisions at a regional level. Worse yet, it has unfairly dragged an esteemed legal professional, his family, friends, and supporters into a political controversy that should never have existed if the process had been followed.”
UP, NA and NOW are urging Gumbs to publicly retract the nomination, citing procedural errors. “Apologise to the people of St. Maarten and Curaçao for the mishandling of this critical appointment, and especially apologise to the appointee and his family for this unfortunate turn of events,” said the factions.
They urge Gumbs to “move swiftly to finalise the pending appointments of Supervisory Board members who have already been vetted and cleared since February 2024. Respect the process enshrined in the CBCS Charter, ensuring that the eventual appointment of a Chairman is lawful, transparent, and beyond reproach.”
The UP, NA and NOW factions in Parliament, Member of Parliament (MP) Omar Ottley (UP), MP Francisco Lacroes (UP), MP Egbert Doran (NA), MP Ardwell Irion (NA), MP Darryl York (NA) and MP Lyndon Lewis (NOW) were clear in the release: “This is bigger than one name or one nomination. It is about respecting the rule of law, protecting the integrity of our Central Bank, and restoring public confidence. The Minister must correct this mistake before further damage is done.”bb
