Dear Editor,
The art of diplomacy is a gift that is nurtured by vision, patience, experience and timing. It is never rushed; so patience becomes the component that allows a person to integrate his or her experience, to achieve the vision.
The continuation of the budget was an illustration of talent that could not be matched by the bewildered members of the opposition. They came prepared to play another hand of poker but were outfoxed by their own game. The flood of frustration forced them to throw in the towel prematurely.
It was a pitiful moment to see the House of Parliament turned into a creche when MP Tamara Leonard pleaded with the Chairlady to postpone the meeting until Monday. Her face revealed that of an infant who is about to cry, because her babysitter left the room. This is the hypocrisy of this MP, who hardly attends meetings and vowed to reject the budget before it came to Parliament. What is it she is trying to prove now and who is she fooling?
MP Leona Marlin-Romeo has proven over and over that she is just a phony and does not come close to represent a fraction of educated black women. If one withdraws his or her motion, why dwell on something that is irrelevant at the time? It was just utter nonsense to hear her make reference to soliciting funds from ministers’ budget to finance her selfish desires.
Why didn’t she propose this in the beginning or better yet, subtract it from Parliament? The more she tries to wiggle her way out of the situation, the deeper she buries herself. The MP needs to give it up! If her requests were sincere, she would have never abandoned the meeting as if she had to go to the bathroom. Nothing else was more important than dealing with the People’s Business!
The worst part of the budget debate occurred during the voting session when MP Cornelius de Weever turned his back on the Chairlady of Parliament. The embarrassment pieced my heart, to see an elected official, who prides himself to be a student of medicine and a proponent for the youth, lowers himself to a level that is beyond indecency. MP Cornelius de Weever is replicate of a spoiled brat.
The only thing that was missing on Thursday was a pacifier to push in his mouth. This is an MP, who recently went on national airwaves and indicated his desire to be a minister once more. Who wants a minister that has absolutely no respect for the President of the same organization that he is a part of? What does his mannerism says about his character and ability to be a team player? If MP Cornelius de Weever can treat the Chairlady of Parliament in such an impertinent manner, imagine how he treats women behind closed doors.
Take a good look at what is happening people! The MP smells the rat and has anticipated that it is a strong possibility that he may not get the support of the population. So, to maintain the power, the only logical discourse is to make himself available to become a minister again. It is too late! He blew his chances in 2014, when he deceived his party and the people. Who wants a renegade Minster of Health that repeatedly refused to honour the invitations of Parliament? Instead, he preferred to spend his time island hopping, rather than being committed to take care of the “People’s Business.”
Every time this MP gets a chance, he spurts out these pretentious words, “For the people of St. Maarten.” When he turned his back on the Chairlady of Parliament, did he do it for the people of St. Maarten? MP Cornelius de Weever is a bad influence and a useless commodity in the House of Parliament. Therefore, he needs to resign and resume his hobby and continue looking for his kind.
It was so ridiculous to hear the opposition begged for an adjournment of the budget. Every parliamentarian knew that there was a strong possibility that the budget would have reconvened towards the end of the week. The Chairlady of Parliament made this announcement several times immediately after the budget was suspended the week before. She also indicated that the CFT would be on island for meetings. If the opposition had interest in the “People’s Business,” all of them would have made themselves available.
This dispassionate attitude clearly shows where their interests lie. Everything else has priority except working for the people of this country. It is time for the population to wise up and vote them out completely!
Joslyn Morton
