SXMElections.com

PHILIPSBURG--Government should “not take its time” in returning to Parliament with amendments to the draft National Ordinance to establish the Integrity Chamber for the country. Rather than wait for Parliament’s return after its July recess, Government should return with the amended law as soon as possible, says Democratic Party ((DP)) leader Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams.

She is “prepared” to handle the draft law in July even though it is the parliamentary recess. She called on Parliament and Government “to finish our story and finalise our own Integrity Chamber law post-haste and prepare ourselves for the fallout which will surely come.”

“If the whole matter is indeed that we want to establish our ‘own’ Integrity Chamber then we should proceed and proceed with utmost haste,” she said on Tuesday.

Her comments came after Monday’s suspended plenary session of Parliament dealing with the draft law. Government was sent back to the drawing board to make a series of amendments to the law.

Wescot-Williams is “concerned” that the delay in passing the law “is going to cost our country dearly.” Her concern stems from the protocol signed by Justice Minister Dennis Richardson in May with the Dutch Government that calls for Parliament to handle the law by June 30.

The delay in passing the law may lead the Dutch Kingdom Government “having all reason to push through their initial intentions to force upon us an Integrity Chamber [that is – Ed.] established, managed and controlled by the Kingdom Government via a general kingdom measure,” she said.

“If we are prepared and equipped to fight the imposition of a kingdom measure, if done against our will, the time and energy this will take will be to the detriment of other local issues that urgently deserve the attention of Government.”

The Marcel Gumbs Cabinet has been “primarily occupied, or so it would seem” with the Integrity Chamber since its installation six months ago. The Integrity Chamber is “not against the people, as some claim, but rather for the people,” said Wescot-Williams.

(DP) is in favour of the establishment of the Integrity Chamber. Wescot-Williams explained in a press statement that her criticism and proposed amendments to the draft law “does not change” the support for the establishment of a Chamber. “As prime minister, I started the entire process, including making the commitment to carry out the recommendations of several integrity reports,” she said.

The public is “being bombarded with claims” that the Integrity Chamber is not a good thing, she said, “Imagine: many allegations and claims of corruption, harassment, intimidation, favouritism that are made daily against the Government and Government departments and individuals can be either validated as facts and dealt with or discarded as rumours and put to rest. Would you say this is a good thing or a bad thing?”