Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – The United People's Party (UP) Leader Theodore Heyliger and board, extend best wishes to all Sint Maarteners/Saint Martiners for a healthy, safe and prosperous New Year.
“The Year 2016 should be a year where the community and business sector work together for a better Sint Maarten. Significant progress must be made on a number of fronts in order to balance the 2016 budget, reduce crime, create jobs, improve health care, re-align education, youth welfare and much more. Government has its responsibility and we will hold them accountable.
“Preparations were well underway for the people to go to the polls in February. With a change in Government, we now live in a time of uncertainty.
“On December 14, 2015, the right of the people were taken away by the Marlin Cabinet to go to the polls in February. This was done out of self-interests and opportunism while the economy and the people of the country are left to suffer.
“This was not done in the interests of the people as they like to preach, because the people wanted to go to the polls in February. The business community came out and favoured elections in February, because they know that the economy of the country needs stability in order for it to grow.
“December 14, 2015 will forever be a dark day in the democratic and constitutional history of our country, when the right of the people was taken away. This was a defining moment, and the people will not forget. The UP faction in parliament fully supports electoral reform, but not in a Band-Aid format. We will question every detail of the Marlin Cabinets Band-Aid solution and hold the Government accountable when the time comes.
“The people of this country can expect a strong opposition during the coming nine months. We will continue to fight for the people as we have done in the past. In September 2015, the UP and its coalition partners lost its parliamentary majority when two MPs from the UP Party defected. Their faith are now in the hands of the people of this country.
“Today, we sit as members of the opposition and ready to fulfil this role. We will fight to make sure that the people’s quality of life does not deteriorate under this current Government. We will point out where this Government is going wrong and propose ways and means that will provide the country with opportunities.
“We will hold the Marlin Cabinet responsible for not performing in the interests of the people. The Marlin Cabinet has 100 days to get their act together and produce. We will hold them accountable for every decision taken. We will question where the transparency and motivation is so that the people of this country can judge when the time comes.
“In order for our country to move forward, as a community along with the business sector, we must work together. Our agendas must provide opportunities to continue to improve the quality of life for our people. We are still awaiting to see what the Coalition of Eight will achieve during the next nine months, because according to them, the Marcel Gumbs Cabinet did not achieve anything during its nine months in Government.
“The Marcel Gumbs Cabinet set a number of things in motion clearing the pathway to deal with the challenges being faced by our country. It was a process embarked upon that would take time, not three months, six months, or nine months. Responsible and viable options that would build a sustainable economy and nation were being put in place until opportunism and self-interests took over.
“Today, we face uncertainty within this Government, but we are confident that with the hard work of the people of Sint Maarten along with the business community, we will be able to overcome and provide some semblance of stability until September 2016 when the people will decide the fate of those who took away their right based on their opportunism and self-interests.
“On behalf of the UP family, Happy New Year Sint Maarten/Saint Martin, may God bless you and your families throughout 2016,†Member of Parliament and Leader of the UP Party Theodore Heyliger said on Sunday.
