SXMElections.com

PHILIPSBURG--United People's (UP) party leader Member of Parliament (MP) Theo Heyliger said on Sunday that the instruction by the Dutch government to Governor Eugene Holiday is intended to prevent him from becoming the next prime minister of St. Maarten.

In a statement on Sunday, Heyliger said the Dutch government may get away with attempts at discrediting him, but he said St. Maarten will ensure that the Dutch government will be held liable for damages its "intrusion" will cause St. Maarten and its people.

"Every legal avenue will be utilised to ensure that our right of self-determination is respected, as well as the rights set forth in our constitution and laws. We will seek redress outside the Kingdom with respect to the blatant disrespect for our constitution and get the support of a country to bring this matter before the international community of nations," said the UP leader.

Heyliger claimed that the Dutch government had earlier initiated a character assassination on him. The instruction, which he claims is void of legal basis, is to ensure that the screening of candidate ministers and the prime minister for the 2014-2018 period is executed by the Dutch government, "without whose approval the governor is not permitted to sign the national decree of appointment.

"The measure states that the candidate minister must provide an unrestricted permission to the investigating experts of the Dutch government to undertake a screening of the candidate and its family members for an undefined period of time, through an undefined method of investigation, with yet-to-be-established screening parameters – an investigation method not even permitted within our Criminal Code," Heyliger said in the release.

"It is therefore very clear that this measure is created to determine the screening process and its parameters with pre-existing bias to ensure that the screening process cannot be passed by my person. The so-called mafia, as I am being referred to, should never be able to pass the screening, even if no objections exist against my person. A system is being created where you can be accused, tried and convicted without ever having a possibility to defend yourself."

Heyliger said it is clear that the instruction is violating St. Maarten's constitution, the regulations regarding the screening of ministers and the country's Criminal Code, and can, in the future, be used against anyone at random. This measure therefore will be placed before the Parliament of St. Maarten for debate. "I am not against screening of minister candidates. The instruction to the governor for what is in essence a pre-screening can only be considered an infringement of St. Maarten's autonomy. With the way the Dutch are behaving, I truly ask myself why hold elections every four years? Why not simply have the Dutch government and Dutch MPs who know nothing about St. Maarten, but want to be dictators, just pick a government for us?" Heyliger asked.

He said the instruction for a thorough screening shows that the Dutch government is on a "no-holds, barred witch hunt," with him as a primary target.

He said the PricewaterhouseCoopers integrity report "did not yield any glaring integrity issues the Dutch government was rooting for. This instruction to the governor is their follow-up attack to try to tarnish our country and her people further.

"What is amazing is we didn't hear a word from the Dutch when a convicted person was serving in Parliament in the last term. The people of St. Maarten have also not heard any support or sympathy from the Dutch government after having endured Hurricane Gonzalo and suffered so much personal property damage and threats to life. It is also amazing that the Dutch behaves as though the Netherlands is the bastion of integrity when it is well known about the representatives of various Dutch political parties who have had to resign from office or from politics completely due to illegal actions."

He said UP will continue to try to get a conflict resolution commission for the Kingdom. Such a commission, Heyliger said, has been called for by Aruba and Curaçao, as well as St. Maarten, and enshrined in motions before all three Parliaments.

"We are supposed to be equal partners, but we are anything but that as this recent instruction to the governor shows. The current coalition remains committed to reviewing the executing of the recommendations of the Wit-Samson integrity report, the PricewaterhouseCoopers integrity report and the one of the General Audit Chamber," he said. "We are a four-year-old country battling against a bigger country with colonial views."

Heyliger said he is reminded of what he called the struggle his grandfather, the late Claude Wathey, faced. "Any measure, even if taken by the Dutch government, must be in compliance with good governance and may at no time infringe on our fundamental human rights. The Dutch government has, without any proof, branded my person as being the mafia or having links with the mafia. This is slander yet given the fact that those to whom I would have to address my claim are appointed by the same Dutch government engaging in these slanderous acts."

Heyliger: "Together with my coalition partners, we have embarked on following the right process for forming of the Government of St. Maarten. An open process in accordance to the law is being followed to present to the people of St. Maarten a capable, strong and stable government. I will work with undeterred determination to safeguard the people of this country and the institutions of our parliamentary democracy. I will stay true to my promises to the people of this country and shall, through transparency and with integrity, restore their faith in their government."