Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
Once again there was no quorum for a scheduled plenary session of the Parliament of St. Maarten (see related article). On this occasion it regarded formalising the Intellectual Property Bureau, which may not seem like an urgent matter but is no doubt important for whoever is in need of its services.
Moreover, for Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Minister Ted Richardson it was an obvious waste of precious time. Only six of the 15 elected representatives signed in for the meeting, two fewer than required.
Of the five opposition members, US leader Frans Richardson and NA's Christophe Emmanuel were present. However, they did not help create a quorum.
The latter may surprise some, but it is parliamentary custom that the first responsibility for such lies with the coalition, which in this case even has a two-thirds majority of 10 seats. No less than four or almost half of those were left vacant, which is disappointing to say the least.
It must noted that several legislators, including four of the UP and one of NA were absent with notice, but the fact remains that again the people's business simply couldn't be done. Also considering the salaries and benefits Members of Parliament (MPs) enjoy, the citizens who voted them into office recently have a right to expect better.
It's not the first and probably won't be the last time this happens, but the practice doesn't contribute to the already-low public confidence in the local political establishment. The moment has come when the persons involved should either shape up or ship out and let somebody else to the job.
