Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
PHILIPSBURG:--- Several members of the WICSU/PSU union are now asking questions as to where the members of the board disappeared to. According to some of the members who spoke to SMN News on the condition of anonymity said that the President of WICSU/PSU Derie Leonard called an election for March 20th 2015, they said she sent out a notice to all members informing them that persons that are interested in postulating should do so before February 27th 2015. However, the members said that the election which was due to be held since last year was not held because Leonard did not call the election. They said that now she called an election it is unconstitutional because she did not even put an election committee in place. The WICSU/PSU members said that after Leonard called the election she resigned as President citing that she was given the position as mediator at the Department of Labor.The members said the secretary and treasurer cannot be found while the Vice President Aurillo Baly was off island and just recently returned and he claimed that he simply does not know what has taken place during his absence.The members said that last year Leonard left the island to Vienna to deal with some union matters and she met with the former Minister of Labor Cornelius de Weever who promised her that if she campaigned for him and write positive articles in the newspapers for him he will appoint her as labor mediator. They said when Leonard came back to St. Maarten she informed the union that she will become the mediator and that she will call election in November 2014 but that did not take place.Boasman gave negative advice against Leonard --- PNO never published the position as being vacant.The union members said that even though the former Minister of Labor promised the position of mediator to Leonard she cannot be appointed because the position was never published and since this particular position has to be done through a Landsbesluit they do not see how Leonard will get a position she made a deal to get with now Member of Parliament Cornelius de Weever. "The position first has to be published so that persons could apply, then the selected candidate will be appointed through an LB which has to be signed off by the Governor."Apart from the illegalities the union members said that when Rafael Boasman was informed that he had to train Leonard to take up the mediator position because he is supposed to leave office mid 2015 he gave the former Minister a negative advice. The civil servants said that Boasman made it clear that Leonard does not have the "qualities" and requirements needed to mediate between workers and employers and he does not feel he should waste his time training someone that is not fit for the position especially now that St. Maarten is under the microscope for integrity issues. SMN News tried to contact Leonard for a comment but she did not respond to the phone calls. Other board members including Aurelio Baly also could not be reached.
