PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Leona Marlin-Romeo, on Tuesday said setting priorities and having a contingency plan are two vital aspects in governing.
“Without the two, the government will continue to face setbacks that adversely impact the operation of the organization and the production level of the country in general.
“Particular attention is made here as it relates to inefficiency in human capacity within government to work on key and important projects that will benefit the country on a whole with its implementation.
“Deafening calls have been made for a number of legislations considering the needs of the general public and to date movements seem stagnant for the apparent reason of limited legislative capacity within government.
“Situation of this sort requires an urgent contingency plan to obtain legislative lawyers, or at least, should be placed as a priority.
“Due to this lack of apparent legislative capacity certain projects are “dead on arrival” or lay in limbo with an unknown date of when it will be handled. Projects and incentives that will not only benefit the organization but the people of Sint Maarten.
“Again, the repeated call for the introduction of a Consumer Protection Agency is made. A much discussed and needed entity for both tourist and the people of Sint Maarten.
“The people of Sint Maarten deserve to be able to have a legal entity to give their complaints to, regarding complaints involving allegations of fraud, theft, or various unfair or deceptive business practices that can occur during the purchase of everyday goods and services between them as consumers or businesses on the island,” MP Marlin-Romeo said on Tuesday.
The Independent Member of Parliament Leona Marlin-Romeo has brought awareness to the public on this matter, since mid-March of 2015, and measures have been taken by the relevant department but unfortunately due to the lack of sufficient legislative capacity it has been placed on the bottom of the list of priorities.
“A solution for the Minister responsible is to use the example of the Aruban Government where they too encountered the same dilemma.
“The Aruban Government understood the importance of creating a contingency plan and placing the lack of legislative lawyers as a priority. They sent local Arubans to study and to specialize in Legislative Law, with a binding contract. This is the direction that needs to be considered as it will assist in remedying the existing revolving door problem. Before 10-10-10 this was the dilemma of Sint Maarten, it is time for a long lasting plan,” MP Leona Marlin-Romeo concluded.
