Philipsburg, St. Maarten – Faction leader of the United People’s Party (UP) in Parliament, Grisha Heyliger-Marten has strongly condemned the statements by her party leader, President of Parliament Rolando Briton in a recording which has gone viral on the island over the weekend.
In the recording, Brison can be heard making derogatory remarks about Heyliger-Marten in company of some unidentified persons, while shredding the motions passed recently by Parliament giving specific instructions to the Minister of VROMI, Egbert Jurendy Doran regarding a proposed housing project.
“I am very disappointed and highly offended by his remarks,” MP Heyliger-Marten said. “It doesn’t make it less offensive that they were made in a so-called moment of anger.”
“The remarks are very unbecoming of the leader of the second largest political party on the island and of a president of parliament,” she said.
“It is an affront to me as an individual and as a member of parliament. It is also disrespectful against me as a woman and against St. Maarten women in general,” MP Heyliger-Marten further added. “And surely it is a blatant disrespect to the founder and all members of the party he leads.”
Finally, she said, “it is embarrassing to our nation, to all members of parliament and especially to the youth of this island who need positive role models.”
“It is now up to the UP board to decide how to deal with this toxic situation,” she added.
