After a challenging, and at many times unclear, frustrating and incoherent screening process, the formation process has moved forward with the submission of the final formateur’s report to Governor Ajamu Baly.
Nine names were submitted: seven for the seven local posts and two for the Minister Plenipotentiary and Deputy Minister Plenipotentiary posts in the Netherlands. This includes PFP’s very own Raeyhon Peterson and Patrice Thierry Gumbs Jr. We are proud beyond measure.
The next step in the process is the creation of the national decrees (landsbesluiten) by the Government, for the appointment of the incoming Ministers. The Governor and Prime Minister sign these decrees and then, the candidate Ministers are sworn in, in a ceremony to be officiated by the Governor. They then take up their posts and the work begins.
As PFP, what this process has shown us is that there MUST be a dedicated national ordinance for the screening of candidate Ministers. This would clear up any obscurity about the legal basis used for certain elements of the screening and prevent there from being any overreach in the form of “additional” screening requirements being added by certain bodies that do not have a role to play in St. Maarten’s autonomous right to form its national government.
As a faction in Parliament, it will be our goal to present such a law, where ethics form the basis for what a candidate minister should be, thus changing and codifying the “norms” that have been loosely used, but never communicated to the public, over these last 14 years.
We know we haven’t communicated about what’s been happening and for that, we do apologize. We’ll be updating more frequently from now on. Thank you for your words of support and encouragement, always!
