PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Gromyko Wilson expressed in a statement Tuesday afternoon his dissatisfaction with the childish behavior of the opposition. Wilson called their behavior distasteful and one that lacks any sense of integrity.
Interesting in this whole ordeal is that this is not the first time in the Kingdom of the Netherlands that opposition parties have obstructed the constitutional right of a people to have a full Parliament. In 2020, in Curacao a similar situation presented itself in which Incoming Member of Parliament Mr. Shaheen Elhage’s credentials could not be vetted in the house of Parliament in Curacao as the opposition refused to cooperate.
Mr. Elhage proceeded to take the entire Government of Curacao, The Parliament and the respective Members of Parliament to court. The court verdict (Case#: CUR202002249 / Date: August 11, 2020) that was then handed down was that while the court agrees that the then Members of Parliament of Curacao were acting against the constitution and by extension the wish of the voters of Curacao, there was nothing the court could do as the court must respect the Trias Politica (the division of powers in a democracy).
What the court did say in their ruling was that there are 3 ways to politically go about handling this matter:
– Call for elections
– See how long one can govern without a majority in Parliament
– Request a instruction from the Kingdom Government (Algemene Maatregel van Rijksbestuur).
In the interest of the people of Sint Maarten, Gromyko Wilson urges the opposition to do the right thing and show up to the next meeting to allow the democratic process of Governance to continue. If not, Wilson says a Kingdom Instruction is the only way forward.
