PHILIPSBURG – Minister of Finance Richard Gibson said he is pleased with a program at the Prosecutor’s Office to train and employ local persons in that department.
This update was made in light of comments the Minister made recently stressing for more local persons to be employed in senior positions and institutions and private companies in St. Maarten. Minister Gibson said he met with the Chief Prosecutor recently where this development was reported.
“(The Chief Prosecutor) reported to me that the Prosecution Department has a program in place, and right now someone who has been identified who they are putting through a training process with the aim for that person to become a local prosecutor on St. Maarten. I was very pleased to hear that. Not only is it a program aimed at this person alone, but it is going to be an ongoing program,” the Minister told journalists at Wednesday’s, June 15, Council of Ministers press briefing. He said that this program will ensure that there is a “local face” at the Prosecutor’s Office.
Minister Gibson said he hopes this will spark other entities to do the same. “I applaud the Prosecutor’s Department in embarking on this program and I look forward to other institutions, including the court as well as our main hotels in following the same path. These things are not going to fall out of the sky,” he remarked.
Two weeks ago, Minister Gibson lamented about the scarcity of opportunities for local St. Maarteners being employed in senior positions, especially in government institutions. He made the statements on the back of his commendation for the appointment of Chris Johnson from Saba as the Dutch representative for St. Maarten. “I hope everybody gets on board with this idea because like I said, it’s going to happen either through dialogue and evolution, and nobody wants it to happen via revolution,” Minister Gibson stated.
