PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Gromyko Wilson urged the people of Sint Maarten to continue monitoring the illegal actions of the Prime Minister. Wilson mentioned that months after breaking the law and selectively paying civil servants the vacation allowance on June 15, without paying the teaching and administrative personnel of the school boards, Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs and her government continues to ignore our laws.
“To date, there is no agreement between the CCSU and the Minister of General Affairs as it relates to the payment of vacation allowance and the reduction of vacation days to all civil servants to 15 days. There is also no approval from the CCSU to amend the ordinance regulating the 12.5% cuts to civil servants’ benefits. There is no approval in Parliament for a budget amendment allowing a payment of 6% vacation allowance to only civil servants and not school boards. To date the CFT cannot figure out the tricky calculations of the Minister of Finance to pay out vacation allowance and continue to adhere to the 12.5% cuts,” Wilson observed.
“What we do have is a government that does not have a majority in Parliament. The current coalition lost another member last week when MP Ludmila de Weever did the ethical and honorable thing and removed her support from the government. This government started with support from 10 MPs. Now they are at 7 MPs. While MP Grisha Marten continues to vote her conscience, this has led us to believe that this government only has the support of 6 MPs. That 6th MP is MP William Marlin, who came out of long-term sick leave to save this government last week. However, the MP will soon go back on sick leave,” stated Wilson.
“One must wonder how much longer this fiasco will continue,” Wilson concluded.
