PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – The United Democratic (UD) party continues to observe with much concern the ongoing developments and the Government reactionary management of the affairs of the country.
UD Leader MP Sarah Wescot was chided by the coalition members for notvoting along with them on the motion in support of the government’s acceptance of the Corona liquidity assistance and the conditions attached to this assistance by the Netherlands.
Coalition members beat their chest, boasting that these conditions could never be honored if unlawful.
Government nevertheless proceeded to act and react, oblivious to the questions by the UD as to the legality of their actions to secure the assistance from the Netherlands.
It is shameful that our own General Audit Chamber had to publicly chastise the government on a matter that is so obvious, namely tinkering with the vacation allowance of the civil servants with total disregard for relevant laws and regulations.
And this is only the tip of the iceberg. More actions by this government are against prevailing laws and regulations.
“We are still in a democratic state of law. Government too has to abide by the laws of the land. If a country’s government succumbs to this kind of pressure, our democracy is under threat. Today it’s for liquidity assistance. Tomorrow it could be for anything, if government is left unchecked”, commented UD leader, MP Sarah Wescot.
THE GOVERNMENT CAN NOT IGNORE THE COUNTRY’S LAWS, ESPECIALLY NOT WHERE THEY ALSO ACT AS EMPLOYER.
We call on the government to rethink its handling of the Corona assistance and conditions imposed by the Netherlands.
We call on the government to take heed of the General Audit Chamber’s call and pay the vacation allowance to civil servants according to law.
We call on the government to inform the Dutch government of the real threat of government acting contra legem (against the law) by carrying out theconditions laid out by the Dutch government without requisite due diligence.
