SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) – Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Christopher Emmanuel criticized PM Silveria Jacobs on Monday for deflecting from the fact that she has a political deficit within her coalition and trying to place blame on other members of Parliament.
Emmanuel was reacting to the PM’s statement that a letter has been sent to Holland distancing her government from the Pro Soualiga Foundation and its decolonization efforts. In that same statement in the media on Monday, the Prime Minister specifically only mentioned a “Hitler” statements that she had to distanced herself from made by an independent member of Parliament. Emmanuel pointed out that the PM quite cunningly did not mention the Pro Soualiga Foundation on Monday for the local news report.
“So now all of a sudden it’s me. The Prime Minister need to level with the Dutch and stop these games. It is your coalition partner, the UP party led by MP Grisha Marten Heyliger and a member of your own party, MP Ludmila Duncan, who has been leading the charge on decolonization,” MP Emmanuel said. In fact, Emmanuel continued, “it is your coalition partner that has a prominent member of the Pro Soualiga Foundation working in its faction in Parliament as its legal advisor. So what games and tom-foolery are we playing here with people,” MP Emmanuel said.
“It is obvious that the PM has a political deficiency in her coalition and she is trying to hide that fact by deflecting this issue onto other MP’s. The PM has to answer the question: do you support and agree with your coalition partner and your own MP on the decolonization process or not? Do you support your coalition partner and your own MP working with the Pro Soualiga Foundation or not?”
He went on to add that it was Heyliger-Marten who used the term “plata o plomo” (silver or lead) when describing State Secretary Raymond Knops’ attitude towards St. Maarten. “And lead means a bullet. That came from the PM’s coalition partner. I said he was thinking like Hitler because Hitler used all sorts of “entities” with curious names to fool the world and control a people. Our ancestors were their slaves, we have been called thieves and crooks and so worthless, they said, we could be sold on EBay. And then The PM says the term used touched at the heart and soul of the Dutch. As if they using the term “sell” as former slavers doesn’t touch at the heart and soul of my people. Prime Minister Rutte even refused to apologize for slavery, so give me a break.”
“It is easy to try to trick the Dutch by telling them you have never met with Pro Soualiga, but your party and your coalition partner has. Also, can your coalition partner and your MP count on the support of the COHO in executing their plans for St. Maarten moving forward? Did you try to negotiate on their behalf? After all, a member of Pro Soualiga is employed at Parliament in the UP’s faction. What happens to their plans? Emmanuel asked.
