PHILIPSBURG: — At least eight candidates that postulated on the URSM slate have expressed dissatisfaction with the leader Dr. Luc Mercelina and the decisions he took in submitting names of persons for the Minister’s position and cabinet staff. SMN News understands that 11 of the 19 candidates that postulated on the URSM slate have come together to express their dissatisfaction, however, three of the candidates are currently off-island and were not able to sign the letter.
Some of the candidates told SMN News that they sent a letter to Mercelina on Tuesday signed by eight of eleven of the candidates that postulated on the URSM slate for the January 2024 parliamentary elections.
They said they are concerned with the fact that Mercelina who is also the Prime Minister candidate opted to appoint Veronica Jensen Webster as the Minister candidate for the Ministry of VSA while there are more qualified candidates on the list that also garnered more votes than Jensen Webster. URSM pre-screened their candidates before allowing them to postulate on the URSM slate. “The song back then was different. Had they told us that they would not have allowed us to manage the country then we would have joined the other political parties that also asked us to be part of their list.
The candidates are also upset because they were told that Stuart Johson would be appointed Chef de Cabinet for the Prime Minister, while Mercelina has plans to reinstate Hensley Plantijn who was dismissed from his function by Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs.
Another person who was appointed Chef de Cabinet is Chris Weever for the Ministry of VSA.
The candidates said that they are now told that they need to apply for jobs while some persons who did not even contest the election are given positions within the two Ministries URSM will have.
They said that they gave Merceline two times 24 hours to respond to their letter of concern and to cease with the appointments.
The candidates claimed that the URSM leader made several promises to them when he recruited them to postulate on the URSM slate and they feel as though they are being made fools.
SMN News reached out to Dr. Luc Mercelina for a comment on the developments and he said that he did not receive any letter from his candidates, “maybe that letter is on its way to me but I did not receive any letter therefore I cannot comment on it.”
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