PHILIPSBURG: — Minister of Justice Lyndon Lewis told members of parliament on Thursday that there are no written guidelines to stop any political party or members of the public from gathering; this is contrary to the decision taken by the Council of Ministers on Tuesday.
Lewis returned to parliament on Thursday to deliver answers to questions posed to him last week regarding the uptick in shootings in St. Maarten in recent weeks. During the second round of the meeting, Members of Parliament from the opposition benches, namely the National Alliance and the United Peoples Party, questioned the Minister of Justice on why the Council of Ministers decided to cancel all public meetings. They asked if anything had changed since their last meeting with the government and justice officials, who told them that there was no indication to show that the shooting on July 17th, 2024, was politically motivated.
Former Prime Minister and now Member of Parliament Silveria Jacobs presented a motion on the floor of parliament stating that the parliament of St. Maarten expresses its disapproval of the ad hoc decision taken by the Council of Ministers to unilaterally cancel all public events, meetings, gatherings, and election day gatherings.
The motion also states that the Prime Minister or Council of Ministers did not consult with its stakeholders before canceling the public events.
View comments
Hide comments