WILLEMSTAD–During his dissertation in Curaçao’s Parliament fraction leader of “Pueblo Soberano” (PS) Melvin “Mac” Cijntje said that if Governor Lucille George-Wout in her letter suggests going to the Netherlands to talk about the elections, then they will do just that.
According to Cijntje, he laments that the impression he had two weeks ago became reality when he received the Governor’s letter, “confirming that the country’s democracy has been suspended.” The member of the “new” MFK/KdNT/PS/MP/Braam/Dannawi majority took note of the comment that Parliament could go to the Kingdom Council of Ministers in The Hague to request an annulment of the early election scheduled for April 28.
Cijntje argued that Parliament can do nothing else but follow the advice given by the Governor in her letter. “But it remains regrettable because here in Curaçao we believed that the majority can decide but now we received the confirmation that, whenever the Governor receives a letter from Parliament with a request, meaning to ask the Kingdom Council of Ministers something, she takes it upon herself not to comply.”
According to the PS-parliamentarian there is no other alternative than to go to the Netherlands, but it will be all worth it.
“Curaçao right now is at the risk of dissolving Parliament and calling elections every three months. We have to stop that. The people are divided. We have to show now that there must be respect for the majority in Parliament.”
President of Parliament Gilmar “Pik” Pisas (MFK) was still awaiting word from Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Minister Ronald Plasterk as to when the Kingdom Government can receive the planned delegation.
Pisas told TeleCuraçao they were aiming for the Friday Kingdom Council of Ministers meeting either March 10 or 17. He said he didn’t think the March 15 Second Chamber elections in the Netherlands should make a difference, considering the urgency of the matter.
Former Council of State member Robert Vornis told the Amigoe newspaper he expects the Kingdom Council of Ministers won’t suspend or cancel the national decree passed by the outgoing Koeiman Cabinet to dissolve the legislature and call snap elections, simply because the Kingdom Charter does not give it the authority to do so. In his view invoking the guarantee function should be seen as an ultimate remedy that is not yet warranted in this case.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/64221-governor-sending-us-to-the-hague
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