~ Priorities the same ~
PHILIPSBURG–“We are elated that we are the biggest party and a little disappointed that we didn’t get the majority win that we wanted to,” Prime Minister and National Alliance (NA) leader Silveria Jacobs told The Daily Herald early Friday morning when asked of her feelings about Thursday’s election results.
Jacobs said she had issued congratulatory remarks to all parties that contested the election.
“The young party [PFP – Ed.] that has come in has gotten a lot of support and that is a clear-cut answer from the public that they are sick of the same-old-same-old. We grew in votes, so that shows that they still have confidence in us. I would like to extend congratulations to all the parties and to the people of St. Maarten who came out to vote, and to those that did not come out to vote, I hear you loud and clear,” she said.
Jacobs said coalition talks are not yet in the making.
When asked about the next step forward for NA, Jacobs said the party will continue to govern while the formation of Parliament’s next majority takes place. “As the largest party, we hope the wishes of the people will be respected and we form part of whichever government that is in the making,” she said.
But did NA’s priorities change? Jacobs gave a resounding “no”.
“Nothing has changed. Yesterday the priority was what the priority is today, which is the recovery of St. Maarten … and ensuring St. Maarten can become sustainable and resilient, financially and economically,” she concluded.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/93912-jacobs-has-mixed-feelings-about-results
Here’s the real problem. NA need a coalition to form a government. Let’s say they then pull together 8 seats. But after portfolios are wrangled for, and a few MPs don’t get their way, then they hold the Damocles Sword over the people jumping ship bring down government’s majority. Young Brison did to get UP party leadership. The governing party can easily be toppled because no one fixed the ship jumping that caused all these elections. Also, no one party wants to fix it, lest they no longer could be a recipient of that instability to steal government.
Julio Romney said it best, I paraphrase: the seat belongs to the party and if an MP wants to leave, the seat stays with the party and is given to the seat to the next highest votegetter in that party. This is how Jules James sneaked in briefly under the radar and countless others. Fortunately the electorate dealth most of them a death blow in this election.
The real shame of this is St Maarten holds such a dubious record of having 9 general elections in 10 years.