PHILIPSBURG–United St. Maarten Party (US Party) Member of Parliament Silvio Matser had his swan song in Parliament on Friday. The legally embattled MP said he is done with the political arena after two contracted terms in legislature. He vowed to continue helping “his people” albeit as a private citizen.
Matser was the only one of the 15 legislators not to contest the February 26 snap election. His seat now goes to first timer MP-elect Rolando Brison who earned the second of the two US Party seats. The first seat was won by party leader re-elected MP Frans Richardson.
“I will never be in politics again. I said I would do two terms and I did although there were two short terms,” he said.
Matser also labelled himself the “original ship-jumper” pointing to his break with the then-United People’s (UP) party in 2015, a move led to the end of the then coalition. He then ran with the US Party in 2016 and maintained his seat in Parliament.
Matser opted out of the most recent election due to his ongoing court battles regarding, among others, vote buying charges levelled by the Prosecutor’s Office.
His return to Parliament proves a ship-jumper can have a comeback, Matser said, adding the former US Party MP, now United Democrats MP-elect Chanel Brownbill was also proof of this.
The saddest part of the recent election, Matser said, was the way candidates “were destroying each other” He likened the situation to “lobsters in a buckets,” saying when one lobster climbs on another the latter is kept down forever.
Looking ahead, Matser called for MPs to work more for the people and to continue to work together even though there may be differences of opinions. Even if there are differences, he said, they should be so great that MPs cannot “sit and eat a Johnny cake together after.”
Friday’s plenary sitting of Parliament was primarily for the examination and acceptance of the credential of the new and re-election MPs who are to take the oath of office before Governor Eugene Holiday on Easter Monday, April 2.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/74973-matser-delivers-his-swan-song
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