Matser: Seat not bought, but given ‘from heart of people’

PHILIPSBURG–Not bought, but given “from the heart of the people” is how independent Member of Parliament (MP) Silvio Matser described in Parliament Thursday, how he claimed a seat in the 2014 Parliamentary Elections.

“If anyone thinks this particular seat was bought, this particular seat was given from the hearts of the people and Silvio Matser didn’t need to buy that. It came from the heart of the people,” he said.

Matser was detained and kept in restrictive custody by the National Detectives for two weeks prior to his release on Wednesday. He was detained and is still a suspect in the ongoing “Octopus” investigation in election fraud in the 2014 elections.

Matser was present for the wrap up of the handling of the 2016 budget in Parliament on Thursday morning. The MP, who did not speak during the budget debate, took the floor to motivate his vote in favour of the budget.

He said based on what he read in the press it was “sad to see” while he was going through his detention “how members were jockeying for this particular seat. It was like it was real estate property.”

Those fighting for his seat wanted “to get certain things moving,” but didn’t “take the country into consideration,” he said.
Even though he had a “difficult time” in the past two weeks, Matser said, “My country means everything to me, that’s why I am right there standing strong … Glory be to God and no weapon formed against me can prosper … I am glad to be back.”

The reason he voted for the budget is that too many young people are hoping for Government “to get particular things going for them to get work.”

The MP thanked his mother and aunts, who were in the public gallery, for their support. He also thanked Parliament Chairwoman Sarah Wescot-Williams and Prime Minister William Marlin “for standing strong with me out there.”

The budget was passed with eight votes from the seven members of the Coalition of Eight, who were present and MP Dr. Lloyd Richardson of the United People’s (UP) party. The three other MPs present – Leona Marlin-Romeo (independent), Cornelius de Weever (independent) and Tamara Leonard (UP) did not vote on the budget.

Source: The Daily Herald: https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/56203-matser-seat-not-bought-but-given-from-heart-of-people