PHILIPSBURG–Some forty days after St. Maarten went to the polls in a snap election, the country finally has a coalition government comprising the seven seats of United Democrats and the one seat of St. Maarten Christian Party (SMCP).
The slim-majority coalition agreement was inked in SMCP’s headquarter on Back Street after 10:00pm last night.
The agreement does not outline the division of the Ministries between the two parties. It only states that this will “be brought forward” by the two parties “and subsequently announced at a later date.”
This agreement has pushed the five-seat National Alliance (NA) led by MP Silveria Jacobs and two-seat United St. Maarten Party (US Party) of MP Frans Richardson into opposition.
All eight Members of Parliament from the two parties signed the coalition agreement, with presumptive new MPs Perry Geerlings and Tamara Leonard (United Democrats) and Claude “Chacho” Peterson as witnesses.
By affixing their signatures to this agreement, the MPs “reaffirm our commitment to the people of St. Maarten to work diligently towards a sustainable future with the input of all.”
The presence of Geerlings, Leonard and Peterson indicates that the three will either end up in Parliament or in the new Council of Ministers. They are next in line on their parties’ slates to enter Parliament should one or more of the current MPs demit office to become a Minister, or, in the case of Public Health Minister Emil Lee, stay in the cabinet.
SMCP leader MP Wycliffe Smith told The Daily Herald after signing the agreement: “The country needed a government” and the two parties have a lot of common goals and priorities. He would have preferred a broad-based government, but this did not come to fruition.
United Democrats leader MP Theo Heyliger said SMCP was the best partner, because “Pastor Smith and his team are committed to this country of ours. We have put our trust in each other to rebuild St. Maarten and give her the stable and lasting government she has deserved since 2010.”
The coalition agreement acknowledged that both parties’ campaigns and election programmes “contain a similar vision for St. Maarten and aligned priorities, with the rebuilding of St. Maarten at the top of both parties’ agendas.”
The parties are to formalise a governing programme that will be built on the premise of “transparency, social dialogue, openness, integrity, and communication” with a concentrated focus on “rebuilding a vibrant economy, restoring a strong social fabric and promoting a resilient sense of community.”
The priorities for this governing term are jobs, home repairs, tax reform, tackling the dump, economic revitalisation, electoral reform, safety and security, disaster management, and kingdom relations.
In the agreement, signed by Smith, Heyliger, and MPs Sarah Wescot-Williams, Franklin Meyers, Sidharth Bijlani, Chanel Brownbill, Dr. Luc Mercelina and Lee, the parties agree to form the next government “on the basis of stability, transparency, openness, and integrity.”
They also agreed that Minister candidates “for all posts and their proposed chiefs of staff will be discussed in an open and honest manner.”
Parties stated that they “attach great importance to the position of the St. Maarten House and the Minister Plenipotentiary in The Hague to strengthen Kingdom Relations.”
The coalition partners have also committed to weekly meetings of the MPs and Ministers.
The signing of the coalition agreement was met with much relief by many residents who learned of it via social media.
One observer remarked that Jesus had wandered the desert for 40 days in his quest for salvation and St. Maarten now appears to have gotten some respite from woes.
Another remarked on the shared Saban heritage of Heyliger and Smith. Heyliger’s father is from the sister Dutch Caribbean island while Smith was born there.
Source: The Daily Herald https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/75370-united-democrats-smcp-sign-coalition-agreement
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