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THE DAILY HERALD, Thursday, March 16, 2017 Opinion 35

Dear Editor, the work of parliament takes functioning optimally due to committees. Seven of the tee should submit its report Minister Ronald Plasterk.
The system of parliamen- place in the committees. the fact that the committees permanent committees are with a request for a meeting When anything happens in
tary committees in the Neth- Looking at how the commit- are not functioning. named after the seven minis- with the Central Commit- the Dutch Caribbean you
erlands is considered the tee system functions, in the The Annual Report of the tries of government and the tee to discuss the findings of notice that Bosman and Van
backbone of the Dutch par- parliament of Sint Maarten, Parliamentary Year 2015- purpose of each one of these the Justice Committee. The Raak immediately confront
liament. The review further we can only sadly conclude 2016 of Sint Maarten gives committees is to supervise Central Committee in turn Minister Plasterk in writing
indicates that two thirds of that our parliament is not some insight, as to how these the ministry they are named can decide to submit these about it and they also bring it
committees are functioning. after. findings and recommenda- to the attention of the Dutch
During the course of the For example, the Perma- tions to the Public Meeting and Caribbean public via the
parliamentary year, many of nent Committee of Justice of Parliament. Parliament in media.
these committees held only has the responsibility to su- turn can issue instructions to Hence, when they comment
one meeting and that meet- pervise, monitor and control the Minister or to Govern- on the lack of integrity in
ing was simply to select the all of the entities that fall ment via a motion. government, and make state-
chair and the vice-chair of under the Justice Ministry, It goes without saying ments about corruption and
(Curaçao Chronicle) the committee. which are: the police depart- that the Justice Committee the poor prison system on
When we think and talk ment, the prison and house would monitor the follow-up Sint Maarten, we think that
Jonas---the Prophet who spent three days and nights in the about Parliament, we are of detention, the Immigra- action. they are meddling and that
belly of a giant fish--- set up shelter on a hill slope overlook- usually referring to the tion and Border Protection Not complying with par- they should mind their own
ing the city of Nineveh. Jonas waited for the obliteration of public meetings where laws Service, Customs, Bureau liament’s instruction could business. But, as members of
the wicked city by God’s wrath, as he had prophesized. The are debated and approved. Unusual Financial Transac- eventually lead to a mo- parliament, they are only do-
city of Nineveh repented, and God suspended His destruc- However, parliament is com- tions, Court of Guardian- tion of non-confidence. ing their job, by holding their
tion. But three thousand years later, the ultimate condem- prised of six official entities ship, Coast Guard, Depart- Just as the Justice Commit- minister accountable.
nation still looms over the city. that must collaborate with ment of Judicial Affairs, the tee should supervise all the SMCP expects our parlia-
For months, the international press camped out on the out- each other, in order for the Justice Academy, Attorney services that fall under the mentarians, as members of
skirts of Mosul. Mosul city centre is mostly west of the Tigris parliamentary process to be General Office, Public Pros- Ministry of Justice, so also, their respective parliamen-
River, and replaced the ancient Assyrian capital Nineveh, effective and productive. ecutor Office, and Joint all the other parliamentary tary committees, to hold our
on the eastern bank. Like Jonas, the world is waiting to be These entities are: The sec- Court of Justice. committees should do with ministers and government
the eyewitness of total annihilation of a most wicked and retariat, the presidium, the This committee should be their respective ministries. accountable for their ac-
barbaric group of thugs that the world has seen for a very fractions, the permanent and meeting with the Minister of An example of how com- tions and decisions. Let’s not
long time. ad-hoc committees, the cen- Justice and questioning him mittees operate can be seen forget that two thirds of the
The media reported: “After months of intense fighting, tral committee and of course verbally and in writing about in the functioning of the work of parliament is done
Iraqi special forces crossed into western Mosul last week, the public meetings. the various issues regarding Committee of Kingdom in the committees. There-
marking a decisive victory that spells the end of the terror- In this article, we will high- his ministry. This committee Relations of the Dutch Par- fore, if the various parlia-
ists’ grip on the city. ISIS thugs holding the Iraqi city of Mo- light the functioning of the should also be studying the liament. We are all familiar mentary committees begin
sul hostage have been warned they are days away from being permanent and ad-hoc com- various reports pertaining with Dutch parliamentar- to function as they should,
wiped out by advancing coalition liberators. Bodies of ISIS mittees. These committees to the Justice Ministry. The ians Ronald van Raak and we would certainly see a big
fighters already litter the streets of west Mosul as Iraqi spe- consist of small groups of safety of the guards as well André Bosman. These two difference in the functioning
cial forces battle to end the extremists’ grip on Iraq.” members of Parliament who as of the prisoners need to gentlemen are also members of parliament.
Social media bring an ample cash of pictures and videos work together, in order to be looked into. The shortage of the permanent Commit-
full of death and destruction, and not to be watched by the research, investigate and of guards, due to high rates tee of Kingdom Relations. Wycliffe Smith
faint hearted. consider issues on behalf of of sick leave is another issue The Minister responsible Leader of the Sint Maarten
ISIS leaders proclaimed their destructive missions to be in Parliament. They are able to that needs the committee’s for Kingdom Relations is Christian Party
the name of God, of Allah, to cleanse the new Caliphate of meet with people and call for attention. In addition, many
all sins and ready for the return and rule of the Mahdi, the documents to assist them in of the guards are demoti-
Messiah. The new world order was not to be by democracy their work. They report their vated, due to the fact that
and nation states, as we know it today, but by one global findings to the central com- they are not in the right sal-
caliphate, a theocracy in the name of Allah. All those who mittee and they can make ary scale.
would not comply and surrender to the one and only Allah recommendations for new The lawsuit of the Point
and his faith would be destroyed. laws or changes to existing Blanche Inmates Associa-
This divine message of constant conquest, of Jihad, is car- laws. tion should also be an area of
ried out relentlessly. To name a few, by Iran and its proxies The parliament of Sint concern. After meeting with
of Houthis and Alawites on the Shi’a side, and by ISIS, Al Maarten currently has the various stakeholders
Qaeda, Al Nusra, Boko Haram, Al Shabaab, Muslim Broth- twelve committees: 8 are and researching the related
erhood on the Sunni side. permanent and 4 are ad-hoc topics, the Justice Commit-
To assume that Jihadist terrorism will be over after the fall
of Mosul and Raqqa is naïve. Islam does not know separa-
tion of State and Church. To the contrary, the leader of the
State is one and the same person as the leader of the Islamic
faith. A decapitated Al-Baghdadi, the self-appointed Caliph
of ISIS, may be welcomed with cheers in the West and a sigh
of relief in the Muslim world, but do not forget that “the
blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.”
Jacob Gelt Dekker