Page 9 - Online Paper.pdf

THE DAILY HERALD, Thursday, March 16, 2017 Islands 9

Integrity issues Continued from page 1.

establishing of the Integrity after that deadline, stated Constitution, but that this
Chamber and the “threat” Marlin. “The question is has “met resistance in the
to establish this Integrity also what this quartermaster Council of Ministers.”
Chamber through a General would have to prepare at this Government personnel who
Measure of the Kingdom stage,” he added. have committed integrity
Government (“Algemene Marlin reminded Plasterk violations have been dealt
Maatregel van Rijksbestuur” that the St. Maarten Gov- with. “In the preceding pe-
AMvRB) if necessary. ernment complied with the riod various Government of-
According to Marlin, St. agreement to draft a national ficials who have committed
Maarten in the past two ordinance to establish the integrity violations have been
years continuously has shown Integrity Chamber, a law dismissed and/or received
the willingness to execute that was approved by the St. disciplinary punishment,”
the agreements to improve Maarten Parliament and sub- Marlin stated.
integrity, including the ap- sequently thrown out by the The St. Maarten Govern-
pointment of a St. Maarten Constitutional Court. The ment has given priority to
quartermaster for the Integ- fact that this national ordi- the execution of the recom-
rity Chamber Raymond Be- nance didn’t make it, cannot mendations of the integrity
Martha Pouchie of St. Maarten and Barbara Peterson, represented by Delbert Jack of
gina before the deadline of be blamed on the input of the reports and has made im-
July 1, 2015. St. Maarten Government, portant progress on this mat- Saba, won the recently held Chippie UB40 Meet & Greet SMS competition. The two win-
While Begina has fully exe- Marlin noted. ter, contended Marlin. “The ners were selected amongst Chippie customers in Dutch St. Maarten, French St. Martin,
Saba and St. Eustatius as the Chippie customers that SMS-ed the most and won their
cuted his task and submitted The Prime Minister provid- perception that St. Maarten
a report, the Netherlands, on ed an overview of the actions didn’t commit to improve chance to meet backstage with legendary artistes UB40 featuring Ali Campbell, Astro and
th
the other hand, didn’t stick that were taken, or are in integrity within Government Mickey Virtue at the 37 St. Maarten Heineken Regatta closing party on Sunday, March 5.
to that deadline by appoint- execution, as a result of the is in our opinion unfounded
ing a Dutch quartermaster integrity reports. He men- and completely rejected.”
more than a year and a half tioned the improving of the The issues that currently
integrity structure through have priority concern the
new legislation and the adap- narcotics trade and human
tation of existing legislation, trafficking, stated the Prime
the oath taking of personnel Minister. “These are primar-
in Government service, the ily criminal matters for which PHILIPSBURG--The red, a framework that points to Code to end the abuse of the
drafting of a code of conduct we need your additional sup- white and blue coalition is possible solutions. six-month labour contracts
for civil servants and security port,” he stated, noting that set to present its Governing The focus on poverty and other violations are still
audits of persons with trust- the increase in the number Programme to Parliament stemmed from a recent pending for Parliament’s
ed positions in Government of investigations by the Pub- on Thursday, March 23, in a meeting Parliament had with handling. Labour Minister
POND ISLAND--Rats drop-
and government-owned lic Prosecutor’s Office since Central Committee meeting the St. Maarten Anti-Poverty Emil Lee needs some four
pings coating the ceiling of
companies. mid-2015 has resulted in an slated for Parliament House Platform. weeks more to get all ready
the Civil Registry Depart-
ment has been blamed for Furthermore, the advice increase of integrity aware- starting at 10:00am. Along with the Governing for debate, said Wescot-Wil-
is sought of the Corporate ness.
the foul stench that ema- Parliament Chairwoman Programme, the handling of liams.
Governance Council (CGC) Marlin noted that in the Sarah Wescot-Williams told draft harmonisation legisla-
nated from one area of the
on pending appointments at opinion of the St. Maarten the press on Tuesday the tion aimed at financial super-
building and for the two-day
closure that followed last government-owned compa- Government it should be Council of Ministers will out- vision of money couriers will
week. nies and Government foun- considered to have local line the programme to Mem- be on the agenda of Parlia-
dations, the 2016 and 2017 institutions investigate in- bers of Parliament. ment next week.
Prime Minister William
Marlin told the press on budgets have been balanced tegrity violations instead of Looking at areas to be In pushing the draft law
Wednesday an inspection of and approved, the new direc- an Integrity Chamber. He tackled, Wescot-Williams to establish the timeshare
the building uncovered the tor of the Princess Juliana closed off his letter by stating said poverty is an issue com- authority, Wescot-Williams
International Airport has that Government would soon pounded by other social intends to meet with St.
coated ceiling. A thorough
cleaning was ordered and been screened and an inde- be presenting an action plan issues. She called for the Maarten Timeshare Asso-
carried out promptly. The pendent Tourism Authority to execute the remaining country to establish its own ciation (SMTA) to hear their
has been established. recommendations of the in- poverty line to better under- view on the legislation. She
Department was reopened to
Marlin further mentioned tegrity reports, which will be stand what residents face in insisted that the Association
public after the cleaning was
completed. that the combating of vote implemented following the their daily lives. The line will has been involved through-
buying has the “full atten- approval by the Parliament.
When the stench was de- show how widespread pov- out the drafting process.
tion” of the Electoral Coun- erty is, its root causes and lay The changes of the Civil
tected on March 8, the Fire
cil and the Public Prosecu-
Department had been sum- tor’s Office, and that the phe-
moned to investigate as nomenon of seat theft in Par-
there were fears of electrical
liament has been addressed
issues, but this turned out not in a proposal to amend the
to be the situation.