PHILIPSBURG–Democratic Party (DP) leader Sarah Wescot-Williams has opted to focus on the things at home rather than travel to the Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation IPKO in Aruba this week. Four other Members of Parliament are representing the country at the consultations.

Wescot-Williams said on Sunday that the formation of a new Council of Ministers is “taking too long, hampering many things that need to happen. I so want to finish the process and critique it in its present form with ideas for improvement.”

She had hoped the new ministers would take the oath before Governor Eugene Holiday last week following the submission of her final report as formateur on December 30. This never materialised and the Governor has not given any statement to the country about what is happening with the interim government.

The process to form a new cabinet started two months ago after the National Alliance-led cabinet lost its majority support in Parliament. After the withdrawal of MP Franklin Meyers as formateur and as candidate for prime minister mid-December, Holiday gave Wescot-Williams the task. Meyers withdrew due to issues related to the screening process.

The prolonged delay in swearing in a new cabinet has left the country in an odd constitutional situation. The executive branch is guided by a Council of Ministers against whom a motion of no confidence was passed by Parliament. The “magic eight” MPs all voted for the motion against all ministers save Public Health Minister Emil Lee, who had resigned prior to the vote.

Another odd fact is that the prime minister of that cabinet, William Marlin, was forced to resign when faced with an instruction given by the Dutch Government to the Governor to hasten Marlin’s departure. The Hague’s call to the Governor had its root in another motion passed by the magic eight – a dismissal motion that called for Marlin to demit office immediately. Two weeks elapsed before he was no longer Prime Minister.

Bron: Daily Herald