THE HAGUE--The Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament is giving St. Maarten the benefit of the doubt to have its 2011 budget balance and approved by the Council for Financial Supervision CFT before April 15.
Members of Parliament (MPs) Andr� Bosman of the Liberal Democratic party VVD, Martijn van Dam of the Labour Party PvdA, Eric Lucassen of the Party for Freedom PVV and Ronald van Raak of the Socialist Party (SP) said on Wednesday that April 15 was the ?ultimate chance,? otherwise Parliament would seek measures against St. Maarten.
The four MPs said on Wednesday that they would keep a keen eye on developments and eagerly await a solution for St. Maarten?s budget deficit. The Kingdom Council of Ministers will meet on April 15. Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Piet Hein Donner has promised to keep Parliament informed of the developments.
Regardless of the outcome, Van Raak said he planned to request a debate on St. Maarten anyhow, but after April 15, following Donner?s letter. ?We can wait until then. If we can receive the figures of the government-owned companies by then, it will well be worth the wait,? he said. He said there was ?ample? support in the Second Chamber for such a debate.
Van Raak said he was ?happy? with St. Maarten?s pledge to Minister Donner that he would receive the financial books of the government-owned companies. He said these figures would show the true financial picture of St. Maarten?s government and as such they would be instrumental in CFT?s decision to approve or reject the budget proposal.
?Then we will see whether the government-owned companies are correctly managed or if these companies are marred by corruption and nepotism,? said Van Raak, who criticised St. Maarten?s ?continuous conjuring? with figures.
Bosman (VVD) said during a short procedural meeting of Parliament?s Permanent Committee for Kingdom Relations on Wednesday that Donner?s April 5 letter on St. Maarten?s budgetary situation contained ?many ifs, buts and possibilities.?
Bosman said Parliament would ?keep a strong hold? on the matter to ?make sure? that things were in order by April 15. That date is the ?final line,? he said. ?We expect things to be 100 per cent right; otherwise, Minister Donner has a problem. We cannot keep postponing,? he told The Daily Herald after the meeting.
He said it was especially important to reach a structural solution for the budget procedure. ?There has been much delay and St. Maarten already should have started to prepare the draft budget for 2012.?
Van Dam (PvdA) said he assumed St. Maarten would have a balanced and approved 2011 budget by April 15. ?Otherwise they would not have proposed this date.? He feared that if the exercise failed, the Netherlands would end up paying the bill.
At the same time The Hague doesn?t want to become too much involved, said Van Dam. And that presents a dilemma. ?St. Maarten is responsible and you don?t want to meddle all the time. However, St. Maarten needs to have its affairs in order. Otherwise, it becomes a responsibility of the Kingdom. But St. Maarten should not use the Netherlands as a scapegoat when it has to take measures to balance its budget,? he said.
Lucassen (PVV), who submitted on Tuesday a new series of questions to Minister Donner about St. Maarten?s lack of cooperation, said April 15 was also the final deadline for his party. ?I assume that the Minister gave the tree a good shaking during his visit to St. Maarten. It wouldn?t be appropriate to get in his way now, but April 15 is the last date,? he said.
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