THE HAGUE--The first report of the Progress Committee St. Maarten has been sent to the Dutch Second Chamber. The Committee's March 2011 report highlights the shortage of capacity at the different government organisations in St. Maarten. Recruitment should be a top priority.
The recruitment and training of (qualified) personnel is high priority at all seven entities which the Committee monitors, namely the Police Corps, Pointe Blanche prison, National Detectives (Landsrecherche), New Admission Organisation NTO, Census Office, the Department of Legal Affairs and Legislation, and some sections of the Ministry of Public Housing, Physical Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI.
The Committee supports the recruitment of personnel from outside St. Maarten for the Police Force. A strong Police Force with sufficient capacity which is able to optimally serve the community is of vital importance. "Citizens should benefit from this from more police in the street, short response times, proper response to telephone calls and correct treatment," it was stated in the report.
The Committee was positive about the improvements at the Pointe Blanche prison. More personnel have been hired and trained. The temporary relocation of some thirty prisoners is top priority so the much needed renovation can start.
"A high-quality National Detectives department is vital. Recruitment is a top priority," stated the Committee, which recommended cooperating with the Police Force to recruit personnel from the Netherlands. By the first half of this year, at least 12 of the 16 vacancies should be filled.
At the NTO, in charge of immigration, properly trained personnel guided by a strong management and well-functioning ICT is a source of concern. The Committee recommended making the increase in capacity a high priority. Recruitment in the Netherlands is a pre because, with the financial support of the Dutch Ministry of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations BZK, this would have less impact on the department's budget.
Personnel and training are the main ingredients for improvements at the Census Office as well. "Well-trained and sufficient personnel are a stringent condition to decrease waiting times at the windows and a proper maintenance of the public registry," stated the Committee.
The Committee was satisfied that almost all formation positions were occupied at the Census Office, but lamented at the same time that two key positions, the front and back office heads, are yet to be filled. "These are vital functions and should be give high priority." A project leader and technical assistance were also lacking to structurally clean up the registry.
With only eight of the 17 positions filled, the Department of Legal Affairs and Legislation cannot sufficiently execute the legislation programme. Candidates were being recruited in cooperation with the Dutch BZK Ministry, but this will not eliminate the shortage of personnel by mid-2011. The Committee did note that the quality of junior and senior jurists working at the department was good.
The Strategic Action Plan 2010 of the VROMI Ministry clearly indicates where improvements should take place, noted the Committee. Recruitment for 33 functions of which some are critical is very important. Especially the lack of capacity at the Permits Department is worrisome, stated the Committee.
Worrisome is also the fact that 14 persons above the formation are pressing on the wage list and on the budget. It concerns persons who are not productive for the department (anymore). "A fast solution for this issue should have priority," stated the Committee which did laud the cooperation between the controller, the internal control and the Foundation Government Accountant's Bureau SOAB.
Generally, the Committee was happy with the positive and constructive cooperation it received from the different government departments. The Committee complimented the departments with their hard work, especially when considering the limited capacity. But it also noted that there was still a lot of work to be done.
Committee Chairman Ronald Bandell submitted the report which covers the period October 10, 2010 to January 1, 2011, to St. Maarten's Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams and Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Piet Hein Donner on March 18.
Wescot-Williams and Donner are members of the Ministerial Consultation of the Cooperation Agreement to guarantee the Plans of Approach for the national tasks of Country St. Maarten. The two other members of the Progress Committee, besides Bandell, are Richard Gibson and N. Schoof.
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