PHILIPSBURG--United People's (UP) party faction leader Member of Parliament (MP) Romain Laville said at Monday's closing of the 2010-2011 Parliamentary Year that the stacks of draft laws pending approval by Parliament in the new year need to be assessed to see if they are the only ones that would have a huge impact on the lives of the people.
Laville said people often comment that Parliament has a lot of work to do, but what needs to be sorted out is the precise work load and the pressing concerns to be addressed. He said the condition of the people needs to be looked at to see if they are benefiting from the strides made so far. "Young people every single day are dying in the streets or fall victim to our prison system that has become a plantation for the young black men of this island."
Crime is of concern, with single mothers not feeling safe in their homes, people afraid to walk down the street without being robbed or injured, Laville said. "Who is responsible for this? Are we just sitting back and arguing with each other [about] who did, or didn't vote or not support. Or do we seriously want to make something of ourselves in Parliament."
He said it is not a matter of who's in government or in opposition, but that all 15 MPs are responsible for the growth of the nation. "Everyone sitting here today have their own agenda, their own beliefs, but is that agenda the agenda of the people of St. Maarten?"
St. Maarten is "on the brink of something we have never seen before" and MPs need to make sure proper laws and policies are in place. He agreed with comments from other faction leaders that there should not be more talk, but action. Such action, Laville said involves helping young people to start their own business with tax breaks of three to five years, the same as is afforded to big businesses.
Laville called for amendments that will exempt pensioners from taxes allowing them to take home their gross pension as well as implementing a pawn shop regulation.
As for the skyrocketing cost of living and spike in crime, Laville questioned whether these are linked to the Turnover Tax increase or an issue of exploitation of workers by businesses. He said MPs must put pressure on the Council of Ministers to bring changes whether or not they are from the same party because "the objective when we walk in here should be the people."
For the new parliamentary year, the UP faction leader called on MPs to vote together when passing the 2012 budget because it would contain policies to improve the lives of the people.
He acknowledged that the condition of the people is "gradually deteriorating" and MPs cannot continue to have their heads "in the slop trough trying to eat and see who will be the fattest" and not look up at the clouds and see if a storm is forming.
Parliamentarians can't deal with the issues of the country alone, he said, adding that businesses have to join in.
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