Govt, CFT to talk 2011 budget today

PHILIPSBURG--The still-to-be-approved 2011 budget will be the subject of discussion when Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams and Finance Minister Hiro Shigemoto hold a video conference with the board of the Committee for Financial Supervision (CFT) today, Monday.

Wescot-Williams announced the meeting during an interview with broadcaster Eddy Williams on his Sunday show "For The Record" on 99.9FM.

Wescot-Williams said CFT and the budget have been "an ongoing story" over the last week or two. "At the end of the day it has been made clear where the government of St. Maarten stands on this matter and the intention is that on Monday the minister of finance and I will attend a video conference meeting with the board of the CFT to talk about the reaction by the Council of Ministers to the CFT's proposals," she said.

"In the meantime between members of the secretariat as well as the board of the CFT, discussions have been held with the minister of finance. I have reported on the discussions I've had with the CFT while in the Netherlands, but there have been discussions since then. On Monday we will get around the table by video conference to discuss the status of affairs regarding the status of the budget 2011."

The Prime Minister said there is still "room for understanding" between the position of the CFT and that of the government of St. Maarten over the budget.

Wescot-Williams continued: "I hope we can bridge any hardening of positions that there might have been. Hardening of positions especially in this particular situation does not benefit any of the two parties - not the CFT and not St. Maarten. I will truly do all that I can do to get past the draft budget for 2011 for Country St. Maarten so that St. Maarten can move forward with the many things that need to be done as country.

"I don't want to find ourselves in a situation like 2010 where actually the budget finally was approved, if I can call it that, and then we were forced with having to immediately start with preparations with the 2011 budget. I don't want that situation to repeat itself.

"As has been stated over and over because of the short period of time and the transition from island territory to country and having to take a budget that was drafted already and the different deadlines that are built into the process, the measures that had to be taken with respect to the budget in my opinion you did not as a government have sufficient time to analyse it.

"You did not have sufficient time to look at how exactly you wanted to include those matters into the budget that we believe are necessary and urgent for Country St. Maarten and I want to avoid having a similar situation for the 2012 budget."

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/15328-govt-cft-to-talk-2011-budget-today-.html

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