PHILIPSBURG--The evaluation of the functioning of the country's apparatus and institutions is needed now that a year has been completed in the new constitutional status of country-within-the-Dutch-Kingdom, according to Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams.
She believes that a review is necessary so that a structure is not just maintained because it is there and over time becomes totally unworkable.
"Now with our feet on the ground you are seeing that it might be better for us to structure it differently. This is a process that will take some time as we go along [...] to look at the workings and the roles of the different institutions."
She told the press on Wednesday that St. Maarten as a country is a work in progress because government "took on and took over everything that we felt was necessary to make sure that our foundation was a strong one" following the status change on 10-10-10.
Wescot-Williams said the moment to evaluate the institutions and their function as well as the laws "already started." The laws have to be looked at whether these were done on the "right bases" and items were stated "in the way we would like it. It is an ongoing process."
On 10-10-10, everyone was "finding his or her own way" and in order to have institutions up and running by 10-10-10 things needed to be put in place "hastily." Now, reviewing the situation after a year, the prime minister said she had "absolutely no problem" with this.
Government is reviewing the setup of its own organisation in terms of the ministries and related organs as was announced two weeks ago by the prime minister.
President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell has similar sentiments on Tuesday. She said, "You shouldn't have too many rules and regulations that would choke or hamper the normal day to day management of government whether on the council of ministers side or parliament side."
"We are complying as much as we can, seeing that we have just started as a new country," Arrindell said, adding that for a small country like St. Maarten, keeping up with, and living up to expectations of all entities is "very difficult, but not impossible."
She said her comments had come with the backdrop of Aruba's celebrations of its country-hood and the fact that it has managed to survive well these past 25 years without some of the institutions "put into our laws" for checks and balances.
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