Given this fact, I have now turned to the Chair of the Parliament for his intervention. Make no mistake, the Chairperson of Parliament was appointed to serve in that position as part of the political agreements between those parties and factions that support the government. That is an acceptable practice.
However, once in that position, the chairperson represents the entire parliament and should in my opinion act as a bridge between Parliament and the Government. The Chairperson of parliament should also guide and provide leadership to Parliament.
I have therefore turned to MP Dr. Lloyd Richardson, Chairman of Parliament to impress upon the government that responding to the members of Parliament is a constitutional duty of the members of government.
In my letter to the chairperson, I have listed some of the outstanding matters that I have queried and on which government has remained mum.
These topics are:
February 10, 2015, IS 410 TEATT Minister (St. Maarten Tourism Authority)
February 12, 2015, IS 411, TEATT Minister (Developments in Simpsonbay)
March 6, 2015, IS 488, TEATT Minister (Security Contract Harbor)
March 12, 2015, IS 519, VROMI Minister (Petition by residents of Simpsonbay)
March 23, 2015, IS 547, VSA Minister ( Appointment board members SLS)
March 3, 2015 IS 468, TEATT & VROMI Ministers (Dredging in the S’Bay Lagoon)
Note: the IS number is the registration number at Parliament.
What can individual members of Parliament do?
Not much more. At least not without majority support of Parliament. When a member of government is considered out of line or derelict, the only avenue open to Parliament is a motion of no-confidence.
However, that requires a majority vote in Parliament.
I therefore want to reiterate my call for a paradigm shift in the house of Parliament. A new way of doing business, a new way of doing the people’s business.
Parliament can and should have its own agenda. If members of the coalition wish to align this with government’s agenda (if they have one), so be it.
But what prevents Parliament from establishing its own agenda of priorities and go after those issues collectively? Nothing does!
Should not health and the environment be 2 of these issues?
Economic growth, creation of jobs and poverty alleviation as well?
Here are 2 glaring examples of lack of coordination and lack of urgency from Parliament’s side:
Labor contracts: talked about for as long as I can remember. There is a draft ordinance to address some of the pertinent labor issues. Parliament was assuaged months ago with an informal copy of the draft law. Why has it not yet officially reached parliament for debate?
Medical coverage law: one would recall that during the budget debates, a motion was presented to authorize the Minister of Health to execute this law, which the Parliament had not even seen. Luckily, Parliament caught on in the nick of time. This important piece of legislation, offering coverage to presently uninsured groups and persons in our community, still has not reached parliament for debate. Where is the urgency?
The Law on public transportation will not reach parliament until 2016, we have been told.
Are these matters not important to Parliament?
The increase in pension age. Another pending matter of importance to many civil servants and others.
And so there are more. With all the commotion surrounding government-owned companies, the competency that parliament DOES have and that is to scrutinize the annual reports of these companies, is ignored and the 2013 reports of these companies are somewhere in a drawer at Parliament.
Parliament should stop trailing behind government and lead on a set parliamentary agenda for this country, because like this we are going nowhere and this country deserves better.