GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – Honorable Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams, says the break-through she was hoping for in the case of Pelican Resort by parties reaching an agreement after the verdict in the injunction filed on behalf of the Pelican workers, did not materialize over the week-end, although the door on reaching an agreement has not been closed.
The prime minister initiated several consultations since last Friday and believes a possible break-through remains under review by parties.
"At this time I will not go into details, as parties involved have agreed to refrain from such. I remain hopeful that this break-through can still come within the next 24/48 hours.
"If such is the case, my focus will turn on the steps which will have to be taken by all parties to effectuate the reopening of the Pelican Resort as soon as possible. If the prospects of reaching an agreement fade in the next 24-48 hours, government -while respecting parties’ views with respect to the initial court verdict-, will at the same time explore any and all avenues open to government to expedite a solution. These solutions will respect the rule of law, but will put the general interest of our island’s image and its work force at the fore," Hon. Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams disclosed to DCOMM on Sunday afternoon.
On Sunday, several time share owners visited the Government Administration Building to deliver a letter addressed to the Hon. Prime Minister. The letter highlighted the plight of the time share owners of Pelican Resort.
The letter was received by a staff member of the Cabinet of the Prime Minister who happened to be at the Government Administration Building.
The contact made by the Cabinet staff member with a couple, who was part of the group of time-share owners, made it possible for the prime minister to receive contact information and the prime minister subsequently was able to contact the couple, time share owners on Sint Maarten for more than 30 years.
"That this couple and several others, even in the face of the unfortunate developments at Pelican, would choose to remain on Sint Maarten is testimony of the relationship these visitors have developed with our island.
"Equally so, for the many timeshare owners who have emailed me personally, concerned not only about their investment, but also about the island in general.
"However, the number of repeat time-share visitors, who have been inconvenienced by these developments, is too large to ignore or take a wait-and-see attitude.
"This only strengthens government’s belief that everything will be done to safeguard our time-share industry and the investment of thousands of persons through timeshare ownership.
"Not to speak of the on-island impact the closure of Pelican Resort for even a day has on the livelihood of many families and business owners in and around the Pelican Resort," Hon. Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams told DCOMM on Sunday.