Preparations are progressing on schedule for the upcoming symposium to be held under the theme "Checks and Balances in a Democracy and the Role of High Councils of State."
The symposium that will be hosted at the Westin Dawn Beach Hotel & Casino, on Friday, October 14, is a joint effort of the General Audit Chamber, the Advisory Council and the Ombudsman.
Registration and welcome of invited attendees will start at 8.00am followed by the opening at 8.30am. His Excellency Governor drs. Eugene Holiday will address the invited guests after the opening welcome.
Thereafter, the first presentation will be given by Dr. Samuel Polanen at 9.00am under the theme, "The importance of checks and balances within a democracy."
After Polanen’s presentation, at 9.45am Justice Bob Wit will address attendees under the theme, "Roles of High Councils of State in a Democracy."
Attendees will then enjoy a short intermission before the panel discussion where the guest speakers and the representatives of the HCOS will expound on the symposium’s topics. Attendees will also be afforded the opportunity to interact with the panel and High Councils as the panel will entertain questions from the audience. The symposium will come to a close at 12.00pm.
Dr. Samuel Polanen is a Constitutional law consultant and the Director of the Foundation for Civic Education, as well as serving as an advisor to the Permanent Secretary of Home Affairs for Suriname.
Justice Bob Wit currently serves as a judge of the Caribbean Court of Justice and is the President of the Constitutional Court of Sint Maarten.
The objective of the symposium is to increase the awareness in a general sense regarding the role and value of the High Councils of State within a democratic system especially where it relates to checks and balances on the functioning of the system.
The invitees to the symposium will comprise of Members of Parliament, Ministers, Secretary Generals, Department Heads, and Section Heads and other stakeholders in the community, as well as invitees from abroad.
The Ombudsman, the General Audit Chamber and the Advisory Council, are three of the High Councils of State constitutionally recognized in Country Sint Maarten.