Radio Show One on One with the Prime Minister to Continue to Inform the Public
Last Friday the Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams launched the first installment of her radio program One on One with the Prime Minister on 98.1 Pearl FM. The program, hosted by Cedric Peterson, is specifically geared towards bringing over information from the Prime Minister on matters concerning her Cabinet and Government in general to the People of St. Maarten.
During the show the Prime Minister discussed various topics related to pertinent matters in the community and made herself available to the public for questions they may have for the Prime Minister in General or with regards to Government more specifically.
The PM started the program by outlining her role both as Prime Minister and as Minister of General Affairs; "The Prime Minister is responsible for the overall responsibilities with regards to Government. These responsibilities are related but not limited to the overall unity and functioning of Government and the execution of Government Policies," explained the PM. Prime Minister Wescot-Williams stated that often times the role of the Prime Minister and her function was not clear to the community and that was one of the reasons why she thought it important to explain what those roles, and that of Minister of General Affairs, really are. " The Prime Minister, assisted by the Secretariat of the Council of Ministers, is responsible for the follow-up and execution of the decisions taken by the Council of Ministers. In addition, if there is a matter that concerns another Minister, and which should be brought to the attention of the Council of Ministers, and if this is not done by the responsible Minister it is then my task as Prime Minister to propose and table these matters to the Council of Ministers."
The PM also explained that she is also responsible for matters pertaining to government on which there is not yet political agreement. "The Minister in charge of the responsibilities and executions of the Council of Ministers is the Prime Minister who also has the task of chairing the Council of Ministers meetings."
The Prime Minister also gave an explanation on her function as the Minister of General Affairs; "Several Governmental Departments as well as execution agencies fall under the auspices of the Minister of General Affairs. The Fire Department for example, as an executing department, falls under my Ministry as the Minister of General Affairs. This also applies to the Census Office, the Department of Communication, and Technology etc., which also all fall under the Minister of General Affairs. Additionally Internal Matters and Kingdom Relations, Foreign Affairs and Legal Matters also all fall under the auspices of the Minister of General Affairs. I am therefore also responsible for disaster matters, defense and the matters of national security," explained the PM.
The weekly program will continue this Friday and will allow listeners the opportunity to do exactly what the title of the show suggests; to go One on One with the Prime Minister on various pertinent topics within the community and government and allows the listener to ask questions. The show will air weekly ever Friday from nine to ten on 98.1 Pearl FM and callers can call in on 5430462 or via sending an email to oneononewithpm@gmail.com with their questions.