Cornelius de Weever starts his DP campaign with the grandiose statement: “I will accept no donations from third parties, as I want to owe nobody and be able to vote my conscience”. He goes on to slide into the #2 vote-getter spot on the DEMOCRATIC Party list (without getting enough votes to elect himself). Every last DP vote was used to put Cornelius de Weever in the next Parliament of St. Maarten. The DP got together with the USP (2) and the NA (4) to make the needed majority and negotiated 2 Ministries for its 2 seats. Our party leader choose to go to Parliament and our second MP-elect Cornelius de Weever got first pick: Stay in Parliament or become a Minister. And then came what I term a “Leroy special”: Cornie choose Parliament and suggested to the DP to appoint his aunt to the post of Minister. He explained that “the position needs some one who cares for people on St. Maarten, not a business person who really does not understand the needs of our population”, ( Emil Lee??). The suggestion is immediately shot down by the Leader of the DP, supported by the party top then present. Fast forward to September 24th. Cornie signs up with 7 UP MP’s-elect, but does not (up to today, Sunday, October 6, 2014) resign from the Democratic Party. Whether the Governor in his role to coordinate the forming of a new government, is dealing with one political party and a renegade MP-elect, or 8 renegade MP’s-elect, either way, Cornie and Leroy are poised to become King Makers on the backs of the people that voted for all the candidates on the Democratic Party slate, with the financial support of donors to the Democratic Party (remember, Cornie gallantly said he would take NOT a penny from third parties, but yet, he proudly wore his DP#2 T- shirts and smiled at you from life sized posters, all paid for by the same DP Donors he “stood up against”). So picture this: As Leroy is officially out of a job come 10/10/14 is it possible that he will become Prime Minister, or Minister of Health while Cornie sits in Parliament and together they determine the fate of Theo’s government? My vote is for Sarah, William and Frans to form the United Democratic Alliance opposition block of 7 in Parliament, and wait for this coalition of 8 to implode. It is bound to happen.
Michael J. Ferrier
