SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The legacy of the outgoing outgoing coalition is now clearly established as one of incompetent and negligent governing says MP Grisha Heyliger-Marten, who made this statement following a meeting with the TelEm employee union on Thursday that was solely attended by MPs from the incoming coalition. \"A trail of mess after mess that the incoming government will undoubtedly struggle to clean up,\" she stated.
The TelEM meeting, she said, triggered déjà vu from four years ago, when TelEm workers protested a 12.5% benefit cuts which now echoes loudly as the distressing state of TelEm is laid bare for all to see. She recalled her lone lunch meeting with PM Silveria Jacobs in February 2020 when she urgently advised the Prime Minister to monitor CEO Kendall Dupersoy's management of TelEm. At that time Heyliger-Marten expressed serious concerns about the potential financial ruin that now engulfs TelEm.
\"Despite numerous letters and meetings over the past four years, including my time as a coalition partner, the distressing state of TelEm today is clear and speaks volumes about the disregard for prudent governance,\" the MP said, adding that the SOAB report and the dismissal of then-chairman John Richardson raised red flags that the PM chose to ignore.
\"One cannot help but reflect on the promises made by the coalition when they first took office. They spoke grandly of transparency, accountability, and good governance. However, what unfolded over their tenure was a stark departure from these lofty ideals. Instead of fulfilling their duty to the people, they engaged in a series of irresponsible decisions that have left the nation in disarray,\" MP Heyliger-Marten said.
Equally troubling is the absence of a presented 2024 budget to Parliament. In fact, she explained, it took an introductory meeting with the CFT on Thursday for MPs to discover that the Minister of Finance had assured the budget would reach Parliament next week, “which again highlights the careless and nonchalant manner in which the coalition has governed.\"
She stressed that in addition to the over 100 TelEM employees that face an uncertain future, the impact on the country and its visitors cannot be understated, with airport delays and unbearable traffic commutes becoming an unfortunate consequence of false hope provided by NA ministers to justice workers, who have been forced into go-slow alternatives in an effort to finally get what’s due to them.
\"When you look at GEBE, it’s a mess, look at the airport, it's a mess, look at TelEm, it's a mess, look at the country in general and it's a mess. Everywhere you turn you discover a mess. Yet members of this out-going government want to lecture us about playing politics with a budget they haven't even submitted. Based on their tenure, the outgoing coalition is neither credible nor qualified to speak on any type of proper governing because they don't know what that looks like,\" MP Grisha Heyliger-Marten stressed.
\"One cannot ignore the audacity of these outgoing leaders attempting to lecture the public on good governance as they make their exit. It is an insult to the intelligence of the people who have suffered the consequences of their failed policies. To speak of credibility in matters of governance now is nothing short of absurd. They have squandered any trust the citizens may have had in their ability to lead effectively.\"
\"This era of irresponsible governance will soon end, and the new government will be armed with brooms, mops, buckets, and cloths to clean and disinfect the mess that the outgoing coalition created for our people,\" she concluded.
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