SAM MP Franklin Meyers
PHILIPSBURG--Member of Parliament (MP) Franklin Meyers of Soualiga Action Movement (SAM) criticised the ongoing political back-and-forth surrounding the 2025 budget and called for unity and real solutions during a meeting of Parliament on Monday.
Meyers praised Finance Minister Marinka Gumbs for attempting to present the budget on time, despite the controversy that followed. “You may get politicians saying it’s not politics, but it’s always politics. I want to commend you specifically because we could ask a hundred questions, like we did for the budget. One of the things is you tried to present a budget on time and for that you were chastised for it because you tried to adhere to the very principle of good governance. And it didn’t work out,” Meyers said.
He said that while Gumbs had referred to his amendment in her update, he did not take offence, while other MPs took offence. “And you know sometimes when you’re in Parliament, sometimes when you are an elected official, you have to toughen up your skin and you have to grow up a little bit because what happens is that you also called my amendment and I took no offence to it.”
However, Meyers raised concern about the messaging surrounding the current budget issues.
“The impression is being given that the justice workers are not being paid, that civil servants are not being paid, but that’s the political part.”
He warned against using such narratives. “It is not my role here to defame any member of this Parliament or any minister or any citizen of St. Maarten. It is my role to try to enlighten and see how we can advance. We always talk about advancing this country. Well, it starts here.”
Meyers questioned the history of timely budgets since country status. “Tell me when, since we have become a country, how many budgets of St. Maarten were presented on time, based on what is regulated?”
He criticised the external pressure from the Netherlands, but emphasised that the country must take responsibility for its own actions. “Now we are hearing Holland say, ‘We are responsible for what we do.’ Holland has their own problems that they have to deal with. And that’s why when they bark, we have to stop jumping, because we have our own responsibility.
“But we are the ones that constantly, because of politics, we are the ones who constantly demonise each other. And it’s always just to say, ‘You know something. I was there, and if I was there I would have done it different. And I will do everything in my power not to let you shine.’
“And who suffers for that? St. Maarten suffers for that. And it’s evident, because look at what’s happened to this country over the last couple of years. Can you see the advancement? Can you see anything?”
He credited the private sector for holding the country together through difficult times. “If it wasn’t for the business sector, and I’m going to say it loud, if it wasn’t for the business sector, this country would be in perils and that is a fact, because a lot of the trade shows, the promotions and things that go on that draw the tourists to this island, a large amount of it comes from the private sector. And that’s a fact.”
Addressing the issue with the budget, he called for it to be solved. “Let’s try and solve it. But what we do is, we conjure up this whole conspiracy while we are talking about police not being paid.”
He also expressed frustration about the focus on unpaid personnel. “While we are talking about police not being paid, every MP has been paid since we swore in. Every single member has been paid. If anything we should do is stop the payment of MPs to pay the police, and let’s see who really wants that since we want to talk about the people, the people.”
Meyers ended with a bold proposal. “Let’s stop the politicking for once, let’s govern this country. We are in a great position to do right by this country. And let’s do what is right by this country. Let’s do that, let’s make some real proposals. Let us propose a 50 percent salary cut for the MPs. Let us do that… Let’s get down to the people’s business.”
https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/meyers-slams-politicking-over-2025-budget-suggests-mps-cut-their-salaries-by-50
