While the continued hurricane threats to the local area and the latest political storm in Willemstad captured much of the attention this week, controversy over the decision by the Executive Council to rent the Caribbean Palm building on Front Street at US $96,100 per month for the future Parliament of St. Maarten has hardly died down. Commissioner William Marlin provides some explanation in today's edition, but doubts continue over what some consider the exorbitant price tag, especially taking into account the current budgetary problems.

Finance Commissioner Xavier Blackman had already explained last week that only US $60,000 was actual rent, while the remaining US $36,000 was to compensate the owners for investments they would have make to prepare the structure so it could house the legislature. Nevertheless, the lease contract is for seven years and will end up costing a total of US $8 million without government obtaining any property for that amount.

To blame only the current Executive Council would be a mistake, however. After all, a newly constructed Administration Building has been sitting there waiting to be used for years already and had government been able to move there sooner, there might have been time to adapt the current Administration Building, including the extension and refurbishing of Dr. A.C. Wathey Legislative Hall currently used for meetings of the 11-seat Island Council, to properly accommodate the 15-seat Parliament.

First the piles for the new government building on Pond Island were too short, then it turned out the structure was already too small for Country St. Maarten – even though it must have been clear since the referendum of 2000 that more room would be needed – and finally the public learned there was no money to equip and furnish it, so separate financing had to be sought for that.

All indications now are that the new Government of Country St. Maarten will take office in the old, rather than the new, building come 10-10-10, which translates to a lack of space certainly in the beginning. Still, one has to wonder whether a temporary extension, even with the current building still in use, would have not been possible at least as a temporary solution, until government moves and the part of the structure then no longer in use could be rebuilt into a proper Parliament.