PHILIPSBURG--In keeping with good governance, the draft 2010 budget that has undergone some significant changes should be sent back to the Central Committee for handling and Monday's Island Council meeting scheduled to approve the budget should be postponed for a few days, is Island Council Chairman Lt. Governor Franklyn Richards' opinion.
He was responding to a query by the opposition Democratic Party (DP) about the National Alliance (NA)/Heyliger coalition bypassing the Central Committee and sending the modified draft budget directly to the Island Council.
In his Friday letter to the DP faction, Richards said the coalition had followed the correct procedure by first submitting the draft budget to the Central Committee before sending it on to the Island Council.
He also added that there was no provision in the Islands Regulation ERNA that required the draft budget to be resubmitted to the Central Committee after changes were made by government, before it was tabled in the Island Council.
In spite of this contention, Richards agreed that a postponement for review of the changes would be in keeping with good governance practices. "After all, it doesn't seem possible for Island Council members to reach a good understanding of the proposal during the public session. A Central Committee session would therefore also lead to a more expeditious Island Council meeting."
However, he noted that since there were no provisions in the ERNA for sending changes in the draft budget back to the Central Committee, the decision to do so would have to be taken by the Island Council.
"As I said, I would welcome it if the Island Council decides to do so," said Richards. "In that case the budget debate in public could be postponed for several days for a Central Committee meeting to be called in the meantime."
He noted that it was in everyone's best interest for the draft budget to be handled "energetically and carefully."
Whether the coalition will request that the meeting be postponed until later in the week is not certain. However, the opposition is standing firm on its point that such a major change – about 16 per cent of the already late budget – should be resubmitted to the Central Committee.
No copy of the draft budget with the changes made by the coalition after the Central Committee debate in February has been sent to the opposition or the Island Council.
DP leader Island Councilwoman Sarah Wescot-Williams had said earlier this week that her party was not even sure whether the answers received to the more than 200 questions about the first draft of the budget were still valid, considering the changes about which the DP had learnt.
