WILLEMSTAD--The shares transfer of Windward Islands Airways International Winair continues to be at a "standstill" because St. Maarten's government, despite saying it wants the shares, has not officially requested them from the Central Government.
Shareholder representative Constitutional Affairs Minister Roland Duncan told The Daily Herald that the former Democratic Party (DP) government and the present National Alliance (NA)-led coalition had indicated that they wanted the shares for St. Maarten but they had not followed the procedure of putting this intent in writing.
Aviation Commissioner Frans Richardson said government was busy looking into the matter of Winair and how St. Maarten could take over the shares. The commissioner had said in the past that he saw a bigger role for Winair in the region.
Winair is wholly owned by the Central Government but it operates primarily between St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius. To exempt Winair from the division of assets and liabilities of the Netherlands Antilles, it was decided by the Council of Ministers in the early 2000s to transfer the shares of the airline to St. Maarten, with Saba and Statia holding "golden shares."
"Since the days Erno Labega (DP) was state secretary, there has been a resolution for the transfer of Winair on the books. DP and NA have both said they want to take over the shares but nothing further has happened. My patience is running out," Duncan said.
He warned that the island needed to bear in mind that Curaçao had claim to 78 per cent of the moveable assets of the Antilles, and government should not gamble with the future of Winair.
Duncan said he didn't know if the standstill with the transfer of shares had to do with the civil servants in St. Maarten not doing their work fast enough, but the fact remained that government should get moving.
"Yes, National Alliance is my party but I still think they are not moving fast enough on this issue of the shares. They need to get off their butts, or if you don't want the shares, just tell me," Duncan said.
Several private entities are interested in Winair, and private investment is not a bad option for the airline if the example of Insel Air is taken into consideration, Duncan said.
"If St. Maarten doesn't want the shares, I just have to go back to the Council of Ministers and tell them I have failed to get an agreement, and ask for permission to privatise the airline," the minister said.
Winair is the biggest business generator for Princess Juliana International Airport and a vital air link for St. Eustatius and Saba. "Yet, Winair is treated worse than a stepchild; it's treated like a foreign airline. Government has been talking about economic expansion and about boosting tourism but no one seems to think about Winair," Duncan said.
Winair is not a dud company. It has more than 40 years of experience, management has continued to find ways to keep it in the skies, and it employs more than 100 people, the minister said. "Government is getting a company that is operational."
St. Maarten simply has to formally request the shares and the Central Government has to accept this. "It's that easy, and then St. Maarten is the largest shareholder."
Instead, some people are wasting time talking about starting a St. Maarten airline. Statia wants the Dutch to start a new airline but no money has fallen out of the sky as yet. Saba has been more cooperative but everyone still has a gripe," Duncan pointed out.
