Commissioner apologises for
confusion and inconvenience
PHILIPSBURG--Telecommunications Commissioner Maria Buncamper-Molanus has apologised for the confusion she says the TelEm donation to The Sky is the Limit Foundation has caused in the Community.
Reading from a prepared statement during Wednesday’s Executive Council press briefing, the commissioner also stated that if the people of St. Maarten considered it an intolerable situation, her husband would resign from the TelEm board.
She also suggested that she was the victim of a witch hunt and spoke about “fraud and embezzlement” within the TelEm group.
The commissioner made her statement in response to Monday’s Island Council meeting in which the opposition National Alliance tabled a motion of no confidence against her.
She said yesterday that it was unfortunate that politics had been brought into the matter, “but I have become even stronger because of it.”
“I would like to apologise for the confusion and inconvenience caused in our community with the recent debates concerning a donation to The Sky is the Limit Foundation from the TelEm Group of Companies. I sincerely apologise for any misperceptions that were created,” she said.
However, she said that when she had “the facts about what this is really all about,” she would bring “the facts to the people of St. Maarten.”
In the meantime, she said, the TelEm group of companies and SMITCOMS will continue with their reorganisation and working in the best interest of the companies and the people.
“We will continue dealing with difficult matters of fraud, embezzlement throughout the company, from the top right down to the bottom, not excluding taking these matters to the Prosecutor if such is warranted. Be reminded that with the changes in the civil code we, the supervisory board and management, can be held personally liable.”
She said she would not be deterred by what had taken place in Monday’s Island Council meeting and agreed “unequivocally” that any and all semblance of conflicts of interest must be avoided under the principles of good governance.
Fully knowing the capacity of her husband Claudius Buncamper and others she had nominated, the Executive Council had appointed them to the Supervisory Board of St. Maarten Telecommunications Holding Company NV, she said.
In fact, according to the Commissioner, National Alliance leader William Marlin also had acknowledged the capacity of her spouse when he stated in the Island Council: “If Buncamper had been here during the 2005 flash flood during which two persons died, we would not have had these problems. It is because of Mr. Buncamper’s capacity.”
