Duncan identifies problems
with transfer of personnel
PHILIPSBURG--Constitutional Affairs Minister Roland Duncan has identified several areas of the dismantling process St. Marten with which will have a problem in 2009.
While the Central Government and the island territories are discussing how the transfer of especially personnel has to take place, Duncan pointed out that St. Maarten would have a problem with housing the several departments once they were decentralised and with adequate staffing to ensure a proper level of service rendered to the public.
Although it’s not a responsibility of the Central Government, the Minister told Members of Parliament during a Central Committee meeting on Friday that, as the responsibilities were being transferred, the island had to find space and money to house the new departments. Duncan pointed out as well that St. Maarten lacked the top hierarchy of the Ministries.
“Although it has been agreed on that all Central Government personnel working on a certain island will stay on that island, St. Maarten will need extra personnel and, to keep budget matters neutral, the island will have to cut cost.”
Furthermore, the Central Government wants three different Social Statutes regulating the legal position of Central Government personnel to be transferred to Curaçao, St. Maarten and the BES islands Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba.
Regarding the BES islands, Duncan said the Central Government delegation led by State Secretary Hubert Martis would inform the Dutch Government during the BES week, which started on Monday, that the Central Government would have full-fledged participation in the process of transferring personnel. Until now the Central Government, on request of the Island Territories, has been very passive in dealing with the constitutional change process of the BES islands.
The Central Government will not agree to anything if the staff members are not treated well. In this regard, Duncan said Curaçao and St. Maarten had indicated they would be able to have the Social Statutes ready by the end of January 2009.
Another demand the Central Government has before agreeing to the transfer of personnel is that the new organisational structures of the two islands, including a description of the functions, salary scale, etc., should be laid down in a law. This too the islands have indicated they will have ready by the end of January 2009, Duncan said.
Separate discussions Government is having with Curaçao and St. Maarten are that Curaçao wants the Central Government to put its civil servants at the island’s disposal before an official transfer while St. Maarten wants to have a breakdown of all possibly existing backlog the Central Government may have pertaining to the legal position of its civil servants.
Duncan said the Central Government would not agree to either request. “If there are any bills to be paid concerning monies owed to civil servants after the transfer has taken place, they (the bills) will be taken up in the overall division of assets and liabilities,” he said.
Duncan pointed out as well that the Central Government had been stressing to the island territories that they too had to establish the legal positions for the island civil servants to go over to the new entities. Transferring and placing civil servants in the new governmental structure will also be part of the transition regulation for the two islands, which will be elevated to an ordinance of the new countries. This way, the staff members do not have to be transferred twice, he said.
Duncan also said the transfer of Central Government civil servants would take place in budget-neutral fashion. This means that every time a set of responsibilities is transferred the Minister of Finance will approach Parliament with a supplementary budget to offset the cost and revenues of the Central Government.
Finally, Duncan said, entities that still need to be decided on outside the trajectory of transfer of authorities are the ADC laboratory, Postal Services, Postspaarbank, Landsloterij, Central Bank, Foundation Government Accountant Bureau, University of the Netherlands Antilles, and General Health Care Bureau BZV. Also, subsidy of the clergy and agreement with the Dutch marines for the training of the Antillean Militia and Coast Guard personnel need to be discussed.
Curaçao has already visited the marine barracks in Suffisant to inspect everything with which the Dutch Marines have been assisting, but St. Maarten has yet to establish its position in this regard.
