Dear Editor,
Sometimes we have to wait and see who was right and who made a mistake. However, sometimes we have to react immediately to take out the "venom" being placed in the minds of those people in the community who are unaware of how a budget is developed.
Last week the opposition party sped to the media and cried out to postpone the constitutional process because of the fall of the Dutch Cabinet, a typical reaction of individuals opposed to the ongoing "change processes" – changes that will curtail most of the wrongdoings the island has had to endure the past 50 years.
This is the main reason that nothing happened for the past nine years! The National Alliance/Heyliger Government decided that it would stay on track and continue on the route that had been agreed on. Today, everyone can experience that this was the only right choice, because the Netherlands Parliament has decided yesterday to continue the process.
If it had been up to the Democratic Party, we would have abandoned this, and would be the laughingstock of all, and embarrassed people today. The policy has been set and approved, and the government is "keeping its eye on the sparrow." The National Alliance/Heyliger Government is focused on getting the policy realised, and completing the change process of realising Country St. Maarten – with or without the Democratic Party!
The policy determines the set up of the budget for St. Maarten. Not the rhetoric, norms, regulations and political government procedures that have been used these past nine years to manipulate the people into thinking that all is well with our finances (saying "we left liquidity of 60 million in the coffers," but not saying "and debt of more than 186 million")!
When we say that we are in a change process, that we want to become a country, there are financial consequences that must be taken into consideration. This has not been done for the past nine years, and the present government is right to put this in the current budget, whether there is financing for this at the moment or not. The policy states that it is the route to follow, so we must put it in the budget.
We must mention all our cost, expenses and investments needed to get where we want to get for 2010 and the following years. We cannot exempt this from the budget and do as if we do not need this to get done in 2010. The next step is for us to find out how it will be financed.
Most of the budget is financed through taxes and dividends from Government-owned companies. It was the intention that the constitutional process would be funded by the Netherlands Antilles and the Netherlands through the funding organisations. These organisations have not yet provided signed funding agreements for St. Maarten stating the capital that will be awarded. This creates a gap in the budget.
The government took the correct decision to leave the budget as it is and present an unbalanced budget, in spite of the rules and regulations of the CFT. Presenting a balanced budget as the Democratic Party wishes would mean one of the following:
* We are abandoning the constitutional process because we do not have funding for it: in this case the expense, cost and investments for this process are removed from the budget. That is "pussyfooting" and not honouring our quest for Country St. Maarten.
* We do not need financing from the Netherlands Antilles and/or the Netherlands because we can get it in St. Maarten: in this case we will have to raise all taxes and jeopardise our economy, increasing poverty on our island. This is not a great start for Country St. Maarten.
Please note and be aware that these are the advices that have been given to Government by the oppositional Democratic Party and the CFT! Government has decided not to follow this advice and has rightfully presented the budget with the gap. Note that items that have not yet been approved by law still need to be budgeted, because if they are not budgeted and funds are not reserved or earmarked to be acquired through external funding, it will become an issue to get funding later in the year, after they have been approved.
If they are not approved and funding is in place, the funds become available and can be reserved for the future, when they are approved after amendments. Therefore kudos to Commissioner Blackman and his staff for keeping their backs straight, and presenting a realistic budget that shows the reality and transparency, and not wavering or capitulating under the unjust political rhetoric and "tsunami" of budget questions by those who know it all! "A fool can ask more questions than a wise man can answer."
Ir. Paul Rivière
