PHILIPSBURG – The St. Maarten Christian Party (SMCP) wants to reduce the salaries of members of Parliament by 15 percent – therefore, from $11,539 a month to $9,808. If a motion in Parliament to this extent fails, elected SMCP-MPs will donate 15 percent of their salaries to a foundation tasked with “mitigating immediate personal and social situations related to families or individuals.”
This appears from the SMCP’s political manifesto. The party was the first to present its political manifesto for the February 26 elections at its headquarters on Back Street on Thursday morning. In a neatly organized 18-page document, the party outlines its positions and its plans.
The SMCP took part in the elections for the first time in 2016. The party won a respectable 848 votes, shy of the 966 required to win one seat.
In its current manifesto, the party, lead by former pastor Wycliffe Smith, has its eye on stable government, reconstruction and, on the financial arrangements for politicians.
“For years the people have been outraged by the high salaries of our MPs who over the years have not been able to show high productivity for the money they have been making,” the manifesto states. “Imagine, in the last seven years our MPs have never initiated and passed any kind of legislation.”
The SMCP also wants to reduce the severance pay for MPs.
Another initiative that emerges from the manifesto is the desire to establish a code of conduct for parliamentarians. Such a code would include financial disclosure before MPs accept their seat and after they leave office and disclosure of side jobs and business interests, including shareholdings.
The parliamentary committees are not functioning, the manifesto states. “The only meetings called by these committees are to appoint the chairpersons.” SMCP will demand that all twelve committees report at least once a month to Parliament.
The manifesto notes that the Prime Minister is required by law to present an evaluation report six months after a disaster has occurred. This means that an evaluation of Hurricane Irma is due by March 1.
The SMCP also makes a point of regulating tertiary education and the role of the University of St. Martin.
The manifesto contains a list of 21 topics that should be included in a future governing program. Among the usual issues (like reconstruction, the dump, energy, healthcare and waste management) is a statement about the eradication of poverty.
The SMCP wants to increase the old age pension, transit from minimum to living wages, replace the turnover tax with a fair sales tax and follow guidelines issued by the St. Maarten Anti-Poverty Platform.
Furthermore, the manifesto states that the country needs a National Development Plan as a blueprint for the next ten to twenty years. “SMCP will instruct the government to develop a strategic, sustainable National Development Plan within one year.”
In the field of taxation, the SMCP notes that “our tax system is not compatible with the socio-economic and cultural context of St. Maarten.”
The party wants to replace the turnover tax by a system of indirect taxes, and explore the possibilities of reducing the profit tax and the wage tax bracket percentages. The SMCP also wants a progressive transfer tax on the value of real estate “to help curb property speculation.” Another idea is levying road tax based on the weight of cars.
In a third chapter the SMCP sheds its light on eight controversial issues. That the party is pro-life and against abortion (except when the mother’s life is in danger), euthanasia and prostitution is no surprise. The party opposes legalization on all these topics.
Casinos and gambling: the SMCP says that “casinos are not paying their share in taxes” and that there are laws in place to control the casinos but that they are not properly enforced. The party wants a moratorium on casino licenses: “Thirteen casinos in a 16 square mile country is more than enough.”
SMCP opposes “the amount of nudity, drunkenness, vulgarity (gyrating and obscene language) during Carnival.” Together with the St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation and the authorities the party intends “to create a more wholesome and cultural festivity by ensuring that children are supervised and by curbing the vulgarity, nudity and drunkenness.”
Lastly, the SMCP is in favor of legalizing marijuana for medical use and scientific purposes, but it opposes legalizing marijuana for recreational use.
Photo caption: SMCP leader Wycliffe Smith during the presentation of his party’s political manifesto on Thursday. Photo Hilbert Haar.
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