Merx leaves UP: “We are on a barge without navigation”
PHILIPSBURG – In a blistering letter, attorney Cor Merx has terminated his membership of the United People’s Party (UP). Merx participated in the elections in January, winning 40 votes as the UP’s number 18 candidate. Now he has turned his back on the party: “There is no team. It is one individual cause, one individual direction, one individual agenda.”
In an email to StMaartenNews.com Merx writes that there is no ship-jumping “because there is no ship. We are on a barge without navigation and without a captain. We’re drifting off course and we are not doing what we promised.”
Merx criticizes the party’s reaction to the conviction of its founder Theo Heyliger. The UP-board spoke in a press statement of a “hearsay trial” and a “hearsay verdict” after the court found Heyliger guilty of taking bribes and sentenced him to 5 years in prison.
“To ridicule the court because of Theo’s conviction is absolutely unjustified. Of course, they make mistakes but you still have the option of an appeal. If I have to be sentenced I prefer the judicial power. There I still have a chance to get off in one piece. It is “zum Kotsen” that Mrs. Heyliger lets herself be photographed pretentiously with ten little bags of food in a car. That is shameful and below acceptable standards. That exceeds the limits of civilization.”
In his termination letter, Merx states that, while the party has “barely started its journey,” it has “already drifted away from its platform, the party principles and the commitment of being a party of inclusion.” He also criticizes party-leader Rolando Brison.
“The absence of meetings, communication, and lack of togetherness goes to show that we have not grown from past experiences. There is a void amongst us and our leadership continues to be ever distant and non-inclusive. Constant reminders of who the leader is, does not make anyone a leader. True leadership comes with qualities of camaraderie, inclusion, and a genuine interest in his/her fellowship.”
Furthermore, Merx points out, the party is not accepting responsibility for matters that affect the island the most. “It seems to be easier to defer the blame elsewhere. The constant bickering of injustice and racism has worn thin and worst of all has not borne any fruit.”
Merx concludes that he has no other option than to leave the party. “I am better off staying in the justice system where I have done and continue to do more for the people of this island than to be a bystander on a party that seeks to alienate its members.”
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Relevant links:
Merx resignation letter to the UP party
