By Hilbert Haar
There is truth and then there is politics. Never did this become clearer than from the dogfight that erupted after young MP Rolando Brison trained his guns on former Finance Minister Mike Ferrier during a public meeting about the government’s long lease policy.
Brison elected to name and shame the former minister as one of the stakeholders in St. Maarten Shipyard (SSY) N.V., a company that holds a piece of land in long lease that the airport one day may need for its expansion plans. The Shipyard-location is also apparently the ideal location for the World Bank’s multi-million dollar shipwreck salvaging project.
Mentioning Ferrier’s name, Brison spoke of “greed and selfishness from an individual who has pretended to be holier than thou” while he “is calling me all kinds of things trying to destroy my life.”
For those who are not familiar with the history of this topic: Shipyard wants an extension of its right to long lease for twelve years; the company is also behind with payments of its lease fees. This inspired Brison to state that Shipyard has “robbed the country of millions of guilders.”
It did not take long for Shipyard to present an extensive statement of the predicament it finds itself in – and to take away the impression that it intends to benefit from the World Bank project.
Ferrier specifies in this explanation that Shipyard is indeed 1,250,00 guilders ($687,000) behind with its lease fees but that the company has made “a commitment backed by guarantees” to pay the government in full within the first twelve months of a 12-year lease extension.
Ferrier also answered to Brison’s allegation that he threatened Minister Giterson and to MP Christophe Emmanuel’s observation that he had strong-armed and blackmailed the minister.
Indeed, Ferrier stated, there have been “vigorous discussions” with the minister but always in a cordial atmosphere. And then there is this: somebody (the name has not been revealed) approached Ferrier’s business partner Jeff Boyd with the message that Shipyard would get the lease-extension if the company paid $35,000 to him. Boyd’s reaction: “Go back to whomever sent you and tell them that I do not dance.”
Brison used his Facebook-page for a rather juvenile reaction to Ferriers explanation: “Bla bla bla … I ONLY owe 1.3 million guilders! Go pay NOW Moikey! Don’t make me call 50 cent to collect!”
Later Brison posted: “My favorite song: Cry me a river.”
Brison’s observation that Ferrier has called him “all kinds of things trying to destroy my life” refers to substantiated allegations that he embezzled money from his former employer Winair earlier in his career.
Ferrier brought this to attention with a brief letter to the editor where he asks Brison to explain the Winair-situation. In a letter dated April 10, 2012 – of which I obtained at the time as editor of the Today newspaper a copy – Brison acknowledges the embezzlement (the term used was “misappropriation”).
Ferrier posed a fair question and it is up to MP Brison to respond in kind. Maybe he settled that matter with Winair in the meantime – God knows that the income from his position as a parliamentarian is good enough to set up a payment plan. And maybe he didn’t. But without a proper explanation this remains a stain on an otherwise promising political career
Furthermore, no matter how detailed the explanation Ferrier gave for the situation with Shipyard, it makes sense for members of parliament to ask Minister Giterson whether that explanation is correct – and take it from there.
That seems to me to be a better way of handling things than creating (possibly) false impressions and damaging the reputation of a former minister in the process.
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Relevant links:
SXM SHIPYARD NV Response to Government Termination of land lease 0326201
PRESS RELEASE Mike Ferrier re SXM SHIPYARD 060219
