For whom the wedding bells toll?
On Tuesday the news reached our newsdesk that political stalwarts and members of Parliament, Frankie Meyers and William Marlin, were having lunch over at Yvette’s Restaurant in French Quarter, a hideaway frequently used for political meetings. To give substance to the claims of the ongoing lunch meeting, we were even informed that former member of Parliament Rodolphe Samuel was also at the restaurant having lunch with his family.
Naturally, this lunch meeting between Meyers and Marlin gave credence to the rumors that the present government was soon about to implode. The 100 days mark since the Leona Romeo-Marlin II cabinet took office on June 25th hadn’t passed as yet. However, amateur political analysts and pundits were adamant that a broad-base coalition was being sought to strengthen the political basis in Parliament as the present 8-seat majority of the ruling coalition was too slim, too fragile and too unstable. Any time one member is sick, absent or away on parliamentary business, no meeting can be convened or continued due to the lack of a quorum within the coalition factions. There is a replacement structure in place for ministers who are sick, absent or away on a business trip, however, a missing member of Parliament can not be represented by another member of Parliament nor can he or she give a proxy to another MP to vote on his or her behalf. So the present Leona Romeo-Marlin II government often times lack the necessary support in Parliament.
The present majority of eight can make a legitimate effort to broaden its support base in Parliament and thereby strengthen its position to neutralize any one coalition member from gaining the upperhand. Unfortunately, any rapprochement to convince an opposition party or opposition member in Parliament to join the present coalition will immediately be seen by others as a threat to the existing political and power balance within that coalition. With the knowledge of the past behavior of MPs to quickly jump ship when it suits them or when things do not suit them, the conclusion is quickly drawn that the government is about to fall whenever there is any hint of a romance between a member or members of a coalition with opposition members or any form of clandestine talks or collusion with the opposition. Even if it is just a friendly lunch meeting between two old political colleagues.
However, an experienced politician like Meyers should know that a meeting between himself and a prominent member of the opposition would be interpreted by outsiders and onlookers as an attempt by him to either get the support of that opposition party in Parliament or, worse, to jump ship. In between these two options people are going to speculate the wildest explanations. Speculations such as MP Meyers not satisfied with the functioning of the person he appointed as Prime Minister. The Prime Minister being too cozy with the Dutch. Not enough is being done for the people of St. Maarten while the anniversaries of hurricanes Irma and Maria are looming around the corner. Rumblings about the functioning of or lack of functioning of the Minister of VROMI, the Minister of TEATT and the Minister of Finance. Not to mention the apparent ‘einzelgänger’ Minister of VSA. Looking at the further elements of the present political situation and you will see a political leader of the country facing possible legal prosecution. A president of Parliament who is more of an onlooker than a participant in the political process. One of the Super 8 convicted for tax fraud. Coalition members having to cancel meetings they themselves called. On top of all of this is a silence like the quiet before a storm.
The reality of the matter is that when things are too quiet politically, everyone gets bored and starts spreading rumors. Apparently, St. Maarten people love melee and excitement like they love carnival and elections. The worst mistake the political establishment did was to initiate a political coup in the middle of carnival. The infamous ‘Carnival Coup‘ during the 2012 Calypso Finals is the cause of it all. People just miss that excitement it would seem.
“You can not wed a married person without them getting a divorce first.”
– the words of a prominent opposition member
Political upheaval gives people the illusion of action. Urgent meetings are called. People are talking, deliberating, strategizing and planning. But nobody is actually doing anything. Certainly not running the country or passing legislation. One is either busy planning a wedding or planning a divorce. Because even with a successful wedding, the prospects of marriage until death do us part is just too boring for some to contemplate. So people get busy planning the divorce so they can be courted again and plan the next wedding.
With much apparent dissatisfaction with the present ministers of the Leona Romeo-Marlin II government, should there be any weddings bells tolling in the near future when the 100-day mark passes, the question would be: For whom the wedding bells toll?
