Arrindell says closed meeting with CFT was ?open and frank?

PHILIPSBURG--President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell described the meeting between the Central Committee of Parliament and the Committee of Financial Supervision CFT on Tuesday morning as "open and frank."

"The meeting ended on a very positive note with the understanding that we all as Members of Parliament (MPs) subscribe to having a sound and transparent financial management system for country St. Maarten," she said in a press release.

"Parliament will execute its role as mandated by the people, including making sure that Government puts its household in order before or ultimately by the end of 2015, on the basis of having the right balance between public expenditures and financial accountability," Arrindell said.

The meeting's agenda dealt with the budgets of 2010, 2011 and 2012, financial management system, and the Corporate Governance Council (CGC).

MPs also sought clarity about the right of Parliament, and not CFT, to have the final say on the country's budget.

MPs and the CFT discussed the role of Parliament regarding the 2010 budget, and sought clarity from a procedural and constitutional perspective, since the law is not unambiguous in its interpretation, "mainly when placed in the context of the timeframe of 10-10-10, and the date to submit and approve the budget 2010 before January 1, 2011 as legally prescribed by our constitution," she said.

Another point discussed was the deadline that St. Maarten "allegedly has not met to be able to qualify for claims with regards to the debt relief process agreed to in 2006 and, the role of government-owned companies."

MPs were informed that the CFT and the Ministry of Finance have been in early discussions and consultations about preparations for the draft 2012 budget along the lines as established by the Kingdom Law on Financial Supervision.

The CGC was also on the agenda. "With respect to the CGC, Parliament has received correspondence from the latter and we plan on following up in inviting the CGC for a meeting so they can update us on their current state of affairs," Arrindell said.

MPs Silvia Meyers, Johan Leonard, George Pantophlet, Patrick Illidge, Jules James, Dr. Lloyd Richardson, and Romain Laville were present for the meeting. Absent with notice was MP William Marlin.

CFT was represented by Hans Weitenberg, Margo Vlieghart, Alberto Romero, Kees van Nieuwamerongen, Geert Bergsma, Martijn van Keulen, and Jacob de Glee.

Source: http://www.thedailyherald.com/islands/1-islands-news/16937-arrindell-says-closed-meeting-with-cft-was-open-and-frank.html

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