PHILIPSBURG--The lack of information from Justice Minister Roland Duncan about plans to separate the Immigration Department from the Police Force and a number of other grievances resulted in an estimated forty to fifty Immigration and police officers converging in front of the Government Administration Building mid-afternoon Tuesday seeking answers.
The officers and their union representatives demanded a meeting with Deputy Prime Minister Theo Heyliger, who met with the union representatives immediately.
As a result of the brief meeting with Heyliger, a meeting of the union representatives, Duncan and Heyliger has been scheduled for 10:00am today, Wednesday.
In an invited comment last night Heyliger said the officers wanted clarity on why separating Immigration and the Police Force was necessary.
The officers are discontented with what they say is the Justice Minister's unilateral plans to separate Immigration from the Police Force as of October 1 without taking their concerns into consideration.
The officers and their union representatives are also in the dark about details of the minister's plans, Windward Islands Civil Servants Union/Private Sector (WICSU/PSU) President William Reed told The Daily Herald last night.
"The WICSU/PSU informed the minister before that we have no problem with changes, because this can be positive, but our members want clarity and transparency. They want to see and know what he has planned. And this is not happening," said WICSU/PSU Vice President Derie Leonard. She estimated that 40-50 officers supported Tuesday's call for information.
The obviously irked officers decided to converge in front of the Government Administration Building for answers after meeting with their union representatives at the WICSU/PSU office earlier in the afternoon.
Officers told this newspaper on the scene that Heyliger had called Duncan to attend the meeting, to no avail. The officers expressed their concerns passionately.
One officer on the scene said: "He [Duncan, ed.] has no one from the police drafting policy that affects the department. ... He has even said himself he doesn't like police officers, not to mention prison guards. We just want to know what is going on. Involve us more in crucial decisions. Don't leave us in the dark. My personal opinion: none of us are happy with the way things are going."
NABP Vice President Ethelwoldus Josepha added: "We are not afraid of change. If the Minister just opens his lines of communication and lets us know what he plans to do with us things would be less complicated. We might actually be in tune with what he is proposing. What we are not okay with is him not letting us know what is going on."
Reed said the officers also had visited the Parliament House on Back Street and related their grievances to United People's (UP) party Member of Parliament (MP) Johan "Janchi" Leonard.
A letter also was dispatched to Parliament Tuesday requesting a meeting to discuss the officers' concerns. The unions also have sent a letter requesting a meeting with Governor Eugene Holiday.
Said Reed: "All we are hearing is rumours and we are not getting any information. We want to settle this once and for all and get the relevant information to give to our members." He contended that officers should be given a chance to ask questions about the policy and give their input, as there are some who had been functioning in the field for as long as two decades and more.
Reed had told this newspaper in an earlier statement that removing the Immigration Department from the Police Force would give rise to safety and security issues. He had said it seemed as though an attempt was being made to take away the authority of Police Chief Commissioner Peter de Witte, who is currently over the police and Immigration.
It is believed that once removed from under the police, Immigration would be managed by a team that would include current USONA Managing Director Udo Aron, Neville de Weever and Head of Immigration at Airport Germino/Geronimo Juliet. This could not be ascertained.
Reed also believed attempts would be made to give preferential treatment to "families and friends," which he said would become "a dangerous practice." He said the union would hold the minister responsible and accountable for his decisions.
Derie Leonard said Tuesday that in addition to the concerns over the separation of Immigration from the Police Force, officers were also deeply concerned about unaddressed matters such as pending promotions and issues with salaries. She said officers had been promised their job offers before St. Maarten assumed its new constitutional status and to date this had not happened.
Said Reed: "We don't appreciate the games being played; we want everyone to see that we are doing everything that we are supposed to do: informing all the players."
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