PHILIPSBURG - The Wescot-Williams III Cabinet will be sworn in today, Friday, at 4:00pm, by Governor Eugene Holiday at his office at Harbour View. After taking the oath, the new ministers together with Holiday will have the constituting meeting of the Council of Ministers in the A.C. Wathey Legislative Hall.

 

Announcement of the swearing in was made by the governor's cabinet last night following the receipt of the final formation report on Thursday from formateur/caretaker Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams.

 

The candidate ministers and minister plenipotentiary to be sworn in today, according to the press statement, are Wescot-Williams as Prime Minister/Minister of General Affairs, Maurice A. Lake as Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI, Dennis L. Richardson as Minister of Justice, Martinus "Martin" J. Hassink as Minister of Finance, Patricia D. Lourens-Philip as Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports, Van Hugh Cornelius de Weever as Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour and Mathias S. Voges as Minister Plenipotentiary.

 

The vetting of the candidate ministers and the candidate for Minister Plenipotentiary, based on the pertinent regulations regulating the appointment of ministers, has not produced any data that could impede their appointment, according to the governor's cabinet.

 

The new government has a majority (eight seats) in Parliament and consists of ministers who are committed to the promotion of the wellbeing of St. Maarten and dedicated to jointly execute the Governing Declaration as agreed upon by the coalition partners United People's (UP) party, Democratic Party (DP) and independent Member of Parliament (MP) Romain Laville. This was the mandate given to the formateur by governor more than a week ago.

 

A candidate for the post of Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunication is not yet known. That post was supposed to go to Laville. However, he did not pass the screening to become a minister. He is expected to nominate a candidate for the post while he stays on as an MP.

 

(The Daily Herald)