NOVEMBER LIKELY DATE FOR CONSTITUTIONAL REFERENDUM ST. EUSTATIUS—A referendum on the constitutional status of St. Eustatius could very likely be held as early as the last week of November 2014. This is the recommendation of the independent Island Council Member and Chairman of the Central Committee Reuben Merkman. The Central Committee met Thursday to discuss the details of a general ordinance for referendums. Commissioner of Constitutional Affairs Reginald Zaandam (UPC) also mentioned November as a possible window for Statia’s approximately 1,600 voters to choose what kind of future governmental constellation they prefer. However, before such a specific constitutional referendum can take place, a general ordinance on referendums has to be passed by the Island Council. “Dutch legislation for referendums expired in 2004,” explained Zaandam. “The last referendum held in Statia was based on Antillean law, hence the requirement for such an ordinance.” As Commissioner for Finance, Zaandam proposed to set aside US $120,000 in this year’s budget for the organization of the referendum, including the services of three independent advisors on a constitutional referendum committee. “Typically, this body would advise on how to set up procedures, establish a date and how to inform the public”, Zaandam explained. A decision to hold a constitutional referendum on Statia has not been without controversy. A referendum report commissioned by the Executive Council and discussed at a recent town hall meeting was largely opposed by the Democratic Party (DP). DP leaders argued that the report was not finalized and did not reflect the view of major stakeholders on Statia, such as the private sector. They also believed that the island should wait for the outcome of an evaluation to be carried out next year by the Dutch Government on the situation of the Caribbean Netherlands islands, Bonaire, Saba and Statia. Various details of the Island Council ordinance on referendums in general have still to be decided. For example, whereas the proposed referendum ordinance requires two thirds of the electoral register to cast their vote and thus make the outcome legally valid, the question of how many signatures would be required to introduce such a referendum remains uncertain. The committee decided to refer to the practice carried out by municipalities in the Netherlands. A further question also remained as to the professional qualities of the members of the proposed referendum committee. Merkman expected to have these questions resolved before the next Central Committee Meeting on Wednesday, May 28. Source: The Daily Herald
Posted on: Fri, 23 May 2014 21:53:32 +0000
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