PHILIPSBURG–Member of Parliament (MP) Theo Heyliger has issued a call to Finance Minister Michael Ferrier to inform Parliament about his 90-day review of the former Government’s spending and to send the findings to Parliament post-haste.

Ferrier announced on taking office in January that all expenses or financial commitments made in the last 90 days of the former National Alliance (NA)-led Government would be put on hold for review.

“The amounts of money spent on hurricane clean-up, in my opinion, is more than sufficient reason for a review. That alone totalled some NAf. 16 million,” said Heyliger (United People’s party).
Focus should not only be on what the former Government spent, but also on what commitments with financial consequences were entered into by one or more Ministers, said Heyliger.

“The plan to divert money the Bureau Telecommunication and Post should pay of Government’s coffers to a contractor for what seems to be an exorbitant construction price will have financial consequences,” he said.

The Committee for Financial Supervision CFT again last week urged Government to cut back on expenses and called on Parliament to use its supervision and oversight.

“Government is told at every turn to tighten its belt at the detriment of public services. Yet, the little amounts available, from my view on the outside, appeared to have been spent in a haphazard way, especially by NA and the United St. Maarten Party,” he said.

Instead of guessing at what the spending and financial commitments may be, Heyliger said the Minister should equip Parliament with information ahead of the handling of the draft 2018 budget which is already slated to have a huge deficit.

Bron: Daily Herald