Today Newspaper St. Maarten

Editorial: Unreal

There was something unreal about the press conference after the meeting between two prime ministers about the Central Bank. PMs Wescot-Williams and Schotte managed to crank out a joint statement that sounded almost upbeat, but upon reading the documents carefully it became clear that there is still a difference of opinion about the hottest potato in the mix: how to deal with Central Bank President Emsley Tromp.

Curacao wants to get rid of Tromp, while St. Maarten wants to review his position in the broader context of the bank. That makes sense, but it does not sit well with Schotte, especially because there are elections around the corner.

So far, St. Maarten has kept the upper hand in this discussion and there is no reason to give in to political pressure from Curacao – those days are over.