“Crab Mentality?” Prime Minister questions motives behind opposition to CBCS nomination

GREAT BAY--Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina on Wednesday questioned whether the public pushback against government’s move to secure the chairmanship of the Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten (CBCS) reflects “crab mentality,” urging unity around Sint Maarten’s long-overdue turn to lead the Supervisory Board.

“There is a central bank post. We, since four years already, have the right to have the chairmanship of this board,” the Prime Minister said. “Instead of applauding that for our country, we are starting now to criticize our minister that is trying to get the chairman of the board for our island. I don’t get it.”

Dr. Mercelina stressed that no one has been appointed and that the Council of Ministers’ action pertains to a conditional nomination only. “It’s a conditional agreement of government of Sint Maarten that, in case the negotiations start for the chairman position of the board, we want to push a candidate from Sint Maarten. No one has been appointed… The whole place is upside down because we’re thinking that somebody has been appointed, nobody has been appointed,” he said, referring to the public debate around the nomination of attorney Jairo Bloem.

The Prime Minister outlined the three-step process in the CBCS Charter, recommendation by the Supervisory Board, nomination by the Ministers, and appointment by joint decree, and noted that Sint Maarten’s Minister of Finance formally pressed for progress months ago. “In December 2024 and January [2025] the Minister sent a letter to Curaçao and asked the board… who are the candidates? Today is September, until today, no candidates have been presented from the Supervisory Board,” he said.

Framing the moment as one that should unite the country, Dr. Mercelina asked: “Is this an effect of crab mentality? Are we not understanding the bigger picture? to fight for the better of our country? Instead of we support the minister, we are criticizing the minister. Personally, I don’t get it.”

He also questioned why earlier administrations did not complete the process during Sint Maarten’s four-year window to hold the chair. “Why didn’t you (the media) ask the former government that has four years without the chairman of the board? why did that not happen? Now somebody takes initiative to do something great for her country and now the problem is the minister that tried to get that position for Sint Maarten.”

Addressing commentary about differing views within the Council of Ministers, the Prime Minister said debate and close votes do not signal dysfunction but democracy. “We are very well aware that we are coming from a system of functioning in silos, but we are working very actively to break through this culture,” he said, noting recent internal workshops and inter-ministerial project reviews. “If you have a majority of four and another three vote against, that does not mean disunion, it means that democracy is working. The day that all ministers agree with each other for every decision… we are becoming a dangerous country.”

It should be noted that members of the coalition, MPs and Ministers, are not in favor of the appointment and have publicly stated such.

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