Notable shift in Parliament Committees leadership

GREAT BAY--The Parliament of St. Maarten has finalized the composition and leadership of its Permanent and Ad Hoc Committees for the 2025–2026 Parliamentary Year. The committees were formally established on September 15, 2025, in accordance with Article 21 of the Rules of Order, which outlines Parliament’s system of committees tasked with investigating specific subjects and supporting legislative oversight.

Among the changes announced, two of the most significant shifts occurred in the VROMI Committee and the Justice Committee.

• MP Raeyhon Peterson (Party for Progress) now serves as Chairperson of the VROMI Committee, succeeding MP Darryl York (National Alliance).

• MP Franklin Meyers (Soualiga Action Movement) has been appointed Chairperson of the Justice Committee, succeeding MP Sjamira Roseburg (Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement).

These appointments have drawn attention given their alignment with ministerial portfolios. The Minister of VROMI, Patrice Gumbs, represents the same party as Peterson, while the Minister of Justice, Nathalie Tackling, was appointed by SAM, the party of Meyers. Observers note that while committee leadership is often procedural, these particular chairmanships carry political significance due to the role committees play in calling meetings with ministers, setting agendas, and shaping the pace of parliamentary scrutiny.

Other leadership appointments reflect a mix of political strategy and subject matter experience. MP Ludmila de Weever, who chairs the Committee for Country Expenditures, brings professional expertise as an auditor. MP Veronica Jansen-Webster, a former Minister of VSA, now chairs the VSA Committee, providing continuity between her past ministerial experience and her new parliamentary oversight role.

While committee chairmanships are sometimes assigned with consideration for expertise, they can also reflect shifting political alliances. With Peterson now chairing VROMI, and with his experience as a senior civil servant in that same ministry, it remains to be seen how he will manage the committee’s engagement with the sitting Minister of VROMI.

His predecessor, MP York, was previously criticized by coalition members and supporters for taking "too much" of an assertive approach towards the Minister and the ministry’s handling of land and infrastructure matters, even though he was clear during his campaign and since the start of his tenure, that he would exercise his duty if afforded the opportunity.

Similarly, the transition from MP Roseburg to MP Meyers in the Justice Committee has been viewed within Parliament as a politically strategic decision. MP Roseburg, known for her background as an attorney and for her pointed questioning of the Minister of Justice, had chaired and coveted the position. To put it in diplomatic terms, this particular change suggests a recalibration within the coalition’s internal dynamics.

From the opposition benches, MP Francisco Lacroes retains chairmanship of two other committees, while MP Lyndon Lewis returns as Vice Chair of the Justice Committee. The leadership of the committees, decided by majority vote, take immediate effect and are expected to shape the tone and tempo of parliamentary oversight in the coming months.

The full list of the committees can be viewed on Parliament's Facebook page. Under the Rules of Order, all Members of Parliament have the right to attend meetings of any committee, but only members of the respective committee may vote on its decisions.

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