SER's Secretary General calls for expanded function book to speed advice to Parliament

GREAT BAY--The Social Economic Council, SER, met with Parliament on Tuesday to discuss its 2024 Annual Report and current work program. Secretary General Gerard Richardson said there is an urgent need to expand the SER function book, stating that the institution needs additional senior capacity to keep pace with requests from Parliament and Government. He noted that at least two senior legal positions are required to process complex social and economic advice more quickly, and to strengthen direct support to Parliament’s legislative work.

He said the SER is seeking a meeting with the Prime Minister to address bottlenecks that affect appointment decrees and other framework decisions that influence throughput. He also gave his personal opinion that "you can't have a country without a SER" equal to "you can't a country without a Prime Minister". Richardson's statement seems to be a personal reply to the MP's who asked for the SER's reaction to the comments of Prime Minister Luc Mercelina's comments at the Governor's Symposium about the high councils. Though Chairman of the SER Harlec Doran opted not to answer in the moment and before caucusing with the board of SER, Richardson indirectly responded and framed it as his personal opinion. Two MPs had asked the SER's opinion on the PM's statement.

It will be curious to see how Prime Minister Mercelina will react to the request to expand the SER and Richardson's comments about the importance of SER, considering his statements at the Governor's symposium. At that time PM Mercelina addressed the financial and administrative weight of St. Maarten’s current system. He described the island’s government structure as “an expensive illusion,” pointing to the large number of advisory and oversight bodies created to mirror those of larger nations, from the Council of Advice and the General Audit Chamber to the Social Economic Council, the Constitutional Court, the Integrity Chamber, and the Council of Law Enforcement. “We have built a system that looks impressive on paper, but financially and functionally it is too heavy for our population size,” he said. “You cannot build a nation without a professional treasury, strong human resources, and a balanced budget that reflects our true capacity. We have an oversized institutional head for a very small community, and it makes good governance more difficult rather than easier," the PM said.

Richardson further reported that the SER remains within its annual budget, about 1.2 to 1.3 million guilders, and that 2024 underspending reflected a period without an active board until August 2024. He confirmed one vacancy was recently advertised, eight applications were received, and internal HR review is underway. He added that several advices are already public on the SER website, while others will be published after the Prime Minister’s review in accordance with Article 10 of the National Ordinance on public access, which includes checks for financial or national security concerns.

On publications and outreach, Richardson said the SER has produced animation videos to explain complex advice, and welcomed suggestions to broaden public summaries, short explainers, and media placements so citizens can better understand the relevance of the Council’s work.

The SER reps also addressed process questions on rendering advice on legislation, explaining that average timelines vary by complexity and by the quality and currency of data provided with requests. They underlined recurring challenges: incomplete or outdated figures in draft legislation, delays in receiving requested information from institutions, and gaps that require follow up with STAT, the Central Bank, and sector stakeholders. They referenced the SER’s unsolicited advice, “Data Matters,” which highlighted the need for timely data sharing across government, and which was submitted to government a few years ago and for which a reply was never given.

Board governance and timelines were also clarified. The new SER board must be installed by May 1, 2026. Doran noted that the SER maintains productive working relationships with STAT and the Central Bank, and that the Employers Council’s recent GDP comments reflect that body’s views, not the Council’s institutional position.

A summary of advice status was provided:

𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐝: advice on the amendment of the national decree for passenger transport; advice to conduct research on an early childhood development funding model; advice on the National Ordinance visitor tax and on preparedness and resilience resources for public health and tourism; advice on the draft initiative to amend Article 3 returned to Parliament.

𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐝𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧: advice on the draft National Ordinance Sustainable Affordable Accessible Healthcare Act, SAHA, to be published after parliamentary handling and government comments; advice on the SAHA national decree recently submitted to the Minister of VSA.

Members of Parliament raised several issues during the session. MP Ardwell Irion focused on staffing and FTE capacity, the 2024 surplus tied to delayed board operations, and expectations for the 2025 budget execution. He urged more proactive public communication, including mobile optimization of the SER website and plain-language summaries. He asked which 2024 advices had been finalized and published, how quickly SER can process advice originating from MPs, and whether timelines could be standardized. He also queried overlaps among high councils and whether additional budget would translate into measurable output in 2026, including more frequent engagement with Parliament.

MP Veronica Jansen-Webster sought clarity on the 2026 board renewal date, current average processing times, and the SER’s access to national statistics. She asked what specific data gaps slow analysis, and requested clarification on decrees and pending appointments referenced by the SER.

MP Francisco Lacroes asked the SER for its view on the current investment climate in light of news of a 92 million dollar court ruling. He went on to say that he will be calling a public meeting on the matter since the husband of a sitting Minister is involved and in his opinion the Minister should have already done the honorable thing and resigned. The Chairman said the SER would caucus with its board and secretariat before offering a response on comments made by the Prime Minister and noted that some questions are political in nature, best addressed by Government and Parliament.

Moving forward, the SER will submit a proposed revision of its function book for Government’s review, and looks to Parliament for support so that recruitment of additional senior legal capacity can proceed within legal timelines. The Council will continue to publish advices upon completion of the Article 10 review, expand public-facing summaries, and coordinate with data-holding institutions to improve the evidence base for legislative advice.

Photo caption: SER's Secretary General Gerard Richardson (left) and Chairman Harlec Doran.

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