PHILIPSBURG--The Island Council will convene for a public meeting Thursday on the draft 2010 budget and the consequences for the island of not having an approved budget. The meeting starts at 10:00am in Dr. A.C. Wathey Legislative Hall.

The opposition Democratic Party (DP) had requested the meeting Friday, primarily because the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT had announced last Tuesday that it would inform the Kingdom Council of Ministers that St. Maarten had no 2010 budget to be approved by CFT or the Island Council.

DP leader Island Councilwoman Sarah Wescot-Williams said Monday that her party hoped to hear Government's views on the draft 2010 budget, because the National Alliance (NA)/Heyliger coalition "has been evasive and outright arrogant" in reactions to the Island Council on the budget.

"The government seems to have no issue with the fact that all they can do at the moment is to keep Government afloat on the basis of the 2009 budget," Wescot-Williams said.

Government, according to the councilwoman, has said DP was taking this matter of the budget "much too seriously."

"Let us see why Government, in the face of all the criticism St. Maarten has received due to this budget dilemma, can still tell us: 'It's nothing to worry about,'" she said.

Prior to this public meeting, the Central Committee of the Island Council meets Wednesday at 10:00am on the topic: "Government's position on (incidental) subsidies and investments," also requested by DP.

Wescot-Williams said this topic had arisen because of inadequate response from the NA/Heyliger Government on subsidies, particularly as outlined in the draft 2010 budget.

"When one considers recent publications regarding the Carnival Foundation and the Heineken Regatta, it leaves one to wonder how this government views subsidies, the budget and the ordinance regulating subsidies by Government," the DP leader said.

She questioned whether the ordinance was still in effect, or the government was being guided by other regulations. "We hope, through the Central Committee, to get clarity for the organisations affected, and the public at large."