ORANJESTAD (AAN) – Parliament President Responds to MEP Meeting Request Claims, stating that repeated reminders sent by the MEP parliamentary faction regarding the same meeting requests have created the false impression that dozens of separate requests remain unanswered.
According to Parliament President Marlon Sneek, there are currently six meetings that still need to be convened. One of those concerns the HOFA legislation, which he said must first be rewritten before it can proceed.
Sneek explained that several discussions have already taken place regarding the proposed legislation and that the Government has provided explanations on the matter. He also noted that a delegation travelled to the Netherlands to meet with the Council of State (Raad van State), the advisory body that issued its opinion on the HOFA proposal.
He emphasized that the legislative process begins only after a bill is formally submitted to Parliament.
“A legislative process starts when the bill reaches Parliament. Once the minister receives the advisory opinion and responds to it, the complete package is submitted to Parliament,” Sneek said.
The Parliament President added that it is not appropriate to debate legislation that is no longer in its original form. He stressed that his responsibility is to ensure that official information released by Parliament is accurate and not based on speculation.
Responding to criticism from the MEP parliamentary faction, Sneek said the opposition repeatedly sends reminders regarding the same meeting requests each week, creating the impression that they are submitting new requests.
According to Sneek, this has led some to believe that around 90 different meetings have not been scheduled, when in reality the reminders relate to the same pending requests.
He concluded that this approach does not reflect the level of seriousness expected in parliamentary proceedings and reiterated his commitment to ensuring transparent and accurate communication from Parliament.
