ORANJESTAD- Island council Member Clyde I. van Putten on Monday morning dispatched an urgent letter to Government Commissioner Alida Francis, requesting her to convene an urgent meeting of the Island council, to debate the prolonged delay in the startup of the ferry services between the Islands of Sint Eustatius, Saba, Sint Maarten and St. Kitts.

Van Putten said that based on an earlier government announcement which indicated that the ferry service was to start on November 1^st did not take place. Since then there have been many rumors and speculations as to why the Makana (ferry service) is not yet in operation as planned. “Furthermore, there are serious questions regarding the transparency in the process as it relates to the awarding of the contract to the company” said Van Putten.

Customs

The Councilman further stated that he was very surprised by the new  suggestion that the customs department, on Sint Eustatius may not be in a position to effectively handle the new ferry service because of their limited manpower.

Van Putten concluded by seriously questioning the Government Commissioners on their level of transparency and truthfulness surrounding this matter.