|
|
|
 |
|
|
Labega to update Parliament on Winair developments Tuesday
by The Daily Herald
Posted: Nov 7, 2005 14:52 UTC
|
PHILIPSBURG - Windward Islands Airways International Winair shareholder representative State Secretary Erno Labega will update Parliament Tuesday on the latest developments regarding the privatisation of the airline.
Labega said he deemed it important to keep Parliament informed about the privatisation efforts and the latest decision by the Council of Ministers to transfer the shares of the federally-owned airline to the Island Territory of St. Maarten, to give Saba and St. Eustatius each a golden share, and to terminate negotiations with Bonaire Participatie Maatschappij (BPM).
“I will give Parliament an outline of the developments,” said Labega, adding that the formal transfer of the shares would require approval of Parliament. On the request of PAR Member of Parliament Mike Willem, Labega will give an explanation during a meeting in Bonaire on Tuesday. Parliament meets this week in Bonaire.
Essential in the privatisation is the airline’s survival and the connections between the islands, said Labega. He said St. Maarten was “very much aware” of these central issues. Saba and St. Eustatius should have “a say” in the matter, as they depend on Winair for the connection with St. Maarten. The Central Government has the obligation to guarantee transportation between the islands.
According to Labega, the proposal to transfer the shares to St. Maarten was discussed prior the decision by the Council of Ministers. “The island territory was very interested. The underlying reason is that the island territory knows the importance of the company. It became involved to make sure (the airline) survived. It wasn’t a secret that we would propose to transfer the shares to St. Maarten,” he said.
“We will look at the company’s survival and the island territory will have several options. It can sell its shares or find a partner, negotiate with investors. Now the possibility to find an investor has been blown open again,” Labega said.
About the negotiations with BPM, to which the Central Government put an end a year after the initial agreement was signed, Labega said: “I’ve been very patient. We had frequent talks with them. The closure to the negotiations that lasted a year didn’t come. A decision had to be made. I presented a proposal to the Council of Ministers because we couldn’t delay it any further. Winair was falling into bankruptcy again.”
He said his “main goal” was the airline’s survival so its employees wouldn’t become jobless.
Asked if there were no legal or financial consequences for unilaterally ending the agreement with BPM, the investor with shares in Dutch Antilles Express (DAE) that operates BonairExpress and CuraçaoExpress, Labega said the company had invested NAf. 1.4 million in Winair. But, he added, “I haven’t heard from them.”
|
|
|
|
|
 |
|
|
|
|
Content © The Daily Herald 2005 - All Rights Reserved.
You may bookmark this web page, print it or e-mail it to
a friend in accordance with the fair-use provisions of
copyright laws. The material is intended solely for the use
of the individual user.
Archiving, redistribution, or republication of this
material
on other terms, in any medium, requires the express
written permission of the author or publication and the
notification of the editors of Caribseek News. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
