Minister Brug rejects Supervisory Council’s nomination for SZV Director, orders restart of recruitment process.
The Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (VSA), Richinel Brug, has rejected the recent nomination for the position of Director of SZV, citing serious irregularities in the recruitment process, which appeared to favor a particular candidate. Key concerns included scoring anomalies, insufficient expertise on the Nominating Committee, questionable handling of candidates, breaches of confidentiality, more importantly: non-compliance with statutory requirements. A number of applicants also submitted formal and informal complaints that reinforced these concerns.
To restore public trust and ensure a transparent, merit-based process, the Supervisory Council has been instructed to restart the recruitment with the support of an independent recruitment firm. All procedures must strictly adhere to statutory and governance standards. The renewed process is expected to conclude within 3–4 months following the appointment of additional Council members.
In the interim, in accordance with the SZV Ordinance, and on the recommendation of the Supervisory Council, the Minister has confirmed the appointment of Mr. Elton Felisie as Adjunct Director. Mr. Felisie has informally been serving as Adjunct Director for years. The process to formalize Mr. Felisie's appointment officially started last year August, under the tenure of previous Minister of VSA Ms. Veronica Jansen-Webster. Upon formal decree by the Governor, Mr. Felisie will serve as Temporary Director to safeguard continuity of leadership until a fair and independant recruitment process is finalized.
The Minister underscored the importance of transparent and accountable leadership at SZV, stating: “As Minister of VSA it is my duty to ensure a fair and transparent recruitment process for all qualified Sint Maarteners. SZV is an organization that each and every one of us depend on at some point in time in our lives.This organization is currently in a critical state. It is for this reason that the process must be conducted with integrity and fairness, in the best interest of the organization and the people of Sint Maarten."
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