THE HAGUE--St. Maarten's decision to amend the casino policy so Caravansarai can get a license is a typical example why the island doesn't have the integrity level to become a country within the Dutch Kingdom.

Members of the Dutch Second Chamber Hero Brinkman and Eric Lucassen of Party for Freedom PVV implied this in a series of questions they posed to the Dutch Government on Thursday. They want an investigation by the Prosecutor's Office.

Brinkman and Lucassen specifically referred to a front page article in The Daily Herald of September 2, headlined "Government amends casino policy, license for Caravansarai possible."

The Members of Parliament (MP) asked Dutch caretaker State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ank Bijleveld-Schouten whether she shared their opinion that "the confidence in the integrity of St. Maarten's new government has been seriously quashed by suddenly changing the casino regulations which makes it possible for this casino to open."

Brinkman and Lucassen criticised St. Maarten for allowing persons about whom "stubborn information circulates that they have ties with organised crime" to financially benefit from the amendment to the policy in question.

The MPs asked Bijleveld-Schouten to "do all in her power" to have the Prosecutor's Office carry out an investigation into the "possible corruption of politicians, in particular Commissioner Marlin, who have made this possible."

Their last question was: "Do you agree that this case is an example of the fact that St. Maarten absolutely doesn't have the integrity level to acquire country status. If you agree, what measures will you take and if not, why?"

The MPs posed their questions against the backdrop that amending the casino policy to make it possible for Caravansarai to obtain a license violates the general principles of good governance, especially with elections taking place in two weeks. An earlier decision to grant Carvanasarai a stand-alone casino license was annulled by the Governor of the Netherlands Antilles.

Casinos were also specifically mentioned in the 2007 report on organised crime in St. Maarten of the Scientific Research and Documentation Centre WODC of the Dutch Ministry of Justice. The report linked casinos to organised crime and money laundering.