MP Sjamira Roseburg: Follow the law, fix the board, then tackle the CBCS chair

GREAT BAY--Member of Parliament Sjamira Roseburg has outlined her position on the ongoing impasse surrounding the conditional nomination of attorney Jairo Bloem as Chairperson of the Supervisory Board of the Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten (CBCS).

Appearing on The Breakfast Lounge with Lady Grace on Thursday, Roseburg said her focus is not on personalities but on process, stressing that any appointment must comply with the CBCS Charter and basic principles of good governance and independence.

“As a lawyer, I find it very important that procedures are followed and the correct procedures are followed,” she said, noting that the Charter establishes a clear sequence: the Supervisory Board recommends, the Finance Ministers jointly nominate, and the countries jointly finalize the appointment by national decree. That framework, she added, exists to shield the central bank from political interference and to ensure board members are independent and suitably qualified. Roseburg welcomed the fact that it is St. Maarten’s turn to hold the chair, but cautioned that the role cannot be treated as “control” over the institution. “It’s a board-led institution; the chair presides, but decisions involve all members,” she said.

Providing context, Roseburg pointed to the unusual composition of the Supervisory Board, where several members have been serving on a temporary basis since a 2021 court intervention. That intervention, she noted, is what the Charter foresees when the countries fail to finalize appointments within set timeframes. In her view, the first order of business is to regularize the board under the now-updated screening framework, either by formally appointing the temporary members who have cleared screening or by replacing them through the prescribed process. “With the same urgency applied to the chair discussion, we should finalize the status of the temporary members. Only then should we proceed with the chairmanship process,” she said. Bringing the board to its proper, regularized composition, she added, strengthens the legitimacy of any recommendation for chair and avoids disputes about voting thresholds or quorum.

Roseburg emphasized that the process “starts with the Supervisory Board.” If the board has not advanced a recommendation, she said the responsible course is to re-engage it formally, keep a clear paper trail, and, where needed, use mediation to resolve any communication gaps. If a minister wishes to propose a name to the board, she added, that should also be done in writing, with the board’s response documented. She reiterated that independence, integrity screening, and a balanced skills mix on the board are not box-ticking exercises but safeguards designed to protect monetary and financial stability.

On the frequently cited “five-sixths” recommendation threshold in Article 25, Roseburg said the legal intent is to ensure a strong majority of the full board supports a candidate, and that any interpretation must align with the Charter’s purpose, independence and integrity, rather than convenience. She noted that public debate has sometimes conflated temporary service with permanent tenure and stressed that temporary appointments are meant to bridge a gap, not replace the formal process the Charter requires.

Given the public controversy, Roseburg suggested obtaining an outside opinion from an independent corporate law specialist, unaffiliated with either country party or nominee, to provide a neutral reading of the applicable provisions, the current procedural posture, and the cleanest lawful path forward. “The aim is to remove real or perceived bias and to give the public a clear, neutral reading of where we are, what the law requires, and how to proceed by the book,” she said.

Roseburg urged all parties to avoid politicizing the process or litigating it through the media. She said a nominee should remain outside the political arena to protect the bank’s independence and that communications between the Ministry of Finance and the Supervisory Board should be formal, written, and made available, at least in outline, to Parliament and the public for transparency. To reduce confusion, she called for a concise, public timeline of actions taken since 2021, including requests to and replies from the Supervisory Board, screening milestones, and the next procedural steps.

Roseburg concluded that she supports St. Maarten exercising its turn to chair the board, provided the legal process is followed step by step, the board’s independence is protected, and the full composition of the board is regularized first. “Our job is to inform and protect the public interest,” she said. “Get the board in legal order, document the engagement with the Supervisory Board, seek independent legal assurance if needed, and then proceed by the book.”

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