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Editorial - Less is more?

Parliamentarian Maurice Lake has a point (see related story). The Gumbs cabinet has been short of two members for more than five months now.

Along with the lack of a governing programme, missing two ministers of what would normally be seven conceivably hampers the functioning of this government backed by a UP-led coalition Read more

Ground broken for MLK’s playground

DUTCH QUARTER--A fully fledged playground for Martin Luther King (MLK) School pupils is that much closer to being realised; a symbolic ground-breaking ceremony was held at the heart of the school Friday morning to mark the occasion, amongst school management, staff and pupils, Division for Public Education (DPE) representatives and Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs Rita Bourne-Gumbs.

The playground is meant for the school's Cycle 1 pupils and was largely made possible through the Parent Teacher Fellowship (PTF) and through fundraising at last year's pre-Father's day Bingo in particular, amongst some other initiatives.

School Manager Stuart Johnson proudly shared that the initiative was supported by staff, pupils and the community at large and that the playground will be the largest in the district and the first of its kind amongst the public schools.

The next project in line will be a multi-functional basketball court meant for the Cycle 2 pupils Read more

Lake: ‘High time’ for two missing ministers

PHILIPSBURG--United People's (UP) party Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake has issued a call to his coalition partners that it is "high time" the two missing ministers be appointed to the Marcel Gumbs Cabinet "to get this country moving."

The Gumbs Cabinet, sworn in in December 2014, has had two ministers carrying double portfolios Read more

CFT asked to keep eye on full compliance with law

THE HAGUE--Committee for Financial Supervision CFT will be asked to keep a close eye on the full compliance with criteria set in the Kingdom Financial Supervision Law and the financial situation of government-owned companies, before it approves loans of Curaçao and St. Maarten.

Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk promised during a general debate with the Permanent Committee for Kingdom Relations of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on Thursday that he would relay the request of Member of Parliament (MP) André Bosman of the governing liberal democratic VVD party to CFT.

Bosman is highly concerned about the recent approval of loans by CFT Read more

Willemsberg reports progress being made in talks with Govt on arrears

PHILIPSBURG--Social and Health Insurance SZV and Government are making progress on their talks to hammer out an agreement on the outstanding arrears owed to the insurance service provider by the deadline set by the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT.

The deadline is this month, which ends next Friday. The progress of talks with APS could not be ascertained. Government and SZV have been engaged in talks and have had several meetings to reach an agreement.

In an invited comment on Thursday on the progress of the talks, SZV official Reginald Willemsberg told The Daily Herald that parties had come to “some concrete proposals” during meetings held so far Read more

Tehillah Ministries International Hosts Impact Network Caribbean Gathering 2015, St. Maarten

>These services promise to be life changing, it will challenge current paradigms and cause an effectual shifts to take place. , empowering Caribbean leaders to understand and embrace Apostolic and Prophetic convergence, it will bring clarity on the functions of the collaborative work of the Apostolic and prophetic offices. It will foster unity among Caribbean people within the body of Christ.

Event name: Impact Caribbean Gathering, 2015 St. Maarten
Dates: July 30th - August 2nd (July 30, 31, August 1, 2)

Venue: Belair Community Center

Sessions we will have a combination of day sessions and evening

Speakers: Apostle and Dr Read more

style="text-align: center;">General Meeting to be held on Tuesday.

Cul de Sac: --- Parents and several residents of Cul de Sac gave the directress, workers and the other parents a surprise Friday morning when they placed huge locks at the Cul de Sac Elementary school, blocking access to the school. As the parents arrived at the school with their children they were all left outside wondering what was happening since they claim not to know that there are grievances among the school population Read more

Willemsberg reports progress being made in talks with Govt on arrears

PHILIPSBURG--Social and Health Insurance SZV and Government are making progress on their talks to hammer out an agreement on the outstanding arrears owed to the insurance service provider by the deadline set by the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT.

The deadline is this month, which ends next Friday. The progress of talks with APS could not be ascertained. Government and SZV have been engaged in talks and have had several meetings to reach an agreement.

In an invited comment on Thursday on the progress of the talks, SZV official Reginald Willemsberg told The Daily Herald that parties had come to "some concrete proposals" during meetings held so far Read more

SCDF seeking to break free from ‘vicious cycle of debt’

~ Structural change crucial, hard data now the focus ~

PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) said on Thursday that the event threatens to become trapped in "a vicious cycle of debt" that must be broken with decisive business decisions and initiatives.

"After all the revelling and good times the general population had for what many have called the best Carnival ever, the festival is still a very expensive affair that continues to come up short financially," an SCDF press release read.

SCDF, a private foundation, had said for months that it planned on transitioning to a new business structure after Carnival 2015 to ensure the financial viability of St Read more

Sarah to lobby opposition for audit chamber investigation

PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party (DP) leader Member of Parliament (MP) Sarah Wescot-Williams said she will be lobbying her fellow opposition members to bring about an investigation by the General Audit Chamber into the security contract between St Read more

Delegation for IPKO departs for the Netherlands on Friday

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – From May 27-29, 2015 delegations from the Parliaments of the Netherlands, Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten will be meeting in The Hague, the Netherlands for the Inter-parliamentary Kingdom Consultations (IPKO).

The four parliamentary delegations will be discussing a number of issues that include the following: feedback from workgroup education (especially where DUO-study financing and repayment is concerned), workgroup energy matters, health care and the Health Care Conference to take place in Aruba June 1-4, 2015, workgroup youth affairs, workgroup economic opportunities, workgroup integrity and workgroup discrimination.

Integrity, dispute regulation and the draft initiative Kingdom Law to amend articles 14 and 38 of the Kingdom Charter of (former) Second Chamber Member Van Oven are also on the agenda to be discussed Read more

Editorial - Perception counts

That University of St. Martin (USM) could use more support is obvious after Wednesday's meeting with Parliament's Permanent Committee on Education and Youth. With a reported average annual loss of US $159,000 over the past five years the institution of higher learning's financial situation is clearly unsustainable.

Government reportedly already covers 35 per cent of the expenditures with study financing and subsidy. As the latter already went up from NAf Read more

EXCLUSIVE: GEBE Supervisory Board got three separate reports on COO and CFO

style="text-align: center;">Supervisory Board soon to take decision on how they will deal with CFO.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The supervisory board of GEBE was presented with three reports on May 13th 2015. The first report dealt with the misuse of GEBE's credit cards that were allotted to the company's Chief Operations Officer (COO) Romelio Maduro and the Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Rene Gartner. Based on the contents of the first report which addressed the misuse of the credit cards the COO Romelio Maduro used the company's credit card on an open tab at the cigar lounge and at several brothels on the island.
While Gartner used the credit cards to purchase airline tickets, and a satellite for his office Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Taking the first step towards articulating Sint Maarten's national economic vision, the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication (TEATT) will be hosting a National Economic Summit to stimulate public engagement on Friday May 22nd at Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort, Casino and Spa.
Led by Minister of TEATT Hon. Claret Connor, the Summit is geared towards engaging the private sector for fruitful discussion Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Representatives from the Parliament of Sint Maarten led by President Dr. Lloyd Richardson, recently returned from Panama after attending five-days of parliamentary sessions at the Parliament of Latin America (Parlatino).

The parliamentary delegation comprised of the President Hon. Dr. Lloyd Richardson, Members of Parliament (MPs) Hon Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---- The University of St. Martin (USM) needs to become the national university of the country.

United People's (UP) party Member of Parliament (MP) Hon. Maurice Lake, who is a member of parliament's permanent Committee for Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs (CECYSA), says, if Sint Maarten is really serious about education, priority has to be given to the development of USM as a national university.

During the CECYSA session in the House of Parliament on Wednesday, MP Lake posed a number of questions with respect to developments at USM and to the Minister of Education with respect to government's position regarding a number of areas.

"USM has developed very slowly, but not fast enough Read more

Tzu Chi Spreads Love At Triple Celebration Donates Relief Items To 100 Families

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The St. Maarten Tzu Chi Foundation helped spread cheer on Sunday, May 10, when it held its annual triple celebration of Mother's Day, Tzu Chi Day and Buddha's Birthday.

During the ceremony, held at Tzu Chi's location on L.B. Scott Road, Tzu Chi helped persons in need by donating relief items to a total of 100 families. The 49 volunteers who participated in the exercise put their best foot forward to keep the 161 guests in attendance engaged during the event.

The triple celebration was preceded by a tour of the various sections at Tzu Chi Foundation Read more

George wants info about civil servants

PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) Member of Parliament George Pantophlet has written to Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs in his capacity as General Affairs Minister enquiring about a number of topics related to civil servants.

Pantophlet wants a list of the vacancies filled in the ministries during the past two years, the names of the people who have taken up those posts and whether they are on government contract or in permanent employment.

In the letter sent to Gumbs via Parliament Chairman Dr Read more

Still no consensus on dispute arrangement

THE HAGUE--The four countries of the Kingdom generally agree that the Council of State would be an ideal body to handle the dispute arrangement. However, the negotiations to reach an agreement have not been successful thus far.

Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk confirmed during a debate with the Permanent Committee for Kingdom Relations of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on Wednesday that no consensus had been reached on establishing a dispute arrangement Read more

USM in dire financial straits, suggests education surcharge

~ Govt to raise subsidy in 2016 ~

PHILIPSBURG--University of St. Martin (USM) outlined its dire financial situation on Wednesday, showing that the institution has been operating at an average deficit of some US $159,000 per annum over the past five years.

USM Manager of Finances and Operations Robert Budike painted the grim picture during a meeting of Parliament’s Permanent Committee on Education and Youth.

Budike suggested that an education surcharge similar to the St Read more

Delegation for IPKO departs for the Netherlands on Friday

>PHILIPSBURG:----  From May 27-29, 2015 delegations from the Parliaments of the Netherlands, Curaçao, Aruba and Sint Maarten will be meeting in The Hague, the Netherlands for the Inter-parliamentary Kingdom Consultations (IPKO).
The four parliamentary delegations will be discussing a number of issues that include the following: feedback from workgroup education (especially where DUO-study financing and repayment is concerned), workgroup energy matters, health care and the Health Care Conference to take place in Aruba June 1-4, 2015, workgroup youth affairs, workgroup economic opportunities, workgroup integrity and workgroup discrimination.
Integrity, dispute regulation and the draft initiative Kingdom Law to amend articles 14 and 38 of the Kingdom Charter of (former) Second Chamber Member Van Oven are also on the agenda to be discussed Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Hon. Marcel Gumbs opened the 10th Session of the Intergovernmental Coordination Group for the Tsunami and Other Coastal Hazards Warning System for the Caribbean and Adjacent Regions (ICG/CARIBE EWS-X) conference on Tuesday at Sonesta Great Bay Beach Resort, Casino and Spa.
The Government of Sint Maarten is proud to host this important regional meeting that has brought together disaster management officials from across the region Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---- Member of Parliament George Pantophlet has dispatched two letters to the Chairman of Parliament where he posed several questions regarding civil servants and other persons that currently working for the government of St. Maarten and those that have left. MP Pantophlet wants to know how many Ministries were filled in the last two years and by whom Read more

Family Reading Evening at the library

>PHILIPSBURG:---The Philipsburg Jubilee Library, in collaboration with the department of Social Services and Section Labor Market (SOD/SLM) have officially launched a new literacy program with a family reading evening that was held in the library. The family literacy evening was initiated to involve parents as well their children in a literacy event that is aimed toward promoting reading in general and encouraging parents to read to their children Read more