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New coalition wants ministers to resign before talks on stability

PHILIPSBURG--Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs’ invitation to faction leaders in Parliament to meet separately with him today, Wednesday, in an attempt to get “support for solutions for stability in government” has been rebuffed by members of the new coalition in Parliament.

In response to Gumbs’ invitation to meet, faction leaders Members of Parliament (MPs) William Marlin (National Alliance), Sarah Wescot-Williams (Democratic Party), Frans Richardson (United St Read more

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Nobel winner: World must carry out UN slavery pledge

NEW DELHI--The new U.N. global development pact may have been a significant step towards ending human trafficking and slavery, but governments must now follow through on their pledge, Nobel Laureate Kailash Satyarthi said on Tuesday.
  Although slavery is illegal everywhere, almost 36 million people are enslaved worldwide - trafficked to brothels, forced into manual labour or victims of debt bondage, the Walk Free Foundation estimates. Last month, the 193 U.N. member states made ending modern-day slavery one of the United Nations' 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) which will shape development and poverty eradication efforts for the next 15 years.
  Satyarthi, an Indian whose charity Bachpan Bachao Andolan (Save the Childhood Movement) is credited with rescuing more than 80,000 enslaved children, welcomed adoption of the SDGs but said governments now had a responsibility to allocate adequate budgets and design suitable policies.
  "Freedom has always been considered a matter of human rights, but for the first time it has been acknowledged that without freedom there can be no development Read more

Tourism public relations firm’s contract in limbo

PHILIPSBURG--A tourism public relations (PR) company employed by St. Maarten Tourist Bureau has been caught in technical limbo during the ongoing political uncertainty.

However, despite the unwelcome news, its President Richard Kahn said it was still “actively representing the tourism interests of St. Maarten” and doing its “best to promote the destination.” This is despite also being owed money.

Kahn Travel Communications, or KTCpr, has not had its contract officially signed by Government and was told last week not to spend any money on behalf of the destination Read more

Eight is more than seven

Dear Editor

I read the PM's “weighing in on the political turmoil” and would like to comment.

In 2013, the United People’s (UP) party wanted to come into government and (rightfully so) proclaimed eight parliamentary seats to be more than seven. The battle between proponents of Article 33-2 and Article 59 ensued. Article 59 was invoked by the National Alliance (NA) led Wescot II cabinet, but lost Read more

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Parliament wants blueprint for Dispute Regulation by year end

THE HAGUE--The Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament wants the Dutch Government to achieve a blueprint for the Dispute Regulation (“geschillenregeling”) for the Kingdom together with the Dutch Caribbean countries before the end of 2015.

A majority of the Parliament supported the motion of Member of Parliament Roelof van Laar of the Labour Party PvdA urging the Dutch Government to continue efforts to solve the deadlock to establish a Dispute Regulation before the end of this year.

The motion, submitted during the handling of the draft 2016 Kingdom Relations budget last Thursday, called on government to use the May 2015 agreement of the Inter-Parliamentary Consultation for the Kingdom IPKO as a guideline Read more

Editorial - Deadlocked for now

Anybody expecting that the Parliament session on Tuesday to elect a new President and two Vice-Presidents might lead to some breakthrough in the current constitutional impasse between the new majority and the Gumbs cabinet was disappointed. Although both President Dr. Lloyd Richardson and First Vice-President Leona Marlin-Romeo had publicly made their positions available, they were not present and Second Vice-President Cornelius de Weever, part of the same former UP-led coalition, closed the proceedings as soon as they had begun, saying he needed legal clarification due to the Council of Ministers having passed a national decree to dissolve the legislature and hold snap elections.

The incoming NA/DP/UPS/Matser/Lake coalition did not appreciate this and called for an urgent new meeting about De Weever’s “illegal act” and its impact on the country’s democratic representation Read more

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PRESS RELEASE Council of Ministers invites Parliamentary Faction Leaders for a Meeting

PRESS RELEASE For Immediate Release: Tuesday, October 13, 2015/N163

Council of Ministers invites Parliamentary Faction Leaders for a Meeting on Finding Solutions for Stability in Government

PHILIPSBURG – Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, announced on Tuesday that he has extended an invitation to all parliamentary faction leaders for Wednesday, October 14th at the Government Administration Building Read more

Sams, Connor have no plans to resign

Ernest Sams and Claret Connor

PHILIPSBURG--Tourism and Economic Affairs Minister Ernest Sams says there’s “no truth whatsoever” to the rampant talk in the community on Tuesday about his supposed plan to resign from his post. 

  His colleague Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI Claret Connor has also batted down similar talk saying: “I respect this office and I will not get into any public debate” on “public melee.”

  The country, he continued, is “already dealing with the impasse” between Parliament and the

  Connor, who has been a minister since December 2014, added, “I was born and raised in Philipsburg Read more

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De Weever seeks legal advice, suspends Parliament meeting

PHILIPSBURG--Second Deputy Parliament Chairman Cornelius de Weever took charge of one of the shortest Parliament meetings in the country's history on Tuesday and effectively thwarted the new coalition's move to appoint a new chairperson and two deputy chairpersons of Parliament.
  The meeting for which nine Members of Parliament (MPs) signed in, lasted approximately a minute and nine seconds Read more

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Marlin-Romeo resigns as Vice-Chair of Parliament

PHILIPSBURG--Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Leona Marlin-Romeo has notified current Chairman of Parliament Dr. Lloyd Richardson and Secretaries-General (SGs) that effective immediately, the position she held as Vice-Chairperson is being made available.

Marlin-Romeo “duly notes that there is a new majority in Parliament and therefore, the appointment of the new chairmanship must transpire,” a press release said Read more

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Student launches two new recycling collection points

DAWN BEACH--In a cheerful unveiling ceremony, Bodine Beentjes, accompanied by Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI Claret Connor, celebrated the opening of two new recycling collection points on Saturday morning.

These will directly benefit residents of Dawn Beach Estates and Ocean View Terrace Read more

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Law Enforcement Council does not find any indications of class justice

PHILIPSBURG--The Prosecutor's Office in St. Maarten does not deal with high officials differently than with other citizens. That is the main conclusion of the Law Enforcement Council following the investigation concerning possible class justice by the Prosecutor's Office.

The investigation was launched after the ruling of the Court of First Instance in the so-called "Masbangu" vote-selling case, in which the Court ruled in August 2014 that the Prosecutor's Office, because of decisions made, had created the semblance of class justice.

In this case, the Prosecutor's Office had sought the conviction of five persons who had attempted to sell their vote to United People's (UP) party in the September 2010 election, whereas the party itself and its leadership were not prosecuted.

On appeal, which was heard in May 2015, the Joint Court arrived at the conclusion that the Judge at the Court of First Instance was erroneous and revoked the judgment of the Court of First Instance Read more

Supporters of new coalition plan peaceful protest Wed.

~ If govt. doesn’t resign by today ~

PHILIPSBURG--If the ministers in the Gumbs cabinet fail to make their positions available by today, Tuesday, supporters of the new majority coalition in Parliament plan to take to the streets in a peaceful protest tomorrow, Wednesday, to send a strong message to Government that they “cannot hold the country hostage any longer.”

The Daily Herald understands that the supporters of the new majority have given the Gumbs cabinet up to today to demit office, as a motion of no confidence against them was passed almost two weeks ago, on Wednesday, September 30 Read more

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Brazil's new middle class struggles as economy plunges

SAO BERNARDO DO CAMPO, Brazil--Until recently, Lucinelia de Jesus Souza's future seemed bright, running a small coffee shop that caters to factory workers and other blue-collar customers in this industrial suburb of São Paulo. But the faded pink counters of her shoebox-sized business, which opened a decade ago and blossomed as Brazil's economy grew quickly, now see fewer customers stopping in for coffee or deep-fried pastries.
  Her income has fallen by half since 2012, forcing the 43-year-old to cut the sort of spending that once heralded an emerging new consumer class in Latin America's biggest country Read more

Editorial - Its very existence

Wednesday's Central Committee of Parliament session to discuss a comprehensive approach to achieve short-term results against the current spate of crime is certainly timely in light of recent events (see related stories). Within the past week alone two armed robbers were shot dead by money transport security guards of whom one also was injured, someone fired several bullets into the cashier's window of a casino and made off with cash, while a man was gunned down at a pool bar in Cay Hill.

According to reports from Curaçao, the latter is believed to have been a gang member there of the No Limit Soldiers (NLS) in Koraal Specht who also was said to have been detained, but later released, for the fatal shooting of Jean-No Sanon in Cole Bay on October 27, 2014 Read more

PRESS RELEASE: NATIONAL ADDRESS BY PM GUMBS

My fellow St. Maarteners,

I want to address you now directly, after a week of political turmoil which has culminated in a constitutional crisis. The outcome of this crisis will determine the democratic future of St. Maarten. So it is extremely important that everyone, young and old, understand what it constitutes.

The legal nature of this crisis however is very complicated, although for some of us it seems to be so simple. You may have followed the discussions in the press Read more

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DP proposes short-term cabinet, electoral reform, election in a year

DP members Giselle York, Sarah Wescot-Williams (leader and MP) and Emil Lee.

PHILIPSBURG--Because snap elections will not solve ship-jumping amongst Members of Parliament, the Democratic Party (DP) says that if it boils down to elections having to be held in the country, the current majority coalition should be given a chance to appoint a “serious” cabinet for 12 months and mandate Parliament to complete electoral reform in a year so that this can be incorporated in the next elections.

DP leader Sarah Wescot-Williams said the party recognised that Governor Eugene Holiday was faced with two basic decisions Read more

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Editorial - No real change

As the constitutional impasse continues and people reflect on five years of country status, a remark made by NA leader William Marlin on Oral Gibbes Live caught the attention. He was talking about political instability and the phenomenon of “ship-jumping” that has been so prevalent since 10-10-10.

In his opinion a revision made to the electoral laws whereby seats – then in the Island Council and now in Parliament – are given out according to the number of individual votes and no longer according to positions on candidate lists has something to do with it Read more

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MOU to bring second-chance tertiary education opportunity

PHILIPSBURG--An initiative by I Am SXM Foundation/Education For Us All that aims to bring education opportunities to the youth, in particular those who are hard workers but are disadvantaged through circumstance, achieved a milestone on Friday with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with University of St. Martin (USM).

The MOU was signed in the presence of Education Minister Rita Bourne-Gumbs, the initiative’s first applicant Angela Brown and a number of representatives of each party.

The aim is to address a gap between students who may well be top performers and access to higher education, in particular when lack of the Dutch nationality gets in the way Read more

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PM weighs in on ‘political turmoil’

PHILIPSBURG--Prime Minister (PM) Marcel Gumbs issued a statement on Friday in which he weighed in on the current “political turmoil” that has gripped the country for just over a week since he and his cabinet members refused to make their positions available after Parliament passed a no-confidence motion against them on September 30.

In an address to the nation, Gumbs said the legal nature of the “crisis” was “very complicated,” and he wanted to “explain what is going on in plain St Read more

Parties disagree on course of action for Isla refinery

THE HAGUE--Curaçao’s Isla refinery makes people sick and is very bad for the environment. No disagreement on that during the handling of the draft 2016 Kingdom Relations budget earlier this week. However, parties in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament differ in opinion on the follow-up action.

The Democratic Party D66, the Socialist Party (SP) and the ChristianUnion pressed for quick, decisive action, and on Thursday presented two joint motions for a sustainable solution for the refinery Read more

Plasterk says he gave no order to Governor

THE HAGUE--Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk said on Thursday that he has not ordered St. Maarten Governor Eugene Holiday to sign the National Decree to dissolve the St. Maarten Parliament and to convene new elections.

Plasterk dispelled rumours in certain media that The Hague was the reason Governor Holiday had not signed the National Decree the Council of Ministers, led by Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, had sent to him last week following a motion of no confidence adopted by a majority of Members of Parliament.

"I didn't advise the Governor not to sign Read more

Kadaster manager occupying Conservator, Director roles

~Replacements expected at month-end~

PHILIPSBURG--Kadaster Manager Marcia Peterson has again, as of October 6, been sworn in as Acting Conservator of Mortgages (“Hypotheek Bewaarder”), as well as Acting Director – both roles held by Clemens Roos who was arrested June 24 on request of the Netherlands, but returned on August 18, after the Dutch Prosecutor’s Office granted a requested postponement of his sentence.

The postponement was meant to last until the expiration of his contract with the Kadaster, to “contribute to the Kadaster’s continuity,” as his attorney put it Read more

Major UN treaty comes into force, SIDS leaders say they ‘will not be left behind’

NEW YORK, USA--September 30, 2015, is etched in the history books of the United Nations (UN), observing the announcement of the entry into force of the SIDS DOCK Treaty, and the legal recognition of this historic intergovernmental sustainable energy and climate resilience organisation established by heads of state and government of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in 2009, in order to help finance climate change adaptation through the transformation of their countries to low carbon economies.

Against the background of the ceremony of the establishment of SIDS DOCK, and uppermost in the minds of the hundreds of people who packed the 500-seat Conference Room 4 of the UN’s North Lawn Building, was the terrible devastation in the Caribbean island of Dominica, caused by Tropical Storm Ericka in August 2015, which was also an historic and unprecedented hydro-meteorological event for Dominica and SIDS.

The obvious absence of the chair of the SIDS DOCK Steering Committee Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit was noted in the opening remarks by Dr Read more