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Motion on constitutional referendum irresponsible

Dear Editor,

Wednesday, October 8, the Island Council of Statia passed a motion to hold a referendum preferably before the end of this year. The motion was tabled and passed by four against one vote (DP voted against). The referendum was not a point on the agenda, which, as is the custom, was made available to the public prior to the meeting. Also the motion was not even debated in the meeting

This practice alone already shows that the Council refuses to publicly debate this very important matter Read more

Sarah, Leona join UP/De Weever to form broad-based government

PHILIPSBURG--Outgoing Prime Minister and Democratic Party (DP) leader Sarah Wescot-Williams and United St. Maarten Party Member of Parliament (MP)-elect Leona Marlin-Romeo have joined the United People's (UP) party/De Weever coalition to form a broad-based government for 2014-2018.

The two new coalition members signed on to the existing UP/De Weever governing accord as "addendum two and three" on Thursday, paving the way for a majority of 10 seats in Parliament.

The news of, in particular, Marlin-Romeo joining the coalition comes after much speculation about this possibility taking place even after she publicly had denied any such intentions Read more

Union denounces ‘threatening’ photo of gun pointed at police car

~ Wants Prosecutor's Office to react ~

PHILIPSBURG--President of the police union NAPB Ephewoldus "Joe" Josepha has condemned the photo posted on Facebook showing someone in a vehicle aiming a handgun at a police patrol car.

The union views the photo as a "non-verbal threat" to the police force and its members and Josepha said NAPB will not take this "lightly."

"As president of the NAPB, I totally denounce this aggressive act towards the men and women in blue who faithfully put their lives on the line as they go out each day to serve and protect the general public," he said in a press statement issued Wednesday.

"We are the first line of defence for upholding law and order in this country and so this behaviour by a small group of criminals in our society, to threaten the safety of our police officers is absolutely unacceptable."

He had a direct message for the perpetrators Read more

NIA celebrates Culture, Arts and Icons.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- On Friday, October 10, from 6:30pm – 9pm, the John Larmonie Center, on Longwall Road, Philipsburg, will be transformed into a showcase of performances reflecting various aspects of arts and culture.
This is the second year that the NIACA (National Institute of Arts Culture & Arts) Festival will be celebrated. Last year the National Institute of Arts (NIA) also held such an event to observe its launch. The school will continue with this event on an annual basis in order to consistently highlight the salient role of culture and arts in the island's history.
"The NIACA Festival is a platform to celebrate the St Read more

>CAY HILL:--- The Open House at the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) on Saturday, October 4, 2014 reached remarkable numbers specifically to the women public.
One of the key objectives in the Open House was to raise Breast Cancer Awareness. Attendees at the Open House included Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams, Minister of Health Mr Read more

Sarah And Leona Joins Up Coalition Government {Updated}

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - As the newly elected members of Parliament prepare to take the oath of office on Friday morning, political shifts continue to take place.

Sxmislandtime.com has learnt that the leader of the DP Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams has decided to join the UP party in coalition to govern the island for the next four years.

It is also expected that the DP leader will also get the support of her new coalition partners to become the next President of Parliament.

Also said to be joining the UP coalition is Leona Marlin of the US party.

At 9:50 Friday morning the MPs Elect will take the oath of office at the Cabinet of the Governor.

A press release attributed to the UP leader the Honorable Theo Heyliger early Friday morning states below that;

Formateur Hon Read more

Dp-Candidate Bought Drugs From Suspect In Coke-Trial

St. Maarten – Octavio Ogando Garcia, who was a candidate on the list of the Democratic Party in the August 29 elections, bought cocaine from a suspect in a cocaine-trial on two different occasions. Yesterday Garcia appeared in the Court in First Instance as a witness at the request of attorney Brenda Brooks who defends Julissa M.-B Read more

Nia Celebrates Culture, Arts And Icons

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - On Friday, October 10, from 6:30pm – 9pm, the John Larmonie Center, on Longwall Road, Philipsburg, will be transformed into a showcase of performances reflecting various aspects of arts and culture.

This is the second year that the NIACA (National Institute of Arts Culture & Arts) Festival will be celebrated. Last year the National Institute of Arts (NIA) also held such an event to observe its launch. The school will continue with this event on an annual basis in order to consistently highlight the salient role of culture and arts in the island's history.

"The NIACA Festival is a platform to celebrate the St Read more

Editorial - Handle with care

The governing accord of the incoming UP/De Weever coalition announced in Wednesday's paper specifically mentions "finalising and implementing the changes in the Civil Code that regulate short-term labour contracts and finalising the process related to execution of Article 10 of the "Uitvoeringsbesluit arbeid vreemdelingen" as approved by the Council of Ministers on August 12, 2014 (the "Counterpart Policy")."

That's not really surprising, as the main reason current Labour Minister Cornelius de Weever gave for deciding to take his DP seat and form an alliance with UP was that the envisioned NA/DP/US Party government would not include the counterpart requirement in its programme Read more

Local politics and Ebola

Dear Editor,

I have been watching with interest at the present situation in Africa involving the Ebola virus, and the fact that it was carried to the United States via a simple plane trip. Medical personnel in Spain are protesting that they do have the physical apparatus to contain the virus now that a nurse has fallen victim while treating a patient who returned from Africa.

The authorities in the US have called for calm and maintain that they have the wherewithal to prevent a serious epidemic Read more

Nobel Prize for seeing how life works at molecular level

STOCKHOLM/LONDON--A German and two American scientists won the 2014 Nobel Prize for Chemistry on Wednesday for smashing the size barrier in optical microscopes, allowing researchers to see individual molecules inside living cells.

U.S. citizens Eric Betzig and William Moerner and Germany's Stefan Hell won the prize for using fluorescence to take microscopes to a new level, making it possible to study things like the creation of synapses between brain cells in real time.

"Due to their achievements the optical microscope can now peer into the nanoworld," the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences said as it awarded the 8 million crown ($1.1 million) prize.

Scientists, who have been looking down microscopes since the 17th century, had long thought there was a limit to what could be seen Read more

Havana sees no sign Obama will change policy on Cuba

HAVANA--Cuba has received no indication the Obama administration might change U.S. policy toward Cuba despite increasing support within the United States for closer ties, a top Cuban official said on Wednesday.

"We don't have those indications (of any policy change)," Josefina Vidal, chief of the Cuban foreign ministry's U.S. division, told reporters in Havana after attending a forum discussing the U.S Read more

Second Chamber ready to pass islands’ electoral law

THE HAGUE--The road has been cleared for the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament to approve the law proposal enabling non-Dutch nationals in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba to vote in the March 2015 Island Council elections and to also be elected into the Island Council until Island Council members acquire the right to co-elect the members of the First Chamber, the Senate, once the Dutch Constitution has been amended.

Voting on the law proposal to amend the Electoral Law (Kieswet) and the law regulating the public entities Bonaire, St Read more

Dock Maarten launches long-awaited expansion

POINTE BLANCHE--A long-awaited extension of Dock Maarten is underway, currently in the initial phase of expanding a breakwater, originally built in 1984. The project will entail creating a deeper basin for the facility that services ultra- or giga-yachts, which require deeper waters than that of the Simpson Bay Lagoon, and cannot always fit through the bridge width-wise.

The project will result in additional protection of boat slips belonging to the company as well as Bobby's Marina, said Dock Maarten Managing Director Brian Deher, who is heading the project with his father, Dock Maarten owner Michel Deher Read more

Proposals tabled at symposium to enhance situation of elderly

CAY HILL--Promoting the independent and assisted living of the elderly was one of three proposals made to enhance the situation of the ageing population in St. Maarten during the Symposium on Ageing held at the Belair Community Centre on Wednesday.

Social Development official Bernadette Barry, who presented the recommendations towards the end of the forum, said the elderly population would like to live as long as possible at home in the environment with which they are familiar. They do not want to be placed in a home Read more

UP willing to install neutral committee

~Law firm weighs in~

PHILIPSBURG--Sulvaran and Peterson law firm, which represents the United People's (UP) party led by Member of Parliament Theo Heyliger, has weighed in on the vote-buying case involving UP.

The firm said UP was willing to call a neutral committee when it takes office to "tackle this matter with all the political parties." The aim will be to "separate fact and fiction and, if necessary, to make recommendations."

The firm said, "Finding a correct balance with this topic will in itself be a challenge," but noted that it was something "local politics itself will have to tackle first Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- On Sunday October 5th, 2014 The official opening ceremony was held at the Melford Hazel Sports Complex in Sucker Garden.

The day was filled with an all female event to showcase the talented and educated girls and ladies on the island.

The opening ceremony started off with a wonderful march around the building lead by an all female cast of the Generation New Status Drum Band with all 5 teams which are Bush Tea Remedy, Lava Girlz, Learning Unlimited, Lightning and Thunderz and referees and table officials of LBC.

The program then started with a beautiful opening prayer by apostle Ms Read more

St. Maarten’s Chief Prosecutor off Island Indefinitely --- Prosecutors Office down to four while crime escalates.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- A press release from press Prosecutor Tineke Kamps stated that the country's Chief Prosecutor Erick Noordhoek is now off island for an indefinite period of time due to serious private circumstances in his family. Kamps said during Noordhoek's absence he will be replaced by Prosecutor Karola van Nie. It should be noted that while St. Maarten's Prosecutors Office has been crying out loud that they lack staff and that they are unable to conduct necessary investigations, the country's prosecutors are constantly off island or on vacation.
It is understandable that Noordhoek had to leave his post due to family related matters, however, it behooves the people of St Read more

Two Vehicles Turn Over Wednesday Night, Drivers Escape Without Injuries

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Seemingly it was another busy night for the St. Maarten police force Wednesday and not so much of a good night for MP the Honorable Roy Marlin.

The MP who was driving his jeep into Pointe Blanch late Wednesday evening, in the vicinity of the entrance to the St. Maarten Harbor Facility, had an accident after he tried to avoid hitting a white Ford Explorer that was driving in-front of him at the time.

According to the MP, the white jeep suddenly stopped at which point he initiated an evasive maneuver to avoid hitting the jeep.

He maneuvered to the left while slamming the brakes of his vehicle.

His wheels hit the rocks located on the opposite side of the rode causing his black Hyundai Santa Fe jeep to over turn.

The MP was checked out by Ambulance personnel who arrived on the scene of the jeep crash on Wednesday evening Read more

Court Puts Vorst-Ruling On Ice

Family has to wait for decision on appeal

St. Maarten – The government does not have to pay the Vorst-family immediately for the estate in Cay Hill for which Vromi-Minister Maurice Lake signed a purchase agreement for $5.5 million. On August 21, the Court in First Instance ruled in summary proceedings that the Vorst-family had a valid purchase agreement and that the country had to pay $3 million within four days and the remaining $2.5 million according to the contract Read more

Shta Appoints New Board Members

GREAT BAY – The St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA), elected a 15-strong new board during its second annual general meeting on September 30. New on the board are Debby Lind-Steyn, Managing Director at Aquamarina, Drs. Francio Guadeloupe, Dean of Academics at the University of St. Martin, Michael Cleaver, CEO at WINAIR, Jeffrey de la Combe, Island Manager at Tropical Shipping, and Jan Peter Holtland, Financial Controller at Windward Roads Read more

Cruise Conference Opens At Port Facility “St. Maarten Earned These Passengers”     

St. Maarten – Michele Paige, President of the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association, opened the 21st Annual FCCA Cruise Conference and Trade show Opening Ceremony last night at the Port of St. Maarten, saying, “The event comes with a lot of hard work. It’s with your hard work that the FCCA exists.” This is the second time St. Maarten has played host to the FCCA event. Kevin Sheehan, President and CEO, Norwegian Cruise Line/FCCA Chairman took the stage to discuss the cruise industry and St Read more

Theo Heyliger Confirms He Is The Next Prime Minister Of St. Maarten

St. Maarten – United People’s party leader Theo Heyliger confirmed in the Oral Gibbes Live TV-program on Monday that he will be the country’s next Prime Minister. While others on the UP-list may also take up a post in the new cabinet, Heyliger’s move makes it certain that the controversial candidate Maria Buncamper-Molanus will become a Member of Parliament.

If, as is to be expected, Franklin Meyers becomes the new minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs, Jules James will return to parliament for a second 4-year term.

“I made a promise to the population of St Read more

Editorial - Not for too long

There can be little doubt anymore that the announced UP/De Weever government will become a reality, now that UP leader Theodore Heyliger has been appointed "formateur" and a governing accord has been signed (see related article) Read more