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Prime Minister Gumbs Expresses Condolences To The Hooft Family And The Civil Servant Corps

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – Hon. Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs Marcel Gumbs expresses his deepest sympathy to the family of Pieter Hooft, a civil servant who worked with the Government of Sint Maarten for more than 25-years.

"My condolences on behalf of the Council of Ministers also go out to civil service corps of country Sint Maarten Read more

Ministry Of Public Health Cps Adds Hand-Held Foggers To Mosquito Fighting Arsenal

GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – In order to secure the continuous mitigation of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito population in the aim to minimize the number of dengue and chikungunya and possibly in the future, the zika virus, the Collective Prevention Services (CPS), a department in the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour (Ministry VSA), has added four hand-held foggers to eliminate adult mosquito's.

The hand-held foggers are to ensure an effective response, but the population still has a major responsibility to eliminate mosquito breeding grounds in and around their homes and businesses to prevent the spread of mosquito-borne diseases.

A work visit in the past by the Caribbean Public Health Agency (CARPHA) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) at the request of Sint Maarten's Ministry of Public Health, resulted in a number of recommendations being made to improve the vector management and surveillance in order to make financial investments in obtaining additional resources.

The recommendations included setting up mosquito traps at the harbour and within the community; acquisition of hand-held fogging machines; and the hiring of additional staff for field work.

The hand-held foggers will be used when reports are received of large mosquito populations are a particular address Read more

Sxm Services Provider Not Paid For Services Rendered By Gebe

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Local Public Relations and Marketing Company SXM Services Provider has issued a release stating that the Supervisory Board of NV GEBE must first clean up their own mess and ensure that COO R. Maduro pays the bills he has for services he requested on behalf of NV GEBE.

Our company is duly registered and has provided all information requested by the Management Team, since it learnt that the Supervisory Board started questioning how it was possible that a local company got to make money from NV GEBE when so many international consultancy firms are out there.

SXM Services Provider says it was contracted early this year, first to provide media and public relations services to help turn around what was believed to be a negative image of GEBE, likely created by alleged mismanagement and the high cost of energy Read more

Up Board Congratulates Hiro Shigimoto

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The board of the United People's Party (UP) wishes to congratulate Hiro Shigimoto on his full acquittal from all charges by the Court of First Instance on Thursday.

"This is a clear indication of vindication as we know this has been a long judicial journey," the UP board declared.

Hiro Shigimoto was a former Minister of Finance Hiro Shigimoto under a UP supported government.

"We strongly believe this positive news will be well received by his family and longstanding well-wishers," the UP board added.

"May Mr Read more

Parliaments discuss joint integrity norms

THE HAGUE--The Parliaments of Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten and the Netherlands debated on Wednesday about establishing parameters for common norms to safeguard and improve integrity of the governments in the Dutch Kingdom.

In the presence of Dutch National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen, the delegations talked about the importance of integrity, how integrity is perceived in the Kingdom and how to achieve more integrity in the governments and parliaments of the Kingdom.

Integrity is about one’s own behaviour, being transparent and consistent in one’s actions, said Van Zutphen Read more

We are missing the point

Dear Editor,

I was shocked to read in the editorial of The Daily Herald on Saturday, May 23, 2015 that it will better serve St. Maarten maybe to have five ministers as a matter of cutting the expenses for the Country.

You know what, the editor may well be right in his assumption from the point of departure that they are even with the five not achieving any noteworthy improvement or should I say changes that serve this Community as a whole and his experience with the present ministers.

However, with all that said, our constitution explicitly says what constitutes an Executive Government for this Country and it also provides directives if and when we see the need to carry out any changes.

Mr Read more

WICSU/PSU election Fri, two to vie for presidency

PHILIPSBURG--Windward Islands Civil Servants Union/Private Sector Union (WICSU/PSU) members will vote for a new Executive Board during elections scheduled for this Friday, May 29, from 7:00am to 4:00pm.

The election will be held at the WICSU/PSU office on the Walter Nisbeth Road (Pondfill Road). Two persons have so far signalled their intention to contest the presidency's post: senior civil servant Denisio Conner and former Deputy Minister Plenipotentiary Henrietta Doran-York Read more

Abolition of slavery celebrated with speeches, song and dance

MARIGOT--The 167th anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery was commemorated Wednesday at the Agrément roundabout with Lady Liberty looking on approvingly as the scourge of slavery was re-enacted in dance, music and the spoken word by various performers.

Despite an overcast sky threatening rain, only a little came down from time to time but umbrellas were ready.

The audience comprising the entire Territorial Council, Préfet Philippe Chopin, MP Daniel Gibbs, former Mayor Albert Fleming, Economic and Cultural Council President Georges Gumbs, and representatives from the district councils were all seated under a tent to watch the activities.

The ceremony was opened by Malaïka Maxwell singing the song "when you believe" by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston before Percussionist Hélier Coquillas called out the freedom fighters with a conch shell and remained to provide the drumming for the different segments.

President of the Territorial Council Aline Hanson said in her address the commemoration is an opportunity to remember the big sacrifices made by the ancestors for freedom.

"Today we celebrate this freedom and all the people who fought body and soul to liberate our islands and get this precious freedom Read more

‘Sensitive’ answers on harbour security contract now submitted

PHILIPSBURG--Written answers to “sensitive” questions posed by Parliament concerning the hefty rise in fees paid by St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies (SHGC) to Checkmate security company were submitted to Parliament on Tuesday, May 26, some days past the deadline of Thursday, May 21.

MPs will review the answers during the coming days and any form of follow-up is yet to be determined, pending the review. Although the answers had been submitted, Members of Parliament had not yet received them in hand by Wednesday, and six MPs being busy with meetings in the Netherlands at the moment probably will cause some more delay.

Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) and shareholder representative for the harbour Claret Connor said during a meeting of the Central Committee of Parliament on the matter on Thursday, May 7, that due to the sensitivity of information he would provide specific answers to Parliament in writing within two weeks.

The long-awaited meeting on May 7, which already had been a postponement, ultimately proved fruitless and left MPs and Chairman Lloyd Richardson annoyed at its ineffectiveness Read more

Islands want individual membership of WTO

THE HAGUE--The possibilities of individual membership of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for the Dutch Caribbean countries will be looked at, as well as the development status of the islands so they might make use of facilities for developing countries.

That was one of the proposals that were made at Wednesday's Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultations, IPKO, which started off in The Hague. Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten are now a member of the WTO through the Netherlands, which means that the three countries can't make use of WTO funds and expertise because the Netherlands is considered a developed country.

Member of the Curaçao Parliament Alex Rosaria of the PAIS party said that the membership through the Netherlands presented obstacles for the islands Read more

Kingdom Parliaments kick off three-day consultations

THE HAGUE--The Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultations IPKO kicked off in The Hague Wednesday morning with the opening speeches of the President of the First Chamber of the Dutch Parliament Ankie Broekers-Knol and the delegation leaders of the Parliaments of Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten.

Broekers-Knol and the three delegation leaders, Marisol Lopez-Tromp of Aruba, Mike Franco of Curaçao and Leona Marlin-Romeo of St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (Ministry TEATT) Honorable Claret Connor earlier this week attended an oath-taking ceremony of civil servants from the Ministry TEATT that took place in the A. C. Wathey Legislative Hall.
The oath-taking complies with the regulation that all civil servants must take the oath in order to receive their National Decree and be appointed as a civil servant of the national government administration body.
Oath-taking is also an integral part of the integrity system of the Government of Sint Maarten Read more

Foreign Direct Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean: Focus on the Caribbean

>PHILIPSBURG:---- FDI is a source of investment and employment. It can allow the transfer of technology and skills and knowledge from the FDI source country to the FDI recipient country. It provides funds to make up for a capital shortfall in the home country. And, very importantly, it is a source of foreign exchange.
FDI coming into the Caribbean
Now, why do investors come to the Caribbean? There are three basic reasons. First, resource seeking – investors seek access to natural resources Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---- Member of Parliament George Pantophlet is calling on the Minister of Finance Martin Hassink to speed up the process of integrating the St. Maarten Receiver and the St. Maarten Inspectorate of Taxes. The delaying of this process is causing the tax payers of St. Maarten unnecessary frustration and hardship when it comes to the services provided by these two departments Read more

style="text-align: center;">PM now investigating Bidding Process.

Airport: --- The board and management of the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIAE) was given three weeks to provide a number of documents to the Acting Minister of VROMI and Prime Minister of St. Maarten Marcel Gumbs before he would take a decision on issuing the building permits for the construction of the Fixed Based Operations (FBO) project at PJIAE and the Fire Station Read more

Minister Connor Attends Another Oath-Taking Ceremony Of Civil Servants Describing Oath-Taking An Integral Part Of The Country's Integrity System

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (Ministry TEATT) Honorable Claret Connor earlier this week attended an oath-taking ceremony of civil servants from the Ministry TEATT that took place in the A. C. Wathey Legislative Hall.

The oath-taking complies with the regulation that all civil servants must take the oath in order to receive their National Decree and be appointed as a civil servant of the national government administration body.

Oath-taking is also an integral part of the integrity system of the Government of Sint Maarten.

The civil servants were read their oath in both English and Dutch, and thereafter they made their pledge and Minister Connor pinned them with the national Coat of Arms of the country Read more

Up Board Denounces Statements On Smn-News Website

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The United People's Party (UP) board recently met to discuss a number of pressing issues inclusive of a recent statement found on the online news site SMN-News.

"We the board of the UP board would like to denounce a recent statement made on one of the local online media outlets Read more

Ministers of government do not make mistakes

Dear Editor,

I read an article on MP Maurice Lake and wanted to compare reports, but that was not possible. Mr. Lake stated that he had made mistakes in the past, but that people learn from their mistakes. The term that is used in this case is cliché. Ministers of government do not make mistakes. They accept to do whatever is done in the way that it is done and not in the way that it should be done Read more

Eruption in Paradise is a dud

PHILIPSBURG—Forty-two rounds, including five professional bouts of which three were to be title fights have been postponed… again. Eruption in Paradise had been slated for April, was pushed to May 30 and now is tentatively set for July 4.
  “We promised a full card, said promoter Bobby Ottley at a press conference at Jump up Casino Tuesday.  “We decided it was all or nothing.”
  According to Ottley the fighters were ready to battle but their paperwork was not up to date.
  “We operate under strict guidelines, said Ottley of BOSE promotions Read more

Collectivité addresses grievances after unrest at Cul-de-Sac School

MARIGOT--A delegation of Collectivité and education officials met with parents at the Cul-de- Sac Primary School on Tuesday morning in an attempt to explain the reasoning and functioning of the “carte scolaire”, the system of allocating a school based on where the child lives.

A collective of some 15 angry parents, who claim the system is not managed properly, locked the school gates with a padlock on Friday. Parents cannot understand that if their children live in Cul-de Sac why they are sent to school in Grand Case, or why children in Orient Bay are sent to school in Marigot instead of French Quarter etc.

Some parents had also accused the principal of the school of slapping misbehaving children and reported this to the Gendarmerie, which subsequently opened an investigation and interviewed some of the pupils Read more

Coalition loses majority in Senate by two seats

THE HAGUE--As expected, the Dutch coalition cabinet has lost its majority in the Dutch Parliament's First Chamber, forcing it to look outside the three friendly opposition parties for support.

The 570 members of the 12 provincial councils in the Netherlands cast their votes for the First Chamber on Tuesday, meaning the make-up of the First Chamber reflects the results of March's provincial vote.

After the vote, the ruling conservative VVD remains the biggest party in the 75-member Senate with 13 seats, a loss of three compared with four years ago.

Centre-democrat D66 is second with 10 seats after this party doubled its 2011 total.

The anti-immigration Party for Freedom PVV and the Socialist Party (SP) now both have nine seats, while junior coalition partner Labour PvdA has eight seats after its loss of six.

The minor religious parties ChristenUnie and SGP, which together with D66 prop up the coalition in the First Chamber, respectively won three and two seats Read more

Charlotte Brookson Academy to relocate from USM year end

~ LaBega saddened by MP's remarks ~

PHILIPSBURG--Charlotte Brookson Academy (CBA) of the Performance Arts will be relocating from its current home at the University of St. Martin (USM) to another location at the end of the year.

USM Dean of Academics and Interim President Dr. Francio Guadeloupe said the contract between CBA and USM ends in June and the tertiary institution has given CBA until December to find another suitable location.

CBA has been occupying classrooms at USM since it first opened its doors almost three years ago to provide education for students with a strong interest in the arts and with a strong focus on academics.

A source close to CBA said the intention was never for the school to be permanently housed at USM Read more

St. Maarten Parliament annoyed over protocol

THE HAGUE--The days of St. Maarten’s Justice Minister Dennis Richardson may very well be numbered now that he has signed a protocol with the Dutch Government to establish an independent Integrity Chamber for St. Maarten and to strengthen the island’s law enforcement sector. Members of the St. Maarten Parliament are not accepting that Parliament is being sidetracked in the protocol.

The protocol Minister Richardson and Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk signed on Saturday states that the St Read more

>AMSTERDAM/PHILIPSBURG:--- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson is in the hot seat now that he has signed an agreement with the Minister of Interior and Foreign Affairs Ronald Plasterk to install an integrity chamber on St. Maarten, especially since Minister Richardson chose to place the Parliament of St. Maarten in an awkward position by placing a deadline on Parliament to approve the national ordinance by June 30th. Minister Richardson gave his Dutch counterpart the best part of the deal regarding the Integrity Chamber of St Read more