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Editorial - Collective responsibility

With all the current talk about a so-called counterpart policy, Friday's report that the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) will be holding discussions with University of St. Martin (USM) and other educational institutions should not go unnoticed. Exploring synergies between the local tourism industry and education on the island certainly seems a worthwhile endeavour, as UP fraction member Maurice Lake also noted during yesterday's second round of questions on the 2015 budget in the Central Committee of Parliament.

The complaint that too few jobs become available for inhabitants is nothing new and sparked the initiative to restrict the hiring of foreigners even further than is already the case, by requiring a local counterpart when a permit for such is granted Read more

For St. Maarten or not for St. Maarten

Dear Editor,

I believe that all of these people including myself who voice their opinion do it with a purpose. My purpose is for the betterment of life on St. Maarten. If life gets better it will be better for me also. Simple as that.

Over the years too many of us would say how it should not be and go to lengths to explain why it should not be. This is also the case with the counterpart issue. Laws are written because someone realizes that something is not going well and in that spirit is motivated to correct it and puts a law together with that intention.

Also someone gets an idea how to better an existing situation and again in that spirit writes a law which goes through the procedures and is finally approved and ratified Read more

Senior US diplomat ruffles Cuba by meeting dissidents

HAVANA--A senior U.S. diplomat in Cuba for negotiations on restoring long-frozen diplomatic relations met a group of dissidents on Friday, seeking to underline Washington's concern over human rights but irritating the island's communist government.

U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Roberta Jacobson, the highest-ranking U.S. government official to visit the island in nearly 40 years, held a breakfast meeting with the dissidents a day after talks with Cuban government officials Read more

State to intensify efforts to reduce crime in 2015

MARIGOT--Prefet Philippe Chopin delivered the traditional New Year's address at a large gathering in the Prefecture on Wednesday evening covering a range of topics that included youth, unemployment, crime and delinquency, cooperation and finances.

Dutch-side Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs and Governor Eugene Holiday were in attendance.

It was not unexpected that the Prefet would begin with crime and delinquency, prefacing his address with an homage to the 17 persons who died in the terrible events of January 7 and 8 in Paris.

Noting a drop in general delinquency in St Read more

Harbour debts stand at US $202.2 million

POINTE BLANCHE--St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies had some US $202,252,000 in debts as of December 2014. This is the total of the figures given to Parliament by Tourism and Economic Affairs Minister Claret Connor on Friday in response to questions from Members of Parliament posed in the first round of debate on the draft 2015 budget.

The harbour has a bond loan from the Central Bank of Curaçao and St Read more

Budget heads to plenary session of Parliament

PHILIPSBURG--The Central Committee meeting of Parliament on the 2015 budget wrapped up late Friday night after a marathon session that started at 10:00am. The budget will now head to a plenary session of Parliament for final handling and voting. The meeting originally started on Thursday morning and was suspended on that night after Members of Parliament posed questions to the Council of Ministers.

The plenary session of Parliament is slated for next week.

Government needs to meet the deadline of January 31 for the establishment of the budget Read more

Some 1,075 addresses registered in country

PHILIPSBURG--The country has a total of 1,075 street addresses registered at the Civil Registry, Department of Statistics STAT and the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI. However, only 713 addresses match in all three databases.

The difference of the 362 street addresses is being investigated, Prime Minister/General Affairs Minister Marcel Gumbs told Parliament in the continuation of the Central Committee meeting on the draft 2015 budget on Friday Read more

2015 Draft Budget is not the budget for current Coalition Government --- "This is a matter of procedures to avoid instruction."

style="text-align: left;">PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament Franklin Meyers and the leader of the United Peoples Party (UPP) Theodore Heyliger made clear in their presentation to Parliament on Thursday that the draft 2015 budget is not a budget that would reflect the Governing Program of the current coalition government.
MP Meyers called on Members of Parliament to come together despite their political differences and secure St Read more

Response De Weever re Counterpart Policy

Dear Editor,

I read MP De Weever's press release re The Counter Part Policy in the papers and on-line news media of January 22, and while I am the furthest thing from being a literary scholar, I believe there was a line from Macbeth by Shakespeare that is applicable here, and goes like this: "... a tale, told by an idiot, full of sound and fury, signifying nothing!".

The MP's explanation of his efforts and intentions related to the Counterpart Policy are basically thus summed up. Not only does the "tale" fail to include useful information about the policy (or law, as he suggests it is), but the MP's story also makes clear to me, that he for one is a politician who believes that if he spews enough venom, makes enough noise and bends enough truth, he can misdirect the attention of the public from his own professional failings.

Nationalistic rhetoric and shouts of "saving our people" while scoffing and demonization what he calls "special interests" and businesses, may be all well and good in MP De Weever's world of politics Read more

The Emilio Wilson Estate St. Maarten’s Heritage in peril

Dear Editor,

A number of people have called me over the past two days to express their frustration regarding the most recent turn of events in what some are now calling the Emilio Wilson Estate Saga.

The news as featured in the local media announcing that Rain Forest Adventures (RFA) has obtained or will soon obtain the long lease to Emilio Wilson Estate is of course extremely worrisome. The Honourable Prime Minister Gumbs' (a gentleman I hold in high regard) statement in the media yesterday that "no long-lease has been granted to Rain Forest Adventures" and that he has "not signed anything for or granted anything" does nothing to decrease my concerns Read more

Lynch’s attorney requests injunction against Bloem

PHILIPSBURG--According to a leaked legal document, St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF) Director Henry Lynch's Attorney Cindy Marica, in defence of her client, has requested an injunction on January 16 against SMHDF, St. Maarten Housing Finance Foundation (SMHFF) and attorney Jairo Bloem for undue/unjustified suspension, and unrightfully taking a bag and other personal possessions.

In the injunction request to the Court of First Instance, Bloem was also blasted for writing an explanatory press release on the case which Marica called "incorrect" and "unjust." The case has caused "enormous damage" to his reputation, she argued.

The request calls for a public apology and correction, and suggested a penalty of some US $1,000 daily in the case of non-compliance Read more

Silvio Matser files for appeal against tax-fraud conviction

PHILIPSBURG--United People's (UP) party Member of Parliament (MP) and local businessman Silvio Matser has filed for appeal against his tax-fraud conviction at the Court of First Instance.

Matser's lawyer, attorney-at-law Cor Merx, confirmed that his client had filed for appeal.

The Court on January 7, sentenced the first-term MP to 24 months, 18 of which were suspended, on three years' probation and 240 hours of community service Read more

Lake wants to raise fees on remittances

PHILIPSBURG--Increase the one-per-cent foreign exchange levy to five per cent for remittances to bring in more government revenues, suggested United People’s (UP) party Member of Parliament Maurice Lake in the Central Committee meeting of Parliament on Thursday.

“Everybody must pay their fair share, and this is one way to tap into this sector, where hundreds of thousands, if not millions, leave the country annually for other islands or countries,” Lake said in the meeting dealing with the draft 2015 budget Read more

Hassink delivers another ‘skeleton budget’ to MPs

PHILIPSBURG--Finance Minister Martin Hassink again has presented what he calls "a skeleton budget" to Parliament. The draft 2015 budget, now under discussion in the Central Committee of Parliament, stands at NAf. 445 million, some NAf. 19 million off the amount projected by the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT.

Hassink told Parliament Thursday morning that CFT wanted government to "compensate" the previous years' accumulated budget deficits Read more

‘Integrity Chamber must be free of political influence’

THE HAGUE--Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk wants to be sure that the independent position of the Integrity Chamber is entirely safeguarded. In his opinion, the current version of St. Maarten's national ordinance to establish the Integrity Chamber doesn't completely secure its independent position, because the ultimate responsibility lies with the St. Maarten Parliament.

"I fear that the independence is not entirely secured if it is anchored in a national ordinance, because the Parliament of St Read more

Emmanuel not happy 2015 budget in Dutch

PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel voiced his discontent about the 2015 draft budget being presented to Parliament in Dutch. He has "mixed feelings" about handling the budget, because he does not know the budget's content.

The majority of the country speaks English, the first-term MP said in the Central Committee meeting of Parliament dealing with the budget in Parliament House on Thursday Read more

William agrees with CFT’s lower budget assessment

PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) leader Member of Parliament (MP) William Marlin says his party agrees with the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT estimate of the draft budget. CFT has tagged the budget at NAf Read more

MP Matser and Energizer Appeal Verdict --- Attorney at Law Cor Merx.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Attorney at Law Cor Merx said in an invited comment that Member of Parliament Silvio Matser and his company Energizer N.V. has appealed the verdict that was rendered on January 7th, 2015 by the Court of First Instance against him and Energizer N.V.
Merx said that MP Silvio Matser will remain a Member of Parliament since the crimes under which Matser was convicted is not listed in article 50 of the country's constitution.
Merx said that article 50 is a two prong article which states that any Member of Parliament that is convicted under a list of crimes will lose his membership Read more

2015 Draft Budget not Realistic – Council of Advice.

style="text-align: center;">Governing Accord, NIPA, AUC and SMMC highlighted in Budget Debate

PHILIPSBURG:--- The central committee meeting held on Thursday to debate the 2015 draft budget was intense as several Members of Parliament even those supporting the coalition asked various questions on the Naf. 445M draft budget that was presented to them for discussion.
Member of Parliament Leona Marlin in her presentation said that she agrees with her colleague MP Sarah Wescot Williams who highlighted that the Council of Advice already indicated to government that the draft budget for 2015 is not realistic Read more

Gebe Moving To Reduce Fuel Surcharge

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - In light of a continuous decrease in oil prices globally, GEBE is now taking steps to decrease the fuel clause.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, management of the company said that "the trickledown effect of these decreases takes an average 45 days before consumers can enjoy some much-needed relief.

This means based on present trends, by February's billing period, consumers will experience further relief." "The main objective of GEBE is always to ensure that the fuel clause is as low as possible," GEBE Chief Operations Officer and Managing Board President Romelio Maduro said.

According to data provided, prices have dropped and will continue to do so Read more

Parliament Handles 2015 Draft Budget

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The 2015 draft budget was debated in the House of Parliament Thursday.

The draft 2015 National Budget is set at Naf.445.000.000 with investments and capital goods set at Naf.111.031.451.

Whilst speaking on the floor of parliament earlier on Thursday, Member of Parliament and leader of the National Alliance, the Honorable Read more

Demand For Report About Bureau Telecommunication And Post: Btp-Statement Exasperates Mp Sarah Wescot-Williams

St. Maarten – Democratic Party MP Sarah Wescot-Williams has reacted rather exasperated at the press release the Bureau Telecommunication and Post (BTP) sent to the media just before the weekend. In the release, the BTP-board denies fraud-allegations and claims that the responsible minister (the now departed Ted Richardson) has failed to provide integrity-researchers with the appropriate information, even though this information is available.

“Events in rapid succession are demanding Parliament’s attention,” Wescot-Williams writes in a press release, “and government is called to respond with equal urgency.”

The DP-MP notes that the BTP has been created by law to execute a public task and that it is considered an independent organization Read more

Gumbs Reiterates Integrity Is Top Priority; Submits Notifications Of Assets To Council

St. Maarten —Three days before the legally stipulated deadline, Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs submitted to the Council of Advice the written declarations and notifications (assets/holdings, secondary positions/interests) of the new ministers as well as those of the ministers of the former cabinet in accordance with the National Ordinance Promotion of the Integrity of Ministers (Landsverordening Integriteitbevordering Ministers).

The law stipulates that these declarations were to be submitted within 30 days from when the ministers were sworn in and accepted the appointment as a minister and within 30 days of the date on which the former ministers ceases to be a minister.

“We have stated on previous occasions that the integrity of the administration and integrity in general is a top priority for this cabinet Read more

Gumbs To Wescott-Williams: Screening Happened Under Your Tenure

St. Maarten —Current Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs has pointed out to former Prime Minister that the screening of candidate ministers was done under her tenure and that since taking office he has not made any statements regarding the role of the Dutch Secret Service in the screening process.

The Prime Minister responded, via official letter, to the questions by former Prime Minister and Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams as submitted to the Chairman of Parliament via letter dated January 13.

“It should be noted that I am not accountable for statements of Minister Plasterk or for publications of the media Read more