SXMElections.com

Editorial - Good advice

With all the excitement over the elections, comments in Monday's paper by the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) on the proposed change in the Civil Code to tackle the abuse of short-term employment contracts should not go unnoticed. SHTA says this will prohibit practically all defined-term contracts and only make the labour market more rigid.

Candidates of various political parties campaigned on the issue, including current Minister of Health, Labour and Social Affairs Cornelius de Weever (DP) Read more

WICLU: GEBE elderly relief is discriminatory

~ Says all consumers deserve relief ~

PHILIPSBURG--Windward Islands Chamber of Labour Unions (WICLU) wants utilities company GEBE to provide non-discriminatory relief across the board to all of its consumers instead of just a select few.

WICLU First Vice-President Claire Elshot said that while the temporary six-month relief GEBE offered qualifying senior citizens was "all good and well," this approach was discriminatory. Elshot contended that GEBE's concession stipulated that it should not have discriminatory practices.

She said many consumers were in need of relief and urged GEBE to extend non-discriminatory relief to all workers, who are also consumers Read more

Editorial - No-brainer

Several votes registered as invalid in Friday’s election were declared valid on closer examination Wednesday. It directly impacted the final outcome, as Johan “Janchi” Leonard ended up with two more votes and tied Maria Buncamper with 204 votes, but because he was higher on the UP list (#7), he now will go to Parliament instead of her, as she was #21.

Candidates of all parties except OSPP had requested recounts during the Main Voting Bureau’s public meeting, to verify the results, but it was decided to review only the invalid votes Read more

Delinquency among several topics discussed by Préfet

MARIGOT--Préfet Philippe Chopin, at a press conference Wednesday, disclosed an inspection mission had been requested through the Préfète of Guadeloupe Marcelle Pierrot and the prosecution service to study St. Martin's effectiveness in fighting delinquency, to evaluate policies for combating delinquency, and evaluate the extent of the circulation of weapons.

The mission comprised eight persons: two from Inspection Générale de L'Administration (IGA) from the Ministry of the Interior; two from Inspection Générale of the Gendarmerie Nationale (IGGN); one from Inspection Générale de la Police Nationale (IGPN); two from Inspection Générale des Services Judiciares (IGSJ), and a Préfet from the Cabinet of the Prime Minister specialised in delinquency prevention.

Although a meeting was held in the Préfecture with the delegation on Monday, September 1, it was not clear how long the mission had been in St Read more

Johan Leonard Squeezes Past Buncamper-Molanus Into Parliament

“Mister 7-UP” sends rival home

St. Maarten – Maria Buncamper-Molanus will not become a member of the new Parliament after all. After the Central Voting Bureau had scrutinized yesterday all the ballots the twenty polling stations had deemed invalid, it found two valid votes that went to Johan Leonard Read more

Central Voting Bureau Meets, Friday's Invalid Votes Recounted

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The Main Voting Bureau meet on Wednesday morning at the Government Administration Building to conduct an analysis of Friday's voting exercise.

The members of the Bureau recounted the votes cast on Friday during the first Parliamentary Election for Country St. Maarten.

This was based on numerous complaints filed by candidates of the various political parties that took part in the Parliamentary elections with the exception of the OSPP party.

MP Johan "Janchie" Leornard of the UP party and Jacinto Mock of the Social Reform Party, filed official complaints with the Central Voting Bureau.

During the recount session on Wednesday there was a fierce race between former Minister Maria Buncamper Molanus and MP Johan "Janchie" Leonard Read more

Nia Set To Open School Year With New Classes

PHILPSBURG, St. Maarten — The National institute of Arts (NIA) reopened for the 2014-2015 school year on Monday, September 1 with a full roster of established and new classes at the John Larmonie Center.

Classes being offered for the new school year include Ballet, Modern, Creative, Jazz, Musical Theatre, Afro-Caribbean, African, Folk Dance, Hip Hop, Modern, Brain Dance, Yoga, Pilates, Conditioning, Bharatanayam, Belly Dance, Capoeira, Zumba ,Sound Engineering, Art of Laughter, Performance Skills, Drummer, and Choir Read more

Pregnancy Market 2014

~ Focus on the fathers ~

In an effort to encourage, motivate and support fathers in their parenting role, the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development, and Labour (VSA) will be hosting its third Annual Pregnancy Market on Saturday, September 6, at National Institute for Performance Arts (NIPA) in Cay Hill next to Asha Stevens Hillside Christian School from 10:00am to 3:00pm.

This year's Pregnancy Market will be used as a vehicle to highlight and emphasize the importance of a father's involvement in the life of a child from the onset of pregnancy and beyond Read more

Parliament urged to handle budget matters

THE HAGUE/PHILIPSBURG--The Committee for Financial Supervision CFT has urged the Parliament of St. Maarten to make haste with the handling of a number of budgetary documents, including the first amendment of the 2014 budget.

In a letter to St. Maarten's Finance Minister Martin Hassink dated August 26, CFT Chairman Age Bakker pointed out that Parliament for a while now has had various budgetary documents in its possession, but that these were "not given priority for reasons unknown to the CFT."

These documents include the first 2014 budget amendment and the annual accounts 2010/2011 and 2012 Read more

Parliamentary year closes on Monday

PHILIPSBURG--Parliamentary year 2013-2014 will close on Monday with a plenary meeting of Parliament starting at 10:00am in Parliament House. The meeting will be one of the last to be chaired by outgoing President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell (United People's party).

The new Parliamentary year 2014-2015 will be opened by Arrindell in a solemn ceremony on Tuesday Read more

Governor requests Marlin to form govt

HARBOUR VIEW--Governor Eugene Holiday has requested that National Alliance (NA) leader incumbent Member of Parliament William Marlin form a new government for the country as "formateur." The Governor, based on the results of two days of consultations, met with Marlin Tuesday to make his request Read more

Market-style reforms widen racial divide in Cuba

HAVANA--Cuba's experiment with free-market reforms has unintentionally widened the communist-led island's racial divide and allowed white Cubans to regain some of the economic advantages built up over centuries.

Under President Raul Castro, who took over from his brother Fidel Castro in 2008, Cuba has expanded its non-state workforce, loosened travel restrictions and promoted private cooperatives and small businesses Read more

Editorial - Horse’s mouth

Party leader Theo Heyliger deserves credit for reacting in a mature way to UP being left out of government despite winning the election with seven seats (see Tuesday paper), as a result of the quickly-formed NA/DP/US coalition totalling eight seats Read more

Population Requested To Step Up Measures To Mitigate Mosquito Population

GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – The Collective Preventive Services (CPS), a government agency under the Ministry of Public Health, is appealing to resident's country wide to step up measures at homes and businesses to mitigate the Aedes Aegypti mosquito that is responsible for the transmission of dengue and chikungunya.

This reminder comes due to recent rain showers that the country has been experiencing.

Minister of Public Health Hon. Cornelius de Weever, 'Get Checked" campaign, is in line with the appeal for residents, and business owners, to check-in and around their homes, and businesses in order to reduce breeding sites of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, and making them mosquito-free zones.

Elimination of mosquitos is an individual responsibility, a community responsibility.

The aggregated number of confirmed chikungunya cases from October 2013 to August 2014 remains small at 372.

On a daily basis check containers such as buckets and water tanks for larvae and eliminate the breeding source Read more

Candidate #11 On The National Alliance Slate Says "Thank You"

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Candidate #11 on the National Alliance slate, Mr. Cedric Peterson would like to take this opportunity to express his sincerest gratitude to the people of St. Maarten.

A statement from the first-time political candidate reads:
"I am truly grateful to my family, friends and supporters for their generous contributions of time, energy, money and effort to my campaign during the recent Parliamentary elections.

The people of St Read more

Closure And Opening Of New Parliamentary Year Next Week

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – The Closure of the parliamentary year 2013-2014 will take place on Monday, September 8 at 10.00am in the House of Parliament.

The closure will be carried out by the President of Parliament Hon. Gracita Arrindell.

On Tuesday, September 10 the new parliamentary year 2014-2015 will be opened by the President of Parliament in a solemn ceremony.

His Excellency Governor Eugene Holiday will deliver the traditional speech at the opening of the new parliamentary year.

This solemn ceremony will be held at 10.00am in the House of Parliament General Assembly Chamber on September 10.

The closing and opening of the parliamentary years will be broadcast live on radio and television and via the internet.

The parliamentary sessions will be carried live on St Read more

What is the DP going to do?

Dear Editor,

Norako N. V., the private company of former Democratic Party (DP) island councilman and commissioner Nicolaas "Koos" Sneek, has initiated a court case against the Statia Housing Foundation (SHF), alleging non-compliance on the part of SHF in faithfully executing a Letter of Intent (LOI) signed between the two. In the public debate ongoing about this matter my name too is called in my capacity as former commissioner of housing Read more

Population requested to step up measures to mitigate mosquito population.

>GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Collective Preventive Services (CPS), a government agency under the Ministry of Public Health, is appealing to resident's country wide to step up measures at homes and businesses to mitigate the Aedes Aegypti mosquito that is responsible for the transmission of dengue and chikungunya.

This reminder comes due to recent rain showers that the country has been experiencing.

Minister of Public Health Hon. Cornelius de Weever, "Get Checked" campaign, is in line with the appeal for residents, and business owners, to check-in and around their homes, and businesses in order to reduce breeding sites of the Aedes Aegypti mosquito, and making them mosquito-free zones.

Elimination of mosquitos is an individual responsibility, a community responsibility.

The aggregated number of confirmed chikungunya cases from October 2013 to August 2014 remains small at 372.

On a daily basis check containers such as buckets and water tanks for larvae and eliminate the breeding source Read more

>HARBOUR VIEW:--- On September 2, 2014, His Excellency the Governor of Sint Maarten, drs. E.B. Holiday, requested Mr. William Marlin, to form a new government as formateur.
The Governor, based on the results of two days of consultations, met with Mr. William Marlin today Read more

Closure and Opening of New Parliamentary Year Next Week.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The Closure of the parliamentary year 2013-2014 will take place on Monday, September 8 at 10:00am in the House of Parliament.

The closure will be carried out by the President of Parliament Hon. Gracita Arrindell.

On Tuesday, September 10 the new parliamentary year 2014-2015 will be opened by the President of Parliament in a solemn ceremony.

His Excellency Governor Eugene Holiday will deliver the traditional speech at the opening of the new parliamentary year.

This solemn ceremony will be held at 10:00am in the House of Parliament General Assembly Chamber on September 10.

The closing and opening of the parliamentary years will be broadcast live on radio and television and via the internet.

The parliamentary sessions will be carried live on St Read more

Thank you from Emil Lee #4 DP.

>I thank my supporters for their confidence in our message of real change and real solutions. While some people claim that our election process is a bit of a popularity contest, but I don't believe that my results are a reflection of my popularity. Our campaign was successful because the message of open government, integrity, and fiscal discipline resonated with the people.

The election process has been both educational and truly enjoyable. Rest assured that if I am given an opportunity to participate in government, the push for a truly open government that delivers maximum benefits to the people will not stop.

Elections are by nature divisive Read more

>DUTCH QUARTER:--- Police are busy investigating the death of a young girl from the Dominican Republic whose body was found in the trunk of a car early Tuesday morning in the Dutch Quarter area. The victim has been identified by residents as Lizcania Maduro (Liz) aka Beba Brumant (23) an employee (bartender) of Sonesta Great Bay Resort. SMN News learnt that the victim is the adopted daughter of Attorney at Law Edwin Maduro.
Information reaching SMN News states that the girl lives in Nazareth Dutch Quarter Read more

Detained Americans in North Korea seek US help

SEOUL/WASHINGTON--Three American citizens detained in North Korea appealed to the U.S government on Monday for help returning home, speaking in rare interviews with U.S. media that were set up by the North Korean government and may signal an attempt by Pyongyang to reopen a long-stalled dialogue.

The three men, one serving a 15-year sentence and two awaiting trial in the isolated country, spoke to CNN and the Associated Press in tightly controlled circumstances. One of them said his health was failing and another described his situation as "urgent."

The men said they were being treated humanely but asked the U.S Read more

Many Cubans angered by new consumer import restrictions

HAVANA--Cuba has raised duties and restricted imports on consumer goods brought in by air travelers or sent by mail, imposing greater hardship for a fledgling private sector and angering people looking to counter chronic shortages.

The new restrictions, which began on Monday, take aim at black market dealers of goods that are hard to find on store shelves or come with steep excise taxes Read more