SXMElections.com

Witu To Host General Membership Meeting On Thursday

Philipsburg The Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU) is announcing its upcoming General Membership Meeting, scheduled to take place this Thursday. This meeting will bring together the esteemed members of WITU to discuss critical matters, share insights, and chart a collective course toward advancing education and further fostering the welfare of educators.

The General Membership Meeting will convene on Thursday, August 31st, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at the WITU Office.

WITU recognizes the indispensable role that teachers play in shaping the minds of the next generation and acknowledges the importance of creating a strong network of educators who stand united in their mission to enhance education standards and advocate for the rights of teachers, said Stuart Johnson President of the WITU on Tuesday afternoon.

During this meeting, ourmembers can look forward to updates from the WITU leadership on recent union activities, discussions on pressing educational issues, and opportunities to voice their thoughts on matters impacting our teaching community Read more

Witu Calls On The Need For Air Conditioning And Improved Ventilation In Classrooms

Philipsburg – As the temperature rises and schools welcome students back for the new academic year, the issue of hot and uncomfortable classrooms is coming to the forefront. The lack of adequate air conditioning and proper ventilation in several of our nations educational institutions has raised concerns among parents, educators, and students alike. It’s time to prioritize the learning environment and take proactive measures to ensure the health, comfort, and productivity of all those within, Stuart Johnson President of the Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU) said on Monday.

Hot and stifling classrooms can have a detrimental impact on students’ ability to focus, learn, and engage effectively Read more

Brug Submits National Decree For Government Subsidized School Food Program

PHILIPSBURG Unified Resilient Sint Maarten Movement (URSM) prospective candidate Richinel Brug submits in accordance with article 7 of the Law on Compulsory Education a National Decree containing general measures regulating a Government subsidized school food program for students Read more

Joining The Party For Progress

Dear fellow Sint Maarteners,

I want to start by addressing those of you who might be feeling indifferent about casting your vote as we stand at the crossroads of another crucial election season. It’s not uncommon to hear the sentiment that all politicians are the same, and that regardless of who you vote for, nothing truly changes. I understand this feeling of disillusionment, as I, too, have felt the despair that many of us on the island feel.

Instead of merely complaining about it, I chose to take action several years ago and started writing articles that focused on raising awareness on crucial topics such as integrity, accountability, good leadership, and vision Read more

The Democratic Party (Dp) Extended Warm Congratulations To National Airline Winair

The Democratic Party (DP) on Thursday extended warm congratulations to national airline WINAIR as it commemorated an impressive 62 years of unwavering dedication and outstanding service to St. Maarten and to the Caribbeans aviation industry. Party Leader MP Sarah Wescot-Williams said that this remarkable milestone is a testament to the airline’s enduring commitment to excellence, sound management and leadership, and recognizing the crucial role it plays in connecting people throughout the Caribbean.

The success of WINAIR can be attributed to its incredible team, loyal passengers, and visionary management, all of whom have played an integral role in shaping the airline’s journey to success, MP Wescot-Williams said.

The MP recalled the days of significant financial struggles for the airline, with many opining that St Read more

Grisha Says Mingo Needs To Go, Will Propose Parliamentary Inquiry On Pjia

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — On Thursday afternoon, Member of Parliament Grisha Heyliger-Marten called for a Parliamentary inquiry into the developments at PJIA starting in 2019.

With the latest reports of PJIAs Commercial Department Manager leaving after only three months on the job and Government continuing to look the other way, I think its high time for Parliament to fully and thoroughly investigate what has been happening at PJIA since the current CEO took over at the helm of the company, according to Heyliger-Marten.

The latest resignation within the management of PJIA confirms the pattern of mismanagement, incompetence, and maintaining a working environment of favoritism, toxicity, and fear that we have witnessed during the last few years Read more

Pfp, De Weever Reaffirms Motion Of Disapproval With Over-The-Bank Verdict

PHILIPSBURG PFP members of Parliament Raeyhon Peterson and Melissa Gumbs, as well as independent member of Parliament Ludmila de Weever, reaffirmed the passing of the motion of disapproval towards Minister of VROMI Egbert Doran, following the verdict handed down in the Over the Bank case Read more

Paco Isenia Declares Candidacy For Upcoming Parliamentary Elections With Ursm.

EMPOWERING YOUNG PROFESSIONALS TO BELIEVE IN A BRIGHT FUTURE

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten– An aspiring young professional, dedicated to fostering positive change and championing the aspirations of the next generation, URSM Candidate Paco Isenia, is proud to announce his candidacy for the upcoming parliamentary elections with the Unified Resilient Sint Maarten Movement (URSM) Read more

Pfp Proposal To Remove Curtain From Voting Booth Approved By Com

Gumbs pleased with progress, awaits next steps

PHILIPSBURG Party for Progress member of Parliament Melissa Gumbs expressed satisfaction for the update received from Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs in Parliaments Central Committee meeting of August 17th Read more

Sunday Chat August 20, 2023 @ 11:00Am Live !!!!!

SUNDAY CHAT August 20, 2023

The post Sunday Chat August 20, 2023 @ 11:00am LIVE !!!!! appeared first on 721news.com | Sint Maarten News | SXM News.

Read more

Attorney At Law Sjamira Roseburg Sponsors Breakfast Program At Psve

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Attorney at Law, and URSM candidate, Ms. Sjamira Roseburg has recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) and committed herself to donate daily breakfasts to the PSVE school for the entire 2023/2024 school year and beyond.

The intent of the breakfast program is to assist those students whose families are facing financial hardships. The MOU, which set forth a firm commitment to maintain the breakfast program in conjunction with PSVE and the Rotary Club of St Read more

Brug Releases Statement On Decision To Remove Black Curtains

Philipsburg — As a future candidate of the Unified Resilient Sint Maarten Movement Party (URSM), I am elated with the decision to remove black curtains from our voting booths. This decision attempts to give each and every aspiring candidate for political office an even playing field. There are so many (young) persons who have the interest of this country at heart, who have the will to make changes that will benefit the population, but because of the factor of vote-buying are constantly being overlooked.

If we think things are rough now, believe me, it can get a lot worse if we dont make better choices at the polls on E-Day (election day) Read more

Mp Akeem Arrindell Calls For TransparencyAnd Accountability In Justice Department

PHILIPSBURG Sint Maarten — In response to mounting concerns about the state of the justice workforce, particularly within the Customs Department, Member of Parliament, the Honorable Akeem Arrindell, has taken proactive steps to address the issues affecting this crucial sector. Recognizing the significance of a well-functioning justice system, Arrindell has written a letter to the Honorable Anna Richardson, Minister of Justice, requesting comprehensive clarifications on pressing matters.

According to MP Arrindell, Over the past 2 to 3 years, the Customs Department has faced a significant staff shortage, with approximately 20 officers leaving their positions Read more

Brug Says We Have To Move Our ChildrenS Stomach Gauges From Empty To Full

PHILIPSBURG Unified Resilient Sint Maarten Movement (URSM) prospective candidate Richinel Brug, expressed in a press statement his dissatisfaction with the level of political rhetoric at the start of each school year. Beautiful words do not improve the quality of education, the labor conditions of teachers, nor fill empty stomachs.

I find it quite disturbing that at the start of each school year Government officials are able to summarize the list of challenges parents face: expensive school uniforms, school contribution (referred to by most in the community as school fee), school material, etc., while they refuse to do anything about it Read more

Rogerrel Mauricia Concern By Custom Officers Working Conditions

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — President of the NAPB, Rogerrel Mauricia, has responded to a recent article circulating on social media and in newspapers in Sint-Maarten. The article highlights the concerns raised by custom officers regarding their working conditions and salaries. The president of NAPB Sint-Maarten was also contacted by his counterpart from Curacaos union S.T.R.A.F.F., which represents custom officers and police, when the news broke.

During the meetings held by NAPB Sint-Maarten in early August 2023, this union leader visited the custom office and observed that the current structure of the custom department is problematic, potentially leading to issues Read more

Witu Concerned About Cba

Philipsburg — “I am deeply concerned about the situation at the Charlotte Brookson Academy (CBA),” remarked Stuart Johnson President of the Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU). Johnson sent a email correspondence to the board of CBA over the weekend questioning a number of concerns. One of the most alarming concerns was the situation regarding the Financial support of the CBA. “What is the situation regarding the Financial advisor of CBA? Has the staff of the CBA been fully informed about this development? Has a contingency plan been put in place? Who is responsible for the financial responsibilities now?” Johnson questioned. He minced no words in expressing, “if any negative impact happens to the staff or by extension the students, you will bare the full strength of the WITU Read more

Sarah: Pm Has No Haste With Announcing Election Date And No Haste With Electoral Reform.

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — The Democratic Party had a party briefing on Sunday, August 6th at the Simpsonbay Resort. During this meeting, I outlined to DP candidates the process of election for parliament. This was part of the briefing on the partys key issues for this campaign, on the campaign itself, and other urgent matters to be dealt with during the coming months, the DP leader explained.

I did so, because last week was abuzz again with rumors of an early election Read more

Us Party: The Abuse Of Our Most Vulnerable Must Stop

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Leader of the US party Mrs. Pamela Gordon-Carty on Sunday expressed great displeasure in how the citizens of country St. Maarten are being treated, especially senior citizens. In her opinion the same rhetoric is used every election to capture the vote of senior citizens after which they are forgotten while their cries continue to fall on deaf ears. I want to publicly convey my disgust with the behavior of promising in vain and using the weaknesses of this vulnerable group to roll in votes, it is a total disgrace, said Gordon-Carty.

The US party leader insisted that too many political games are played instead of dealing with what she termed low hanging fruit Read more

Attorney At Law Sjamira Roseburg Inspires & Motivates St. Dominics Fifth Formers

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — On Tuesday, August 8th, URSM Candidate, Ms Sjamira Roseburg, was invited to St Dominic High School to speak to their current Fifth Formers. The topic of her speech incorporated the theme Preparation For the Real World with International Sights. Ms. Roseburg commenced by sharing her inspirational journey towards becoming a successful attorney which in turn led to the establishment of her very own law firm Consider It Solved by Roseburg and Partners Read more

Mp Heyliger-Marten Government Seems Asleep At The Wheel, While The Outside World Moves On

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Sunday afternoon, MP Grisha Heyliger-Marten again questioned if the Government of St. Maarten is aware of the developments on an international level, and if it is capable of representing the paramount interest of the people St. Maarten.

As a people, we continue to face major challenges. These range from our legal system being based on the Dutch language to concerns about food security, and inequality and injustice when it comes to our (financial) relationship with Holland, the so-called democratic deficit, Heyliger-Marten said.

Since the beginning of my tenure, I have maintained that all these problems lead back to one main issue, and that is the fact that the constitutional structure of the Kingdom is not in compliance with international law.

A few months ago, Dr Read more

Sunday Chat August 06, 2023 @11:00Am

SUNDAY CHAT August 06, 2023 @11:00am

The post SUNDAY CHAT August 06, 2023 @11:00am appeared first on 721news.com | Sint Maarten News | SXM News.

Read more

Mp Grisha Heyliger-Marten Reminds Ministers Of Growing Backlog Of Responses

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — During a joint press briefing with her colleague MP Sarah-Wescot Williams on July 18th, MP Grisha Heyliger-Marten, expressed her concerns about numerous pending meetings and the lack of timely responses from letters to Government within the legal timeframes set out in the Rules of Order of Parliament.

Just last week alone, my office sent out reminders to three individual Ministers, Heyliger-Marten stated in a press release issued on Tuesday afternoon.

According to Heyliger-Marten, the Hon Read more

Dr. Mercelina: Another Health Survey Will Not Alleviate The Suffering Of The People.

The people of Sint Maarten are going through some challenging times, especially if you focus on topics in our community like housing, education, health, health care, unemployment and poverty. Our sitting government had in the past 4 years one agenda point in their governing program and that was to make sure that this government will stay alive for 4 years.

Unfortunately this government is and was completely disconnected from the reality of our people and society. As a doctor having daily contact on a one on one base with my patients I can inform you that the deterioration of our society in all its dimensions has now reached to a level of directly affecting the health of our individual citizens Read more