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Nv Gebe Clarifies Financial Management Position, Counters Misleading Allegations

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — In response to recent comments made by MP Christophe Emmanuel regarding the financial management of NV GEBE, the management would like to take this opportunity to issue a comprehensive statement that aims to clarify the facts and defend the integrity of our company.

The allegations of financial mismanagement by NV GEBE are based on selective and misleading information. NV GEBE has carefully planned its finances and sought professional advice to ensure that the company recovers from a severe cyber-attack.

Upon current managements assumption of leadership, it met with a company that had diminished financial reserves, primarily due to a significant loss of income Read more

Emmanuel: Ansary Stole From Ennia,Not The People Of St. Maarten

~ Chides Ministers for infantile public behaviour ~

Independent MP and leader of the NOW party Christophe Emmanuel on Sunday said he is in disbelief over the behavior of the government of St. Maarten while the Dutch government tries to impose a loan on the people of St. Maarten to cover the criminal actions of Husang Ansary and his co-conspirators. What is the priority of the government? It is unbelievable the infantile behavior we are witnessing from Ministers while the house is burning around us, MP Emmanuel said.

The MP said while the Prime Minister is gansta-rapping on social media and the Minister of Finance is making paper-plane videos in a fishing hat, the Dutch is forcing St Read more

Chris: Vanity Projects Still Being Prioritized Over Public Interest

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Leader of the NOW party (Nation, Opportunity, Wealth) MP Christophe Emmanuel on Sunday said that the National Alliance led government of St. Maarten has clearly prioritized political vanity projects over issues that matter most to the population. So much so, he said, that the government sees no need to provide relevant and factual information on ongoing projects such as the hospital and the airport, but choose instead to roll-out projects meant to distract people over the summer break.

There are so many issues that affect our people direct and indirectly that this government is willfully and strategically ignoring due to the fact that elections are on the horizon Read more

Emmanuel Wants Guarantees From Govt. On Student Housing In Holland

~ Not exploring solutions is unacceptable ~

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Leader of the NOW party (Nation, Opportunity, Wealth) MP Christophe Emmanuel is calling on the Minister of Education Rodolphe Samuel to assure and guarantee parents that their children travelling to the Netherlands to further their studies this year will have adequate, stable student housing once they arrive in the country in a few weeks.

The MP said he is very concerned about the status and mental health of St Read more

Emmanuel: I Will Not Permit False Narratives,Justice System To Be Weaponised Against Me

~ Says relative physically assaulted in search ~ PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — MP Christophe Emmanuel is incensed by yet another deliberate political effort to discredit him, rig an election, and, ultimately, stifle his voice which has been in defense of the people of St. Maarten, telling them the truth and holding the powers that be accountable. And while these actions against his person are frustrating and disruptive to ones everyday life, his family’s physical mistreatment by justice officials during a house search on Wednesday elevated his feelings from frustration to anger. He characterized Wednesday’s events as the most recent attempt to shape and control not just false narratives but also representatives of the people of St Read more

Now Party Congress: A Suffering PeopleHave Enough Reasons To Vote For Change

~ Three new candidates introduced ~

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — In front of an impressive crowd that brought MP Christophe Emmanuel to tears, the Nation Opportunity Wealth (NOW) political party held a successful congress at the Belair Community Center on Sunday evening which, according to MP Emmanuel, further energized him and his team in the lead-up to the upcoming Parliamentary elections.

An emotional Emmanuel was overwhelmed with emotion and had difficulty uttering his first few words Read more

Emmanuel: Doran Again Chooses A CowardS Method Of Operation

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Independent MP Christophe Emmanuel on Thursday said it was a pity that Minister of VROMI Egbert Doran would break the goodwill of the holiday season with a set of tomfoolery and stupidity during an interview on Thursday morning.

Emmanuel said that while listening to the Minister, a persistent source of corruption in government, accuse him (Emmanuel) of “everything under the sun,” he sat there bewildered and merely shook his head. They have already lost, according to Emmanuel, if that is their game plan.

The sole benefit of “Doran’s ranting” on the radio, according to MP Emmanuel, was that it served as a timely reminder that he (Emmanuel) still has unresolved issues with the prosecutor’s office and the manipulation and rigging of the waste collection contracts, outlined in the now infamous Ombudsman report.

The Minister of VROMI actually got on radio and said I created the Irma dump, somehow forgetting that it was an emergency situation for the country and somehow forgetting that the decision was taken by the EOC (the Emergency Operations Center) who takes over in such calamities Read more

Mp Emmanuel: Shadow Group Running Government Without Coalition Accord

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel on Sunday asked the general public to consider the complete disrespect of the current rogue government that refuses to provide information about the 8-member Parliamentary support it says it enjoys in Parliament. I guess we are left to conclude that a shadow group is running this government, he said.

Emmanuel reminded the public that to date neither the government of St. Maarten nor their so called support in Parliament has presented one shred of documentation to show who are the members of Parliament that officially supports the sitting government Read more

Emmanuel : Report Identified Pjia Paint Damage Since 2017

The management of the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) received the final inspection report on the super structure of the airport on December 4, 2017, according to the report compiled by ABT, a European multidisciplinary engineering firm contracted by PJIA.

With that information in hand, Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel doubled down on his vehement critique of PJIA management and main contractor Ballast Nedam who announced this week that the airport reconstruction will again be delayed.
He said the final report of EBT proves that PJIA management and Ballast Nedam continues to lie to the people of St Read more

Chris: Facebook Is Governing The Country, Still No Governing Accord

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel on Sunday evening said it has become evident that social media giant Facebook is the government of St. Maarten. Emmanuel drew this conclusion after two Ministers of the Council of Ministers spent more time on Facebook during Saturday nights downpour than seeing to the peoples business at that moment or being proactive from before.

Emmanuel said that the weather system that caused havoc on Saturday into Sunday, was forecasted days prior to Saturday Read more

Emmanuel: Fire Fighters Are The Latest Workers Who Are Not Priority For Govt.

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Telling protesting fire-fighters to go come back, is typical attitude of the government of St. Maarten who cannot seem to understand its people, and the protection of its people, should always come first. So says Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel on Thursday after personnel of the Fire Department was told by the Prime Minister that she is busy in another meeting come back tomorrow.

Mind you, these are men and women who run into fires to save lives and are forced to do so, God forbid, with equipment that is old, useless and unsafe Read more

Mp Emmanuel: Giving Back Money You Illegally Took Should Not Be Celebrated

Proudly boasting that passing a law to put money back in the pockets of civil servants, after you illegally used another law to take the money in the first place, is a shameful spin to put on your biggest failure as a government, said Independent MP Christophe Emmanuel on Monday after Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs put lipstick on a pig to once again fool the people of St Read more

Chris: Taxing Pensions Of Seniors Is Borderline Criminal, Immoral

~ Questions existence of tax inspector quotas ~

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — The taxing of senior citizens pensions and subsequent aggressive collection methods by tax authorities, “is downright criminal and immoral”, while large entities such as casinos are given much more leeway, says Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel.

The MP was reacting to the announcement by Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion that casinos were sent a letter to pay their tax arrears, with no indication of deadlines and/or fines or liens as legal measures that would be applied.

“The government considers seniors, poor residents and small business owners as low lying fruit Read more

Emmanuel Launches Now Party, Says The Time Is Now To Rise Like A Phoenix

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel on Monday, October 10, launched his party Nation, Opportunity, Wealth (NOW) and signaled with absolute certainty that it will contest the next Parliamentary elections. The time is NOW, the MP proclaimed as he addressed a filled-to-capacity hall at the John Larmonie Center.

Emmanuel didnt choose October 10 because it was Constitution Day, but because it is his late mothers birthday. His mother Lillian, who was killed at just 38 years old by a speeding driver, was remembered during the course of the evening by Emmanuels aunts and other speakers who credited her for the complete and positive influence over Emmanuels life Read more

Mp Emmanuel: Vsa Minister Must Explain Smmc Construction Delay, Letter Of Intent

~ 10 years before hospital project is completed ~

Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel announced on Tuesday that he had sent a letter to the Minister of Public Health regarding the recently signed letter of intent (LOI) between SMMC and contractor FINSO. He called the development “amazing and embarrassing” in light of previous statements made by SMMC, FINSO, and the Minister as well as the fact that FINSO has not mentioned that hospitals it is building in other parts of the world are experiencing delays.

It should be plainly evident to the average observer and the people of St Read more

Mp Emmanuel Calls On Govt To Clarify If Pjia Project Delayed

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel on Sunday called on the government of St. Maarten to confirm or deny reports that the airport project is delayed and that operations currently inside the terminal will be moved back into tents.

The MP used the opportunity to remind the public that he has been warning of pending delays of the project which has still not shown any significant reconstruction progress in over five years. He pointed out that the airport and its main contractor Ballast Nedam continues to get an influx of financing that now stands at approximately US $ 150 million with little to show for it.

The airport project, he stressed, is not a new one, it is a reconstruction of areas Read more

Mp Emmanuel: Brison Attempts To Muddy The Water Against Buncamper

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Independent Member of Parliament Christopher Emmanuel on Sunday said that at some point in time the people of St. Maarten have to see how dangerous MP Rolando Brison is to the country, considering the ease with which he uses people and their circumstances to hold on to power and the underhanded twisting of an issue to influence outcomes in his favour Read more

Emmanuel: Trying To Come After Me Will Not Change Ombudsman Report

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel on Wednesday told Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion to go ahead and join the charade being perpetrated on the public, and investigate what he (Irion) called possible bid rigging in the repairs of the Prins Bernard bridge in 2017 while he (Emmanuel) was the Minister of VROMI.

However, the MP at the same time urged Irion and the entire government to stop deflecting from the issue of the systemic investigation into the bidding process for the garbage contracts conducted by the Ombudsman and vindictively trying to dig up whatever they can to distract the people of St Read more

Emmanuel: Government Actively Trying To Distract From The Ombudsman Report

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten –– In a democracy, elected officials are accountable to the public they govern. As of late however, a worrying trend has emerged: The Minister of VROMI and the entire government, has made it a political tactic to attack any institution that makes that accountability possible, from the press to Parliament.

Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel on Wednesday said it is embarrassing, yet telling, that the Minister of VROMI is openly and blatantly trying to de-legitimatize, and disqualify the result of the systemic investigation conducted by the Ombudsman on the tendering process for garbage contracts Read more

Emmanuel: Integrity Chamber Will Face Questions About Its Relevancy

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel on Sunday said the Integrity Chamber either have to finally prove its worth or endure more questions about its relevancy on the country budget of St. Maarten.

The MP stressed that the Chamber should have already stepped forward unsolicited and investigated the tendering and awarding of garbage contracts and, even more so now, should make the damning Ombudsman report on the same issue an investigative priority.

Emmanuel has in the past called the Integrity Chamber useless and has not deviated from that opinion since I have not seen any change or significant actions and contributions from the Chamber in this country.

From the issues at the airport, GEBE, the Harbour, TelEm, integrity questions in the administration and now the Ombudsman report on actions, or lack thereof, that created the atmosphere for corruption, the Integrity Chamber has been quiet when it should have been more active Read more

Chris Tells Government To Stop Using Suffering And Parliament As A Crutch

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel on Sunday told the government to stop using the suffering of the people as a political tool and conveniently using Parliament as a crutch in its discussions with the Dutch. “Especially since it was this government and its Minister Plenipotentiary that accepted the 12.5% cuts and other conditions without so much of a negotiation,” the MP said.

The MP was specifically referring to a comment of Minister Plenipotentiary of the National Alliance Rene Violenus last Friday after the Kingdom Council of Ministers RMR on Friday decided that St Read more

Emmanuel: Lawrence The Latest Local To Bite From Poisonous Tree Of Government

Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel on Monday likened the National Alliance led government to a tree of poisonous fruit from which too many St. Maarten professionals have taken a bite and fallen victim. This is a very bad government that shuns responsibility, lies, passes the buck to others and destroys the lives of local people to protect their agendas, MP Emmanuel said Read more

Mp Emmanuel: Ipko Proved Coho Is A Total Waste Of Time

~ St. Maarten still without official position ~

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel on Sunday said that Kingdom partners are no closer to consensus on the COHO now, than before the start of IPKO a week ago. Emmanuel, the only St. Maarten MP who has been against the construct from the inception, opined that several other MPs including those from the Dutch second chamber are starting to realize that COHO will not work on the islands.

He added that St Read more

Emmanuel: Media Contributed To Overreaching Government

~ Says policy is expansion of deceit ~

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel on Wednesday described the governments intended media policy as its latest attempt to lie, hide and control information to the public, but stressed that the local media has to acknowledge that it played a role in creating the monster it now faces.

What the government is trying to do is not surprising at all. This government is untrustworthy, dishonest, condescending and inconsistent to say the least Read more