Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
Usp Introduces Four New Candidates
St. Maarten News —The United St. Maarten Party (USP) has added four more candidates to the party to contest the upcoming elections that are slated for September 26, 2016 and was introduced to the public at the party headquarters on Friday. The new candidates, some of whom have worked for government for a number of years, felt that the time is now for them to play their part and serve the people of the island.
Party leader Frans Richardson said that the USP “is not only about putting people on the list but also guiding them in the way that the Parliament of St Read more
Usp Leader Laments Bureaucratic Tax System
St. Maarten News  – We’ve been talking about the simplification of the tax system for too long and bureaucracy is killing us,†says Leader of the United St. Maarten Party (USP) Frans Richardson, adding that it is time to stop talking and tackle the tax structure which puts St Read more
Mp Frans Richardson Sounds The Alarm:Â Social Media Messages:Â Kill The Prime Minister
St. Maarten News – Messages on social media suggest killing the prime minister, members of parliament and their corrupted friends, MP Frans Richardson said during a meeting of parliament about vote buying. While Richardson considered there threats far more important than the issue of vote buying, no other MP even reacted to his statement.
“I am going to protect myself and my family,†Richardson said Read more
St. Maarten Parliament Debates Sale New Government Building
Plenty of questions but no new insights
St.  Maarten News – Parliament debated the purchase of the new government administration building in a meeting yesterday afternoon but it did not provide any new insights. Minister of General Affairs William Marlin answered a plethora of questions that mostly covered issues so far in the past that they have lost their significance or that addresses issues that are already public knowledge.
Marlin said that at this moment there is no accurate assessment of the office space the government will still need outside of the new building after departments have moved in by September Read more
Opinion: The Spirit Of Giving
Sometimes, initiatives that may have started with the best of intentions are raising eyebrows. Such is the case with the “giving back to the community†initiative of parliamentarian Leona Marlin-Romeo – and we’d like to place this in the context of 2016 – an election year.
We are all familiar with the vote buying scandal dating back to 2010 when a couple of police officers sold their vote for $300 a pop to the United People’s party Read more
Plasterk About Dispute Regulation “Kingdom Cannot Deviate From Decisions, Unless …â€
St. Maarten News:  The Kingdom Council of Ministers cannot deviate from an advice issued by a dispute regulator, unless such a deviation is properly motivated,†Kingdom Relations Minister Ronald Plasterk said at a press conference yesterday at the end of his visit to St. Maarten. With this statement, Plasterk seems to come back from his earlier stance that the Kingdom Council of Ministers should always have the last word in disputes between the countries in the kingdom.
The only issue that separates Plasterk and the Caribbean autonomous countries St Read more
Constitutional Court Rules On Alexander’S Petition
St. Maarten News – The Constitutional Court will take a decision on Friday morning about the petition Lisa Alexander filed about the election date. The court is in session on Friday to handle the review of the Integrity Chamber-legislation.
At the beginning of this hearing, at 9 a.m., the court will rule on Alexander’s petition.
“His Excellency Governor Eugene Holiday’s attempt to cancel the national decree of October 29 is unconstitutional,†Lisa Alexander said in a press statement on December 15 of last year Read more
Government About To Collect 13 Million From Casino Sector
Parliamentarians happy with withdrawal increased road tax
St. Maarten – By providing the receiver’s office with a mandate, the government is able to collect 13 million in tax arrears from the casino-sector, Finance Minister Richard Gibson said yesterday afternoon during a meeting of the Central Committee where he, as announced on Wednesday, withdrew the draft law to increase the road tax in 2016.
In a brief introduction, the minister told parliament that he would like to make some changes to the draft the previous government had submitted Read more
Lisa Alexander: Canceling National Decree Is Unconstitutionalâ€
St. Maarten – “His Excellency Governor Eugene Holiday’s attempt to cancel the national decree of October 29 is unconstitutional,†Lisa Alexander said in a press statement last night. “There is absolutely no provision in the Constitution that gives the governor the authority to cancel a published National Dissolution Decree. This decree affects the fundamental rights of the citizens of St Read more