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Police Pensioners And Retiree Association Elect First Board.

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — On a sunny day last year 2020, a group of pensioners Police Officers came together with the idea to form a Pensioners and Retiree Association. This Association will bring together the former workers of the Police Department and will be able to look out to their and their family needs.

A temporary board was installed to be able to get the Statute and House Rules in order.

On May 27th, 2021 there was an election to elect the official Board of the Association Read more

PHILIPSBURG:--- On a sunny day last year 2020, a group of pensioners Police Officers came together with the idea to form a Pensioners and Retiree Association.
This Association will bring together the former workers of the Police Department and will be able to look out for their and their family needs.
A temporary board was installed to be able to get the Statute and House Rules in order.
On May 27th, 2021 there was an election to elect the official Board of the Association.
On the same day, May 27th, 2021, the Association held a General Membership meeting at Bute Hotel Read more

It is important to evaluate our representatives in Parliament on an annual basis and not wait until election time. Therefore, SMCP is developing a parliamentary report card that will indicate how well or how poorly our MPs are doing in the following six areas: attendance, participation, representation, supervision, legislation, and interaction. In the first letter to the editor on this topic, we covered the reason for and the nature of the report card and presented an extensive description of the first benchmark attendance Read more

Parliamentary Meeting With Justice Minister Postponed

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – The Parliamentary plenary public meeting that was scheduled to deliberate on the Ministry of Justice and its relationship within the Kingdom did not take place on Monday.

The meeting was to have been held at 2.00 pm and was at the request of Members of Parliament (MPs) MP Leona Marlin-Romeo, MP Read more

Mp Frans Richardson Sounds The Alarm: Social Media Messages: 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

Mps Pepper Ministers With Questions In Budget Debate

Independent MP Leona Marlin-Romeo (standing) speaks in the budget debate on Monday.

 PHILIPSBURG--The 2016 draft budget was tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister Richard Gibson on Monday morning in Parliament House. Members of Parliament (MPs), who had up to 90 minutes to speak, peppered the Council of Ministers with a barrage of questions spanning from the budget and Government policies to general topics of interest.

  The seven Ministers, who all made presentations about the working of their Ministries on Monday, will be back in Parliament today, Tuesday, starting at 2:00pm to deliver answers to the questions from MPs Read more

Parliament To Continue Debate On Proposed Appointment Of Ann Groen Gumbs

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The Parliament of St. Maarten will continue their meeting of Tuesday at a later date in order to confirm the appointment of the 1st acting Secretary General of Parliament.

In Tuesday’s public meeting some members of Parliament requested that the meeting be held behind closed doors noting that the debate centered on a personality, a discussion that some did not want to take place in a public setting.

There were some members of Parliament however that thought that the agenda point should be handled in a public setting.

MP the Honorable Rudolph Samuel is one of those MPs who hold that position Read more

Mp Johan Leonard About The Cause Of Ship Jumping: Our Party Leaders Blatantly Disrespect Their Members

MP Heyliger is still smiling after the severe criticism from his fellow-faction member Johan Leonard (left). Photo Today / Milton Pieters

St. Maarten – The attitude of party leaders is the main reason for ship jumping, United People’s party MP Johan Leonard said yesterday morning in an unexpected sharp attack on UP-leader Theo Heyliger Read more

Winners And Losers: Who Will Survive The Polls In February?

St. Maarten / By Hilbert Haar – February 9, 2016 is crunch day for politicians and those who aspire to become one. The parliamentary elections – for some mysterious reason perceived by some as ‘snap elections’, whatever that may be – will give voters the opportunity to speak their mind about the constitutional drama that concluded on Wednesday when the ministers of the Marcel Gumbs cabinet tendered their resignation and Governor Drs Read more

Extraordinary Meeting Of Parliament Called

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - A majority of 8 in parliament has convened a public meeting of parliament for Thursday, October 15, 2015 at 6 pm.

This invitation has been sent to all members of parliament with the appointment of a chairperson and vice chairpersons being the main agenda point.

In an elucidation to the invitation, the members constituting the majority outline the reasons for this extraordinary meeting, going from the premise of the "majority-rule".

While the Rules of Order of Parliament provide for a change in chairmanship at any time, no further procedures are in place in the event the sitting presidium members take on a hostile attitude and refuse to accommodate the change-over.

This could make a lame duck of the parliament.

Below is the motivation as provided.

Ref: urgent meeting of Parliament on Thursday, October 15, 2015 at 18.00 hours.

Agenda point: Appointment of a chairperson, a first deputy chairperson and a second deputy chairperson.

Motivation:

On September 30, 2015, a majority in Parliament informed   H Read more

St. Maarten Government Falls Again: Fifth Cabinet In Five Years In The Making

UP-leader Theo Heyliger (left) and MP Silvio Matser on 10-10-14 when they were still political allies. Now the political marriage is over: “I cannot take the internal abuse anymore,” Matser said yesterday Read more

Parliament Goes All Out Against Attorney-General Schram “His Remarks Are As Bad As The Crimes He Fights”

MP William Marlin: “The AG insults everybody in St. Maarten.” Photo Today / Leo Brown

St. Maarten – Parliament unanimously make minced meat of the remarks Attorney-General Guus Schram made on September 11 during the installation of Judge Sander van Rijen and demanded his resignation (see related story on our front page).

“I do not want to get into a debate with the attorney-general,” National Alliance faction leader William Marlin said Read more

St. Maarten Government Falls – Three Coalition Members Defect

Picture: St. Maarten Parliament

NEWSFLASH!! St. Maarten– The Gumbs government fell shortly after 12.30 p.m. today (Wednesday, September 30, 2015) after the parliament passed a motion of no-confidence submitted by Democratic Party MP Sarah Wescot-Williams with an 8-7 vote Read more

Garbage Meeting Fizzles: Many Questions, No Answers And No Solutions

St. Maarten – At the end of a long meeting, finally there were some fireworks when opposition MP asked Vromi-Minister Claret Connor to answer one question: “Is there a contract with a company to build the waste-to-energy plant and how does this jive with your visit to a project in Miami?”

Minister Connor, who had just said that he would be able to inform the parliament on Monday when he would be able to answer the more than one hundred questions MPs had asked, did not bite Read more

Minister Richardson Criticizes Attorney-General Schram: “Justify Your Claims Or Shut The Hell Up”

Justice Minister Richardson is tired of accusations about corruption. Photo Today / Milton Pieters

St. Maarten – “My position has changed: it is put up or shut up. Justify your claims or shut the hell up. This has to stop,” Justice Minister Dennis Richardson said yesterday afternoon in parliament about the statements Attorney-General Guus Schram made last Friday about the interconnection between the underworld and the legitimate part of St. Maarten’s society.

“There are numerous indications showing that the underworld and the legitimate society in St Read more

MPs get calls from inmates

PHILIPSBURG--Justice Minister Dennis Richardson has been asked by Members of Parliament (MPs) to look into why they are receiving mobile phone calls from prisoners housed inside of Pointe Blanche House of Detention.

United St. Maarten Party (USP) leader Frans Richardson was the first to raise the issue in Parliament with the minister on Wednesday Read more

Achievements and lack thereof highlighted as MPs close year

PHILIPSBURG--The achievements or lack thereof in the first Parliamentary year of the second Parliament came into focus as Members of Parliament (MPs) closed off the 2014-2015 legislative year in Parliament House on Monday. The 2015-2016 year opens today, Tuesday, with much pomp and ceremony.

The call to work together was issued by fraction leaders representing the coalition partners while the two opposition fraction leaders MP William Marlin (National Alliance) and Sarah Wescot-Williams (Democratic Party) were straightforward with their criticism about lack of action by the United People’s (UP) party-led coalition.

Destiny impaired

UP fraction leader MP Franklin Meyers laid the blame for the country’s stagnated growth and development in the past year at the door of The Hague saying that government and Parliament have spent the past year battling instructions and financial constraints due to financial supervision Read more

Faction leaders outline their achievement and failures during parliamentary year 2014 -2015.

>PHILIPSBURG:---- Faction leader of the United Peoples Party Franklin Meyers in his remarks during the closing of parliamentary year 2014-2015 said that the moment the UPP and MP De Weever formed the coalition that formed the current government they got all sorts of pressure from the Dutch Government (Kingdom Partners) which includes an instruction Read more

Lake urges stakeholders to work out waste-to-energy plant project

PHILIPSBURG--United People’s (UP) party Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake has issued a public call to all stakeholders involved in the stagnated waste-to-energy plant to get to work.

His call comes after Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs said last week that getting the project moving had encountered some difficulties Read more

UP MP Lake would like to see stakeholders for Waste to Energy Plant Project getting together to move project forward

>PHILIPSBURG:---- United People’s (UP) Party Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake sent a letter to the Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, and also publicly made a statement on July 13th, 2015 requesting an update on the Solid Waste Ordinance and the progress of the long awaited Waste to Energy Plant to address the ‘growing garbage mountain.’

“As the former Minister of VROMI, my ministry and the Steering Committee was very much involved with the final stage the bidding process which was won by a company to build the plant Read more

Up Mp Lake Would Like To See Stakeholders For Waste To Energy Plant Project Getting Together To Move Project Forward

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – United People’s (UP) Party Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake sent a letter to the Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, and also publicly made a statement on July 13th, 2015 requesting an update on the Solid Waste Ordinance and the progress of the long awaited Waste to Energy Plant to address the â€˜growing garbage mountain.’

“As the former Minister of VROMI, my ministry and the Steering Committee was very much involved with the final stage the bidding process which was won by a company to build the plant Read more

Tamara: Increase Chamber fee to fund surveillance camera system

PHILIPSBURG--Partial funding for the long-overdue camera surveillance system starting in Philipsburg and branching out to the rest of the country can be raised easily through a nominal fee increase for all St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry (COCI) registrants, United People’s (UP) party Member of Parliament (MP) Tamara Leonard proposed in a letter to Parliament dated July 28 in light of the daring daylight robberies in Philipsburg.

   The letter, directed to Chairman of Parliament’s Justice Committee MP Johan Leonard, said Tamara envisioned a collaboration of the Chamber of Commerce, police, St Read more

Parliament Meet On Health Care Wednesday

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The Central Committee of Parliament met in public session on Wednesday.

Members of Parliament received a presentation on the National Ordinance on Public Health Care.

The presentation was made by a team from the department of Health headed by Drs. Fenna Arnell.

However members of Parliament had several questions as well as expressed areas of concern within health care. MP the Honorable Leona Romeo-Marlin was particularly concerned about the spread of infectious diseases.

DP leader the honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams in her remarks spoke about the complexities of the ordinance and its importance.

She also noted that the execution and monitoring of the legislation has been placed on a lower level in some cases, even below the legislation itself.

MP the Honorable Janchie Leonard also had various questions particularly in the area of control and enforcement.

As a former Police Officer the MP stated that this forms an integral part of the overall execution of the ordinance Read more

Only 6 Of 22 Motions Since 2012 Yielded Results: Motions Carry The Day – But Only In Parliament

St. Maarten – The motions Members of Parliament submit during the annual budget debate seldom yield results. This newspaper examined 28 motions a host of parliamentarians tabled since 2012. With 22 of them successive government did absolutely nothing. Six of them yielded (some) results.

When governments fail to execute motions, parliament never retaliates. In the Netherlands, a cabinet that refuses or neglects to execute a motion that is carried by a majority in parliament, could lead to a cabinet crisis Read more