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Mp Silveria Jacobs Elected Chair Of Education Committee

St. Maarten – MP Silveria Jacobs has been elected as the Chair of the Committee for Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs (CECYSA) of Parliament and MP Tamara Leonard has been elected as Vice Chair.

The Committee for Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs (CECYSA) of Parliament met on Friday morning to elect a new chair and vice chair on the request of a majority of members.

The committee increased by an additional three members and now consists of eight Members of Parliament (MPs)—MP Silveria Jacobs, MP Sarah Wescott Williams, MP Tamara Leonard, MP Christopher Emmanuel, MP Maurice Lake, MP Leona Marlin-Romeo, MP Johan Leonard and MP Van Hugh de Weever.

MP Silveria Jacobs was re-elected as Chair, and MP Tamara Leonard was elected as Vice Chair both by unanimous vote by all seven members present Read more

Marlin-Romeo requests meeting on beach policy

PHILIPSBURG--The beach policy and maintaining public access to the beaches are the bases for independent Member of Parliament (MP) Leona Marlin-Romeo's request for a meeting of Parliament's Permanent Committee for Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication.

The MP seeks "immediate change" to the policy to include and clearly stipulate that natural and manmade beaches are public domain, are not owned by any establishment or vendor, and beaches must have proper road access for emergency vehicles.

All vendors or establishments providing beach services should stack their beach chairs and umbrellas and "provide them only on a needed basis" to guests and non-guests of establishments, she said in a press statement Sunday.

Chairs and umbrellas should be picked up after use and restacked.

Non-guests should be charged a fee.

The MP wants it stipulated in business licences that not all beach chairs must be placed on the beach at the same time.

Her call for the meeting stems from the public outcry about beachfront property owners restricting access to some beaches via their private property.

Committee Chairman United St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The Committee for Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs (CECYSA) of Parliament met on Friday, February 13, 2015 at 9.30 am to elect a new chair and vice chair on the request of a majority of members.

The committee increased by an additional three members and now consists of eight Members of Parliament (MPs) namely, MP Hon. Silveria Jacobs, MP Hon Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Leona Marlin-Romeo has sent a request on Friday February 13th to the Chairman of the Committee Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport &Telecommuncation Member of Parliament (MP) Hon. Frans Richardson for a meeting to be held on the current Beach policy of Sint Maarten, and having public access to the beaches.

"The growing disputes between hotel owners and beach vendors, and citizen's frustration to access the beaches on Sint Maarten have my attention Read more

Permanent Committee Of Cecysa Appoints Mp Silveria Jacobs As Chair And Mp Tamara Leonard As Vice Chair

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – The Committee for Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs (CECYSA) of Parliament met on Friday, February 13, 2015 at 9.30 am to elect a new chair and vice chair on the request of a majority of members.

The committee increased by an additional three members and now consists of eight Members of Parliament (MPs) namely, MP Hon. Silveria Jacobs, MP Hon Read more

Parliament establishes an ad hoc Integrity Committee

PHILIPSBURG--With integrity continuing to be the buzz word in St. Maarten, Parliament established its ad hoc committee on integrity Tuesday, but not without much discussion on the membership.

The establishment of the committee was recommended by Democratic Party (DP) leader Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams in a written proposal in January Read more

Government could save 75 per cent on paper cost

PHILIPSBURG--Government can cut paper cost by up to 75 per cent if it opts to utilise digital forms and online services. This was the estimate given to Parliament recently by General Affairs Minister/Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs in response to enquiries from independent Member of Parliament Leona Marlin-Romeo.

The reduction in paper usage will amount to between NAf Read more

Mp Marlin-Romeo: “Cut Salaries Of Mps And Ministers By 5 Percent”

St. Maarten – Independent Member of Parliament Leona Marlin-Romeo made a good impression in her first address during Tuesday’s budget-debate. To the point and sticking to budget-related issues, the rookie MP fired a torrent of succulent remarks, mostly geared towards areas where she considers budget cuts still possible – and she did not need one-and-a-half hour to get her points across Read more

Parliament adopts ‘skeleton budget’

PHILIPSBURG--Parliament passed the 2015 budget with an 11-4 vote on Thursday night with just two days to spare before the deadline set by the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT.

The budget had to be established in December 2014. Government asked CFT for more time and was given the deadline of January 31.

Voting for the budget were the 10 Members of Parliament supporting the coalition and former coalition member MP Sarah Wescot-Williams (Democratic Party (DP)) Read more

Gov’t paid NAf. 1.31 million mobile phone bill to TelEm

~ Budget debate continues today ~

PHILIPSBURG--Government spent NAf. 1,131,844.78 last year in mobile telephone bills for civil servants. That amount covers 206 mobile phones from St. Maarten Telephone Group of Companies TelEm allotted to civil servants in "key positions," including emergency posts at the Fire and Ambulance Departments, police, health inspectors and policy advisors.

The Ministry of General Affairs has 50 government-allocated mobile phones; Ministry of Justice 25 mobile phones; Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports 17; Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication 35 mobile phones; Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure 42 mobile phones; Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour 26 mobile phones; and Ministry of Finance 9 mobile phones.

Prime Minister/General Affair Minister Marcel Gumbs told Parliament Wednesday that government intends to establish a new policy on the issuance and regulation of mobile phones for civil servants to curb the high bill.

Independent MP Leona Marlin-Romeo had called on government in the Plenary Session of Parliament on the draft 2015 budget on Tuesday to seek more ways to cut back on waste and bad spending in the administration Read more

Leona: Stop first class travel for MPs and ministers, cut salaries

PHILIPSBURG--A five per cent salary cut and an end to all first class air travel for Members of Parliament (MPs) and ministers were proposed to Parliament by independent MP Leona Marlin-Romeo during the Plenary Session of Parliament dealing with the draft 2015 budget on Tuesday.

Marlin-Romeo, a member of the governing coalition, said if civil servants could do without the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) this year, MPs and ministers should be prepared to take a salary cut.

She intends to formalise her proposals in a motion slated for tabling today, Wednesday, when the plenary session continues in Parliament House at 2:00pm.

Then Democratic Party MP Roy Marlin lobbied for a similar salary cut just over a year ago, but it was withdrawn after he failed to persuade any of his coalition partners to sign on Read more

Budget heads to plenary session of Parliament

PHILIPSBURG--The Central Committee meeting of Parliament on the 2015 budget wrapped up late Friday night after a marathon session that started at 10:00am. The budget will now head to a plenary session of Parliament for final handling and voting. The meeting originally started on Thursday morning and was suspended on that night after Members of Parliament posed questions to the Council of Ministers.

The plenary session of Parliament is slated for next week.

Government needs to meet the deadline of January 31 for the establishment of the budget Read more

William agrees with CFT’s lower budget assessment

PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) leader Member of Parliament (MP) William Marlin says his party agrees with the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT estimate of the draft budget. CFT has tagged the budget at NAf Read more

Editorial - Word of advice

"Only in St. Maarten," many no doubt will be saying about the most recent political twist since the end-of-August elections. To refresh everyone's memory, originally the coalition was to be NA/DP/US party, then UP/De Weever, subsequently UP/De Weever/Marlin-Romeo/DP, later UP/De Weever/Marlin-Romeo and now UP/De Weever/Marlin-Romeo/US party.

It seems a bit ironic that United St Read more

Frans joins UP-led coalition, gets Justice Ministry portfolio

PHILIPSBURG--The United People's (UP)-led coalition again has the support of ten Members of Parliament (MPs) as of Monday morning when United St. Maarten (US) party leader MP Frans Richardson signed on to the coalition.

Richardson signed on with the "100 per cent support" of his party's board Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Finance the Hon. Martin Hassink on Friday, January 16, presented the 2015 draft Country Budget to Parliament. Minister Hassink presented the budget to the Chairman of Parliament Dr. Lloyd Richardson and the Presidium of Parliament in the persons of Member of Parliament Cornelius DeWeever and Member of Parliame Read more

Draft 2015 Budget Present To President Of Parliament By Finance Minister

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Minister of Finance the Hon. Martin Hassink on Friday, January 16, presented the 2015 draft Country Budget to Parliament.

Minister Hassink presented the budget to the Chairman of Parliament Dr. Lloyd Richardson and the Presidium of Parliament in the persons of Member of Parliament Cornelius DeWeever and Read more

MPs emphasise need for information from govt

PHILIPSBURG--Parliament wants timely information from government when such is requested, especially on matters being handled in the Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation IPKO. This need was highlighted by United St. Maarten Party Member of Parliament (MP) Frans Richardson on Friday.

His recommendation was supported by other MPs in the debriefing meeting of Parliament's Permanent Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs and Kingdom Relations held in Parliament House Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The outcome of the Inter-parliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IPKO) that took place in Aruba recently, will be a topic of discussion on Friday morning in the House of Parliament when the Permanent Kingdom Affairs and Inter-parliamentary Relations Committee will meet for a debriefing.
The meeting is scheduled to start at 10.00am in the General Assembly Chamber, and members of the public are invited to attend the open session.
The next IPKO is scheduled for May 27 to 29 in The Hague, the Netherlands which will be attended by parliamentary delegations from the Netherlands, Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten.
Members of Parliament (MPs) will be sharing their opinions on Friday morning when the House sits for the debriefing.
On energy matters, delegation members fully support cooperation in the area of energy, and look forward to seeing the utility companies of Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten coming together to have discussions in exploring such cooperation.
After such discussions are held, it should lead to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) being signed by the three parties.
The delegation members then hope to be able to discuss the MOU at the next IPKO meeting.
A workgroup has been established with representatives from the following countries: Rasmijn (Aruba), Sulvaran (Curacao) and Bosman (the Netherlands) Read more

Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation In Aruba Covers Many Topics Requiring Follow-Up By The Four Governments. Debriefing Set For Friday Morning

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – The outcome of the Inter-parliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IPKO) that took place in Aruba recently, will be a topic of discussion on Friday morning in the House of Parliament when the Permanent Kingdom Affairs and Inter-parliamentary Relations Committee will meet for a debriefing.

The meeting is scheduled to start at 10.00am in the General Assembly Chamber, and members of the public are invited to attend the open session.

The next IPKO is scheduled for May 27 to 29 in The Hague, the Netherlands which will be attended by parliamentary delegations from the Netherlands, Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten.

Members of Parliament (MPs) will be sharing their opinions on Friday morning when the House sits for the debriefing.

On energy matters, delegation members fully support cooperation in the area of energy, and look forward to seeing the utility companies of Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten coming together to have discussions in exploring such cooperation.

After such discussions are held, it should lead to a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) being signed by the three parties.

The delegation members then hope to be able to discuss the MOU at the next IPKO meeting.

A workgroup has been established with representatives from the following countries: Rasmijn (Aruba), Sulvaran (Curacao) and Bosman (the Netherlands) Read more

NA call for MP Matser’s ‘immediate’ resignation

PHILIPSBURG--The "immediate resignation" of United People's (UP) party Member of Parliament (MP) Silvio Matser has been called for by the National Alliance (NA) Board.

The call, issued Tuesday, comes a week after the Court of First Instance sentenced the first-term MP to 24 months, 18 of which were suspended, on three years' probation and 240 hours of community service, for tax evasion Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Leona Marlin-Romeo on Sunday, January 11th, 2015 spoke about the tragic events that took place in Paris, France starting with the Charlie Hebdo attack last Wednesday.

More than one million people have taken part in a unity march in Paris on Sunday, January 11th in connection with 17 people who were killed over a three day period.

"It is imperative that our people stand in solidarity with French Saint Martin, not only as our historical neighbour but as an island where most indigenous St Read more

Best interests of Sint Maarten was top priority for MP Marlin-Romeo at Inter-parliamentary Kingdom Consultation.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The Inter-parliamentary Kingdom Consultation (IPKO) ended successfully after five days of intense open discussions, Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Hon. Leona Marlin-Romeo said on Sunday in a press release.

"St. Maarten can be assured that her best interests were placed as priority from the delegation that was present Read more

Independent Mp Leona Marlin-Romeo Expresses Solidarity With French Saint Martin And The Republic

Independent MP Leona Marlin-Romeo Expresses Solidarity with French Saint Martin and the Republic

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Leona Marlin-Romeo on Sunday, January 11th, 2015 spoke about the tragic events that took place in Paris, France starting with the Charlie Hebdo attack last Wednesday.

More than one million people have taken part in a unity march in Paris on Sunday, January 11th in connection with 17 people who were killed over a three day period.

"It is imperative that our people stand in solidarity with French Saint Martin, not only as our historical neighbour but as an island where most indigenous St Read more