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Lake wants to raise fees on remittances

PHILIPSBURG--Increase the one-per-cent foreign exchange levy to five per cent for remittances to bring in more government revenues, suggested United People’s (UP) party Member of Parliament Maurice Lake in the Central Committee meeting of Parliament on Thursday.

“Everybody must pay their fair share, and this is one way to tap into this sector, where hundreds of thousands, if not millions, leave the country annually for other islands or countries,” Lake said in the meeting dealing with the draft 2015 budget Read more

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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

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Parliament starts budget handling this Thursday

PHILIPSBURG--Parliament will begin its handling of the draft 2015 budget in a Central Committee as of Thursday from 9:00am in Parliament House. Finance Minister Martin Hassink is expected to make a presentation on the budget to Parliament.

The draft budget stands at some NAf. 445 million with investments and capital expenditures set at some NAf Read more

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Gumbs: Screening of ministers under Wescot-Williams’ watch

PHILIPSBURG--Minister-candidates who are now ministers in the Gumbs Cabinet were screened during the tenure of now-former Prime Minister/General Affairs Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams, said Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs in response to questions posed by the same Wescot-Williams, now a Member of Parliament, about the screening and the involvement of the Dutch Secret Service in the process.

Wescot-Williams sent her questions about the screening to Gumbs on January 13 via Parliament Chairman Dr Read more

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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

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DP to continue with draft timeshare laws

PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party (DP) will "pick up" the two draft initiative laws on the establishment of a timeshare authority and the regulation of the sector submitted to Parliament in its first sitting by former DP Member of Parliament Leroy de Weever.

DP leader MP Sarah Wescot-Williams informed Parliament Chairman Dr Read more

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Gumbs and Asjes want to continue good relations

PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs and Curaçao Prime Minister Ivar Asjes are committed to continuing good relations between the two Dutch Caribbean countries. Asjes is on a three-day working visit to St. Maarten that concludes today, Tuesday.

It is important to have and maintain good relations between kingdom partners, said Gumbs in a Press Secretariat release Read more

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Parliaments demand more cooperation in health care

THE HAGUE--More cooperation in the area of quality health care and inspection, less waste through the joint purchase of medication, reducing cost by clustering specialist care and the reduction of medical referrals.

These are the main objectives that the Parliaments of Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten and the Netherlands would like to see worked out at the Kingdom Health Care Conference which will be held in Aruba early June 2015.

The four Parliaments sent a joint letter to the Ministers of Public Health of Aruba, Curaçao, St Read more

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Lloyd condemns attacks on democracy, free expression

PHILIPSBURG/ARUBA--"The event in the French Republic hits very close to our hearts as part of our island, the northern half is part of France," said Parliament Chairman Member of Parliament (MP) Dr. Lloyd Richardson in a condolence message to the government and people of France, after the tragic attack in Paris on the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo on January 7.

"The fundamental right of the freedom of expression is at stake Read more

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Parliaments agree on dispute arrangement

~ Consensus reigns at IPKO ~

THE HAGUE/ORANJESTAD--The Parliaments of Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten and the Netherlands closed off a very successful Inter-Parliamentary Consultation of the Kingdom IPKO in Aruba on Friday.

Consensus was reached on several topics, including establishing of a dispute arrangement "geschillenregeling" for the Kingdom, the broadening of the request for advice of the Council of State on applying of Regulation of the Governor by the Kingdom Council of Ministers, use of Dutch study financing in the Caribbean region and repayment of study debts in local currencies of Dutch Caribbean countries.

All delegation leaders were highly positive about the level of talks in Aruba this week and the willingness to cooperate and to find solutions for pressing matters in the Kingdom Read more

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