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Gumbs formally rejects The Hague intervention

~ Warns that measures will create social unrest ~

THE HAGUE--St. Maarten Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs has informed the Dutch government formally that his government cannot agree with the current proposal of the Kingdom Council of Ministers to impose the installation of an Integrity Chamber for St. Maarten.

Gumbs stated in separate letters dated February 9 to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte in his capacity as Chairman of the Kingdom Council of Ministers and to Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk that the proposed General Measure of the Kingdom Government ("Algemene Maatregel van Rijksbestuur" AMvRB) was "in violation" of the Kingdom Charter and "disproportionate," that it "undermined St Read more

Kingdom Conference to be moved to June

THE HAGUE--The 2015 Kingdom Conference in Curaçao has been moved from April 8 to June 16, Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk informed the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on Tuesday.

Plasterk explained in his letter that he received word from Curaçao Prime Minister Ivar Asjes on February 2 that the Kingdom Conference could not go ahead on April 8 as planned due to "unforeseen circumstances." Asjes also sent a similar letter to his colleagues Mike Eman of Aruba and Marcel Gumbs of St Read more

Govt envisages lowering workers pay on sick days

PHILIPSBURG--Government is considering amending the current policy to lower compensation paid to workers on their sick days as a means of combating absenteeism.

In response to questions on this subject from Democratic Party (DP) Member of Parliament (MP) Sarah Wescot-Williams during the public plenary session of Parliament on the 2015 budget, Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs said the point of departure is that employees would get only a percentage of their salary paid to them when on sick leave.

"This can range from, for example, 90 per cent as of the second or third day of being sick, to for example 70 or 80 per cent after having been sick for a longer period," Gumbs said Read more

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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

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Chamber to become ‘integrity champion’

PHILIPSBURG--The government wants to deal with integrity issues urgently and with "full reliability," and wants to do so in establishing an Integrity Chamber which is to provide advice on integrity issues, policy and possible integrity violations within government.

The Integrity Chamber, called the "Champion of Public Integrity," is to be put at a distance from government and is to obtain far-reaching authority, Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs Marcel Gumbs stated in the introduction to the draft National Ordinance on the Establishment of the Integrity Chamber, which was sent to the Advisory Council.

The Integrity Chamber is to consist of a chairman and two members to be appointed for a period of three years Read more

St. Maarten baffled by Dutch position on Integrity Chamber

~Dennis calls latest move 'comical,' 'sad'~

PHILIPSBURG--"Outrageous," "comical" and "sad" were some of the words used by Justice Minister Dennis Richardson to describe the position of the Dutch Government on St. Maarten's move to establish an Integrity Chamber to investigate possible integrity breaches and advise government on integrity.

Richardson and Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs addressed the issue at a press conference on Sunday as the officials seemed baffled by the position of the Dutch on the matter.

The press conference was held on the heels of the move by The Kingdom Government decision to start the process for a so-called General Measure of the Kingdom Government to establish an Integrity Chamber in St Read more