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Jacobs Cabinet Satisfied With Its Performance But Believed More Could Have Been Done If Not Pressured By The Netherlands.

~Young Ministers also have challenges but are on the right track.~

PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs believes that her young cabinet members are doing fairly well despite the pressure they faced from the Netherlands to obtain liquidity support. The Prime Minister was responding to questions posed by SMN News regarding how satisfied they are with their performance since entering office. Jacobs said that her cabinet took office during challenging times as the island was now recovering from Hurricane Irma when the COVID-19 pandemic hit.
Jacobs said on March 28th, 2021 her government celebrated one year in office and everyone knows that her government has the youngest members of the Council of Ministers in the countrys history as such innovations and finding solutions are the key changes she noted Read more

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PHILIPSBURG On Thursday, April 1st, Member of Parliament for the United People's Party MP Omar Ottley sent a letter to Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs to urgently provide updates on a September 2020 motion that mandated her Government to establish a National Public Procurement Policy.
"We are talking about being able to redistribute the wealth locally, and Government being the largest purchaser of goods and services, can reshape the local market, " said MP Ottley in a press release issued Monday.

MP Ottley says the Executive Branch of Government can use its powers of purchasing to redistribute the wealth by ensuring local contractors have the first option on bids," said MP Ottley.
He suggested urgent attention be paid to the implementation of a procurement policy Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- On Monday, March 29, 2021, Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs and her support staff were invited to a meeting arranged by the Dutch representatives office with State Secretary Knops. The meeting was amicable, however, State Secretary Knops still needed more reassurance from the Parliament of Sint Maarten concerning support for the trajectory of the Kingdom Consensus Law COHO and the country package agreements finalized in December 2020 Read more

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PHILIPSBURG;--- Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel on Tuesday questioned why Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs is running from answering yes or no on the question of the UN petition on decolonization.

Emmanuel noted that every time the Prime Minister is addressing the subject she uses a word salad to confuse the people and never gives a clear answer about where she stands on the petition.

I have asked the Prime Minister, in Parliament and publicly to tell the people if she supports the petition yes or no Read more

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~ Still waiting on Finance Minister ~

PHILIPSBURG:--- A statement on St. Maartens liquidity position by Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs and a non-statement by Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion on the same subject, is resulting in more confusion from the NA/UP government, said Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel on Tuesday, adding that the game of making general and empty statements by government continues to do a disservice to the country.

MP Emmanuel pointed out that on Monday, as quoted in The Daily Herald, the Prime Minister boastfully said that the country is not flat on its back when it comes to finances and that we do have for sure enough liquidity for us to continue to have this discussion Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs is traveling for unavoidable family-related matters today, Tuesday, March 30, 2021. Deputy Prime Minister Egbert Doran will assume responsibility along with the Council of Ministers during her absence. Prime Minister Jacobs stated, Though I find it difficult to leave at this time, as we are facing some challenges, there will be continuity of government and I trust in the Deputy Prime Minister and the Council of Ministers to be able to handle all necessary ongoing matters Read more

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Usp: Reactionary, Lack Of Principled Leadership A Detriment To The People.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The board of the United St. Maarten Party (US) said on Monday that their sentiment with regards to the confusing manner in which the country is being governed has been echoed and confirmed by State Secretary Knops with decisive action in the aftermath of the advice from the Council of State on the COHO legislation.
The USP board said the people of St. Maarten are now left wondering about the way forward, while the Prime Minister continues to issue strange and confusing statements on the COHO Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- On Friday, March 26, 2021, the Government of Sint Maarten achieved a large milestone for the country as it pertains to disaster preparedness and resilience building. In the presence of the Director of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO/WHO) Dr. Carissa Etienne, Head of the European Union Delegation Responsible for Sint Maarten Fernando Ponz Canto and other pertinent stakeholders, the 11th European Development Fund B-Envelop Shelters project under the theme: building resilience by improving emergency response and disaster preparedness for the people of Sint Maarten, was launched Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- On Wednesday, March 24, 2021, Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs attended a high-level meeting together with Prfet Dlgu for Saint Martin and St. Barths Serge Gouteyron and his support staff. Joining Prime Minister Jacobs were Head of the Department of Interior and Kingdom Affairs Angelique Gumbs, Head of the Department of Foreign Affairs Patrice Gumbs, and support staff Read more

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The Hague The Dutch Council of Ministers has today decided to stop providing liquidity support to Sint Maarten as long as the States do not unequivocally confirm that they support the agreement previously concluded with the Jacobs cabinet. This means that the Netherlands will not transfer the 39 million guilders that the Sint Maarten government needs to meet payment obligations to Philipsburg in the second quarter.

In a letter, which he sent to the House of Representatives this evening, State Secretary Raymond Knops (BZK) gives a detailed explanation of the decision of the State Council of Ministers Read more

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On Saturday, March 27th, 2021, from 6:00 pm, BPW Concordia SXM in collaboration with BPW Barbados and BPW Dominica, will be hosting a discussion under the theme:  CHOOSE TO CHALLENGE: Lets work together for an egalitarian world

 The objective of this event is to bring men, women, and various organizations from the Caribbean together to discuss gender equality and other forms of discrimination. 

 Our objective is also to create a unified platform to help foster partnerships between various organizations across the Caribbean that will help promote progress in achieving an egalitarian world.

The panelists include (in alphabetical order of first names):

 Ms Read more

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~ PMs words betray current positions ~

PHILIPSBURG:--- Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel has called the spinning of the government in the aftermath of the Council of State advice on the COHO as typically deceitful and said the Prime Minister of St. Maarten leads the pack when it comes to compulsive lying and political spinning.

At the same time, the MP reiterated his own position that St. Maarten should not entertain COHO in any way shape or form. It will never get my support Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs announced in the Council of Minister's press briefing on Wednesday that the COHO is not yet up for debate at this current stage. Jacobs said as Prime Minister of St. Maarten this draft law can only be shared after it has gone through the process. She said on Friday while in parliament she received the advice however, she is not allowed to share the details of that advice. Jacobs said that the Council of Advice on St Read more

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~ Says govt an embarrassment onto itself ~

Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel on Tuesday had only four words in response to reports that the Council of State has determined that the COHO is in contravention of the Kingdom Statuut: I told you so. And Ive been telling the government and the people of St. Maarten so since November 2020. This government is careless and an embarrassment unto itself.
MP Emmanuel is the only Member of Parliament who has vehemently stated his position against the COHO and the only MP to vote against the three laws cutting income and benefits of civil servants and workers at government-owned entities Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- The Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard would like to thank the community of St. Maarten for attending the second edition of the recruitment day held last Saturday. For the day, the Coast Guard opened her doors to all St. Maarten youngsters interested in becoming a Coast Guard officer. Many youngsters with their parents and guardians braved the torrential downpours and gusting winds that day and received information and were able to speak with Coast Guard officers about their work. Some youngsters even faced a challenge set up to measure their physical fitness.

The day started at 10 AM at lasted until 1 PM with different stands where both boys and girls could receive useful information about the Coast Guard training Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- Celebrated each year on March 21, 2021, is one of our societys most beloved forms of art and cultural expression, Poetry. Poetry brings us together on various continents and is a suitable form of expression for every walk of life. Our very own local poets depict our pain, struggles, triumphs, and joys and express the diversity of culture within our community through their poignant words.

This day is observed in respect and celebration of poetry by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) Read more

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Emmanuel: Prime Minister Must Explain Her Position On Petition.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel on Wednesday said that Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs must explain her position on the petition submitted to the United Nations and added that the Chairperson of Parliament Rolando Brison as well as the initiator of the petition Grisha Marten-Heyliger, is busy undermining their own initiative.

MP Emmanuel reminded all Parliamentary factions that he had forewarned that they were playing a dangerous game with the Dutch government Read more

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: Member of Parliament for the United People's Party MP Omar Ottley says the 2021 Parliament has exposed the untruth of the so-called 10-10-10 and St. Maarten's autonomy, causing the main actors in that deal to "falsely claim that the March 9, 2021, Petition to the United Nations is a call for Independence."

In a press release issued on Sunday, Ottley asked, "If since 10 10 10 the past Parliament and Governments of St Maarten have been telling the people that we are Autonomous and achieved self-governance, why did it take the parliament of 2021 to discover that this is not true?"

He said those scribes of the 10 10 10 agreement should have told the people of St Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- March 8, 2021, marked International Women's Day 2021. This day was celebrated around the world in recognition of the social, economic, cultural, and political achievements of women and also brought awareness to areas that need improvement for gender equity and inclusion. This year, International Womens Day was themed Choose To Challenge.

As part of the global celebration, the University of St.Martin (USM), TelEm N.V and the Produce Wealth Revolution (PWR) Agency came together in a collaborative effort to produce Oualichi Politics - a virtual panel discussion highlighting seven (7) of the islands most influential women in the political arena Read more

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Steering Committee Agrees On The Importance Of Maintaining Focus On Rehabilitating Critical Infrastructure.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Steering Committee of the Sint Maarten Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience Trust Fund met virtually and was joined by Prime Minister Jacobs, Minister of Finance Irion of Sint Maarten, and State Secretary Knops of the Netherlands in a High-Level Meeting. The High-Level Meeting focused in particular on the sustainability of projects critical for Sint Maartens development Read more

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~ And US $4.2 million owed to Sheriff Security ~

Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel has written to Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs about the St. Maarten Festival Village and, according to the MP, the public eyesore it has become as well as general operation questions surrounding the government foundation that runs the Festival Village, Stichting Overheids Gebouwen (SOG) Read more

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~ PM, Governor owes public an update ~

Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel on Tuesday issued a public call to Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs and His Excellency Governor Eugene Holiday, to update the general public on what is happening with the swearing-in of MP Rolando Brison as Minister Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- On Wednesday, February 24th, a Candelight vigil was held in the honor of the late Rhonda Thomas, a school teacher of the Methodist Agogic Center who was brutally murdered on February 14, 2021, in a domestic violence case. Prime Minister Silveria E. Jacobs, Minister of Justice Anna E. Richardson and Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport drs. Rodolphe Samuel were amongst the attendees at the event held at the Carib Lumber Ball Park to show their support for ending violence against women and girls.
Prime Minister Jacobs shared a few words with attendees calling them to action Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel on Wednesday said that a letter from the St. Maarten Airline Handlers Association (SAHA) and its Airline Operating Committee (AOC) is the biggest indictment yet presented against the CEO of the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) Brian Mingo.

When the representative of all major airlines, your most important stakeholder, decries working conditions that go against basic principles in aviation, then it is past time that you pack up and leave or the airport holding board finalizes his dismissal, the MP said.

On February 22, the AOC sent a letter to Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs drawing her attention to what it termed an urgent matter regarding the airports reconstruction project Read more

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