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Answers Will Have To Wait Until Mid-January: Parliament Wants Clarity About Housing Foundation

St. Maarten – Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs answered the call to appear in Parliament as the acting minister of public housing within 72 hours after he was sworn in on Friday. Members of Parliament appreciated that, even though Gumbs sent them on their way with a flea in their ear, after listening to questions about the chaos of the St. Maarten Housing Development foundation for more than two hours.

The minister brought to mind the words he spoke on Friday in the constituting meeting where his team officially took over the reins: “The country needs tranquility, stability, civility and prosperity.”

Furthermore, Gumbs noted: “Integrity has been a buzz word this year Read more

The Road To The Gumbs I Cabinet: “Peddling Seats To The Highest Bidder”

St. Maarten / By Hilbert Haar – When Governor Drs. Eugene Holiday administers the oath of office to the five ministers of the Gumbs I cabinet this afternoon, it marks the end of a tedious process that started during the night after the parliamentary elections on August 29. How did we get where we are today? A review.

To avoid any misunderstandings, the governor also administers the oath to the minister plenipotentiary today – but that is not a ‘real’ minister – it is the representative of St Read more

Harbour Holding’S 2013 Financial Statements Show: Royal Rewards And Remarkable Loans

St. Maarten / By Hilbert Haar – Kingdom Relations Minister Ronald Plasterk wants to include the risks government-owned companies pose to St. Maarten in the assessment of the country’s budget by financial supervisor Cft. The Harbor group of Companies has always been reluctant to open its books for the government. This newspaper obtained a copy of the harbor’s 2013 financial statements and of the 2014 budget forecast.

The picture that emerges from this rich source of data is confusing and impressive at the same time Read more

Heyliger Asks For More Time To Form Government

St. Maarten – UP leader and formateur Theo Heyliger has asked and received more time to submit the final names of his cabinet to form the new government according to a press release from Governor Eugene Holiday.

The formateur originally had a November 30 deadline to submit the final list, but in a meeting with Governor Holiday yesterday, Heyliger made his request for additional time and was granted till December 16 Read more

Court Documents Indicate: Theo Heyliger Attempted To Blackmail Tender Services

St. Maarten/ By Hilbert Haar – United People’s party leader Theo Heyliger attempted in 2001 to blackmail the owner of St. Maarten Tender Services, Bobby Velasquez, with a bogus consultancy contract in the name of Coal Pot Inc., an offshore company established in Tortola in the British Virgin Islands Read more

Theo Heyliger Submits List To Governor

St. Maarten —After weeks of speculation, the biggest vote getter in the 2014 general elections, Formateur and leader of the United Peoples Party Theo Heyliger, confirmed he will not be taking up the position of Prime Minister of St Read more

Letter From St. Maarten’S Council Of Ministers To Rutte And Plasterk: No Cooperation With Additional Screening

St. Maarten – The Council of Ministers will not cooperate with the instruction to Governor Holiday to subject candidate-ministers for the new cabinet to additional screening. In a letter, signed by outgoing Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams, the council makes this position clear to Prime Minister Mark Rutte and Kingdom Relations Minister Ronald Plasterk Read more

Formateur Heyliger: Reports About Gumbs Are Speculative

St. Maarten – Formateur Theo Heyliger has labeled media reports suggesting that Marcel Gumbs could become the next prime minister as speculative. In a statement issued yesterday afternoon, Heyliger noted that he has not completed the names of the candidate ministers for presentation to Governor Drs Read more

Mps Unable To Give Update On Government Formation To Youth Parliament 

St. Maarten – As President of the St. Maarten Youth Parliament, Dwayne Griffith submitted to St. Maarten Parliament a motion, requesting an update on the current situation with government and the steps being taken to establish the new Council of Ministers. However, the MPs present were unable to give any information on the developments to the Youth Parliament, as many were not privy to what was taking place. Members of the Youth Parliament met with Parliament members at the Central Committee meeting on Tuesday to discuss the developments in government formation with regard to the instruction for the screening of candidate-ministers from the Kingdom Council of Ministers in The Hague.

“Our faction cannot provide any insight as to whether a list of ministers has been put forward… neither do we know the standards by which they will be screened,” said MP William Marlin Read more

Gebe And Telecom Providers Meet Wednesday To Discuss Underground Cables

St. Maarten—A meeting is carded for Wednesday between the shareholder representative of Gebe and stakeholders in the telecommunications industry to discuss having all telecommunications and power cables placed underground to avoid power outages as was the case with the recent passing of hurricane Gonzalo that left numerous households without power.

Following the passage of hurricane Gonzalo, minister with responsibilities for Gebe Murice Lake announced his intention to restructure the company and to look into having the cables placed underground Read more

Priest Instructs Heyliger: Man Up To Your Position; Take A Delegation To Holland And Present St. Maarten’S Case

St. Maarten—An instruction to form a delegation consisting of the leaders of the political parties in Parliament and visit the First and Second Chambers and present St. Maarten’s case, has been issued to leader of the UPP Theo Heyliger by leader of the One St Read more

Chin Cactus Road Residents Implore Minister Lake To Fix Road

St. Maarten – In a petition signed by some 20 plus persons, residents of Chin Cactus Road in the Sucker Garden area voiced their discontent with the dilapidated condition of the road, which has been in a state of disrepair for some years now, imploring Minister of Vromi Maurice Lake and Department Head of Infrastructure Management Claudius Buncamper to fulfill their promise and pave the road Read more

Other Parties Stay Away From Protest Against Kingdom And Plasterk – Green March Against Instruction

St. Maarten– Between 300 and 400 people took part in the march People United for True Democracy organized yesterday afternoon in protest against the instruction from the Kingdom Council of Ministers to Governor Holiday for a stricter screening of candidate ministers – a handsome turnout with one flaw: only supporters of the United People’s party showed up.

UP party leader Theo Heyliger was there, as were his faction leader Franklin Meyers, MP Tamara Leonard and MP Lloyd Richardson Read more

Lake: “Dutch Instruction Is Part Of The Hidden Agenda To Take Over St. Maarten”

St. Maarten —The Dutch instruction to Governor Holiday is being interpreted by Vromi minister Maurice Lake as part of a hidden agenda to take over St. Maarten.

Lake, who was a successful candidate on the UP list in the last election noted that the country already has screening laws for candidates proposed to become a member of the Council of Ministers.

“This whole thing is not about that anybody is afraid of being screened.  We have nothing to hide.  Those who have served within the past four years as Ministers, going back to 2010, 2012 and 2013 and still do so today have passed the screening process to become a minister Read more

Committee For Action Plan On Integrity Reports: Parliament Calls On Governor Not To Execute Instruction

St. Maarten – The Parliament passed a motion yesterday that calls on governor Drs. Eugène Holiday “not to yield to the measure of instruction formulated by the Dutch government” and to instruct the government to establish a committee that will “study, evaluate and recommend” an action plan based on the findings of three integrity reports that are currently on the table.

With this motion, the Parliament sent a message to The Hague that it will not stand for interference in its internal affairs Read more

Analysis: Screening Of Candidate-Ministers Seems At Odds With Constitution

St. Maarten / By Hilbert Haar – Screening? What screening? Nobody has asked this simple question yet, because everybody has been either busy and confused, or excited and angry about the humongous cloud of dust the Kingdom Council of Ministers created with its instruction to Governor Holiday for additional screening of candidate-ministers. One may well wonder which instruments the experts Minister Plasterk wants to send to St. Maarten have at their disposal to find something so wrong with one of the candidates that this will give reason to ban them from becoming a minister.

St Read more

St. Maarten Parliament Is Convinced That Screening Process Is Working: Motion Will Ask Governor To Reject Kingdom Instruction

St. Maarten – The United People’s party announced that it would table a motion that asks Governor Holiday not to go along with the instruction from the Kingdom Council of Ministers to execute additional screening of candidate-ministers for the new government. However, parliament adjourned until Wednesday morning after the first round. UP-leader Theo Heyliger told this newspaper that he had not delivered his final report about the new cabinet yet, even though yesterday was the deadline for his task as formateur.

A one-man protest action by Etienne Toochie Meyers – a representative of the movement People United for True Democracy – preceded the first meeting of the new parliament yesterday afternoon Read more

Dutch Instruction Is A Direct Attack On The Country’S Autonomy (Screening Process Of Candidate Ministers)

St. Maarten / By Hilbert Haar – The anger, indignation and apparent frustration about the instruction the Kingdom Council of Ministers gave to Governor Drs. Eugène Holiday has left many seething – not only in St. Maarten, but also in Curacao and Aruba. According to a report in Antilliaans Dagblad, the country has two weeks to agree with the package of measures Kingdom Relations Minister Ronald Plasterk has in store – otherwise another instruction could follow.

United People’s party leader Theo Heyliger stated in a rather emotional reaction on Friday that the instruction is unconstitutional Read more

De Weever Demands That Dutch Mp Andre Bosman Retracts Slander

St. Maarten – Minister of Public Health, Social Affairs and Labor Cornelius de Weever has summoned Dutch VVD-parliamentarian André Bosman in an open letter – written by his attorney Jairo Bloem – to retract his statement that UP-leader Theo Heyliger paid him for signing a coalition agreement with the UP.

Four different newspapers – Today, the Telegraaf, the Amigoe in Curacao and the Daily Herald – quoted Bosman on September 30 as saying, “Heyliger simply paid De Weever.”

The statement “lacks factual basis,” Bloem states in the letter, “and they are slanderous and defamatory towards client.” The attorney labels the statement as untruthful, grievous and deliberately slanderous, based on an article in the civil code and writes that it amounts to slander based on the penal code.

“I furthermore note that your contentions do not serve any general interest Read more

Up-Leader Theo Heyliger About Instruction: “Witch Hunt With Me As Primary Target”

St. Maarten – United People’s party leader Theo Heyliger released another statement to the media yesterday, announcing that the Dutch government will be held liable for the damages its “unconstitutional intrusion” is causing St Read more

Theo Heyliger Confirms He Is The Next Prime Minister Of St. Maarten

St. Maarten – United People’s party leader Theo Heyliger confirmed in the Oral Gibbes Live TV-program on Monday that he will be the country’s next Prime Minister. While others on the UP-list may also take up a post in the new cabinet, Heyliger’s move makes it certain that the controversial candidate Maria Buncamper-Molanus will become a Member of Parliament.

If, as is to be expected, Franklin Meyers becomes the new minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs, Jules James will return to parliament for a second 4-year term.

“I made a promise to the population of St Read more

Monday Protest-March Against Dutch Interference – Citizens For True Democracy Turn On Bosman, Van Raak

The Citizens for True Democracy. From left: Etienne Meyers, Elton Jones and Edwin Gumbs, for the occasion dressed in tee shirts with a bloody message. Photo Today / Hilbert Haar

St. Maarten – Etienne “Toochie” Meyers, Elton Jones and Edwin Gumbs are the driving forces behind Citizens for True Democracy – an activist movement that organizes on Monday a protests march against what is perceived as unacceptable interference in St Read more

St. Maarten Governor Asks Theo Heyliger To Form New Government

MP Theo Heyliger. Photo today / Leo Brown

St. Maarten – Governor Drs. Eugène Holiday has asked United People’s party leader Theo Heyliger to form a new government as formateur.

Last Friday the governor received the final report of the informateurs Joe Richardson and Marcel Gumbs, plus the governing accord 2014-2018 signed by the 7 members of the UP and Cornelius de Weever who will take up their seats in Parliament on Friday.

The 8 MPs-elect agreed in the governing accord that they will form a government that will among others give priority to the approval of the 2015 budget and to the decision making regarding the different reports on integrity of the public administration as well as to the execution thereof Read more

Pink October: Smmc Holds Open House For Breast Cancer Awareness

St. Maarten – Pink was the color of choice at the St. Maarten Medical Center’s open house on Saturday, Oct 4, which was held in honor of breast cancer awareness and the fight against breast cancer itself. Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor Cornelius de Weever and PM Sarah Wescot-Williams were in attendance Read more