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Sint Maarten And The Netherlands Meet Over Liquidity Support

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten 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.

Prime Minister Jacobs stated, During the meeting, State Secretary Knops agreed that the Government of Sint Maarten has lived up to the agreements Read more

Mp Emmanuel: Why Is The Pm Running From Saying Yes Or No?

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — 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

Emmanuel Questions What Pm Meant With Enough Liquidity

~ Still waiting on Finance Minister ~

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — 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

Prime Minister Silveria JacobsTravels Abroad Due To Family Reasons

Philipsburg Sint Maarten — Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs is travelling 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.

Prime Minister Jacobs will remain available virtually and she will keep in close contact with the Council of Ministers, the Parliament of St Read more

St. Maarten Did Not Break The Agreement

On December 22, 2020 The government of St. Maarten, duly represented by the Prime Minister of St. Maarten, Mrs. S.E. Jacobs hereinafter referred to as: St. Maarten and
The Government of the Netherlands, duly represented by the State Secretary for the interior Ministry and Relations, Mr. R.W. Knops, hereinafter referred to as: The Netherlands;
The aforementioned is the beginning statements of an agreement signed between the St Maarten and Dutch government.

The agreement entails the aim for both parties to establish in a Kingdom Act based on Article 38, second paragraph of the Charter for the Kingdom of the Netherlands a Caribbean body for reform and development (hereinafter: COHO), which in view of the wellbeing of the St Read more

Mp Ottley Demands Urgent Attention To Housing For The Belvedere Residents

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten Member of Parliament for the United People’s (UP Party) MP Omar Ottley says the public housing situation on St. Maarten is in urgent need of attention. He has also called on the Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure to provide urgent answers to Belvedere residents on when they can expect the much-needed repairs in their homes to begin.

Belvedere’s housing situation is, for MP Ottley, incredibly disheartening and worrisome given the Colorado State University’s prediction that this year’s Hurricane Season has a 65% chance of being above average.

The MP issued a press release on Tuesday in which he states that the concerns he expressed during a 2020 Parliamentary session with the Public Housing Foundation are still not addressed Read more

Government To Establish Inter-Ministerial Covenant To Tackle Immigration Loopholes

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten — On Friday 27th, 2021, the Ministries of Justice, VSA and TEATT met to lay the foundation of establishing a working agreement or covenant to tackle the various loopholes used to defraud the system to acquire certain things like residency permits. Ministers support staff and relevant department heads engaged in a highly-anticipated meeting to identify issues within the labor and immigration system that allows persons coming to the island to abuse the system and acquire residency.

The meeting served to introduce certain talking points and discuss the way forward with the intention of developing a joint covenant between all three Ministries that will tackle many aspects such as the employment-related immigration matters from the Ministry of Public Health, Labor and Social Development (VSA) and the abuse of the Business Directors License from the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication (TEATT) to acquire residency.

A covenant was first created in 2020, between the Minister of Justice and the Minister of VSA to cooperate on issues affecting both the labor and immigration systems Read more

Mp Buncamper Questions Minister Of Finance On Taxes Levied On Pension Income.

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Pensioners being taxed on their pension income is a great concern to MP Claudius Toontje Buncamper, leader of the United St. Maarten Party (USP) faction in parliament, who on Monday sent a letter to the minister of Finance, Ardwel Irion, regarding the levying of income taxes on pension.

In his letter to the minister MP Buncamper mentioned that pensioners are dissatisfied with wage/income tax being levied to their already low pension income, especially in these challenging times when the pension might be their only source of income Read more

Minister Of Vsa Conducts Work Visit To Fire And Ambulance Department

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — On Friday, March 26, 2021, The Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (VSA), Richard Panneflek and his staff had a working visit at the Fire and Ambulance department in Cay Hill.

In collaboration with RAV Brabant MWN and the Ambulance Service SXM, instructors Rudy Verschuren, Harm Verbeeten, Lianne van Driel and Ruud Verhalle trained in scenario education.The unique aspect of the training was the collaboration with all parties, police, fire brigade, Dutch Marines and Dispatch.

Today was the last exercise of the week in which all parties showed their skills to ultimately provide good patient care Read more

Stb Launches Spring To St. Maarten Travel Campaign

SINT MAARTEN, PHILIPSBURG The St. Maarten Tourism Bureau (STB) has launched a Spring social media campaign under the banner, Spring to St. Maarten.

As the travel industry continues to show signs of recovery with travelers showing positive signs in wanting to travel, STB said the timing was right to launch its campaign to capture some of the travelers who are making plans to travel.

This Spring initiative by the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau is once again an effort by Government to attract visitors to the destination and continue to grow our economy in a responsible manner that does not impact the COVID-19 public health and safety protocols.

The Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications (Ministry TEATT) has been working with our industry partners to maintain an international presence and build demand as the market slowly recovers Read more

Who Will Rescue The People From The Pm

Dear editor

The Council of State has reviewed the COHO consensus law which was propped up by the honorable Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs and has found it wanting. The Councils findings will lead many in the governing coalition to begin their high-stepping, back-patting, and congratulatory nods for their perceived personal / political victory.

However, the real question is how does their personal / political victory translate into tangible relief for the citizens of this country during this COVID-19 pandemic Read more

Usp MpS Get Presentation On Ats.

PHILIPISBURG, Sint Maarten — Members of Parliament (MPs) of the United St. Maarten Party (USP) Akeem Arrindell and Claudius Toontje Buncamper and theirsupport staff met with the Audit Team Sint Maarten (ATS) on Tuesday, February 24, 2020 to gather some more information of theworks the ATS is presently carrying out and is capable of carrying out.

During the meeting a presentation was given on the purpose, the functions and the intentions of the Audit Team Sint Maarten, which was established on the Island by the Social & Health Insurances (SZV) in January 2016with the aim of replacing the SBAB

(Stichting Belasting Accountant Bureau) in order to save on travel and accommodation costs and to attract and retain St Read more

Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs Recognizes World Poetry Day

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

Letter To The Editor: LetS Talk

No Coho like Coho. Let me explain what I mean. There is some kind of entity that might be established, but the Coho will not be that entity. The new entity will and must have the input of the countries Curacao, Aruba and St. Maarten (CAS) because the Coho does not. And it must not as it now does, infringe on National, Kingdom and International Laws.

The State Secretary should not have the final authority when it comes to the process or execution of the packages in other words he should not be placed as judge, jury and executioner Read more

Foundation For Recovery Laid In 2020. Minister De Weever Expects Economy To Grow In 2021

SINT MAARTEN, PHILIPSBURG Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications, Ludmila de Weever, is cautiously optimistic about the economic rebound forecast for this year by the Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten (CBCS).

The CBCS released its Quarterly Bulletin for the third quarter of 2020 this week and estimates the Sint Maarten economy to grow by 3.1 per cent in 2021 compared to the severe decline of 25.6 per cent for 2020 Read more

Emmanuel On Coho: I Told You So ~ Says Govt An Embarrassment Onto Itself ~

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — 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

The Facts Regarding Sint Maarten Decolonization, Puerto Rico Is Fully Decolonized, But Not An Independent Country

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — The Parliament of St. Maarten’s recent petitionto the United Nations regarding racial bias on the islands of the former Netherlands Antilles has come under great scrutiny by varying members of the public. As a matter of fact, the topic of decolonization seems to have caused a lot of anxiety, as well as, confusion amongst the general public which is quite understandable. When discussing and analyzing decolonization, it is imperative to focus on the facts presented by the United Nations, the United Nations Charter, and the Kingdom Charter. What Then Is Decolonization? In his letter of September 15, 2015, to the Dutch Prime Minister, Marcel Gumbs, along with the Prime Ministers of Aruba and Curacao recalled that the United Nations had great doubts about whether or not the Kingdom Charter had really brought about decolonization Read more

Cabinet Of The Minister Plenipotentiary Of Sint Maarten Hosts Virtual Election Debate

THE NETHERLANDS — On Friday March 12th, 2021, the Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary in the Hague hosted an Election debate with Candidates of six political parties. The parties which were represented in this debate were BIJ1, represented by Ms. Lysanne Charles, UBUNTU (UCF), represented by Mr. Carlos Lopes, DENK, represented by Ms. Isaura Carillho, D66, represented by Drs. Jorien Wuite, Christen Unie, represented by Mr Read more

Cabinet Of The Minister Plenipotentiary Of Sint Maarten Hosts Virtual Election Debate

THE NETHERLANDS — On Friday March 12th, 2021, the Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary in the Hague hosted an Election debate with Candidates of six political parties. The parties which were represented in this debate were BIJ1, represented by Ms. Lysanne Charles, UBUNTU (UCF), represented by Mr. Carlos Lopes, DENK, represented by Ms. Isaura Carillho, D66, represented by Drs. Jorien Wuite, Christen Unie, represented by Mr Read more

Cabinet Of The Minister Plenipotentiary Of Sint Maarten Hosts Virtual Election Debate

THE NETHERLANDS — On Friday March 12th, 2021, the Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary in the Hague hosted an Election debate with Candidates of six political parties. The parties which were represented in this debate were BIJ1, represented by Ms. Lysanne Charles, UBUNTU (UCF), represented by Mr. Carlos Lopes, DENK, represented by Ms. Isaura Carillho, D66, represented by Drs. Jorien Wuite, Christen Unie, represented by Mr Read more

Stay-Over Visitors Figures Show Recovery Is Underway

Ludmila de Weever Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications,

SINT MAARTEN, PHILIPSBURG The Sint Maarten Tourism Bureau (STB) says that the number of stay-over visitors to the destination is on the increase and this is a sign that recovery of the tourism sector is underway.

In the months of November, December, and January the destination welcomed 32,669 stay over arrivals Read more

Stay-Over Visitors Figures Show Recovery Is Underway

Ludmila de Weever Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications,

SINT MAARTEN, PHILIPSBURG The Sint Maarten Tourism Bureau (STB) says that the number of stay-over visitors to the destination is on the increase and this is a sign that recovery of the tourism sector is underway.

In the months of November, December, and January the destination welcomed 32,669 stay over arrivals Read more

Stay-Over Visitors Figures Show Recovery Is Underway

Ludmila de Weever Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications,

SINT MAARTEN, PHILIPSBURG The Sint Maarten Tourism Bureau (STB) says that the number of stay-over visitors to the destination is on the increase and this is a sign that recovery of the tourism sector is underway.

In the months of November, December, and January the destination welcomed 32,669 stay over arrivals Read more

Mp Ottley: Petition To The Un Is Not A Call For Independence

Philipsburg, Sint Maarten — 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