SXMElections.com

Minister Jacobs: Together We Can Definitely Make A Change

PHILIPSBURG – In Wednesday’s, March 15, Council of Ministers Press Briefing, Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Silveria Jacobs first extended condolences to the family of Aniek Arrindell, who had been battling illness and succumbed to it.

In an update on the stabbing incident at St. Maarten Vocational School (SMVTS), the Minister stated, “I know that the incident that is in St Read more

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Election Committee Meets To Discuss Upcoming Chamber Bi-Election

PHILIPSBURG, The Election Committee of the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce met to discuss the upcoming Chamber Bi-Election.

The Electorate

In accordance with Federal Ordinance of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (P.B. 1944 No.202) one position on the Board representing Small Business has become vacant due to a resignation.

Voters for Small Businesses are those entitled to vote, whose names appear in the Commercial Register as involved in an established company with less than NAf Read more

MARIGOT:--- A very low voter’s turnout on Sunday for the first round of the Territorial Election has left three of the eight political parties that contested the election to battle next Sunday in the second round.58.6 % of the voters did not vote on Sunday, leaving only 42.4 % of the voters to determine who will govern the French side for the next five years. Of the 20275 registered voters, only 8642 voters cast their votes for the eight political parties that contested the election.
Despite the low voter's turnout Team Gibbs 2017, headed by Daniel Gibbs scored 4096 of the votes, while the MJP headed by Louie Mussington came in second with 1,152 votes and MVP headed by Alain Richardson, third with 990 votes Read more

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Minister Collaborates With Lions Anti-Drug And Alcohol Campaign

From left: Truancy Officer Sachel Hyman; Inspectorate Chief Operations Officer Suënah Martis; Culture, Youth and Sport Inspector Betty Ellis, Minister Silveria Jacobs, St. Maarten Lions Club President Davey Woods; St. Maarten Leos Club Advisor Lisandra Ellis Havertong; and St. Maarten Lions Club member Christ’l Larmonie.

PHILIPSBURG--Drug and alcohol abuse by the island’s youth is a serious matter that must be addressed urgently, was the message brought forward by Minister of Youth Affairs Silveria Jacobs at a kick-off press conference with the St Read more

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Sarah: D66 ‘Will Push For Improved Relations’

PHILIPSBURG--The Democrats 66, led by Alexander Pechtold, “will push for improved and respectful relations in the Dutch Kingdom, that is my fervent hope, in any case,” said Democratic Party (DP) leader Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Wil Read more

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Mp Stays Behind Bars, Us Party Supports Him

PHILIPSBURG--Thursday marked the second day Member of Parliament (MP) Chanel Brownbill stayed in detention on order of the Anti-Corruption Team that detained him on Wednesday morning. Brownbill is a suspect in the Emerald investigation.

  The United St. Maarten Party (US Party) board said Thursday that it stands by and supports its party member and MP in the current investigation Read more

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Jacobs Focuses On Parents, Youth In Carnival Speech

Minister of Culture Silveria Jacobs. (File photo)

PHILIPSBURG--As the Carnival season quickly approaches with jump-ups, pageants, calypso eliminations and parades ahead of the opening of the Carnival Village, Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Silveria Jacobs stressed several key factors in a Carnival season address to the population on Thursday.

  She said to the parents, “Keep your children close during the jump-ups and parades, and ensure they attend age-appropriate events Read more

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Major Steps For International Protection Of Caribbean Sharks Following Dutch Proposal

CAYENNE, French Guiana - Great news for shark conservation in the Caribbean. On March 13th, 2017 it was officially decided to protect eight shark species under the international Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) Protocol following a proposal by the Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs in cooperation with a team of shark experts. The SPAW protocol is the only cross-border legislative instrument for nature conservation in the Wider Caribbean Region Read more

“The Best Me Is Drug Free, The Greatest Me Is Alcohol Free”

~ Ministry ECYS joins forces with Leo Club for Drug and Alcohol Awareness Campaign ~

PHILIPSBURG – The Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS) in collaboration with the St. Maarten Leo Club have joined forces in a quest to tackle the drugs and alcohol abuse by the youth.

Both parties have been exposed to the dangers and this matter is an ongoing problem with a root in the community, which cannot be solved if the matter is not tackled collaboratively.

Drug and alcohol use/abuse by the youth is a serious matter that must be addressed urgently Read more

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Minister Of Culture Silveria Jacobs Carnival Address

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – As the Carnival Season quickly approaches with jump-ups, pageants, calypso eliminations and parades ahead of the opening of the village, I wish my fellow St. Maarteners and visitors alike, much fun and enjoyment of the cultural celebrations St. Maarten has to offer.

Do enjoy the local cuisine, music and revelry, and in everything you do this Carnival season, do it responsibly. I encourage you to not use this time to deal with a petty feuds or create scenes Read more

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Sarah Tests System Of Kingdom’S Responsibilities In ‘De-Risking’ Case

PHILIPSBURG – Member of Parliament (MP) Sarah Wescot-Williams sent a letter to the Kingdom government requesting the Kingdom Council of Ministers’ views on the matter of derisking by foreign banks.

Wescot-Williams sent her letter via St Read more

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Sarah Remains Adamant About English As 1St Official Language

PHILIPSBURG – In defending her decision to maintain English as the language of the timeshare ordinance, Member of Parliament (MP) Wescot-Williams referred to her proposal, which was unanimously adopted in a motion by parliament to establish English as the first official language.

English AND Dutch are the official languages, but the constitution of St Read more

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Ecys Ministry Collaborates On Alcohol/Drug Abuse Project

PHILIPSBURG – The Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sports (ECYS) together with the Lions/Leos Club of St. Maarten will be collaborating on a drug and alcohol abuse campaign for the youngsters on the island.

Minister of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sports Silveria Jacobs stated during the press conference to introduce the project to the media, that it gave her great pleasure to inaugurate this project Read more

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Usp Board And Members Stand By And Supports Mp Chanel Brownbill.

The board of the United St. Maarten (US) party on Thursday said it stands by and supports its party member and Member of Parliament Chanel Brownbill in the current ongoing investigation. Though the situation is one to be concerned about, the board also cautions against a rush to judgment as MP Brownbill still has rights under the law.
"In such time we tend to forget how families are also affected, so we also stand in support of them in these troubling times Read more

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Caribbean Stakes Future On Climate-Smart Agriculture

GEORGETOWN, Guyana – As Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries continue to build on the momentum of the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement and the 22nd Conference of the Parties (COP22) of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Marrakech in 2016, special emphasis is being placed on agriculture as outlined in their Intended Nationally Determined Contributions (INDCs).

The historic climate agreement was approved on Dec. 12, 2015 at COP21. INDCs is the term used under the UNFCCC for reductions in greenhouse gas emissions that all countries which are party to the convention were asked to publish in the lead up to the conference.

In their INDCs, the countries of CARICOM, a 15-member regional grouping, have prioritized adaptation in the agricultural sector, given the need to support food security.

They are now shifting their focus from climate planning to action and implementation Read more

Committees Are The Backbone Of Parliament

The system of parliamentary committees in the Netherlands is considered the backbone of the Dutch parliament. The review further indicates that two thirds of the work of parliament takes place in the committees.

Looking at how the committee system functions, in the parliament of Sint Maarten, we can only sadly conclude that our parliament is not functioning optimally due to the fact that the committees are not functioning.

The Annual Report of the Parliamentary Year 2015-2016 of Sint Maarten gives some insight as to how these committees are functioning Read more

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Multi-Ministerial Inspections Target Increased Compliance

PHILIPSBURG – Last Friday, March 10, a multi-disciplinary control was conducted by inspectors from the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (VSA) with the assistance of the Ministry of Finance’s Tax inspectors, Ministry of Justice’s Immigration officers, representatives from SZV as well as close cooperation with the representatives from the Ministry of VROMI.

At Wednesday’s, March 15, press briefing Minister of VSA Emil Lee commended the team who carried out the inspections last Friday for their hard work and enthusiasm throughout the day Read more

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Dutch Election: Pm Rutte Sees Off Anti-Eu Wilders Challenge

BBC —  Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte’s party has won the most seats in parliamentary elections, exit polls say.

Early results confirmed the exit polls, with his centre-right VVD Party on course for 31 out of 150 seats.

Three parties are projected to win 19 seats each: Geert Wilders’ anti-immigration Freedom Party (PVV), the Christian Democrats and the D66 party.

Mr Wilders’ party had been leading in opinion polls but support for the party appeared to slip in recent days.

With 10.9% of votes counted early on Thursday, the VVD had polled 17.8%.

Voter participation in the general election was high; the 81% turnout was the highest for 30 years.

Analysts say a high turnout may have benefited pro-EU and liberal parties.

“Today was a celebration of democracy,” Mr Rutte said, adding that the Netherlands had said no to the “wrong kind of populism”.

Although the VVD had lost several seats since the last election, many had expected the party to lose much more ground to the Freedom Party.

Many had been watching the vote in the Netherlands closely, as an indication for how populist parties may fare in other elections in EU countries.

France goes to the polls next month to elect a new president, while Germany is due to hold a general election in September.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has called Mr Rutte to congratulate him, while Luxembourg Prime Minister Xavier Bettel has also tweeted his congratulations.

Martin Schulz, president of the European Parliament until earlier this year, said he was “relieved” Mr Wilders’ party had lost.

“We must continue to fight for an open and free Europe!” he added on Twitter (in German).

However, Mr Wilders warned that Mr Rutte “has not seen the last of me”.

He previously said that the “patriotic revolution” would continue to take place, and “the genie will not go back into the bottle”.

Pharrell Williams’ song Happy pumped out across a conference hall converted to host the victorious VVD.

“Of course he’ll still be prime minister,” a loyal party member with black rimmed glasses told us Read more

Mp Brownbill Detained By Anti-Corruption Team

PHILIPSBURG--United St. Maarten party (USP) Member of Parliament Chanel Brownbill has been detained by authorities on Wednesday morning along with two other suspects in connection with the Emerald investigation.

Brownbill and the other suspects in the case are suspected of forgery and tax evasion Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- The system of parliamentary committees in the Netherlands is considered the backbone of the Dutch parliament. The review further indicates that two-thirds of the work of parliament take place in the committees. Looking at how the committee system functions, in the parliament of Sint Maarten, we can only sadly conclude that our parliament is not functioning optimally due to the fact that the committees are not functioning. The Annual Report of the Parliamentary Year 2015-2016 of Sint Maarten gives some insight, as to how these committees are functioning Read more

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PHILIPSBURG:--- On Monday 13th March 2017 the Minister of Finance from Sint Maarten, the Honorable Richard Gibson Sr. met with the Minister of Finance from Curacao, the Honorable Kenneth Gijsbertha to discuss vital financial matters that affect both Sint Maarten and Curacao.

Some topics addressed during this meeting were: the management of the Central Bank of Curacao and Sint Maarten (CBCS), the de-risking trends within our financial institutions, the division of assets of the former Netherlands Antilles, Sint Maarten and Curacao’s possible participation in the pilot project organized by the United States and the upcoming IMF Meeting in Washington, to take place in April of this year Read more

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Report on hacking to be discussed on Thursday.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister William Marlin announced on Wednesday that the Secretary General of General Affairs has filed a complaint with the Prosecutor’s Office on the hacking of Government ICT system which took place late last year and again two weeks ago. Marlin said if someone is maliciously attacking government ICT system and planting viruses then that is a criminal offense and the prosecutor’s office ought to investigate.
Marlin did not go into details of the report that he said will be discussed with the head of ICT department and other civil servants, however, he did state that based on the report at least four computers were identified as the hacking point Read more

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Sarah Declines Meeting With New Quartermaster

PHILIPSBURG--Parliament Chairwoman Sarah Wescot-Williams has declined to meet with the Dutch Government-appointed quartermaster for the yet-to-be-established Integrity Chamber.

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Letter From Plasterk To Marlin On Leijtens’ Appointment Released

THE HAGUE--Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk informed St. Maarten Prime Minister William Marlin regarding the appointment of Hans Leijtens as quartermaster for the St. Maarten Integrity Chamber by letter on January 30.

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