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William agrees with CFT’s lower budget assessment

PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) leader Member of Parliament (MP) William Marlin says his party agrees with the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT estimate of the draft budget. CFT has tagged the budget at NAf Read more

MP Matser and Energizer Appeal Verdict --- Attorney at Law Cor Merx.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Attorney at Law Cor Merx said in an invited comment that Member of Parliament Silvio Matser and his company Energizer N.V. has appealed the verdict that was rendered on January 7th, 2015 by the Court of First Instance against him and Energizer N.V.
Merx said that MP Silvio Matser will remain a Member of Parliament since the crimes under which Matser was convicted is not listed in article 50 of the country's constitution.
Merx said that article 50 is a two prong article which states that any Member of Parliament that is convicted under a list of crimes will lose his membership Read more

2015 Draft Budget not Realistic – Council of Advice.

style="text-align: center;">Governing Accord, NIPA, AUC and SMMC highlighted in Budget Debate

PHILIPSBURG:--- The central committee meeting held on Thursday to debate the 2015 draft budget was intense as several Members of Parliament even those supporting the coalition asked various questions on the Naf. 445M draft budget that was presented to them for discussion.
Member of Parliament Leona Marlin in her presentation said that she agrees with her colleague MP Sarah Wescot Williams who highlighted that the Council of Advice already indicated to government that the draft budget for 2015 is not realistic Read more

Gebe Moving To Reduce Fuel Surcharge

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - In light of a continuous decrease in oil prices globally, GEBE is now taking steps to decrease the fuel clause.

In a press release issued on Wednesday, management of the company said that "the trickledown effect of these decreases takes an average 45 days before consumers can enjoy some much-needed relief.

This means based on present trends, by February's billing period, consumers will experience further relief." "The main objective of GEBE is always to ensure that the fuel clause is as low as possible," GEBE Chief Operations Officer and Managing Board President Romelio Maduro said.

According to data provided, prices have dropped and will continue to do so Read more

Parliament Handles 2015 Draft Budget

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The 2015 draft budget was debated in the House of Parliament Thursday.

The draft 2015 National Budget is set at Naf.445.000.000 with investments and capital goods set at Naf.111.031.451.

Whilst speaking on the floor of parliament earlier on Thursday, Member of Parliament and leader of the National Alliance, the Honorable Read more

Demand For Report About Bureau Telecommunication And Post: Btp-Statement Exasperates Mp Sarah Wescot-Williams

St. Maarten – Democratic Party MP Sarah Wescot-Williams has reacted rather exasperated at the press release the Bureau Telecommunication and Post (BTP) sent to the media just before the weekend. In the release, the BTP-board denies fraud-allegations and claims that the responsible minister (the now departed Ted Richardson) has failed to provide integrity-researchers with the appropriate information, even though this information is available.

“Events in rapid succession are demanding Parliament’s attention,” Wescot-Williams writes in a press release, “and government is called to respond with equal urgency.”

The DP-MP notes that the BTP has been created by law to execute a public task and that it is considered an independent organization Read more

Gumbs Reiterates Integrity Is Top Priority; Submits Notifications Of Assets To Council

St. Maarten —Three days before the legally stipulated deadline, Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs submitted to the Council of Advice the written declarations and notifications (assets/holdings, secondary positions/interests) of the new ministers as well as those of the ministers of the former cabinet in accordance with the National Ordinance Promotion of the Integrity of Ministers (Landsverordening Integriteitbevordering Ministers).

The law stipulates that these declarations were to be submitted within 30 days from when the ministers were sworn in and accepted the appointment as a minister and within 30 days of the date on which the former ministers ceases to be a minister.

“We have stated on previous occasions that the integrity of the administration and integrity in general is a top priority for this cabinet Read more

Gumbs To Wescott-Williams: Screening Happened Under Your Tenure

St. Maarten —Current Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs has pointed out to former Prime Minister that the screening of candidate ministers was done under her tenure and that since taking office he has not made any statements regarding the role of the Dutch Secret Service in the screening process.

The Prime Minister responded, via official letter, to the questions by former Prime Minister and Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams as submitted to the Chairman of Parliament via letter dated January 13.

“It should be noted that I am not accountable for statements of Minister Plasterk or for publications of the media Read more

Editorial - Structural approach

Parliament will debate the draft 2015 budget today in an effort to meet the end-of-January deadline set by the Kingdom Council of Ministers. The total amount is 445 million guilders, but the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT still wants this reduced to 426 million due to what it considers realistic income projections based on collections in 2014.

Finance Minister Martin Hassink has maintained up to now that further cuts are hardly possible because it's already a "skeleton budget." He instead wanted to try to convince CFT that the current, higher revenue estimates are legitimate and supported by, for example, findings of the Central Bank.

In that light the recent suggestion of UP leader Theo Heyliger that government should demand that all its companies that are able to pay concession fees do so begs the question whether that's how the 19-million-guilder shortfall, according to CFT, will be covered Read more

A total lack of moral principles

Dear Editor,

The lack of moral principles has changed our political landscape significantly, as politicians continue to gobble from the slop trough, while the rest of society is forced to watch in constant despair. After this recent episode there is nothing left to question anymore, and so our only source of consolation is education and self-reliance.

I like the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who said, "A genuine leader is not a searcher for consensus, but a molder of consensus." This awesome orator and man of principle evoked the thoughts of his followers when he reminded them that, "The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at a time of challenge and controversy." To conclude the wise teaching on this honourable man, he challenged them to take life in strides when he said so eloquently, "If I cannot do great things, I can do small things in a great way." These guiding principles were his anchor, which enabled him to make such an impact throughout America and the entire world Read more

US, Cuba clash over immigration at start of historic talks

HAVANA--The United States and Cuba clashed over U.S. immigration policy on Wednesday at the first session of high-level talks seeking to restore diplomatic ties between the Cold War adversaries.
  The Americans vowed to continue granting safe haven to Cubans with special protections denied to other nationalities while Cuba complained the United States encourages Cuban doctors to defect, calling it a "reprehensible brain drain practice."
  The talks will continue on Thursday with the two sides set to discuss restoring diplomatic relations and eventually opening up full trade and travel ties Read more

GEBE: Prices will drop, but slowly

PHILIPSBURG--Rapidly decreasing fuel prices will have their effect on local energy prices, but the general public will have to be patient.

"The trickledown effect of these decreases takes an average 45 days before consumers can enjoy some much-needed relief. This means based on present trends, by February's billing period, consumers will experience further relief," GEBE management stated in a press release on Wednesday.

"The main objective of GEBE is always to ensure that the fuel clause is as low as possible," GEBE Chief Operations Officer and Managing Board President Romelio Maduro said.

According to data provided, prices have dropped and will continue to do so Read more

Best ‘worried’ about situation at SMMC

PHILIPSBURG--Inspector General Dr. Earl Best says he is "worried" about the situation at St. Maarten Medical Center and believes that government and stakeholders should get together to address the issues facing the medical facility sooner rather than later.

SMMC General Director Kees Klarenbeek last week pointed to the dire financial straits affecting SMMC that potentially threaten the future health of the institution if not remedied soon. Klarenbeek had said SMMC was operating in the red, with its accounts some NAf Read more

Country St. Maarten ordered to pay indemnities to lawyer

~ For unreasonable dismissal ~

PHILIPSBURG--The Court of First Instance on Wednesday ordered Country St. Maarten to pay NAf. 25,000 in indemnities to attorney-at-law Ellen Knoppel. The lawyer had filed a lawsuit against her former employer, because she contested her dismissal at the Ministry of Justice, which had caused loss of income.

On May 10, 2013, one week before then Justice Minister Roland Duncan was to leave office, he granted Knoppel a permanent labour agreement with the Justice Ministry Read more

Gumbs: No long-lease granted to Rainforest

PHILIPSBURG--No long-lease has been granted to Rainforest Adventures for Plantation Industry and Golden Rock (commonly called Emilio Wilson Estate). This was confirmed by Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs via the Press Secretariat.

Gumbs has "not signed anything for or granted anything" to Rainforest Adventures, according the statement issued on Wednesday morning Read more

De Weever weighs in on counterpart policy

PHILIPSBURG--Independent Member of Parliament Cornelius de Weever on Wednesday weighed in on the "Counterpart Legislation," which the St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) has warned the government against implementing.

De Weever, who noted that the policy is actually a law, said in a press release that "the ministry" had applied the law in one case Read more

Lunch and concert for seniors a big success

MARIGOT--Organizers declared the lunch and concert for senior citizens at Riviera One on Saturday a resounding success.

An unprecedented number of seniors, family members and caregivers from Bethany Home and St. Martin Home attended the event. With estimates of close to 500 for the lunch, the large hall was filled to capacity with extra tables set up outside.

This was the second edition of the annual lunch and concert organized by Rambaud-St. Louis Fete Association and public works association Batiments Travaux Publiques (BTP).

President Aline Hanson and several elected officials were present for the event Read more

style="text-align: center;">For years many young people that go abroad to further their studies has indicated that they will not be returning to St. Maarten upon their completion of their studies. This has been a torn in my side for I could not understand why anybody upon receiving a scholarship from their government would even think about not returning to serve their country.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Every year our government provides an opportunity for many of our young people with scholarships to be able to further their studies locally or abroad Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The Parliament of St. Maarten on Wednesday granted Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs time to host his informal "Meet & Greet" event at Parliament house, where he stressed to MP's present that civility should be observed despite parties having their roles to play as part of St. Maarten's constitutional democracy.

The Prime Minister was welcomed by the President of Parliament Dr Read more

Member of Parliament De Weever defends Counter Part Policy.

>GREAT BAY:--- Independent Member of Parliament Cornelius de Weever is defending the Counterpart Legislation, which is a law and not just a policy.
MP De Weever explained that the ministry used the law in one case. "The company took us to court and government lost because according to the judge we did not have a policy on how the law would be used so the labor policy department wrote the Counterpart policy in consultation with the Social Economic Council and the Tripartite Committee.
"One business owner of this tri-partite committee volunteered to have this Counterpart Policy applied in his company," said MP De Weever Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Anne Marie Pieterz-Powell, the British Vice Consul for the Dutch and French Caribbean paid courtesy visits to Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs and Minister of Economic Affairs Claret Connor on Tuesday, January 20 Read more

Nothing Granted To Rainforest Adventures Confirms Prime Minister

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - A press release issued on Wednesday states that in response to several questions from several media outlets regarding a media report on Rainforest Adventures, the Prime Minister of St. Maarten, the Honorable Marcel Gumbs, has not signed anything for or granted anything to Rainforest Adventures.

The latter, Read more

British Vice Consul Pays Courtsey Visit To Government

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Anne Marie Pieterz-Powell, the British Vice Consul for the Dutch and French Caribbean paid courtesy visits to Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs and Minister of Economic Affairs Clar Read more

Member Of Parliament De Weever Defends Counter Part Policy

GREAT BAY, St. Martin - Independent Member of Parliament Cornelius de Weever is defending the Counterpart Legislation, which is a law and not just a policy.

MP De Weever explained that the ministry used the law in one case.

"The company took us to court and government lost because according to the judge we did not have a policy on how the law would be used so the labor policy department wrote the Counterpart policy in consultation with the Social Economic Council and the Tripartite Committee.

"One business owner of this tri-partite committee volunteered to have this Counterpart Policy applied in his company," said MP De Weever Read more