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Editorial - Risk of delay

That the Kingdom Council of Ministers took the first step for a general measure of governance to impose an Integrity Chamber on St. Maarten should not come as a complete surprise, taking into account recent statements in this newspaper by Justice Minister Dennis Richardson on the issue. An attempt had been made by Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs to smooth things over a bit during the subsequent visit of Kingdom Relations Minister Ronald Plasterk to the island, but apparently this "bad cop, good cop" routine did not lead to a compromise.

According to Plasterk, the intended general measure does not require the consent of the country in question Read more

Is change really coming?

Dear Editor,

Anyone who looked in The Daily Herald of Friday, January 30th, and saw the commercial from Music Man thanking the people for voting them the best place to buy Electronics, would be under the impression that that was in India or some dependent of India. This has nothing to do with human discrimination whatsoever, but it is a classic example of what the hot topic is based on these days.

One of the MP's in his debate during the budget meeting made it clear, when he was making a point concerning the counterpart policy, that it did not take rocket scientists to sell TV's and watches, with which I concur Read more

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Proposal to analyze DNA from 1 million people

WASHINGTON--The United States has proposed analyzing genetic information from more than 1 million American volunteers as part of a new initiative to understand human disease and develop medicines targeted to an individual's genetic make-up.

At the heart of the "precision medicine" initiative, announced on Friday by President Barack Obama, is the creation of a pool of people - healthy and ill, men and women, old and young - who would be studied to learn how genetic variants affect health and disease Read more

Fire Department ‘has reservations’ about joining shared dispatch centre

~Want equality-based cooperation~

PHILIPSBURG--The Fire Department has reservations about joining a shared dispatch Centre with the St. Maarten Police Force and the Ambulance Department, Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson said this week in response to a question by MP Sarah Wescot-Williams as to whether it was correct that the Fire Department will have its own dispatch, whereas the police and ambulance are said to be having theirs jointly Read more

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Plasterk says no desire to steer integrity politically

THE HAGUE--The Kingdom Council of Ministers does not feel the need to steer the integrity issue in St. Maarten politically. It merely wants to prevent the safeguarding of integrity from becoming politically susceptible, said Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk on Friday.

The Kingdom Government decided on Friday to start the process for a so-called General Measure of the Kingdom Government ("Algemene Maatregel van Rijksbestuur" AMvRB) to establish an Integrity Chamber in St Read more

West Indian Village launched

DUTCH QUARTER--The West Indian Village, welcomed as a positive cultural and family-friendly development, was inaugurated on the evening of Friday, January 30, amongst dignitaries, community members and other supporters in the heart of Dutch Quarter.

Owner Henry Lynch was praised for his vision, passion and tenacity in initiating the project and carrying it through to fruition in various speeches by dignitaries, friends and colleagues.

The Village features eight white-framed, brightly coloured wooden structures all serving local and regional food, a sheltered airy space with benches and leisure amenities, and an outdoor playground.

It was created, the small restaurants in particular, to showcase and enjoy local culture, as well as the various nationalities represented in Dutch Quarter Read more

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The Hague assumes power over St. Maarten integrity chamber

THE HAGUE--St. Maarten will not have a free hand to set up its own Integrity Chamber to investigate the handling of conflicts of interest and abuse of power by government officials. Independent supervision of proper governance will be instituted through the Kingdom Government.

The Kingdom Council of Ministers decided on Friday to start the procedure to impose a General Measure of the Kingdom Government to safeguard integrity in St. Maarten through an independent Integrity Chamber with the authority to investigate possible cases of integrity violations.

Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk confirmed this to the media after Friday's meeting of the Kingdom Council of Ministers, which was also attended by the Ministers Plenipotentiary of Aruba, Curaçao and St Read more

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Editorial - Not too much

Judging by his statements in Parliament, the cabinet headed by Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs will be diligent about tackling misspending within the public sector. In answering questions during the 2015 budget debate on, for example, the use by officials of credit cards, cell phones and rental cars, he did not hide his disapproval of the apparently excessive cost involved, nor his intention to do something about it.

That must have sounded like music to the ears of many who have grown wary of watching obvious waste of taxpayers' hard-earned money year after year, while essential collective needs cannot be addressed properly due to lack of funds Read more

Gov’t instructed to raise fee on money transfers

PHILIPSBURG--Increase or create an international transfer fee to be levied on money transfer services such as MoneyGram and Western Union was an instruction from Parliament to Finance Minister Martin Hassink. The motion was adopted by Members of Parliament (MPs) in the Plenary Session of Parliament dealing with the 2015 budget on Thursday evening.

Thirteen MPs voted for the motion.

MP Sarah Wescot-Williams (Democratic Party) voted against the motion, saying she could not support the piecemeal approach to changing the tax system Read more

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2,096 referred abroad for medical care in 2014

PHILIPSBURG--The number of Social and Health Care Insurances SZV patients who were refereed abroad for medical care was slightly higher in 2014 compared to the year before, according to figures provided by Acting Minister of Health Rita Bourne-Gumbs during the recent meeting of the Central Committee of Parliament on the draft 2015 budget.

There were 2,096 SZV referrals abroad in 2014 compared to 1,982 in 2013.

According to the minister, there were 996 referrals to Curaçao last year compared to 1,100 in 2013; 401 to Colombia last year compared to 437 in 2013; 603 to the Dominican Republic compared to 368 in 2013; 86 to Aruba last year compared to 48 in 2013; six to the Netherlands last year compared to 14 in 2013; none to Guadeloupe compared to three in 2013; none to Martinique compared to six in 2013; one to Jamaica in 2014 compared to one in 2013; and three to Puerto Rico in 2014 compared to five in 2013.

The minister said SZV currently has contracts with hospitals in Aruba, Curaçao (BMS, Sehos), Colombia (Coomeva, hospitals in Bogota, Bucaramanga, Cali, Medellin), the Dominican Republic (Cedimat), the Netherlands (Holland Intercare), St Read more

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Westin changes its tune on beach access

DAWN BEACH--The blocking of public beach access by The Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Resort and Spa changed quickly after its doing so landed the property on the front page of The Daily Herald's Wednesday, January 28 edition.

One resident who had sent a detailed complaint to this newspaper reported that beach chairs had been moved to make more space for beachgoers and that security guards had been especially welcoming and polite, even seeming "relieved." The chairs were said to have been pulled back "a good 25 yards from each end of the beach."

The resident, who previously had described being approached and harassed by security guards over the past three years about his and his wife's not being allowed to place their "own chairs and umbrella anywhere on the beach within the perimeters of their property" said there had been "no harassment and no restrictions" on where they could sit on Wednesday, when the article ran.

"It was a pleasure to spend a few hours enjoying the beautiful beach with no interference," he said Read more

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Marlin changes his tune on leasing EWE to Rainforest

PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) leader Member of Parliament William Marlin was in favour of leasing Emilio Wilson Estate to Rainforest Adventure for the creation of zip-line attraction when he was Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment an Infrastructure VROMI in July 2012.

Marlin's support for Rainforest could be seen clearly in an excerpt from the Minutes of the Council of Ministers meeting of July 5, 2012, United People's (UP) party leader Member of Parliament Theo Heyliger told Parliament Thursday in the Plenary Session on the budget Read more

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Parliament adopts ‘skeleton budget’

PHILIPSBURG--Parliament passed the 2015 budget with an 11-4 vote on Thursday night with just two days to spare before the deadline set by the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT.

The budget had to be established in December 2014. Government asked CFT for more time and was given the deadline of January 31.

Voting for the budget were the 10 Members of Parliament supporting the coalition and former coalition member MP Sarah Wescot-Williams (Democratic Party (DP)) Read more

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Gov’t paid NAf. 1.31 million mobile phone bill to TelEm

~ Budget debate continues today ~

PHILIPSBURG--Government spent NAf. 1,131,844.78 last year in mobile telephone bills for civil servants. That amount covers 206 mobile phones from St. Maarten Telephone Group of Companies TelEm allotted to civil servants in "key positions," including emergency posts at the Fire and Ambulance Departments, police, health inspectors and policy advisors.

The Ministry of General Affairs has 50 government-allocated mobile phones; Ministry of Justice 25 mobile phones; Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports 17; Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication 35 mobile phones; Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure 42 mobile phones; Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour 26 mobile phones; and Ministry of Finance 9 mobile phones.

Prime Minister/General Affair Minister Marcel Gumbs told Parliament Wednesday that government intends to establish a new policy on the issuance and regulation of mobile phones for civil servants to curb the high bill.

Independent MP Leona Marlin-Romeo had called on government in the Plenary Session of Parliament on the draft 2015 budget on Tuesday to seek more ways to cut back on waste and bad spending in the administration Read more

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Gumbs wants healthy debate on pension age increase

PHILIPSBURG--Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs said he looked forward to a "healthy debate" on the increase of the pension age from sixty to 62 when it reached Parliament.

He told Members of Parliament (MPs) during the debate on the draft 2014 budget on Wednesday that the ordinance for the pension age increase by two years, was making its way through the necessary channels before it can be tabled in Parliament Read more

Advice to examine BT&P 16M claim on St. Maarten

THE HAGUE--The Settlement Committee of Assets and Liabilities of the Country the Netherlands Antilles is advising a thorough investigation of the NAf. 16 million that the Bureau Telecommunication and Post BT&P claims from Country St. Maarten.

The Division Committee stated this in its end report of December 2014, which was presented to the three legal successors of the dismantled Country the Netherlands Antilles, Curaçao, St Read more

Westin reportedly blocking public access to Dawn Beach

A quiet Dawn Beach in front of The Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Resort and Spa.

DAWN BEACH--Two very specific complaints against The Westin St. Maarten Dawn Beach Resort and Spa concerning the alleged blocking of public access to Dawn Beach in front of and near the resort have been received by The Daily Herald within just three days recently.

The accounts have been backed up by multiple stakeholders who have heard of or experienced similar situations. Resort management could not be reached for comment on Monday or Tuesday.

Both accounts describe harassment by overly confrontational security guards who are confining beachgoers to a smaller area than before Read more

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Extra money for shark protection

PHILIPSBURG/WILLEMSTAD--Dutch lottery "Postcode Loterij" has approved a grant of US $1.9 million for a three-year project aimed at shark protection in the waters of Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Saba, St. Eustatius and St. Maarten. The money will be made available to local marine parks through Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance (DCNA), a non-governmental organization in which nature parks on all six Dutch Caribbean islands cooperate.

The implementation of this project will be done together with local communities, fishermen and researchers and directed by local experts.

Tadzio Bervoets, manager of St Read more

SMTA calls for summit, decisive action on Timeshare Ordinance

SIMPSON BAY--"The time for decisive action is now," says St. Maarten Timeshare Association (SMTA) chairman Marcel Javois in relation to the Advisory Council's remarks on the Timeshare Ordinance brought to SMTA's attention recently. The SMTA is calling for a summit on the matter to discuss the best way forward.

"The SMTA has taken keen note of the recent comments and statements surrounding the Timeshare Ordinance. We believe that it is now time for urgent action, with this matter having been on the table for over 18 years," Javois was quoted as saying in an SMTA press statement released January 28.

SMTA said it had "just learned that the Advisory Council is unhappy with the Timeshare Ordinance Civil Code amendments and the Timeshare Authority Ordinance that will assist government and consumers in regulating the timeshare industry being drafted in the English language.

"At the time the laws were drafted for Member of Parliament [MP – Ed.] Leroy de Weever, the initiator of the laws, then-Minister of Justice Roland Duncan, and the supervising expert of the legislation, Judge Professor Jan de Boer, believed that there was ample justification for the laws to be drafted in English as it is one of our two official languages.

"In April of last year, the SMTA met with Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson, who said that many timeshare concepts were so English-specific and given that Holland has only one small timeshare property, that English should be used, but the law should be as a separate national law rather than part of the Civil Code, which needs to be as uniform as possible throughout the Kingdom.

"We understand that the Advisory Council is also not satisfied with using that as a solution.

"Given the late hour and the urgency of the issue as a national priority now that two large timeshare properties are having serious trouble and government has no tools to help, the SMTA hereby calls for an immediate summit to be convened."

SMTA called for the summit to include players that might have input, including current parliamentary initiator of the law Democratic Party (DP) through its leader MP Sarah Wescot-Williams, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Claret Connor, Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson, the Advisory Council, the Ombudsman, Department of Legal Affairs and the SMTA, "in order to make a plan to get this legislation corrected and, if necessary, translated accurately to Dutch, and passed in the shortest time possible."

As reported in Tuesday's edition of The Daily Herald, the hold-up in the processing of the draft initiative laws to regulate the timeshare sector has come down to a matter of language Read more

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Leona: Stop first class travel for MPs and ministers, cut salaries

PHILIPSBURG--A five per cent salary cut and an end to all first class air travel for Members of Parliament (MPs) and ministers were proposed to Parliament by independent MP Leona Marlin-Romeo during the Plenary Session of Parliament dealing with the draft 2015 budget on Tuesday.

Marlin-Romeo, a member of the governing coalition, said if civil servants could do without the cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) this year, MPs and ministers should be prepared to take a salary cut.

She intends to formalise her proposals in a motion slated for tabling today, Wednesday, when the plenary session continues in Parliament House at 2:00pm.

Then Democratic Party MP Roy Marlin lobbied for a similar salary cut just over a year ago, but it was withdrawn after he failed to persuade any of his coalition partners to sign on Read more

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More on the Counterpart Policy

Dear Editor,

According to information received, MP Cornelius de Weever and the acting Labour Minister seem to want to push the Counterpart Law to a ridiculous extreme in time for the policy introduction in the third quarter of this year, as announced in the media on Saturday, January 24.

As I understand it, effective October 1, the Counterpart Law may also be applied to requests for Employment Permits, as required by the numerous Houses of Pleasure on the island Read more

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Corruption protest in Kenya's Maasai region turns deadly

NAROK, Kenya--One person was killed and several injured on Monday when Kenyan police clashed with Maasais protesting against a local governor they accuse of misappropriating tourism funds from the Maasai Mara game reserve, an official said.

Police fired shots and teargas as thousands of people from the Maasai ethnic group, clad in traditional red cloaks, marched to the governor's office in Narok town, the administrative centre of the sprawling Maasai Mara park, witnesses said.

Narok County Commissioner Kassim Farah, an official appointed by the president, said: "Only one protestor was killed by a bullet Read more

Northeast US braves crippling blizzard, transit systems shut

NEW YORK/MAPLEWOOD, New Jersey--A massive, wind-whipped blizzard slammed into the U.S. Northeast on Monday, creating havoc for more than 60 million people and forcing New York City to shut down on a scale not seen since Superstorm Sandy devastated the region in 2012.

The potentially historic storm which could affect 20 percent of the U.S. population, caused several states up and down the East Coast to declare emergencies, forced the cancellation of thousands of flights, closed major mass transit hubs and schools Read more

Advisory Council wants timeshare law in Dutch

PHILIPSBURG--The hold up in the processing of the draft initiative laws to regulate the timeshare sector has come down to a matter of language. The two draft laws are written in English, one of the official languages of the country, but the Advisory Council has requested the law to be re-submitted by the Democratic Party (DP), the initiator, in Dutch.

All of the country's laws are in Dutch and the judicial system, which executes the laws, is almost entirely in Dutch.

DP Leader Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams said at a press conference held in Parliament House on Monday, she intends to take up the law with Tourism and Economic Affairs Minister Claret Connor, when they meet on February 5 Read more

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