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Parliaments discuss joint integrity norms

THE HAGUE--The Parliaments of Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten and the Netherlands debated on Wednesday about establishing parameters for common norms to safeguard and improve integrity of the governments in the Dutch Kingdom.

In the presence of Dutch National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen, the delegations talked about the importance of integrity, how integrity is perceived in the Kingdom and how to achieve more integrity in the governments and parliaments of the Kingdom.

Integrity is about one’s own behaviour, being transparent and consistent in one’s actions, said Van Zutphen Read more

We are missing the point

Dear Editor,

I was shocked to read in the editorial of The Daily Herald on Saturday, May 23, 2015 that it will better serve St. Maarten maybe to have five ministers as a matter of cutting the expenses for the Country.

You know what, the editor may well be right in his assumption from the point of departure that they are even with the five not achieving any noteworthy improvement or should I say changes that serve this Community as a whole and his experience with the present ministers.

However, with all that said, our constitution explicitly says what constitutes an Executive Government for this Country and it also provides directives if and when we see the need to carry out any changes.

Mr Read more

WICSU/PSU election Fri, two to vie for presidency

PHILIPSBURG--Windward Islands Civil Servants Union/Private Sector Union (WICSU/PSU) members will vote for a new Executive Board during elections scheduled for this Friday, May 29, from 7:00am to 4:00pm.

The election will be held at the WICSU/PSU office on the Walter Nisbeth Road (Pondfill Road). Two persons have so far signalled their intention to contest the presidency's post: senior civil servant Denisio Conner and former Deputy Minister Plenipotentiary Henrietta Doran-York Read more

Abolition of slavery celebrated with speeches, song and dance

MARIGOT--The 167th anniversary of the Abolition of Slavery was commemorated Wednesday at the Agrément roundabout with Lady Liberty looking on approvingly as the scourge of slavery was re-enacted in dance, music and the spoken word by various performers.

Despite an overcast sky threatening rain, only a little came down from time to time but umbrellas were ready.

The audience comprising the entire Territorial Council, Préfet Philippe Chopin, MP Daniel Gibbs, former Mayor Albert Fleming, Economic and Cultural Council President Georges Gumbs, and representatives from the district councils were all seated under a tent to watch the activities.

The ceremony was opened by Malaïka Maxwell singing the song "when you believe" by Mariah Carey and Whitney Houston before Percussionist Hélier Coquillas called out the freedom fighters with a conch shell and remained to provide the drumming for the different segments.

President of the Territorial Council Aline Hanson said in her address the commemoration is an opportunity to remember the big sacrifices made by the ancestors for freedom.

"Today we celebrate this freedom and all the people who fought body and soul to liberate our islands and get this precious freedom Read more

‘Sensitive’ answers on harbour security contract now submitted

PHILIPSBURG--Written answers to “sensitive” questions posed by Parliament concerning the hefty rise in fees paid by St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies (SHGC) to Checkmate security company were submitted to Parliament on Tuesday, May 26, some days past the deadline of Thursday, May 21.

MPs will review the answers during the coming days and any form of follow-up is yet to be determined, pending the review. Although the answers had been submitted, Members of Parliament had not yet received them in hand by Wednesday, and six MPs being busy with meetings in the Netherlands at the moment probably will cause some more delay.

Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) and shareholder representative for the harbour Claret Connor said during a meeting of the Central Committee of Parliament on the matter on Thursday, May 7, that due to the sensitivity of information he would provide specific answers to Parliament in writing within two weeks.

The long-awaited meeting on May 7, which already had been a postponement, ultimately proved fruitless and left MPs and Chairman Lloyd Richardson annoyed at its ineffectiveness Read more

Islands want individual membership of WTO

THE HAGUE--The possibilities of individual membership of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) for the Dutch Caribbean countries will be looked at, as well as the development status of the islands so they might make use of facilities for developing countries.

That was one of the proposals that were made at Wednesday's Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultations, IPKO, which started off in The Hague. Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten are now a member of the WTO through the Netherlands, which means that the three countries can't make use of WTO funds and expertise because the Netherlands is considered a developed country.

Member of the Curaçao Parliament Alex Rosaria of the PAIS party said that the membership through the Netherlands presented obstacles for the islands Read more

Kingdom Parliaments kick off three-day consultations

THE HAGUE--The Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultations IPKO kicked off in The Hague Wednesday morning with the opening speeches of the President of the First Chamber of the Dutch Parliament Ankie Broekers-Knol and the delegation leaders of the Parliaments of Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten.

Broekers-Knol and the three delegation leaders, Marisol Lopez-Tromp of Aruba, Mike Franco of Curaçao and Leona Marlin-Romeo of St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (Ministry TEATT) Honorable Claret Connor earlier this week attended an oath-taking ceremony of civil servants from the Ministry TEATT that took place in the A. C. Wathey Legislative Hall.
The oath-taking complies with the regulation that all civil servants must take the oath in order to receive their National Decree and be appointed as a civil servant of the national government administration body.
Oath-taking is also an integral part of the integrity system of the Government of Sint Maarten Read more

Foreign Direct Investment in Latin America and the Caribbean: Focus on the Caribbean

>PHILIPSBURG:---- FDI is a source of investment and employment. It can allow the transfer of technology and skills and knowledge from the FDI source country to the FDI recipient country. It provides funds to make up for a capital shortfall in the home country. And, very importantly, it is a source of foreign exchange.
FDI coming into the Caribbean
Now, why do investors come to the Caribbean? There are three basic reasons. First, resource seeking – investors seek access to natural resources Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---- Member of Parliament George Pantophlet is calling on the Minister of Finance Martin Hassink to speed up the process of integrating the St. Maarten Receiver and the St. Maarten Inspectorate of Taxes. The delaying of this process is causing the tax payers of St. Maarten unnecessary frustration and hardship when it comes to the services provided by these two departments Read more

style="text-align: center;">PM now investigating Bidding Process.

Airport: --- The board and management of the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIAE) was given three weeks to provide a number of documents to the Acting Minister of VROMI and Prime Minister of St. Maarten Marcel Gumbs before he would take a decision on issuing the building permits for the construction of the Fixed Based Operations (FBO) project at PJIAE and the Fire Station Read more

Minister Connor Attends Another Oath-Taking Ceremony Of Civil Servants Describing Oath-Taking An Integral Part Of The Country's Integrity System

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (Ministry TEATT) Honorable Claret Connor earlier this week attended an oath-taking ceremony of civil servants from the Ministry TEATT that took place in the A. C. Wathey Legislative Hall.

The oath-taking complies with the regulation that all civil servants must take the oath in order to receive their National Decree and be appointed as a civil servant of the national government administration body.

Oath-taking is also an integral part of the integrity system of the Government of Sint Maarten.

The civil servants were read their oath in both English and Dutch, and thereafter they made their pledge and Minister Connor pinned them with the national Coat of Arms of the country Read more

Up Board Denounces Statements On Smn-News Website

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The United People's Party (UP) board recently met to discuss a number of pressing issues inclusive of a recent statement found on the online news site SMN-News.

"We the board of the UP board would like to denounce a recent statement made on one of the local online media outlets Read more

Ministers of government do not make mistakes

Dear Editor,

I read an article on MP Maurice Lake and wanted to compare reports, but that was not possible. Mr. Lake stated that he had made mistakes in the past, but that people learn from their mistakes. The term that is used in this case is cliché. Ministers of government do not make mistakes. They accept to do whatever is done in the way that it is done and not in the way that it should be done Read more

Eruption in Paradise is a dud

PHILIPSBURG—Forty-two rounds, including five professional bouts of which three were to be title fights have been postponed… again. Eruption in Paradise had been slated for April, was pushed to May 30 and now is tentatively set for July 4.
  “We promised a full card, said promoter Bobby Ottley at a press conference at Jump up Casino Tuesday.  “We decided it was all or nothing.”
  According to Ottley the fighters were ready to battle but their paperwork was not up to date.
  “We operate under strict guidelines, said Ottley of BOSE promotions Read more

Collectivité addresses grievances after unrest at Cul-de-Sac School

MARIGOT--A delegation of Collectivité and education officials met with parents at the Cul-de- Sac Primary School on Tuesday morning in an attempt to explain the reasoning and functioning of the “carte scolaire”, the system of allocating a school based on where the child lives.

A collective of some 15 angry parents, who claim the system is not managed properly, locked the school gates with a padlock on Friday. Parents cannot understand that if their children live in Cul-de Sac why they are sent to school in Grand Case, or why children in Orient Bay are sent to school in Marigot instead of French Quarter etc.

Some parents had also accused the principal of the school of slapping misbehaving children and reported this to the Gendarmerie, which subsequently opened an investigation and interviewed some of the pupils Read more

Coalition loses majority in Senate by two seats

THE HAGUE--As expected, the Dutch coalition cabinet has lost its majority in the Dutch Parliament's First Chamber, forcing it to look outside the three friendly opposition parties for support.

The 570 members of the 12 provincial councils in the Netherlands cast their votes for the First Chamber on Tuesday, meaning the make-up of the First Chamber reflects the results of March's provincial vote.

After the vote, the ruling conservative VVD remains the biggest party in the 75-member Senate with 13 seats, a loss of three compared with four years ago.

Centre-democrat D66 is second with 10 seats after this party doubled its 2011 total.

The anti-immigration Party for Freedom PVV and the Socialist Party (SP) now both have nine seats, while junior coalition partner Labour PvdA has eight seats after its loss of six.

The minor religious parties ChristenUnie and SGP, which together with D66 prop up the coalition in the First Chamber, respectively won three and two seats Read more

Charlotte Brookson Academy to relocate from USM year end

~ LaBega saddened by MP's remarks ~

PHILIPSBURG--Charlotte Brookson Academy (CBA) of the Performance Arts will be relocating from its current home at the University of St. Martin (USM) to another location at the end of the year.

USM Dean of Academics and Interim President Dr. Francio Guadeloupe said the contract between CBA and USM ends in June and the tertiary institution has given CBA until December to find another suitable location.

CBA has been occupying classrooms at USM since it first opened its doors almost three years ago to provide education for students with a strong interest in the arts and with a strong focus on academics.

A source close to CBA said the intention was never for the school to be permanently housed at USM Read more

St. Maarten Parliament annoyed over protocol

THE HAGUE--The days of St. Maarten’s Justice Minister Dennis Richardson may very well be numbered now that he has signed a protocol with the Dutch Government to establish an independent Integrity Chamber for St. Maarten and to strengthen the island’s law enforcement sector. Members of the St. Maarten Parliament are not accepting that Parliament is being sidetracked in the protocol.

The protocol Minister Richardson and Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk signed on Saturday states that the St Read more

>AMSTERDAM/PHILIPSBURG:--- Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson is in the hot seat now that he has signed an agreement with the Minister of Interior and Foreign Affairs Ronald Plasterk to install an integrity chamber on St. Maarten, especially since Minister Richardson chose to place the Parliament of St. Maarten in an awkward position by placing a deadline on Parliament to approve the national ordinance by June 30th. Minister Richardson gave his Dutch counterpart the best part of the deal regarding the Integrity Chamber of St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- A board member of GEBE Supervisory Board is over the edge claiming that the leader of the United Peoples Party is forcing his way over them and has used the Chief Operations Officer (COO) to do his dirty work and now that person is being penalized by the Supervisory Board.
The board member said that the COO Romelio Maduro took orders from Heyliger and hired a former journalist that will cost GEBE $120,000.00 annually Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- On Friday, May 22nd 2015, the Ombudsman, Dr. Nilda Arduin left for Curacao to attend the 8th Caribbean Ombudsman Membership Conference.
The theme of the conference is "Human rights –the measuring rod for Good Governance."
Renown speakers will be will be making presentations on the topic. Dr. Arduin will be speaking on "Human Rights an Intrinsic element of Good Administration"; other speakers will be addressing other areas of human rights in relation to the role of the Ombudsman.
Another topic that will be presented is "Corporate Governance and State-Owned Enterprises".
A highlight of the conference is a two day Anti-Corruption Training sponsored by the International Ombudsman Institute (I.O.I.).
"Following the very successful anti-corruption training program conducted by the International anti-corruption Academy (IACA) at its seat in Austria in 2013, the I.O.I Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---  Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications (Ministry TEATT) Hon. Claret Connor attended an anti-bullying session at the Oranje School on behalf of Minister of Education Hon. Rita Bourne-Gumbs.

The theme for the session was: "Bullying is mean and should not be seen," drafted by Michelle Vicioso.

During the session an original song was performed by three students, namely Chenieu Quailey, Marva Granger, Smijdin Penthiere.

The song was: "Bullying is Wrong Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Recently the Obersi Group of Companies, represented by WTN-Cable Sales and Marketing Manager, Mr. Fernando Clark and Mr. Aldemier Mingeel, Sales and Marketing Executive for Obersi Electronics/Xerox paid a visit to Hillside Christian School

After equipping Asha Stevens Christian School and Seventh Day Adventist School, with ICT equipment and a training program, Foresee Foundation, the brain behind the DigiKidz project, committed itself to raise funds for the next school, Helmich Snijders in St Read more