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President Of Parliament Dr. Lloyd Richardson Makes Position Available

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – On Monday, 12th October, President of Parliament Hon. Dr. Lloyd Richardson, made his position to Parliament by informing the Secretariat of the House of Parliament.  

“Given the present and still ongoing political developments, I hereby inform you that I have made the seat of President of the Parliament of Sint Maarten available to whomsoever the Parliament sees fit to assume said post.

“I would also like to thank the members of the Presidium for their untiring cooperation, the secretariat for their unrelenting support, the employees and other related staff for the manner in which they all performed their duties during this period of transition.

“The seat of President of Parliament was not an aspiration of mine, nonetheless my willingness to serve where my country's need of me was the greatest has been and continues to be my passion Read more

Supporters of new coalition plan peaceful protest Wed.

~ If govt. doesn’t resign by today ~

PHILIPSBURG--If the ministers in the Gumbs cabinet fail to make their positions available by today, Tuesday, supporters of the new majority coalition in Parliament plan to take to the streets in a peaceful protest tomorrow, Wednesday, to send a strong message to Government that they “cannot hold the country hostage any longer.”

The Daily Herald understands that the supporters of the new majority have given the Gumbs cabinet up to today to demit office, as a motion of no confidence against them was passed almost two weeks ago, on Wednesday, September 30 Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Several political parties met with their membership during the end of last week and even on Saturday evening to discuss a way forward in this political crisis facing St. Maarten. According to leader of the National Alliance who was on PJD-2 radio on Sunday said that the people of St. Maarten have decided to give the current Council of Ministers until Tuesday to tender their resignation and submit it to the governor of St Read more

PRESS RELEASE: NATIONAL ADDRESS BY PM GUMBS

My fellow St. Maarteners,

I want to address you now directly, after a week of political turmoil which has culminated in a constitutional crisis. The outcome of this crisis will determine the democratic future of St. Maarten. So it is extremely important that everyone, young and old, understand what it constitutes.

The legal nature of this crisis however is very complicated, although for some of us it seems to be so simple. You may have followed the discussions in the press Read more

style="text-align: center;">My fellow St. Maarteners,

I want to address you now directly, after a week of political turmoil which has culminated in a constitutional crisis. The outcome of this crisis will determine the democratic future of St. Maarten. So it is extremely important that everyone, young and old, understand what it constitutes.

The legal nature of this crisis however is very complicated, although for some of us it seems to be so simple. You may have followed the discussions in the press Read more

Opinion: Something’S Brewing

We know since last night that Governor Holiday sent a letter to Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs. We do not know the content of this letter, but there is no doubt that this will come out some time today.

The past couple of days, two political parties have come out with press conferences where they made their positions clear. The National Alliance nor the Democratic Party fear elections, they say.

Do they really want elections? Not really Read more

Prof. van den Berg in favour of dissolving

THE HAGUE--Constitutional and parliamentary law professor Dr. Joop van den Berg has come to the defence of St. Maarten Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs in the Council of Ministers’ decision to dissolve the St. Maarten Parliament. He is the third Dutch professor to do so.

Van den Berg stated in a brief letter to Gumbs on Thursday that he fully supported the advices of his colleagues, Professors Arjen van Rijn and Constantijn Kortmann, in relation to the legality of the National Decree to dissolve Parliament following the termination of the Council’s majority support in Parliament.

Van den Berg stated that he had studied Van Rijn’s and Kortmann’s advices as well as a number of relevant documents in relation to the current political crisis Read more

>PHILIPSBURG: --- Member of Parliament Christopher Emmanuel has issued a strong call on the leader of the United Peoples Party Theodore Heyliger whom he said should practice what he preached in 2013 when the National Alliance led government wanted to call for new elections Read more

William tells Dennis to ‘do the right thing,’ ‘lead by example’ and resign

~ Govt. holding country, Governor hostage ~

PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) leader Member of Parliament (MP) William Marlin issued a firm call to Justice Minister Dennis Richardson on Wednesday to “do the right thing” and “uphold the constitution” by resigning, given the no-confidence motion passed against the Council of Ministers.

Marlin also accused Government of staying in office and deliberately stalling the process to buy time to make deals and further plunder Government-owned companies such as utilities company GEBE and the Harbour and to “fix deals” about issues such as the waste-to-energy plant.

He said Ministers still were travelling and squandering the country’s money while they should have made their positions available to pave the way for a new cabinet Read more

Plenary session of Parliament to appoint new President and Vice Presidents set for October 13

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – The House of Parliament will meet in a plenary session on October 13 to appoint the President and two Vice Presidents.

The public Plenary Session is set for Tuesday, at 9.00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg. The agenda point is the appointment of the President and Vice Presidents of Parliament.

This meeting of the House was requested by the National Alliance Faction Members of Parliament (MPs) W.V Read more

Plenary session of Parliament to appoint new President and Vice Presidents set for October 13.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The House of Parliament will meet in a plenary session on October 13 to appoint the President and two Vice Presidents.

The public Plenary Session is set for Tuesday, at 9.00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is the appointment of the President and Vice Presidents of Parliament.

This meeting of the House was requested by the National Alliance Faction Members of Parliament (MPs) W.V Read more

Leader of National Alliance calls on Deputy Prime Minister Dennis Richardson to uphold the Country’s Constitution and not hold the Governor of St. Maarten Hostage.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Leader of the National Alliance and Member of Parliament William Marlin made a public call to Deputy Prime Minister Dennis Richardson at a press conference he called on Wednesday afternoon. Marlin said that Minister Richardson should lead by example especially since he has held several positions in government and knows much better Read more

Mp Matser Appeals Fraud Conviction This Afternoon

Parliamentarian Silvio Matser arrives at the courthouse on January 7 for his sentence hearing. File photo Today / Milton Pieters

St. Maarten – MP Silvio Matser appears in the Common Court of Justice this afternoon at 1.30 p.m Read more

Dennis says decision is being prepared on political situation

PHILIPSBURG--Deputy Prime Minister Dennis Richardson said on Tuesday that a decision is being prepared on the current political situation.

Richardson was acting in that capacity yesterday as Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs was ill at home. Richardson declined to divulge details of the decision being prepared, but he said Gumbs was “very clear” on his position about not resigning and about wanting new elections to be held.

Richardson said also that the Council of Ministers had received a second advice on the matter, but he declined to say from whom the advice had been received and what the conclusions of the advice were Read more

Green Light For New Government, But Pm Gumbs Disagrees: “Even The Governor Can Make A Mistake”

St. Maarten – Governor Drs. Eugene Holiday has given the green light to the National Alliance-led coalition to form a new government. There will therefore be no elections on December 8, as would have been the case if the governor had ratified the national decree the cabinet sent to his office to dissolve the parliament and to call new elections.

Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs “absolutely disagrees” with the decision and his cabinet does not intend to make its positions available Read more

Holiday: ‘No basis not to form new govt. based on new majority’

HARBOUR VIEW--A new Government can be formed in St. Maarten based on the new majority in Parliament.

This is the position of Governor Eugene Holiday, conveyed in a press release on Monday, after having concluded his consultations with parties on the recent political developments.

Holiday said that, having reviewed the correspondence received and following completion of the consultations regarding the current political developments, he had informed parties that “there is no basis not to form a new Government based on the new majority in Parliament.”

Holiday said members of the Gumbs cabinet had not yet made their positions available Read more

Gumbs vows not to resign

PHILIPSBURG--Feeling strengthened by the opinion of constitutional law expert Professor Arjen van Rijn and convinced that the St. Maarten Constitution must be upheld, St. Maarten Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs has decided not to resign, and neither will the rest of the Council of Ministers.

“As Prime Minister I have the responsibility to protect the Constitution and to carry it out the way it was written Read more

William to meet Governor today

PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) leader Member of Parliament (MP) William Marlin will be meeting with Governor Eugene Holiday today, Monday, on the formation of the new majority coalition in Parliament.

  The meeting is on request of Governor Holiday Read more

Sarah confirms she will assume Chairmanship of Parliament

PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party (DP) leader Member of Parliament (MP) Sarah Wescot-Williams confirmed on Friday that she will be assuming the position of the new Chairperson of Parliament.

DP forms part of the new eight-seat-majority coalition in Parliament Read more

Dp Leader Outlines Reasons That Destroyed Their Confidence In The Council Of Ministers

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The council of ministers experienced a motion of no confidence against them this Wednesday during a meeting of Parliament.

The motion was initially supported by the opposition National Alliance and the DP factions in parliament however it turned out that the motion was supported by additional members who were thought to be supporters of the current coalition government Read more

>PHILIPSBURG: --- Information reaching SMN News states that the eight members of parliament who voted a motion of no confidence against the current Gumbs cabinet already have candidates that will fill the Ministries.
SMN News learnt that Leader of the National Alliance William Marlin will become the next Prime Minister of St Read more

St. Maarten Government Falls Again: Fifth Cabinet In Five Years In The Making

UP-leader Theo Heyliger (left) and MP Silvio Matser on 10-10-14 when they were still political allies. Now the political marriage is over: “I cannot take the internal abuse anymore,” Matser said yesterday Read more

Parliament Demands That Ag Guus Schram Resigns

Attorney-General Guus Schram on an occasion when he was in St. Maarten. File photo Today / Hilbert Haar

St. Maarten – The parliament unanimously supported a motion that asks Attorney-General Guus Schram to resign and that urges the government to demand that the attorney-general of St. Maarten lives and works here. This newspaper asked the AG whether it is still possible for him to do his work on the island. “It is not up to the prosecutor’s office to react to this motion,” was the reaction.

The opposition National Alliance and Democratic Party had requested the meeting of parliament to discuss remarks Schram made on September 11 during the installation of Judge Sander van Rijen Read more

Parliament Goes All Out Against Attorney-General Schram “His Remarks Are As Bad As The Crimes He Fights”

MP William Marlin: “The AG insults everybody in St. Maarten.” Photo Today / Leo Brown

St. Maarten – Parliament unanimously make minced meat of the remarks Attorney-General Guus Schram made on September 11 during the installation of Judge Sander van Rijen and demanded his resignation (see related story on our front page).

“I do not want to get into a debate with the attorney-general,” National Alliance faction leader William Marlin said Read more