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Achievements and lack thereof highlighted as MPs close year

PHILIPSBURG--The achievements or lack thereof in the first Parliamentary year of the second Parliament came into focus as Members of Parliament (MPs) closed off the 2014-2015 legislative year in Parliament House on Monday. The 2015-2016 year opens today, Tuesday, with much pomp and ceremony.

The call to work together was issued by fraction leaders representing the coalition partners while the two opposition fraction leaders MP William Marlin (National Alliance) and Sarah Wescot-Williams (Democratic Party) were straightforward with their criticism about lack of action by the United People’s (UP) party-led coalition.

Destiny impaired

UP fraction leader MP Franklin Meyers laid the blame for the country’s stagnated growth and development in the past year at the door of The Hague saying that government and Parliament have spent the past year battling instructions and financial constraints due to financial supervision Read more

Faction leaders outline their achievement and failures during parliamentary year 2014 -2015.

>PHILIPSBURG:---- Faction leader of the United Peoples Party Franklin Meyers in his remarks during the closing of parliamentary year 2014-2015 said that the moment the UPP and MP De Weever formed the coalition that formed the current government they got all sorts of pressure from the Dutch Government (Kingdom Partners) which includes an instruction Read more

style="text-align: center;">DP Faction plans to take back draft timeshare legislation and move forward with them in Parliament.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The leader of the Democratic Party and Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot Williams told reporters on Tuesday that she has several concerns with the current government, one being the status of the Waste to Management Plant Read more

Na Sends Condolences To Victims Of Ts And Stresses Preparedness

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The National Alliance family would like to extend condolences and words of encouragement and hope to the people and government of the Commonwealth of Dominica.

Natural disasters have an uncanny way of bringing communities, islands and countries together.

Though the destruction and devastation wreaked by TS Erika, still needs to be properly assessed, it is clear that much emergency aid will be needed in the coming weeks.

The photos and videos, testimonies of survival and tragedy are heart wrenching Read more

Only National Alliance Votes Against Ordinance: Parliament Establishes Integrity Chamber

St. Maarten – After everything was said and done yesterday, only the opposition faction of the National Alliance voted against the establishment of the Integrity Chamber. The United People’s party faction, having voiced serious opposition against the Dutch pressure on St. Maarten, withdrew all of the amendments it proposed to the law in June, and went along with a strategic proposal from opposition MP Sarah Wescot-Williams to accept the proposal the government put on the table Read more

Sxm Parliament Approves Integrity Chamber

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The Parliament of St. Maarten has given the green light for the establishment of an Integrity Chamber for St. Maarten.

The National Ordinance to establish the Integrity Chamber was approved by the majority of Parliament on Monday.

In the podcast below you will hear not only the vote, but the motivation of the vote by many members of Parliament noting that the opposition Read more

Dutch Government wants to impose instruction on St. Maarten when it comes to establishing an Integrity Chamber --- Kingdom Council of State now has to decide.

style="text-align: center;">Ten MPs voted in favor of draft law to establish Integrity Chamber --- DP Faction Leader spearheaded the drafting and finalizing of law

PHILIPSBURG:--- St. Maarten has to brace itself for a possible instruction in order to establish an integrity chamber on St. Maarten. Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson submitted the document to the Parliament of St. Maarten on Monday where the Dutch Government want Kingdom Council of State to grant them permission to impose a Kingdom measure on St Read more

Schools reopen today for new academic year

~Alliance, OSPP encourage students~

PHILIPSBURG--Thousands of students, teachers and school staffers will be returning to school today, Monday, for the start of the new 2015-2016 academic year.

The roads are expected to be busy. In a back-to-school message National Alliance (NA) Deputy Leader Silveria Jacobs urged students to make school their priority and to do their utmost to learn something new daily as well as build character and practice respect Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The National Alliance family extends best wishes for success to all students returning to school on Monday August 17 as well as to all those returning to school abroad to further their respective studies.
It is a great opportunity to be able to go to school, to make it your priority in life to learn something new daily as well as build character and practice respect. We urge all students to make good use of the opportunity for education, to ask pertinent questions, complete assignments on time, read as much as possible, do research, and prepare well for all tests.
Your success will be yours individually, your parents', your teachers', your schools' and St Read more

Na Back To School Message Of Hope

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The National Alliance family extends best wishes for success to all students returning to school on Monday August 17 as well as to all those returning to school abroad to further their respective studies.

It is a great opportunity to be able to go to school, to make it your priority in life to learn something new daily as well as build character and practice respect. 

We urge all students to make good use of the opportunity for education, to ask pertinent questions, complete assignments on time, read as much as possible, do research, and prepare well for all tests.

Your success will be yours individually, your parents',  your teachers', your schools' and St Read more

NA and DP Requested that second agenda point be added to Monday's Public Meeting.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The Democratic Party Faction and National Alliance submitted a request to the chairman of Parliament requesting that he place a second agenda point be placed on Monday's meeting. In a joint press release issued by both factions states the following they submitted a  request was made today (Friday) by the opposition factions NA and DP Read more

DP and NA say meeting on crime should not have been closed door

~ Concerned about financing for proposals ~

PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) and the Democratic Party (DP) said in a joint statement on Tuesday that the information shared during Monday’s urgent meeting of the Central Committee of Parliament on crime did not warrant a closed-door session.

NA and DP said they had not immediately protested the calling of the meeting in a closed door session to give Government “the benefit of the doubt” as it pertains to the sensitivity of the information being shared and possible ramifications it might have on the outcome of the case.

The parties noted that the “information shared by the Council of Ministers, however, was not such that the public needed to be sheltered from the reality.”

The two parties said there had been repeated calls on Government for open communication with the public to put an end to speculation Read more

NA & DP Faction not satisfied with Central Committee meeting on Crime.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The Central Committee meeting of Parliament held on Monday was convened as a closed meeting by the Chair of Parliament to discuss with the Council of Ministers the rise in crime on the island culminating in the shooting and subsequent death of Officer Gamali Benjamin by alleged robbers of a jewelry store.
Faction members of the NA and DP did not immediately protest this in order to give Government the benefit of the doubt as it pertains to the sensitivity of the information being shared and possible ramifications it may have on the outcome of the case.
Information shared by the COM, however, was not such that the public needed to be sheltered from the reality.
Many MPs touched on preventative measures and made recommendations, especially in the area of regulations for scooters, measures for communities outside Philipsburg, parenting, labour situation, the economy and other societal ills plaguing the community.
We were quite concerned about the financing for many of the proposed changes, including hiring some 30 police officers needed to bring the force up to the minimum level of functioning.
We firmly believe that we are very late in reacting to violent crimes now, while we should have seen this coming 10/15 years ago.
A neglected society will surely breed ill will, lack of compassion, blatant disrespect and the types of behaviour we have come to accept as "normal".
Some questions asked were:
Do we really want change?
Are we going to demand transparency and accountability from our government owned companies and foundations?
Are we going to finally get answers as to how we plan to increase tax compliance now?
Are we going to be told yet again there is no money while our teachers, social workers, nurses and police continue to cry, and the "have nots" see it floating all around? Where will the money to fund these immediate changes come from? How can we better train and protect the officers? What kind of benefits exist for next of kin if an officer is maimed or killed in the line of duty.
There were repeated calls on government for open communication with the public to put an end to speculation Read more

NA, DP call on Government to rework Governing Programme

PHILIPSBURG--Opposition National Alliance (NA) and Democratic Party (DP) have called on Government to rework the “Ready to Work for You” Governing Programme of the United People’s (UP) party-led coalition into “an executable and accountable programme.”

Debating the Governing Programme in Parliament would “inevitably lead to much rhetoric, but little substance,” said the two parties Read more

The Up-Coalition Governing Program 2014-2018 Is Definitely Not A Program For The People Of St. Maarten, So Who Is The Government Really Working For?

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Opposition parties National Alliance and Democratic Party met recently to discuss the governing program presented to parliament by the current United People's Party-led coalition.

The first impressions of this program leave a lot to be desired and much more was expected, not only after the long wait, but especially after the many promises that were made by the United People's Party, leading up to and during the 2014 electoral campaign.

However, more disturbing than that is the fact that the program as presented provides no basis for a constructive discussion in Parliament about government's plans, its priorities, available and needed resources.

The people of St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- On behalf of the National Alliance family I taken the time to extend deepest sympathy and condolences to the family, colleagues, loved ones and friends of our brave fallen Officer Gamali Benjamin, who was tragically and mercilessly cut down in the prime of his life. Officer Benjamin epitomised the model of the respectable, humble, hardworking and respected officer of the law.
He executed his duty in protecting us and upholding the laws of the land with integrity, passion and compassion for his fellow man, woman and children; therefore Officer Benjamin stands tall in our hearts, minds and the Nation as a Hero.
The loss of such a great person will take a toll on especially his young family and the colleagues with whom he worked daily Read more

Na Extends Condolences

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - On behalf of the National Alliance family I taken the time to extend deepest sympathy and condolences to the family, colleagues, loved ones and friends of our brave fallen Officer Gamali Benjamin, who was tragically and mercilessly cut down in the prime of his life.

Officer Benjamin epitomised the model of the respectable, humble, hardworking and respected officer of the law.

He executed his duty in protecting us and upholding the laws of the land with integrity, passion and compassion for his fellow man, woman and children; therefore Officer Benjamin stands tall in our hearts, minds and the Nation as a Hero.

The loss of such a great person will take a toll on especially his young family and the colleagues with whom he worked daily Read more

Mp Emmanuel Campaigns For Local Cadastre Candidate

St. Maarten – National Alliance MP Christophe Emmanuel has started a rather unorthodox campaign for Marcia Peterson-Richardson, who is currently the acting head of the Cadastre. After his tee shirt proclaiming Haitians Lives Matter, he now sports one reading Marcia Peterson-Richardson for Director, followed by the hash tag #sxmfirst.

Emmanuel says that the Cadastre board is currently incomplete and not authorized to take decisions Read more

National Alliance Prays For Officer's Recovery And Peace For Sxm

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The National Alliance family joins St. Maarten in praying for the full recovery of Officer Benjamin who was gunned down in the line of duty yesterday.

Officer Benjamin is an example of a good public servant and protector and we wish his family and colleagues much strength and faith in helping him to pull through this ordeal.

While we recognize that this type of violence is something that happens everyday in some part of the world, it came as a deep shock to the entire community in the vicious way that it occurred.

We pray for Peace for people of this 37 square mile island, St Read more

Mp Emanuel Says Positions At Kadaster Should Be Filled From Within

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Member of Parliament of the National Alliance, the Honorable Christopher Emanuel has reacted bitterly to an advertisement in the news paper announcing vacancies at the Kadaster office.

According to the MP, there are several employees with many years of experience at Kadaster whom should be given preference to any open positions at the office.

H Read more

UPP/De Weever/LMR/USP Coalition fall apart --- Master, and Lake pulls support.

style="text-align: center;">New Coalition Government in the making.

PHILIPSBURG:--- What appeared to be a rumor seemingly became a reality Tuesday night when it was announced on Online radio program that the current coalition government fell apart. According to information reaching SMN News states that Member of Parliament Silvio Matser, and Member of Parliament Maurice Lake has pulled their support from the current coalition and would join the National Alliance, Democratic Party and USP to form the next government Read more

Parliament to co-sign letter on shelving of dispute regulation

PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten Parliament will be a co-signer along with the legislatures of Curaçao and Aruba on a letter to the First and Second Chambers of the Dutch Parliament, seeking that body’s position on the Dutch Government in effect shelving the establishment of a dispute regulation, and a related body for the kingdom.

The letter, drafted by the Curaçao Parliament, came after last month’s Kingdom Conference -a meeting of the countries of the kingdom- saw the Dutch Government putting up a road block on the issue Read more

Mp George Pantophlet Questions Relevance Of Integrity Chamber

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Member of Parliament of the National Alliance, the Honorable George Pantophlet is questioning the significance of an Integrity Chamber for St. Maarten.

Speaking to our news department he asked whether or not there was a need for such an institution.

According to the MP, several institutions have already been established on the island, and he did not see the need for another one that will further have financial consequences for the country.

He also spoke of the steps being taken by the prosecutor's office to carry out an investigation into activities at the St Read more

Mp George Pantophlet Questions Relevance Of Integrity Chamber

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Member of Parliament of the National Alliance, the Honorable George Pantophlet is questioning the significance of an Integrity Chamber for St. Maarten.

Speaking to our news department he asked whether or not there was a need for such an institution.

According to the MP, several institutions have already been established on the island, and he did not see the need for another one that will further have financial consequences for the country.

He also spoke of the steps being taken by the prosecutor's office to carry out an investigation into activities at the St Read more