SXMElections.com

The Empty Seat In Parliament

For several weeks now, one seat in parliament has remained obviously empty. When, the President of Parliament, at the beginning of public meetings or of Central Committee meetings, asks if there are any notifications, not one parliamentarian, not even the USP faction leader reports on the absence of MP Silvio Matser.

In my opinion, only sickness can justify the continuous absence of a member of parliament Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Dp And Coppal To Rekindle Ties

PHILIPSBURG – During his recent visit to St. Maarten, Rudy Croes paid a courtesy visit to DP leader Sarah Wescot-Williams, also in his capacity as vice-chairperson of the Permanent Conference of Political Parties of Latin America and the Caribbean (COPPAL).

The Democratic Party (DP) is a long standing member of COPPAL, however, during the last few years, has been inactive as far as this regional political body is concerned.

COPPAL is an international organization of political parties in Latin America and the Caribbean Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

PHILIPSBURG:--- During his recent visit to St. Maarten, Mr. Rudy Croes paid a courtesy visit to DP leader, Sarah Wescot-Williams, also in his capacity as vice-chairperson of the Permanent Conference of Political Parties of Latin America and the Caribbean (COPPAL).

The Democratic Party is a long-standing member of COPPAL, however during the last couple of years, has been inactive as far as this regional political body is concerned.
COPPAL is an international organization of political parties in Latin America and the Caribbean Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Mission To Unify The Caribbean Islands Of The Dutch Kingdom

A delegation of ‘Nos Ke Boneiru Bek’ (We Want Bonaire Back) left for St. Maarten last week on a mission with the objective to unify the Caribbean islands of the Dutch Kingdom to counter arrest the division of the peoples that was created on 10-10-10 (October 10 2010) and start a new era of cooperation, collaboration and support and restore the ties of friendship and cooperation toward each other’s needs in particular.

This crusade started with a meeting with Rudy Croes, vice-president of COPPAL which recently in a meeting held in Mexico, affirmed that the International community will support and cooperate with the Dutch Caribbean islands, especially Bonaire and St Read more

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Sint Maarten Christian Party welcomes the two proposals made by President of Parliament, Sarah Wescot-Williams, to improve the functioning of Parliament. One proposal increases the transparency and accountability of parliamentarians towards the voters and the other proposal improves the communication between parliament and the people Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Civil Servants Of The Secretariat Of Parliament Take Oath Or Pledge Of Office

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – On Friday, March 3, 2017 the civil servants of the secretariat of Parliament took an oath or pledge of office before the President of Parliament, MP Sarah Wescot Williams, during Parliament’s first ever oath and pledge ceremony for its staff members. Also in attendance for this occasion were Vice President MP drs Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

PHILIPSBURG:---- On Friday, March 3, 2017, the civil servants of the secretariat of Parliament took an oath or pledge of office before the President of Parliament, MP Sarah Wescot Williams, during Parliament’s first ever oath and pledge ceremony for its staff members. Also in attendance for this occasion were Vice President MP drs Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Library Board Seeks Termination Of Monique Alberts

~ In the meantime, she is suspended as Library Director ~

PHILIPSBURG – Last week the news broke in the media that the board of the library had suspended Monique Alberts as Director of the Library. She has held that position for over 7 years.

Alberts has been employed by the Philipsburg Jubilee Library (PJL) since August 2006, and has held the position of Director of PJL since February 2008.

According to information reaching 721news, in a meeting that took place on January 4, 2017 between Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Silveria Jacobs, the PJL Board, Alberts and several civil servants, Minister Jacobs implored those members of the Board who had exceeded their maximum tenure of eight years (Clayton Holiday and Udo Aron, among them) – as stipulated in PJL’s bylaws – to step down and start recruiting new board members.

According to reliable information obtained by 721news newsroom, in that same meeting on January 4, Minister Jacobs addressed the persons, who were representing board members, and informed them that they were illegally executing orders Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

We, The People And Our Representatives In Parliament

Last week, the Office of the Ombudsman held a very successful Open House, with the aim to inform the public of its functioning.

For me, the highlight of the Open house was the very simple, yet profound, presentation given by the Ombudsman herself, Dr. Nilda Arduin. The presentation centered on the topic “We, the People.”

Dr. Arduin pointed out that in a democracy the people rule. She went on to compare a country to a house. As the owners of the house are working people and therefore unable to do their own house chores, they hire a domestic aid or servant to handle the chores and to run the household on their behalf Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

PHILIPSBURG:--- Today, two months after the new Council of Ministers was sworn in, we still do not have a Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunication (TEATT). The blame for this has been placed on the vetting or screening process. However, in truth and in fact, the blame lies squarely on the shoulders of our parliament.

Now, the USP will have to present another candidate minister and the screening process will start all over again Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Excess Feral Cats Continue To Endanger Saba’S Tropicbird

By Suzanne Koelega

AMSTERDAM/SABA--Continuation of the monitoring of the nests of the red-billed tropicbird in Saba and the removal of feral cats is of vital importance to prevent future extinction. Despite these recommendations by scientists, not enough is currently being done to protect the local breeding sites of this extraordinary seabird.

The message of Dutch biologist Michiel Boeken is clear in his scientific article on the breeding success of the red-billed tropicbird (Phaethon aethereus mesonauta) in Saba, which has been published in Ardea, the official journal of the Netherlands Ornithologists’ Union: as a major breeding place for this bird, Saba needs to continue past efforts to protect this species.

During his stay on the island as the Director of the Saba Comprehensive School SCS, Boeken in his free time monitored the breeding success of the red-billed tropicbirds in 2011 and 2012 Read more

Lost Bob Marley Tapes Restored After 40 Years In London Basement

KINGSTON, Jamaica  – Lost recordings by Bob Marley found in a damp hotel basement in London after more than 40 years have been restored.

The tapes are the original, high-quality live recordings of the reggae legend’s concerts in London and Paris between 1974 and 1978. Tracks include No Woman No Cry, Jamming and Exodus.

They were at first believed to be ruined beyond repair, largely because of water damage.

Marley, who died in 1981, would have been 72 on Monday.

The tapes were found in a run-down hotel in Kensal Rise, north-west London, where Bob Marley and the Wailers stayed during their European tours in the mid-1970s.

They were discovered when Joe Gatt, a Marley fan and London businessman, took a phone call from a friend, who had found them while doing a building refuse clearance.

From the 13 reel-to-reel analogue master tapes, 10 were fully restored, two were blank and one was beyond repair Read more

Haiti President-Elect Says Trump Business Background To Help Ties

PORT-AU-PRINCE, Haiti – Haiti’s incoming president said he believed U.S. President Donald Trump‘s business background would give him a better grasp of bilateral relations, as the impoverished Caribbean nation recovers from a devastating hurricane.

President-elect Jovenel Moise, a successful banana exporter, was declared winner this month of a vote initially held in 2015 that had to be rerun more than a year later, due to allegations of voter fraud. He is scheduled to be sworn in on Feb Read more

Jamaican Teacher Deported From Turks And Caicos Islands

KINGSTON, Jamaica – A Jamaican teacher who was accused of child abuse in Turks and Caicos Islands has returned to Jamaica after she was deported.

But Gillian Mullings, the attorney for the accused, Suzette Codling, is criticising how immigrants are treated on the small Caribbean island.

The practice, Mullings revealed, is that if immigrants are poorly treated by employers and report it, they are deported to their homeland without the matter being heard by a tribunal.

She reasoned that this practice begets the building of a society which frowns upon ‘whistle-blowing’ Read more

The Hague:--- Minister Plenipotentiary, H.E. Mrs. H. Doran York, was honored with an official visit from His Excellency, Mr. Urs Breiter, resident Ambassador of Switzerland to the Netherlands, since September 2014.
During his introduction to the Minister Plenipotentiary, the Ambassador informed her of the pending assignment of the new Honorary Consul for Switzerland to Sint Maarten, Curacao and Aruba, Mr. T. Markert.
Mr. Markert will be the successor of the current Consul, Mr. Mike Koch who will be relinquishing his post Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Bobby Ingesloten Voor Diefstal

SURINAME — Bobby B. (24) is op donderdag 22 december door de politie van Uitvlugt ingesloten.

Een jongeman deed eerder op de dag aangifte van diefstal tegen hem. Volgens verklaring van de aangever heeft zijn zwager Bobby enkele goederen uit zijn appartement weggenomen.

De aangever woont in een ander appartement niet ver van de verdachte. Bobby nam op een onbewaakt moment ongevraagd de sleutels van het appartement van de aangever weg Read more

*** Update***: Man Loses Life In Traffic Accident

UPDATE POLICE REPORT: Road fatality

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — On Wednesday, December 21, at 1:45am, a fatal car accident took place at the intersection of the Hulda B. Richardson/Oyster Pond/Bishop Hill roads.

The driver, a 56-year-old male with initials C.S.T., born in Suriname, was traveling in a beige 2012 Suzuki Vitara P-8938, on Hulda B. Richardson Road where the driver apparently lost control of his vehicle, ran off the road, resulting in the vehicle landing on its left side.

The Fire Department was called in for assistance to cut parts away from the vehicle in order to get the victim out Read more

PHILIPSBURG:---- I must commend our parliamentarians for raising the budget debate in the Central Committee a notch higher this year. Compared to the debate on the 2016 Budget, Parliamentarians were better prepared to deal with details, to ask critical questions and to consequently carry out one of their very important functions, namely to control and monitor Government.
Parliamentarians were in their right to call out the NA-DP-USP-Lake-Matser caretaker Government and Ministers on the 2016 expenditures of the country Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Minister Jacobs Attends “I Am King” Youth Forum

BELAIR – The Youth Department in collaboration with the Division Educational Innovation (DEI) is coordinating and executing a series of events falling under the “I Am King” project.

The “I Am King” project was launched in 2015, and the “I Am King” Youth Forum was held on Wednesday December 7, at the Belair Community Center, where Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Silveria Jacobs was in attendance Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Copppal Rejects Possible Attempt To Recolonize Dutch Caribbean

SANTO DOMINGO/ KRALENDIJK РThe Permanent Conference of Political Parties of Latin America and the Caribbean COPPPAL, rejected by a communiqu̩, the possible attempts to recolonize the so-called Dutch Antilles as a violation of the agreement signed at the United Nations in 1954, urging the Netherlands to initiate a process of decolonization and self-determination of the people under its control.

“In a meeting led by Manolo Pichardo, president of the entity, in Bonaire, the islanders expressed their fear of what they define as redeployment actions such as: Financial Supervision, Judicial and the massive entry of European Dutch to the islands with the right to vote, because this could have a decisive impact on matters concerning the natives,” said the document.

Also present at the meeting was Rudy Croes, vice president and coordinator of the COPPPAL decolonization commission, where Statia and Bonaire rejected – by referendum – the current status of the Dutch colonial municipality.

According to the statement, COPPPAL, demands to put Bonaire, Statia and Saba on the list of the Committee of Decolonization of the United Nations of Non-Self-Governing Territories that do not have its own government Read more

Successful Conference On Bonaire On Political Future Of Dutch-Administrated Caribbean

Kralendijk, BONAIRE – Recently, Foundation Nos Kier Boneiru Bek organized a conference at Plaza Hotel, which addressed a better future for Bonerian people, and for the other sister islands administrated by the Dutch.

After the conference, a gala dinner was held at Eddy’s restaurant with keynote speaker Dr. Corbin. Both events were successful and participants said that the conference was very informative and of international standard.

The Aruba delegation represented by Dr Read more

Successful Conference On Bonaire On The Political Future Of The Dutch Administrated Caribbean

BONAIRE - Recently Foundation Nos Kier Boneiru Bek organized a conference at Plaza Hotel which has put a foundation for a better future for the Bonerian peoples and of our other sister islands which are administrated by the Dutch. Following after the conference a gala-diner was held at Eddy's restaurant with keynote speaker Dr. Corbin. Both events were successful with good attendance and got from the participants and the public which followed the vents through the media that these were very informative and of international standards.

The delegation Aruba represented by Dr Gerrit Croes and of Curacao by Mr Read more

Lack Of Unity Apparent On St. Martin’S Day.

MARIGOT/PHILIPSBURG:----The annual St. Maarten/St. Martin day celebration was this year blighted by a marked lack of unity as the absence of members of the St. Maarten Executive Council was apparent at the usually joint commemoration activity on November 11th.

A decision was taken by the afore mentioned Executive Council not to attend the celebratory activities which were held this year on the French St. Martin. Both sides of the island alternate the hosting of activities to observe St Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Ombudsman Wants Solution For Duped Statia Employees

National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen.

THE HAGUE--National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen urged Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk on Tuesday to find a solution for all government employees, including teachers in the Caribbean Netherlands, whose pension money has disappeared.

  According to Van Zutphen, no difference should be made in the treatment of government employees and teachers, whether they work for the National Government Service Caribbean Netherlands RCN, the governments of Bonaire, St Read more