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Court orders government to purchase Vorst property

PHILIPSBURG--The Court of First Instance on Thursday ordered Country St. Maarten to honour the agreement closed between Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure VROMI Maurice Lake and members of the Vorst family to purchase their property in Cay Hill against payment of US $5.5 million.

Six members of the Vorst family had initiated summary proceedings against government on June 5, because it had failed to adhere to several agreements to purchase their property.

The Vorst family, represented by attorney-at-law Jairo Bloem, had requested the Court to order Country St Read more

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Editorial - The people’s business

The Central Committee meeting to handle amendments to the 2014 budget cancelled on June 30 due to lack of a quorum has not yet been reconvened. That's regrettable, because Parliament's Rules of Order state this should take place within four times 24 hours.

What's more, it involves essential matters, including the formalisation of Central Bank bond loans for capital investments this year to purchase Emilio Wilson Estate (EWE), complete the buyout of the new Administration Building and make a first payment for the Vorst family land in Cay Hill, among other things Read more

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Plasterk regrets Statia objections to Isabella

THE HAGUE--Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk stated on Thursday that he is "disappointed" about the objections of St. Eustatius to the appointment of Gilbert Isabella as the new National Government Representative ("Rijksvertegenwoordiger").

"I regret that the Island Council of St. Eustatius beforehand has reservations about the suitability of Isabella as National Government Representative," Plasterk stated in response to written questions separately posed by Sietse Fritsma and Geert Wilders of the Party for Freedom PVV and Ronald van Raak of the Socialist Party (SP).

Fritsma, Wilders and Van Raak, all Members of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament, sought clarity on the July 4 decision of the Council of Ministers to appoint Isabella and the subsequent motion unanimously adopted by Statia's Island Council in which it expressed a lack of confidence in Curaçao-born Isabella, who has no ties with the Windward Islands.

In his response, Minister Plasterk indicated that he was hopeful that the matter with Statia's Island Council would be resolved once the island politicians would meet and get to work with Isabella Read more

No automatic granting of island’s preference

THE HAGUE--The wish of a government within the Dutch Kingdom to appoint a representative of its choice in the Council of State for the Kingdom (Raad van State voor het Koninkrijk) isn’t automatically honoured.

Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk stated this on Thursday in a letter to the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament in response to written questions submitted by Members of the Second Chamber Wassila Hachchi of the Democratic Party D66 and Madeleine van Toorenburg of the Christian Democratic Party CDA.

Hachchi and Van Toorenburg sought clarification from the minister following a publication in the Dutch regional PZC newspaper of July 17 this year Read more

Parliamentarians irked at De Weever’s ‘condescending’ remarks in meeting

~ De Weever will offer 'no apologies' for telling truth ~

PHILIPSBURG--Several Members of Parliament (MPs) condemned on Wednesday the manner in which Minister of Health, Labour and Social Affairs VSA Cornelius de Weever addressed Parliament during the Central Committee meeting, with some MPs saying the minister had been "condescending," "disrespectful" and 'sarcastic."

De Weever responded by saying he had "sat quietly" and "took it all" from MPs in his three years going to Parliament to answer questions, while watching some MPs put on a "grand performance." De Weever said he would not sit and allow anyone to "play politics" with the work his ministry had done Read more

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