SXMElections.com

Lt. Colonel Hugues Loyez: I Have The Best Job, In The Best Location

Lieutenant Colonel Hugues Loyez. Robert Luckock photo.

MARIGOT--On meeting Lieutenant Colonel Hugues Loyez, the new Commandant of the Gendarmerie of St. Martin and Saint Barthlemey, one is struck by two things: his youthfulness for such an important assignment (hes 36), and his good command of English, better than that of his predecessors.

He officially started in St. Martin on August 1 but benefited from a one-month induction period in July with his predecessor, Colonel Maxime Wintzer-Wehekind, to make the relevant contacts and discover the lay of the land Read more

Election Poll Estimates Pfp, Dp, Na To Retain A Majority Of Their Voters

Eugene Hoogstad

PHILIPSBURG--Some 83 per cent of those who voted for Party for Progress (PFP) in January said they will vote for the party again in the upcoming snap election, the highest percentage in the recent poll by independent researcher and consultant Eugene Hoogstad.

The Democratic Party (DP) is the second highest in the polls results at 71%, while National Alliance (NA) came in third at 68%.

Unified Resilient St Read more

Pfp: Reaction To Supreme Court Opinion

Failures to Protect Constitution and Autonomy of Country Sint Maarten

PHILIPSBURG – Disappointed was the sentiment within the Party for Progress (PFP) after the Supreme Court in the Netherlands issued their opinion on the Braam case in Curacao. The disappointment, however, is not with the opinion that has been issued, but with the fact that St. Maartens democratic process was interfered with by the Cabinet of the Governor Read more

Mp Emmanuel: 650 Thousand For SchoolRepairs Vanished, Calls For Investigation

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel has called on the Acting Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport Lyndon Lewis to investigate the disappearance of over Naf 650,000 that was meant for the reconstruction and repairs of schools. MP Emmanuel said it has come to his attention that this is the primary reason why repairs at seven schools, since the passing of Hurricane Irma, are still not completed Read more

Ursm Calls Out UppS Misleading Tactics On Gebe Crisis

Philipsburg, St. Maarten – The Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement (URSM) expresses profound disappointment regarding the United People’s Party’s (UPP) continuous misleading statements, which serve only to gain political mileage amid the GEBE power outage crisis. While Honorable Omar Ottley, Leader of the UPP, demands transparency and action from the Council of Ministers, it is essential to recall that the root causes of the current outages are deeply embedded in the mismanagement and negative political interference during the four years of governance by the party now in opposition Read more

Statement From Ursm On Mp Kevin MaingretteS Withdrawal From Coalition

PHILIPSBURG The board of the Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement (URSM) publicly expresses its profound disappointment following the decision by Member of Parliament, Mr. Kevin Maingrette, to withdraw his support from the governing coalition. Mr Read more

Ursm Celebrates The Admittance Of Richinel Brug To Member Of Parliament

PHILIPSBURG The leadership and board of the Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement (URSM) proudly announce the admittance of Mr. Richinel Brug as the newest incoming Member of Parliament once sworn Read more

Ex-Cbcs President In Court On Charges Of Fraud, Money-Laundering And Bribery

Emsley Tromp

 ~ Lengthy prison sentence sought ~

WILLEMSTAD/PHILIPSBURG--In a court appearance in Curaao on Tuesday, Emsley Tromp, former President of the Central Bank of Curaao and St. Maarten (CBCS), defended himself against allegations of fraud stemming from his involvement in the Curaao Fashion Group (CFG). Tromp emphasised that he has meticulously maintained a separation between his roles, establishing what he described as Chinese walls to ensure ethical integrity.

Tromp is a suspect in the Hercules case Read more

Dr. Richardson Presents Caretaker Pm Jacobs With Legal Reference Book

Dr. Linda Richardson (left) presenting her lifes work to caretaker Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs.

 

PHILIPSBURG--On Monday, Dr. Linda Richardson unveiled her latest literary contribution, Trilingual Terminology in Criminal Proceedings, to caretaker Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs Read more

New Four-Party Coalition Ursm Dp Pfp Now Speaks Up And Speaks Out

Urges Public to Remain Aware and Be Critical of Agitators

PHILIPSBURG In a joint statement issued Thursday January 25, 2024 evening, the eight MP-elects of the announced 4-party coalition consisting of the URSM, DP, PFP and N.O.W. parties denounced repeated attempts to distract the public from ongoing political discussions.

We remain committed and focused on continuing the formation of this coalition, the statement reads Read more

Teachers From Psve And Academy Questioned Stuart Johnson, President Of Witu, On His Support For Witu Members.

Cay HILL:--- On Thursday, December 7th, 2023, teachers of the FAVE school board requested a meeting with the WITU to discuss a few pressing issues. Among the issues were the COLA, the matter of the policy, as it pertains to legal support for which a 10% is now required as payment to the WITU, provided that the client supported by WITU has won the court case, and an unresolved matter concerning a few members that has been dragging on for almost a year now.
During the meeting, Mr. Mcwilkin, a former member of the WITU board, raised the question of the 10% remuneration fee associated with legal representation which the WITU has added Read more

Witu Expresses Deep Disappointment In GovernmentS Handling Of Public Education

Philipsburg — Stuart Johnson, President of the Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU), has voiced profound disappointment in the Government of St Maarten regarding the handling of matters within Public Education and the broader education sector.

President Johnson had anticipated that the commitment made to sign an agreement with the Government of St Maarten would have been prioritized, reflecting the collaborative efforts necessary for the advancement of education in St.Maarten.

Johnson drafted the agreement and repeatedly sought to have it signed by the Government of St.Maarten in anticipation that the mutual understanding would have been adhered to.

The agreement highlights the electrical works, air-conditioning in all classrooms/offices and other infrastructural works neccessary for all public schools.

Moreover, Johnson has diligently pursued resolutions to several unresolved matters in education, utilizing platforms such as the Committee for Civil Servants Unions (CCSU) to address these issues.

President Johnson emphasized, “Some might perceive my approach as an immediate recourse to the media Read more

Witu Expresses Deep Disappointment In Government's Handling Of Public Education

PHILIPSBURG:--- Stuart Johnson, President of the Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU), has voiced profound disappointment in the Government of St Maarten regarding the handling of matters within Public Education and the broader education sector.

President Johnson had anticipated that the commitment made to sign an agreement with the Government of St Maarten would have been prioritized, reflecting the collaborative efforts necessary for the advancement of education in St.Maarten.

Johnson drafted the agreement and repeatedly sought to have it signed by the Government of St.Maarten in anticipation that the mutual understanding would have been adhered to.

The agreement highlights the electrical works, air-conditioning in all classrooms/offices, and other infrastructural works necessary for all public schools.

Moreover, Johnson has diligently pursued resolutions to several unresolved matters in education, utilizing platforms such as the Committee for Civil Servants Unions (CCSU) to address these issues.

President Johnson emphasized, "Some might perceive my approach as an immediate recourse to the media Read more

~ Statements made against Ottley were made to harm Ottley. Ordered to rectify or face penalty ~

PHILIPSBURG: --- A packed courtroom with relatives and supporters of Minister of VSA Omar Ottley witnessed as the judge ruled against Olivier Arrindell on Friday morning.
Arrindell was ordered to make specific rectifications within 24 hours of the verdict being served to him or face a penalty of USD Read more

~ Rectification must be made within 24 hours or face a penalty of USD 5000.00 per day with a maximum of USD 1M.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The court of First Instance has condemned Olivier Arrindell on all counts brought against him by Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs in an injunction case that was before the court on November 3rd, 2023. The courtroom was packed to capacity with supporters who attended the session Read more

PHILIPSBURG: --- Minister of VSA Omar Ottley tells the court on Friday morning that he will not be a scapegoat or posterchild for corruption on St. Maarten, corruption that took place in the past or present Ottley addressed the court in the defamation case he brought against businessman Olivier Arrindell for slander and defamation. In addressing the court, he said the only thing he had was his name and he worked very hard for the assets he obtained in life Read more

Jubilee Library InsuranceSettlementMoney Disappears!

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Gromyko Wilson candidate on the USP party for the upcoming election January 11, 2024 is worried that the insurance settlement payout for the Public Library was spent on other things, instead of on rebuilding the library Read more

Cole Bay Hill Flag.

PHILIPSBURG:---  The Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs would like to inform the public that due to unforeseen technical challenges associated with the flagpole on Cole Bay Hill, we are unable to raise the St. Maarten Flag on St. Maarten Day, November 11, 2023.
Given the situation, and considering the safety of the workers, it will not be possible to address the needed repairs.
I understand that this may be disappointing, given that this weekend is a day to celebra Read more

Us-Party Unprecedented Means Of Communication By Chris Is Deceitful

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — The board of the US-Party in an invited comment expressed disappointment in an article released by the leader of the start-up political party NOW, but was not surprised.

President of the US Party board, Mr. Cecil Nicholas said, He was not surprised by the misleading content, and underlying tone of hypocrisy and deceitfulness that motivated the article.

The leader of the NOW party publicly reminded that, He has always stood by the USP and was supportive of the party joining any governing coalition he was a part of.

Chris further stated, When he was a member of the National Alliance, he did not sign the governing accord between the National Alliance and United People Party strictly out of principle and a sense of loyalty to the USP.

Nicholas, questioned Chris definition of the words, principle and loyalty Read more

~ Maingrette is yet to resign from his politically appointed job in the cabinet of TEATT.~

PHILIPSBURG:--- The board of the United Peoples Party gave their former member and candidate Kevin Maingrette the opportunity to apologize to the people of St. Maarten especially the Prime Minister of St. Maarten Silveria Jacobs or resign from the United Peoples Party (UPP) when they realized that he was one of the persons leaking false information to his friend and compatriot businessman Olivier Arrindell.

SMN News learned from reliable sources that the UPP board members told Maingrette to do an interview on one of the islands radio stations and apologize for his role in causing several persons in government to be defamed and slandered by Arrindell Read more

PHILIPSBURG:---  Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic and Telecommunications, the Honorable Leo Lambriex, is reassuring the public that the Inspectorate of TEATT is out in full force checking prices against the recently published Hurricane maximum price list and updated price list for the Basket of Goods.
Both lists were approved and published earlier today by the Minister of TEATT, given the possibility of suppliers increasing prices, as a result of increased demand due to storm preparations Read more

Ennia Case Teaches: Structural Problems Require Structural Solutions

WILLEMSTAD (Source:Curacao Chronicle) – The issues surrounding Ennia, which concern both Curaao and the Netherlands, have sparked discussions and considerations about potential solutions and their consequences. According to econometricians Servaas Houben and Ronald Ketellapper, the main problem lies in the inadequate provisions and low capital buffers of Ennia Leven, resulting in the acute danger of pensions for approximately 30,000 residents of Curaao shrinking to twenty percent if the troubled insurer is not assisted with a substantial capital injection Read more

Allegations Of Mismanagement At Nipa, Students Are Forced To Leave Due To The Lack Of Teaching Staff, 2023 Graduates Still To Receive Their Diplomas.

~ WITU refused to represent its teachers at NIPA. ~

PHILIPSBURG: --- Several students at the National Institute of Professional Advancement (NIPA) have been left in limbo since the management of NIPA has refused to hire core teachers who would teach them level 3 in their career path. Many of the students found out this school year that they do not have the teachers to teach night classes or even some day classes.
The students who contacted SMN News said that while they were taught general subjects such as mathematics and English during the day classes, they do not have teachers to teach level 3 in the evenings Read more

Pfp, De Weever Reaffirms Motion Of Disapproval With Over-The-Bank Verdict

PHILIPSBURG PFP members of Parliament Raeyhon Peterson and Melissa Gumbs, as well as independent member of Parliament Ludmila de Weever, reaffirmed the passing of the motion of disapproval towards Minister of VROMI Egbert Doran, following the verdict handed down in the Over the Bank case Read more