SXMElections.com

Up And Na Top Parliamentary Electoral Count Tuesday {Updated Results Inside}

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Residents of the island went to the polls on Monday to elect some 15 persons to the House of Assembly.

Out of a total of 22, 302, some 13, 068 persons made use of the opportunity to cast their votes at the island’s 20 polling stations.

However, there were 373 invalid votes. Nine political parties were vying for seats in the Parliament of St. Maarten. Up to after 3 am this morning, the votes were still being tallied at the Main Voting Bureau, which was located at the House of Parliament Read more

Clean Debate Dominated Academy's ‘Generation Hope’ Panel Discussion

CUL DE SAC, St. Maarten  - How will they reduce the brain-drain on St. Maarten, what plans or programs will they put in place to reduce crime among the youth on the island, and how can they diversify the economy instead of us relying on tourism as the major economic activity, were just some of the questions posed during Tuesday's panel discussion by students of several high schools to representatives of the nine political parties contesting the September 26 parliamentary elections.

The event, which was sponsored by St Read more

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Candidates in this article:

Ospp Welcomes The Proposed Contributions That Can Be Derived From Pearl Of China; Questions Company’S Pedigree

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Questions as to the Pedigree of the New Life Town Investment and Development Ltd have been put forward by leader of the OSPP Leonard “Lenny” Priest, who states in a media release, “We are greatfull for the many proposed contributions we envision the Pearl of China Project will bring to the island, however we cannot help needing some reassurances from the responsible parties regarding the pedigree of this company Read more

Priest Dismisses Heyliger’S Statement As “Cheap And Transparent Political Ploy”

PHILIPBURG, St. Maarten - A call for the resignation of the justice Minister by MP Theo Heyliger has been dismissed as “nothing but a cheap and transparent political stunt” by leader of the One St. Maarten People Party Lenny Priest.

LennIn a press statement that appeared in the local media on Tuesday, MP Heyliger issued the call for Justice Minister Edson Kirindongo to tender his resignation in the wake of the shooting death of an inmate at the Point Blanche Prison and the other killing that took place.

“It really irks me that the persons who have been elected and charged with the responsibility for taking care of the people business choose instead to play politics and not bring important issues to Parliament where the people business is handled,” OSPP leader Lenny Priest said Read more

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Candidates in this article:

Priest On No Actpol For Police: “We Cannot Play Games Or Cut Corners With Our Security”

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – “If we are serious about tackling crime then we must give our police officers the correct tools they need to do the jobs they have been employed to do,” leader of the OSPP Lenny Priest said following reports that the local police force is still operating without its ACTPOL information software.

Reports in The Daily Herald of August 23rd indicate that the local police force has been operating without the ACTPOL software since June 7th and that this has generated some international concerns since the ACTPOL is a shared information system between Curacao, St Read more

Priest Reacts To Homes Transfer: “This Is A Clear Indication Of Na Lead Government Lack Of A Housing Vision”

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - “While all members of Parliament and the Council of Ministers own their homes, they are hell bent that our ordinary people cannot and should not own theirs,” said leader of the One St. Maarten People Party—OSPP-- Lenny Priest on the heels of news that some emergency homes and land have been transferred to the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation.

The OSPP has for some time been calling on the government to sell these homes to the tenants at a significantly reduced rate as was done for the owners of the government homes at South Reward that were sold in 1994 Read more

Priest Challenge Students To “Act Responsibly”

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - As St. Maarten students and teachers go back to school today, students are being challenged to “act responsibly” and remember they are ambassadors of their country everyday even when at home.

This challenge was issued by leader of the One St. Maarten People Party Lenny Priest who also urges parents to remember that despite the moans and groans they may encounter from their children in getting them ready and from themselves as they deal with the road congestion that is part and parcel of the school run, that it is their civic duty as parents to educate their children.

“School is the place where children and indeed adults build their confidence, learn the value of teamwork and where knowledge is imparted that will set students on the trajectory of their lives Read more

Hope Hoping For Another Chance To Convince Voters, Thankful For The Support Given Tuesday

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The five political parties, who needed to have their list endorsed by 146 eligible voters, were out at 9am Tuesday at the census office seeking to attract voters.

The parties seeking list endorsement were the PPA, SDM, OSPP, HOPE and the SMCP Read more

Priest Calls On Minister Meyers To Provide Answers On Dump

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Recommendations that the intended Waste to Energy Plant be built in the Cay Bay area to allow easier transfer of the electricity produced by the plant to the grid of NV GEBE, that the communities in Philipsburg be educated on actual conditions of the dump and that an escape plan be introduced in the event of a disaster, have been put forward to Vromi Minister Angel Meyers by the One St. Maarten People Party—OSPP Read more

Lenny Priest: “Back And Forth Bickering Between Na And Up Over Gebe But No Solution In Sight”

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - It is the people of St. Maarten who are continuing to suffer while the heated debate over who is most responsible for the current Gebe woes continues between the National Alliance and the United People Party, notes leader of the One St. Maarten People Party Lenny Priest who opined that workable solutions are what the country needs and not “high school antics from elected officials.”

Priest was reacting to recent media statements on the situation at Gebe from the board of the NA who alleged ‘it seems every time that government or government owned companies needs to make a significant purchase some family or friend is involved in some way or the other’ and to statements by the UP alleging that it was the NA who stopped the purchase of the engine needed by Gebe.

“This constant back and forth between the largest political parties over what has happened at Gebe under their tenure with accusations of nepotism and the like levied against each other is in no way a solution to the problem Read more

Ospp Condemns Bastille Day Attacks

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - As St. Maarten joins the rest of the world in mourning the deaths of the approximated 84 persons who died and the 202 injured during the Bastille Day celebrations in Nice France on Thursday, leader of the One St. Maarten People’s Party—OSPP—Lenny Priest extends condolences to the families of the victims and to the people of France, especially St. Martin.

“I and the OSPP condemn this inhumane and wicked act against fellow human beings Read more

Priest Calls Marlin’S Statement Unprofessional And Disrespectful

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten—Statements from Gebe’s top boss to the effect that clients should wait until problems are resolved as opposed to contacting the company for details, have been classed as disrespectful and unprofessional by leader of the One St. Maarten People Party Lenny Priest.

An article in the Thursday July 14th issue of The Daily Herald quoted Roy Marlin—chairman of the supervisory board of Gebe—as saying “there is no need for Gebe to come out and say, we’re having problems because the people see it and feel it” in response to a question regarding why the company does not inform the public of what the situation is as it occurs Read more

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Candidates in this article:

Ambassador Valkenburg’S Plan To Champion Agriculture Is Welcomed News To Ospp

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten—News that the new Dutch Ambassador to Cuba Alexandra Valkenburg plans to champion the interest of St. Maarten is being welcomed by the One St. Maarten People Party-OSPP—who while launching their candidate Maurits Joslyn Richardson last week, stressed the importance agriculture must play in the further development of St Read more

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Candidates in this article:

Practice Makes Perfect, My Message To Our Students, Tomorrows Leaders

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – The 2015-2016 school year is just about to begin with our students reporting to classes today.

After one month of vacation our students are all revered up to acquire some more knowledge as the saying goes only the prepared will inherit the future.

         Recently, I had a conversation with a teacher and he stated that on an annual basis many students are not promoted; in some cases they don’t pass their final exams and often times they drop out of school after having repeated the same class more than once Read more

Ospp Is Repeating Its' Call For An Urgent Operational Audit To Be Done At The Harbour Group Of Companies

POINTE BLANCHE, St. Maarten – We have been following with keen attention all the activities that have been taken place at the harbour group of companies over the last couple of years.

In a media report some time ago the CFT stated that the Harbour Group of Companies refused to open its books for the government of St. Maarten, the shareholder of the company.

Based on the 2013 financial statements acquired by one of the dailies many irregularities were mentioned in the article. Perhaps it is time for us to revisit that article again.

It was stated that the board members were paid approximately U.S Read more

Ospp Wants Investigation Into Harbour And Checkmate Relationship

GREATBAY, St. Maarten - A full scale investigation into the harbour's relationship with Checkmate Security Services and the newly updated contract between the two entities is being called for by leader of the One St. Maarten People's Party Lenny Priest, who said that such an investigation must be conducted by the RST Detectives with the assistance of a leading Accounting firm that is not established in St. Maarten.

The OSPP leader has taken issue with reports of a US$2.2 million increase in a contract between the harbour and Checkmate Security services for the latter to provide security services at the harbour Read more

Establish The Van Hugh Law

Dutch Quarter, St. Maarten - Every year we have hundreds of young people completing our secondary schools and cannot find employment.

Put an ad in the newspapers seeking an administrative clerk and you would be surprised how many young people would apply for that job. It is unbelievable and yet those in office would want you to believe that the unemployment amongst young people is not at an all-time high.

If we should start an unemployment campaign registration at any given time in each district you would be surprised of the amount of young people that would register Read more

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Candidates in this article:

Shta - Remains Opposed To Counterpart Program

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA), the largest private business representative on the island, SHTA has taken notice of the remarks made, with respect to the implementation of the Counterpart Policy (CPP), by the honorable Members of Parliament Cornelius de Weever and Maurice Lake (in support of CPP) as well as the published opinion of the leader of the OSPP Mr Read more

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Candidates in this article:

New Year 2015 Message From The Leader Of The Ospp: Lenny F. Priest

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - My Fellow Citizens, Once again another year has come to end and a new year has begun. Over the past year of 2014, it was not without the many challenges, which we had faced.

As the people of St. Maarten; we have experienced a lot of setbacks and by speaking out on those issues that had affected us the most; it didn’t yield any sort of positive results or outcomes.

   The cost of living, here on the island continues to rise with no limit in sight Read more

Lenny Preist Says Up Leader Bends Under Dutch Pressure

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The leader of the UP, MP Theodore Heyliger succumb to the pressure of the Dutch government by first withdrawing his name as a candidate for Prime Minister of St. Maarten, a position that he stated during the campaign that he was ready and able to take on.

The fact that he has not made himself available to assume the leadership of this country and to lead the government we consider this an act of treason Read more

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Candidates in this article:

Ospp Leader Sends Letter To President Of Parliament Seeking Meeting To Discuss Gebe Fuel Clause

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – The cost of living on St. Maarten is amongst one of the highest within the region and the cost of energy is one of the main proponents of that cost.

A reduction of the cost of energy will result in food prices as well as many other prices on the island to drop, and thus providing the consumers a much needed relief.

Every political party and all the candidates during the last campaign have promised the people some type of relief. Today, we have a golden opportunity to make good use on at least one of those promises and that should be by reducing the fuel clause on our energy bills Read more

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Candidates in this article:

Lenny Preist Questions Impact Of Gas Price Reduction On Electricity Bills

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – According to all media reports, the international energy agency (IEA) has announced that oil prices have fallen to an all-time low with a barrel of crude oil going at the rate of U.S. $ 58.00 a barrel.

Governments and energy companies all over the world have passed on this savings to their consumers.

What will it take for St. Maarten government and NV GEBE to provide relief to the people in the form of a 40% to 50% reduction in the fuel clause on our electricity bills? afterall, our monthly electricity bill is made up of energy consumption and the fuel clause.

The fuel clause in most cases makes up approximately 60% of the monthly bill.

The people of St Read more

The St. Maarten Parliamentary Election Of August 29, 2014 Julio R. Romney

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The parliamentary election in St. Maarten on 29th of August marked a turbulent beginning to the new constituent state's political history.

The substantial loss of electorate support for the more seasoned (political) party leaders to second tier/ number two party members, the failure of only but two contesting candidates to receive the necessary electoral quota to secure a seat in parliament outright.

The eleventh hour of the appointed formateur to realize the formation of a prospective coalition government, with the subsequent appointment of two informateurs to facilitate a renewed attempt to garner political parties that are willing to come together and form a new prospective coalition government are but a few of the unanticipated consequences of the election.

Added to these and more startling was the Royal Decree issued (October 21, 2014) by the de facto Head of State i.e., the Kingdom Government/ the Kingdom Council of Ministers instructing the Governor of St Read more

Ospp Issues Instruction To The Leader Of The Upp, To Form A Delegation Of The Members Of Parliament To Visit The First And Second Chambers To Present Their Case

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – It is the first time in the history of St. Maarten that it has taken such a long time to form a government.

Nevertheless, we are at a point where the country is in serious need of a government that will work in the interest of the people. The campaigns are over and now it is time to work for the people.

Since the instruction was given to the Governor of St. Maarten on October 17, 2014 the parliament of St. Maarten has met on numerous occasions to debate this issue Read more