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Expedition Crew Spreads Awareness Of Protecting Oceans From Plastics

Scientist Marion Hingant (left) and Captain Patrick Deixonne in the lab of the Expedition schooner. (Robert Luckock photos)

Information stands were set up on the shoreline next to Marina Fort Louis.

  The 26-metre 7th Continent Expedition schooner visited Marina Fort Louis on May 6 and 7.

MARIGOT--Explorer Patrick Deixonne and his crew of schooner 7th Continent Expedition were at Fort Louis Marina, Marigot, May 6-7 to raise awareness among the public of the urgent need to preserve the oceans and to stress the importance of sorting waste, the first barrier against marine pollution.

The name 7th Continent comes from areas in the worlds oceans where there is a particularly high concentration of plastics driven together by currents, effectively forming their own continents.

This was the sixth educational tour and the very first edition in the Antilles-Guyana region Read more

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Advisory Report For Climate Table Bonaire Handed Over

An increase in sea levels could result in low-lying areas of Bonaire becoming flooded by 2050. (UNESCO photo)

BONAIRE--Under the orders of the Dutch Government and the Executive Council of Bonaire, quartermaster Ed Nijpels examined the best way to set up a Climate Table for Bonaire. Nijpels handed over his findings to Minister of Climate and Energy Rob Jetten, Acting Governor Nolly Oleana, and the cabinet of Commissioner Thielman Read more

Minister Ottley Issues Decrees For New Mental Health Care Clinic

By Jacqueline Hooftman

PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor VSA Omar Ottley (United Peoples Party) has followed the court order of May 3 one month later and issued a ministerial decree for healthcare institution PsyCare BV and two BIG-registered psychiatrists.

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Court Orders Minister Ottley To Allow Psychiatrists To Open New Care Facility

PHILIPSBURG--The court has ordered Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor VSA Omar Ottley (United Peoples Party) to allow two BIG-registered psychiatrists, whose licences he revoked, to work in St. Maarten as owner and treating doctors at the new healthcare institution PsyCare BV in Cay Hill.

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CftS Suggestion To Impose Land Tax Is Anti-Local People

PHILIPSBURG--Member of Parliament and United Peoples Party faction leader Grisha Heyliger-Marten commemorated the late Dr. Albert Claudius Wathey on July 24 for his contribution to the growth and development of the people and nation. She also reflected on a recent suggestion by the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT, to impose a tax that Wathey fought against at the Central Government level for years to prevent it from imposing it on St Read more

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Will Na-Up Prioritize The Eradication Of Poverty, Asks The Consumers Coalition

Claire Elshot and Raymond Jessurun of the St. Maarten Consumers Coalition.

PHILIPSBURG--The St. Maarten Consumers Coalition voiced their concerns with the new National Alliance (NA)-United People's Party (UP) coalition and their priority where it involves the eradication Read more

Motion Tabled To Aid In Avoidance Of Criminal Prosecution For Back Taxes

PHILIPSBURG--Government has been called on, via a yet-to-be voted on motion from Parliament, to initiate a public campaign to inform the population of the possibilities it has to make use of the tax facilities provided by General Ordinance on Taxes, such as the voluntary disclosure scheme (“Inkeerregeling” in Dutch) on how to avoid criminal prosecution under law.

  The motion also calls on Government to allow for a longer period to pay taxes owed and adjust its collection policy accordingly.

  Finance Minister Richard Gibson Sr Read more

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Sarah Queries The Holding Of Meetings

PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party (DP) leader Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams has written to new Parliament Chairman Read more

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Urgent Parliament Meeting Requested On Pearl Of China

PHILIPSBURG--An urgent public meeting of Parliament has been requested by three Members of Parliament about the Pearl of China project slated for the Belair beachfront.

The request comes two days after the symbolic ground-breaking, about three weeks following the announcement by Finance Minister Richard Gibson Sr. of the 326-room hotel with showroom and 450 executive apartments and less than a week before the September 26 Parliamentary election Read more

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Mps Pepper Ministers With Questions In Budget Debate

Independent MP Leona Marlin-Romeo (standing) speaks in the budget debate on Monday.

 PHILIPSBURG--The 2016 draft budget was tabled in Parliament by Finance Minister Richard Gibson on Monday morning in Parliament House. Members of Parliament (MPs), who had up to 90 minutes to speak, peppered the Council of Ministers with a barrage of questions spanning from the budget and Government policies to general topics of interest.

  The seven Ministers, who all made presentations about the working of their Ministries on Monday, will be back in Parliament today, Tuesday, starting at 2:00pm to deliver answers to the questions from MPs Read more

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‘Shotgun Budget’ Tabled In Parliament By Gibson

Finance Minister Richard Gibson (right) with MP Maurice Lake. 

PHILIPSBURG--Parliament is faced with a “shotgun budget” as the draft 2016 budget was described by Finance Minister Richard Gibson Read more

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‘Shotgun Budget’ Tabled In Parliament By Gibson

PHILIPSBURG--Parliament is faced with a “shotgun budget” as the draft 2016 budget was described by Finance Minister Richard Gibson. The Minister tabled the budget, totaling NAf 438,000 in the Central Committee meeting of Parliament on this morning.  

  There is “no time to do the budget as it should have been done” and to get all policies from the seven ministries covered, said the Minister Read more

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Urgent Parliament Meeting Requested About Nipa Issue

PHILIPSBURG--An urgent Parliament meeting has been requested about issues related to the National Institute for Professional Advancement (NIPA) by Members of Parliament (MPs) Leona Marlin-Romeo (independent), Read more

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Prof. van den Berg in favour of dissolving

THE HAGUE--Constitutional and parliamentary law professor Dr. Joop van den Berg has come to the defence of St. Maarten Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs in the Council of Ministers’ decision to dissolve the St. Maarten Parliament. He is the third Dutch professor to do so.

Van den Berg stated in a brief letter to Gumbs on Thursday that he fully supported the advices of his colleagues, Professors Arjen van Rijn and Constantijn Kortmann, in relation to the legality of the National Decree to dissolve Parliament following the termination of the Council’s majority support in Parliament.

Van den Berg stated that he had studied Van Rijn’s and Kortmann’s advices as well as a number of relevant documents in relation to the current political crisis Read more

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Lake says effective leadership is lacking

PHILIPSBURG--United People’s party (UP) Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake said on Wednesday that the country lacked effective leadership when it needs it most and noted that he had never experienced anything in his 23 years in the civil service, like he has in the past year and a half of him being an MP with the UP-led coalition.

Lake made the statements during a parliamentary meeting on Tuesday in which he supported a motion to send home the Gumbs cabinet via a no-confidence motion that was passed Read more

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Richardson to Schram: Prove underworld claims or ‘shut up’

PHILIPSBURG--Justice Minister Dennis Richardson minced no words when he publicly called on Attorney-General Guus Schram to prove his claims about the mixing of the so-called underworld with civil society.

Richardson said in Monday's plenary session of Parliament that Schram should prove his claims or "shut the hell up."

Richardson was reacting to comments made by the Attorney-General on Friday at the swearing-in of a new judge for the Court of First Instance. Schram said, "The Friendly Island has lost its innocence."

He said another threat existed in St Read more

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Prime minister’s travel plans halt meeting about Zebec settlement

PHILIPSBURG--The “urgent” meeting of Parliament requested by opposition parties – National Alliance (NA) and Democratic Party (DP) about the out-of-court settlement reached by St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies and developer Zebec has stalled before it could get started.

The meeting cannot be held this week, an official Parliament meeting week, because of an already packed Parliament schedule and due to the travel of Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs from Wednesday, September 16, until Sunday, September 27, 2015.

DP leader Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams is not amused that yet another urgently requested meeting of Parliament has not been scheduled by Parliament Chairman Dr Read more

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Community Councils have a role to play regarding hurricane season pre-planning

Dear Editor,

I would like to see the different Community Councils play a more active role by advising the residents and helping the senior citizens protect their homes during the Hurricane season.

As the co-founder of the St. Peters Community Council, I am missing that community togetherness where we use to give out flyers and do a community walk through advising all residents, especially those that live in vulnerable prone areas within the districts to prepare for the hurricane season.

The Community Council leaders need to go around and check on the residents and senior citizens to make sure all flying debris are secure and help them protect against flying objects that can damage their homes.

Encourage clean-ups in the area Read more

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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

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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

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Patrol to Eradicate Paedophilia urges MPs to make law changes

PHILIPSBURG--Change the laws to impose harsher punishment for paedophiles and institute a sex offenders registry were among the calls the group Patrol to Eradicate Paedophilia (PEP) made to the Petitions Committee of Parliament on Thursday.

PEP's request for laws to be changed now heads to the Permanent Committee for Justice. Committee Chairman Member of Parliament (MP) Johan Leonard said he would call the Justice Minister to the committee after Parliament's July recess.

PEP representative Peggy Ann Dros-Richardson urged MPs to have Government boost its assistance to the Mental Health Foundation, to help the foundation increase awareness about paedophilia and have the required treatment for the mental disorder Read more

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An Integrity Committee is most definitely needed

Dear Editor,

Okay, I have read the document on the establishing of the Integrity Committee (IC) and I must say that I CANNOT DISAGREE MORE with my good friend MP Christophe Emmanuel. I do not think that the establishing of this Committee is "bad for business" unless it is the business of nepotism and corruption that have plagued us for the last 25 years.

I also believe that some of the comments made by many members of Parliament misrepresent what is actually in the document. I am not saying they are lying but they are taking a very extreme view of what powers the Committee actually have.

MP William Marlin in his comments stated that a simple relationship with a Minister or MP can disqualify you from a contract or job, which according to me is really stretching the meaning of the document Read more

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I voted for improvement yet nothing has changed

Dear Editor,

Please allow me some space in your newspaper to address the United People’s party.

UP party, as a supporter of the united people’s party, I have a request in return for all my hard work and efforts in getting votes for the current government body.

It is only fair and understandable that while some other supporters/campaigners are benefitting from their input; Erno York has only received small but appreciated donations Read more

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UP board congratulates Hiro Shigimoto

Press release

Philipsburg -- The board of the United People's Party (UP) wishes to congratulate Hiro Shigimoto on his full acquittal from all charges by the Court of First Instance on Thursday. 

 "This is a clear indication of vindication as we know this has been a long judicial journey," the UP board declared. 

 Hiro Shigimoto was a former Minister of Finance Hiro Shigimoto under a UP supported government. 

 "We strongly believe this positive news will be well received by his family and longstanding well-wishers," the UP board added. 

"May Mr Read more