SXMElections.com

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Aristotle said: "the only way to avoid criticism is to say nothing, do nothing and be nothing." When some members of the DP criticize the counterpart law and policy without reviewing the implementation guidelines then they are too quick to criticize and assume that it "is a sure recipe for massive lay-offs. " This once again proves that they were not in support of my vision to provide the much needed opportunity of our youth to take on top positions in our community Read more

Marcel Gumbs Cabinet Tenders Resignation On Wednesday

St. Maarten- The Council of Ministers will meet this coming Wednesday with Governor Drs. Eugene Holiday at the Governor’s Cabinet to tender its resignation.

At this meeting all ministers will make their positions available and the national decree to dissolve parliament will be signed by the governor and countersigned by Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, the prime minister’s cabinet states in a press release last night Read more

Serious Measures Ahead To Generate More Revenue

Draft 2016 budget stands at 485 million guilders

St. Maarten – “We have tremendous challenges and we need to take serious measures to increase income and to cut costs,” Finance Minister Martin Hassink said earlier this week.

How tremendous those challenges are appears from the cold figures. The budgets the seven ministers of the Gumbs cabinet submitted for 2016 totaled 510 million guilders. That number has been brought down to 85 million, and that is the budget the Council of Ministers approved this week,

Minister Hassink pointed out that the expected income for 2015 is 440 million guilders and that begs the question how the country will bring revenue to the 485 million level next year.

Personnel costs exceed 200 million guilders next year Read more

Gumbs cabinet expected to submit their resignation on Wednesday next week.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Reliable information reaching SMN News states that the ousted Prime Minister of St. Maarten Marcel Gumbs will be taking in the resignation of his cabinet latest Wednesday next week.
It is not yet known why the Prime Minister and the other Ministers making up his cabinet choose to stay a few more days in office after being notified of the Governor’s final decision on Wednesday.
SMN News could not reach Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs on Friday for a confirmation on whether or not he will submit the resignation of his cabinet or if he will wait for the police to knock on the doors of the Ministers to remove them from office forcefully.
Former Minister of Constitutional Affairs and also former Minister of Justice Roland Duncan told SMN News that the Gumbs cabinet has committed a criminal act and they can be held accountable for their actions Read more

Council Of Ministers Gives Status Update, Pm Addresses Constitutional Issue

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The Council of Ministers of St. Maarten held a press conference Wednesday morning in which they outlined the various plans which they had for implementation as well as a status report of ongoing matters.

VROMI

Minister of VROMI the Honorable Claret Conner stated on Wednesday that the street repair program is now in progress. The Minister stated that more extensive work will be done next year when the season is over. He also stated that most of the work will be done at night.

ECONOMIC AFFAIRS

Minister Ernest Sams who is responsible for Economic Affairs gave an outline Wednesday of the islands Economic Development plan Read more

Budget 250,000 Guilders For St. Maarten Day Celebrations

The St. Maarten Day committee at the A.C Legislative hall. Photo Today / Andrew Dick

St. Maarten – The committee in charge of organizing the November 11 St. Maarten Day celebrations has been working for the past months to organize and execute a well thought out program starting November 8. Minister of Culture Rita Bourne-Gumbs says this year the focus is on the people being proud of the heritage the island has to offer. “The community needs to be reminded of the rich culture the island has and we hope to depict this at this year’s festivities,” said the minister.

The highlight of the day will be a cultural parade consisting of 30 groups according to committee member Urmain Dormoy Read more

SHTA poll: Businesses want anti-ship-jumping legislation

Click here for SHTA graph pdf

PHILIPSBURG--The St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA), in light of the “current political dilemma,” invited its members to take a poll which showed that the largest single group of respondents wish both for new elections and for new legislation to prevent political “ship-jumping.” However, new legislation was the strongest sentiment expressed overall.

Responses quickly started coming in for the one-question survey sent out to members by e-mail on Tuesday and SHTA released the results on Thursday Read more

Do we serve democracy by not holding new elections?

Dear Editor,

Much has been said about the matter of a motion of no confidence in the members of the Gumbs I cabinet by the Parliament of St. Maarten. There has also been much said about that same cabinet's choice not to resign and call for new elections. The prevailing question is "Even if there is an election, what fundamental difference will it make, especially in the light of the fact that the laws relating to the exact process after such a motion of no confidence is passed have yet to be created, and the fact that there will still be no rules to prevent the ship jumping that has led to this point and preceded other changes in government?" This letter seeks to advance two arguments in favor of these new elections Read more

style="text-align: center;">“I was thrown under the roller by the UPP”

PHILIPSBURG:---- Member of Parliament Silvio Matser who left the United Peoples Party also showed up in front of the Government Administration Building on Wednesday to show his support to the people whom he said elected him Read more

New coalition says De Weever acted illegally, calls for urgent meeting

PHILIPSBURG--Second Vice-Chairman of Parliament Cornelius de Weever performed an “illegal act” when he chaired Tuesday’s plenary session of Parliament and closed it swiftly without giving Members of Parliament (MPs) the possibility to react, say representatives of the new coalition in Parliament.

After De Weever closed the session they submitted a request for an urgent meeting of Parliament to talk about his “illegal act” as well as “the consequences for the functioning of Parliament and for the representation of the people of St Read more

Eight is more than seven

Dear Editor

I read the PM's “weighing in on the political turmoil” and would like to comment.

In 2013, the United People’s (UP) party wanted to come into government and (rightfully so) proclaimed eight parliamentary seats to be more than seven. The battle between proponents of Article 33-2 and Article 59 ensued. Article 59 was invoked by the National Alliance (NA) led Wescot II cabinet, but lost Read more

Editorial - Deadlocked for now

Anybody expecting that the Parliament session on Tuesday to elect a new President and two Vice-Presidents might lead to some breakthrough in the current constitutional impasse between the new majority and the Gumbs cabinet was disappointed. Although both President Dr. Lloyd Richardson and First Vice-President Leona Marlin-Romeo had publicly made their positions available, they were not present and Second Vice-President Cornelius de Weever, part of the same former UP-led coalition, closed the proceedings as soon as they had begun, saying he needed legal clarification due to the Council of Ministers having passed a national decree to dissolve the legislature and hold snap elections.

The incoming NA/DP/UPS/Matser/Lake coalition did not appreciate this and called for an urgent new meeting about De Weever’s “illegal act” and its impact on the country’s democratic representation Read more

Student launches two new recycling collection points

DAWN BEACH--In a cheerful unveiling ceremony, Bodine Beentjes, accompanied by Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI Claret Connor, celebrated the opening of two new recycling collection points on Saturday morning.

These will directly benefit residents of Dawn Beach Estates and Ocean View Terrace Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---- On September 25th and 26th a conference on elderly care was held for medical professionals. The conference was organized by a collaboration platform of the Ministry, Health Care institutions, the AUC and the NASKHO and hosted by the AUC in Cupecoy.
With an attendance of about 150 health care professionals, including participants from Statia and Saba, the conference was very successful Read more

Elderly Care Conference Very Succesful

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - On September 25th and 26th a conference on elderly care was held for medical professionals. The conference was organized by a collaboration platform of the Ministry, Health Care institutions, the AUC and the NASKHO and hosted by the AUC in Cupecoy.

With an attendance of about 150 health care professionals, including participants from Statia and Saba, the conference was very successful Read more

MOU to bring second-chance tertiary education opportunity

PHILIPSBURG--An initiative by I Am SXM Foundation/Education For Us All that aims to bring education opportunities to the youth, in particular those who are hard workers but are disadvantaged through circumstance, achieved a milestone on Friday with the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with University of St. Martin (USM).

The MOU was signed in the presence of Education Minister Rita Bourne-Gumbs, the initiative’s first applicant Angela Brown and a number of representatives of each party.

The aim is to address a gap between students who may well be top performers and access to higher education, in particular when lack of the Dutch nationality gets in the way Read more

Parties disagree on course of action for Isla refinery

THE HAGUE--Curaçao’s Isla refinery makes people sick and is very bad for the environment. No disagreement on that during the handling of the draft 2016 Kingdom Relations budget earlier this week. However, parties in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament differ in opinion on the follow-up action.

The Democratic Party D66, the Socialist Party (SP) and the ChristianUnion pressed for quick, decisive action, and on Thursday presented two joint motions for a sustainable solution for the refinery Read more

>PHILIPSBURG/PORT OF SPAIN:--- St. Maarten/St. Martin Alliance For Equality (SAFE) Foundation President, Lysanne Charles-Arrindell and Treasurer, Nadjesca Gumbs are currently in Trinidad attending the 3rd annual Caribbean Women & Sexual Diversity Conference.
The conference, which runs from October 5 – October 11, 2015, brings together lesbian, bi-sexual and transgendered (LBT) women from across the region and western hemisphere for advocacy training and networking.
This year the conference covers topics such as community grassroots organizing, negative stereotypes and violence, media and advocacy, creative activism, grassroots fundraising, self-care/financial health, UN mechanisms (CEDAW/Commission on the Status of Women), LBT Sisterhood, Women’s Sexual & Mental Health, Security for Human Rights Defenders, Afro-centric Activism, Presentation Skills, LBT Women’s Movement Building/Feminism, Focus Groups on Activism Against Gender-based Violence Read more

Local Lgbt Activists At Cwsdc 2015

PHILIPSBURG/PORT OF SPAIN – St. Maarten/St. Martin Alliance For Equality (SAFE) Foundation President, Lysanne Charles-Arrindell and Treasurer, Nadjesca Gumbs are currently in Trinidad attending the 3rd annual Caribbean Women & Sexual Diversity Conference.

The conference, which runs from October 5 – October 11, 2015, brings together lesbian, bi-sexual and transgendered (LBT) women from across the region and western hemisphere for advocacy training and networking.

This year the conference covers topics such as community grassroots organizing, negative stereotypes and violence, media and advocacy, creative activism, grassroots fundraising, self-care/financial health, UN mechanisms (CEDAW/Commission on the Status of Women), LBT Sisterhood, Women’s Sexual & Mental Health, Security for Human Rights Defenders, Afro-centric Activism, Presentation Skills, LBT Women’s Movement Building/Feminism, Focus Groups on Activism Against Gender-based Violence Read more

Major UN treaty comes into force, SIDS leaders say they ‘will not be left behind’

NEW YORK, USA--September 30, 2015, is etched in the history books of the United Nations (UN), observing the announcement of the entry into force of the SIDS DOCK Treaty, and the legal recognition of this historic intergovernmental sustainable energy and climate resilience organisation established by heads of state and government of Small Island Developing States (SIDS) in 2009, in order to help finance climate change adaptation through the transformation of their countries to low carbon economies.

Against the background of the ceremony of the establishment of SIDS DOCK, and uppermost in the minds of the hundreds of people who packed the 500-seat Conference Room 4 of the UN’s North Lawn Building, was the terrible devastation in the Caribbean island of Dominica, caused by Tropical Storm Ericka in August 2015, which was also an historic and unprecedented hydro-meteorological event for Dominica and SIDS.

The obvious absence of the chair of the SIDS DOCK Steering Committee Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit was noted in the opening remarks by Dr Read more

US, NATO signal willingness to slow Afghan drawdown

BRUSSELS--The United States and its NATO allies signalled a willingness on Thursday to consider slowing their withdrawal from Afghanistan, days after the Taliban's brief takeover of a provincial capital stoked concern about the strength of Afghan state forces.
  U.S. Defence Secretary Ash Carter said he asked allies for flexibility as Washington reviews a withdrawal timetable currently supposed to slash the nearly 10,000 U.S Read more

>MP Maurice Lake was also contacted and met with the Deputy Leader of the UPP last week ----DP has proposal ready in the event the Governor decides to call for new elections.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Leader of the Democratic Party Sarah Wescot Williams admitted on Thursday when she was asked by SMN News if someone contacted her on October 1st 2015, one day after the motion of no confidence was passed in parliament against the Gumbs cabinet where the person who called her made her an offer to join the UPP party in order for them to remain in government Read more

PVV’s call to sever ties leads to heated debate on Kingdom

THE HAGUE--Wednesday’s handling of the draft 2016 Kingdom Relations budget in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament was the scene of a heated discussion on whether to sever the ties with the Dutch Caribbean countries or not.

At the centre of the discussion was Member of Parliament (MP) Sietse Fritsma of the Party for Freedom PVV who repeated his earlier calls to get rid of the United Nations (UN) regulation that former mother countries cannot unilaterally decide to get rid of a former colony Read more

Conference on driving OCT innovation starts

DAWN BEACH--A three-day conference focused on brainstorming and finding solutions towards diversifying economies with innovation, part of an EU-funded project called "Territorial Strategies for Innovation," kicked off on Tuesday morning with a full audience of private and public stakeholders, as well as a host of international attendees from the European Union's (EU) Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs).

The solutions will be geared towards boosting sustainable development and regional/global competitiveness, spearheaded by OCT Association (OCTA) based in Brussels, Belgium Read more