SXMElections.com

Editorial -- Intriguing landscape

The voters have spoken. Compared to four years ago UP replaced NA as the largest party but fell short of a majority, while DP held steady after its setback in 2010 and newcomer US party not only got into Parliament but earned two seats, making for an intriguing new political landscape Read more

>People of St. Maarten,

The first Parliament of our Country is nearing its end. In a few weeks the first four-year term, which started on October 10th 2010, will be over. As your first appointed Prime Minister in 2010 I promised you then that I would amongst other things build a strong foundation for our new country. Bridge the social and political divides and work for all of the people of St. Maarten. I would work to strengthen the delicate social fabric with strong and lasting fibers and to make it work Read more

Editorial - Regardless of the result

That the electoral reforms discussed in Parliament not too long ago were never realised is old news by now. Other than the police and VROMI officials regulating how close to each voting bureau the candidates can promote themselves, employees receiving two instead of four hours to vote and the polls staying open until 8:00 rather than 7:00pm, not much has changed since four years ago as far as Election Day goes.

Even concerns about the use of electronic devices to take pictures of filled-in ballots as invoices to collect when selling votes was not tackled Read more

Ukraine accuses Russia of new troops incursion

KIEV/DONETSK, Ukraine--Ukraine accused Russia of launching a new military incursion across its eastern border on Wednesday, as hopes quickly faded that Tuesday's talks between their two presidents might mark a turning point in a five-month-old crisis.

Accusations of direct Russian support for pro-Russian separatists in Ukraine have prompted Western governments to impose sanctions on Moscow, despite its denials, and fanned tensions with NATO to levels not seen since the Cold War.

Ukrainian military spokesman Andriy Lysenko said a group of Russian soldiers had crossed the border in armoured infantry carriers and a truck and entered the town of Amvrosiyivka, not far from where Ukraine detained 10 Russian soldiers on Monday.

Ukraine's Security Services also said in a statement it had detained another Russian soldier in the east of the country who has confessed his unit provided military support to separatist rebels.

Lysenko said fighting in two other towns, Horlivka and Ilovaysk, had killed about 200 pro-Russian rebels and destroyed tanks and missile systems Read more

Court hears girl’s attacker ‘paranoid schizophrenic’

PHILIPSBURG--Another chilling reminder of the lack of a closed mental health facility was highlighted yesterday as the court heard the case of A.S.P. (37), born in Curaçao, who stood accused of the attempted murder of nine-year-old girl S.B.

Five years' imprisonment of which two years are suspended with a three-year probation period and a condition to be treated as an inpatient by the Mental Health Foundation for a minimum of 12 months was the demand of Prosecutor Tineke Kamps for P., who was diagnosed as a paranoid schizophrenic, and as such, was deemed to suffer from diminished responsibility at the time of the offence.

Relatives of the young girl sat in court as the judge heard the case, in which it was described how S.B Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The National Alliance (NA) is reminding the public that its final public meeting before Friday's parliamentary election will be held on Scott's Property on the LB Scott Road near the entrance of St. Peters on Wednesday August 27th.

The meeting will be televised live on St. Maarten Cable TV channel 120 as well as broadcast on PJD2 1300am from 6pm.

"We would like to see all of you at the meeting, but if you can't make it NA has made provisions for you to watch the proceedings live on television or listen to it live on radio," NA leader Member of Parliament William Marlin said in a press release.

"This public meeting will be a last chance for the public to hear the plans of the National Alliance before going to the polls on Friday Read more

Don’t forget us, say fire victims

ST. PETERS--Victims of the St. Peters fire are struggling to get their lives back in order. Although they have received support from individual people, Tzu Chi Foundation and the community centre, organised support from the government has been sadly lacking, other than in the days immediately after the fire, one of the victims complains.

Next week it will be a month since the fire in Magnolia Drive, which is mainly remembered as the fire where a group of brave young men worked together with fire officers to ensure the damage was minimised.

A number of people were made homeless and lost everything apart from the clothes on their backs Read more

Van Raak, Bosman shocked by ruling in vote-buying case

THE HAGUE--Members of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament André Bosman of the liberal democratic VVD party and Ronald van Raak of the Socialist Party (SP) said on Tuesday that they were shocked by the decision of the Court in St. Maarten's vote-buying case.

The Court of First Instance on Monday declared inadmissible the Prosecutor's Office's cases against five persons who were allegedly involved in the selling and buying of votes on behalf of the United People's (UP) party in the September 2010 election.

"I am truly shocked by the Court's decision," Van Raak told The Daily Herald in a reaction Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Lawyers and the three living suspects that were involved in the Masbangu investigation namely Carolina, James and Roy Heyliger escaped slightly on Monday when Judge C.T. M Luijks deemed the entire case inadmissible because he felt that the main suspect Theodore Heyliger was not charged and taken before him. Judge Luijks said based on what he has seen the Masbangu case created what can be considered as "class justice" and the Landsrecherche along with the Prosecutor's Office are holding their hands over Theo Heyliger's head Read more

DP calls for Central Bank to assess claim against Harbour

PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party (DP) Member of Parliament Roy Marlin says his party wants Finance Minister Martin Hassink to get the Central Bank of Curaçao and St. Maarten to assess the risk for St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies as a result of a US $100 million claim against the company and its Chief Executive Officer Mark Mingo by Zebec NV.

"The risks associated with this claim can pose a serious threat to the survivability of this group of companies Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- As the countdown for the 2014 Parliamentary Elections begins with just four more days before voters of this great nation head to the polling station to cast their votes for the country's first Parliamentary Election. SMN News thought it fitting to remind the voters of some of the things that transpired within the last four years since St. Maarten obtained its country status, most of which caused the Dutch to use their power and microscope to force an integrity investigation on St Read more

Democratic Party Concerned about Zebec Claim.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The Democratic Party is seriously concerned about the claim of US 100 million dollars, filed recently against the harbor group of companies. The risks associated with this claim can pose a serious threat to the survivability of this group of companies. When a company like the harbor has litigation claims pending against it, its bond holders, which includes the Central Bank of Curaçao and St Read more

Atletico's Mandzukic strikes early to clinch Super Cup

SPAIN-- Atletico Madrid striker Mario Mandzukic's early goal secured a 1-0 win over Real Madrid and a 2-1 aggregate success to clinch the Spanish Super Cup and gain some revenge for last season's Champions League final defeat.
  Croatia striker Mandzukic, who joined Atletico in the close season from Bayern Munich, fired into the corner of the net from the edge of the area after Read more

Like Four Years Ago – The Results Next Friday Could Be Different: Today Newspaper Poll Gives Up Majority Of Votes

St. Maarten – The votes are in, and boy, did Chippie-users grab the opportunity to make their political preference known. Today’s partner in this project, telecom provider UTS received no less than 1,269 text messages from Chippie-users who responded to the poll.

While the pie charts show the results from different angles, it is important to read this figures in their correct context. For this, we will also use the results of an identical poll Today organized using the Chippie-network in 2010.

The raw numbers look like this: United People’s party 452 votes (55 percent), Democratic Party 143 votes (17 percent), National Alliance 119 votes (14 percent), United St Read more

Ministers agree with most of integrity recommendations

PHILIPSBURG--Government "embraces" the recommendations of the Wit-Samson Report on Integrity in Government to "99.9 percent," says Justice Minister Dennis Richardson. "In general, I can say we have embraced that report nearly in its entirety. There are a few issues that need further study," he said.

The Council of Ministers has formulated its response to the forty recommendations from the Wit-Samson Committee and is expected to publish this soon.

Richardson said Government is satisfied that the report found "no connection" between government and the "underworld," which was one of the concerns and motivations for the Kingdom Government to instruct Governor Eugene Holiday to conduct a similar integrity investigation into the workings of government.

One of the most important recommendations is the establishment of an integrity chamber Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Members of the Democratic Party announced loud and clear on Tuesday at a press conference that they have not signed any pre-election agreement with the United Peoples Party. The DP leader Sarah Wescot Williams distanced herself and her party from the banner that is being circulated via the social media Read more

ECB in policy limbo, boxed in by its own plans

FRANKFURT--The European Central Bank is in a policy no man's land, bombarded by news of a stagnating euro zone economy but hesitant to move forward with new stimulus until measures it loaded in June have ignited.

After the ECB cut interest rates in June and promised banks cheap long-term loans starting in September, about all that is left is printing money to buy bonds - so-called quantitative easing (QE). But there are tricky practical and political barriers in the ECB's way: it is boxed in by its own plans, and still faces strong opposition from economic power Germany to any such monetary leniency.

Already deployed by other major central banks, QE could be used to pump money into the euro zone economy with a view to stimulating growth and staving off deflation, which has already gripped some countries in the bloc's south Read more

Number two candidates debate country matters

BELAIR--Coalition, government's essential duty to the people, reducing the country's debts, immigration and other topics were dealt with by the number two candidates on the slates of five parties contesting the August 29 Parliamentary Elections at the second Arts Video Studio (AVS) political debate in Belair Community Centre on Sunday evening.

Participating in the debate were Leona Marlin-Romeo (United St Read more

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

Editorial - Wait and see

Tuesday's report that a fourth St. Maarten mobile service concession has been granted to local television station owner Elwaldo Arrindell obviously caught many by surprise. It seems the licence itself dates back almost two years and was issued by then-minister of telecommunications Romeo Pantophlet of the NA/DP/Independent 3 government.

While the news was met with some concern by both United Telecommunication Services (UTS) and the TelEm Group (see today's related story), clients unhappy with the two current cell phone providers on the Dutch side UTS (Chippie) and TelCell may take a different view Read more

Sale of Pelican Resort declared null and void

PHILIPSBURG--The Court of First Instance on Tuesday declared null and void the disputed December 16, 2010, auction of Pelican Resort and Club.

In the court case on the merits, the former owners of Pelican Resort, now Simpson Bay Resort, successfully challenged the legality of the auction, which was called after the owners of the resort fell behind with their mortgage payments.

Lender Quantum Investment Trust (QIT) auctioned off the resort in a public auction on which it submitted the only and winning bid and became the owner of the resort, after which QIT transferred ownership to Simpson Bay Resort Owner Company B.V Read more

Concession given for 4th mobile service provider

PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten's fourth mobile service concession has been granted officially to Elwaldo Arrindell, who was granted a licence in August 28, 2012, by former Minister of Telecommunication Romeo Pantophlet after initially having requested one in 1997.

The concession will allow him to operate, which can translate to a somewhat worrying development for established local providers TelCell and United Telecommunications Services (UTS).

Although Arrindell was not available for comment yesterday, he shared with The Daily Herald last year that, if successful, he hoped to launch a new cellular phone company by the end of 2013 Read more

Lenny Priest Wants Clarity About St. Maarten Medical Center

St. Maarten – Lenny Priest, leader of the One St. Maarten People Party (OSPP), has asked clarification from Public Health Minister Cornelius de Weever about the possible construction of a new hospital. In a letter dated August 6 (last week Wednesday), Priest notes that four years ago there was talk of an expansion of the existing St Read more

Marlin: “Up Is Ready To Rip The People Off”

National Alliance meeting draws a large crowd

St. Maarten - A large crowd came out to listen to the National Alliance party candidates as they launched their first political meeting in Sucker Garden on Saturday evening. NA-leader William Marlin called on the electorate to come out in numbers and vote for his party.

“Come August 29 make no mistake, don’t vote because of the green flags, because you were given 100 cents, vote because you need a decent honest government, with hard working ministers and parliamentarians who will look out for you every day Read more