SXMElections.com

The Role Of Your Elected Parliamentarian

As a politician, campaigning for the elections on September 26th, I am constantly bombarded with questions such as, what can you do for me? Will you fix my papers? Can you make sure that I get a job? Will you increase the pension of my aged mother who is unable to survive on such a meager income?

I truly understand the plight of these persons and I wish I could tell them yes. But that would be only telling them lies, making empty promises and giving them false hope. Unfortunately, this is what the majority of parties and politicians are doing Read more

Why did Minister of VSA appoint Carty retroactive to 2014?

PHILIPSBURG:--- The appointment of the interim director now director of USZV has raised a number of questions based on documents SMN News obtained. One has to now question if Carty was acting and or signing agreements on behalf of USZV illegally. While Carty was appointed by word of mouth to the position of interim director of USZV on July 1st, 2015 to June 30th, 2016. The Gumbs cabinet only took a decision on October 14th, 2015 where they made the appointment official and retroactive to July 1st, 2015, while the Chairman of Supervisory Board of Directors (SBOD) was informed officially of the appointment on October 27th, 2015 by the then Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs.
While Carty’s appointment expired on June 30th, 2016, he continued to work and committed SZV (AOV) funds during the month of July and August 2016 while he had no official working agreement.
What is more questionable is the Landsbesluit signed off within four days by Governor Holiday on August 4th, 2016.

The documents which that is below the article shows that the SBOD of USZV sent in a proposal to the Gumbs cabinet on September 3rd, 2015 to appoint Carty as the Director of USZV while he was in possession of a contract that expires on June 30th, 2016.
The LB continues to show that Carty was appointed Director of USZV for an unlimited period of time even though he has another full-time job as the CEO of UTS St Read more

Prime Minister Accuses Former Vromi Minister Of Signing Over Land To Chamber Of Commerce

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Prime Minister with the responsibility for General Affairs, the Honorable William Marlin is accusing the former Minister of VROMI, Claret Corner of illegally signing over the land in the vicinity of Lekebek and the LB Scot Sports Auditorium over the Chamber of Commerce.

According to the Prime Minist Read more

Former Police Chief Being Investigated

NETHERLANDS--Former Police Chief Gerard Bouman will be heard by a police integrity committee regarding his role in the “geldsmijtrel” with the Central Works Council (CWC). The scandal is being investigated as a fraud case.

Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf’s website reported this week that Bouman will be heard within two weeks by a team from the Safety Department, Integrity and Complaints VIK which examines Police Force spending.

The police executive committee spent about two million euros on outside experts, expensive parties and dinners between January 2015 and April 2016 Read more

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Rotary Club of St. Maarten Mid Isle held it's Change of Board ceremony on Saturday June 25 at a buffet dinner held in Melange restaurant in Port de Plaisance. During this ceremony, four people were honored with a Paul Harris Fellow which is the highest distinction of service in the Rotary Club. This award is named after the founder of Rotary.

The four people awarded were Mr. Imran McSood of Nagico Insurances, Mr. Marcel Gumbs and Rotarians Wayne Wilkie and Aernout Kraaijveld.

Mr Read more

Rationale For Elections Falls Apart As Kingdom Council Opposes To The Changes In Electoral Reform Proposed By St. Maarten.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Kingdom Council of Ministers expresses serious doubt over “ship jumping” solution proposed by St. Maarten. The law of “unintended consequences” raises its ugly head as the Kingdom Council gave a negative advice on the changes to be made in the country’s constitution which would have addressed the so-called ship jumping.

The Kingdom Council of Ministers has informed the Prime Minister of St. Maarten that their proposed changes to the constitution to stop ship jumping will not work since it will hinge on democracy within parliament.

They pointed out that if an MP jumps ship the remaining members might not be able to form a majority, while no new ministers could be appointed since the member who jumped ship is not allowed to nominate a minister Read more

Opinion: Vote Of No Confidence

Research by the Central Bureau of Statistics in Curacao returned a near fatal blow for the country’s politicians. Only 2.3 percent of the respondents among 2,620 households said that they trust their politicians. In other words, 97.7 percent do not trust the country’s legislators.

Suspicion towards politicians is nothing new and it is not uniquely prevalent in Curacao. It is a phenomenon across the board, and we suspect – though we obviously do not have hard evidence for it – that a similar research in, say, the Netherlands, Japan, the United States or St Read more

First Female Calypso Monarch In 47 Years

Akinerom Charles Arrindell, the first female to ever win a Calypso Crown suitably rewarded with the symbol which was placed on her head by Lisa Brown, Senior Marketing Manager at Nagico and assisted by Edwardo Radjouki, from the SCDF. Photo Today / Milton Pieters

Shakiya stays one point ahead of Kaiso Brat

St. Maarten News – As far as the other participants in the finals of the Nagico Calypso competition was concerned, Shakiya, real name Akinerom Charles Arrindell, was just another female in the quest for glory, but at the end of the show, she became the first female in 47 years to be crowned as the country’s Calypso Monarch.

Shakiya, an employee of social insurance agency SZV, immediately received congrats from her employer.

In doing so, Arrindell who finished on 471 points dethroned the reigning King Alberto Arrindell, stage name Fish Da Mega Boss who had to settle for the second runner up position with 446 points Read more

PHLIPSBURG:--- “I would like to make public, that when I got involved in the discussions about finding a suitable location on Dutch St Maarten for a Water Treatment Facility, the country was already facing the end of an extended period and deadline placed by the EU Funding agency. I was informed that St Maarten had requested and received an extension and that extension was nearing its end.”

In July Of last year I was requested to sit in on a meeting with then Prime Minister and Minister of VROMI a.t Read more

St. Martiner At Memorial Acte: “An Expression Of Pain And Pride”

MARIGOT/GREAT BAY – “An expression of pain and pride is the best way to describe the Memorial ACTe,” said Shujah Reiph on his recent return from visiting the state-of-the-art museum in Guadeloupe.

The Memorial ACTe museum was built on the seaside grounds of the former Darboussier sugarcane refinery, said Reiph, president of St. Martin’s Conscious Lyrics Foundation (CLF).

The museum’s black box façade and silvery mesh crown houses a permanent exhibition that “explores slavery and the European slave trade of African peoples in the Caribbean and the Americas,” said Reiph.

“I see my visit to the museum as a pilgrimage of memory, which was necessary to do as part of the 25th anniversary of the Black History Celebration in St Read more

MARIGOT/GREAT BAY:--- “An expression of pain and pride is the best way to describe the Memorial ACTe,” said Shujah Reiph on his recent return from visiting the state-of-the-art museum in Guadeloupe.
The Memorial ACTe museum was built on the seaside grounds of the former Darboussier sugarcane refinery, said Reiph, president of St. Martin’s Conscious Lyrics Foundation (CLF).
The museum’s black box façade and silvery mesh crown houses a permanent exhibition that “explores Slavery and the European slave trade of African peoples in the Caribbean and the Americas,” said Reiph.
“I see my visit to the museum as a pilgrimage of memory, which was necessary to do as part of the 25th anniversary of the Black History Celebration in St Read more

Study Financing Repayment Drops After Former Pm Stopped Collection

PHILIPSBURG--The amount of study financing repayment Government received from recipients in 2015 plummeted significantly after former Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs stopped the collection efforts.

Read more

Time Is Still On Our Side To Make It Right For Our Young People!

Middle Region – The Board of the OSPP welcomes every and all initiatives that are geared towards the curbing of unemployment in general but in particular amongst our young people. Throughout all the districts we see our young boys and girls seeking job opportunities but can hardly find any.

Our Prime Minister the Honorable William Marlin has proposed the implementation of an employment fund to stimulate youth employment Read more

Up Leader And Board Wishes Populace A Healthy, Safe And Prosperous New Year. Formidable Opposition Role Forthcoming In 2016

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten – The United People's Party (UP) Leader Theodore Heyliger and board, extend best wishes to all Sint Maarteners/Saint Martiners for a healthy, safe and prosperous New Year.

“The Year 2016 should be a year where the community and business sector work together for a better Sint Maarten.  Significant progress must be made on a number of fronts in order to balance the 2016 budget, reduce crime, create jobs, improve health care, re-align education, youth welfare and much more.  Government has its responsibility and we will hold them accountable.

“Preparations were well underway for the people to go to the polls in February Read more

Former Pm Marcel Gumbs Reacts To Dr. Martha “Not Possible To Revoke Dissolution Decree”

St. Maarten / By Hilbert Haar – “I think that not all the facts were presented to him,” former Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs told this newspaper yesterday in a reaction to the interview with Dr. Rutsel Martha. “He is a good friend and very clever, though somewhat controversial, but his specialty is not in constitutional law.”

Gumbs said that he had acquired advice from three constitutional experts – professors Arjen van Rijn, Tijn Kortmann and Joop van den Berg Read more

“Governor Holiday Made Gumbs Look Like A Fool”

Dr. Rutsel Martha: revoking dissolution decree perfectly legal

By Hilbert Haar – LONDON / GREAT BAY – The decision by the Marlin-cabinet to withdraw the October 29 dissolution decree and to replace it by another one that pushed the elections back to September of next year is perfectly legal. That is the opinion of Dr. Rutsel Martha, a former Minister of Justice in Curacao who is now based in London as an international legal consultant. From a distance, Dr. Martha has followed the political developments in St Read more

Mp Lake Wants Update On Emilio Wilson Estate

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake has sent a letter to Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI Angel Meyers, via the President of Parliament seeking an update about plans for Emilio Wilson Estate. 
 â€œThe Estate is of invaluable natural, cultural, historical and social significance Read more

Former Minister Ernest Sams: “This Country Still Has Great Potential”

St. Maarten – “My brief term in office has been an accelerating learning experience as well as one of recognizing that there is an urgent need for Government to restructure and optimize its organizational processes to become more effective and efficient, and above all eliminate waste,” former Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication Ernest Sams said in a statement he issued this weekend.

“Entering with an energetic team of a tourism expert, a transportation expert, an economist, a junior policy adviser and secretary our hopes were high to accomplish many of the existing, shelved projects and some of our own ideas-one main one being developing a sound strategy to market St Read more

Position Airport Director Labega Under Pressure

Managing director Regina Labega at her desk at Princess Juliana International Airport. File photo SXM

Court rejects suspension of government-decision

St. Maarten – Starting tomorrow, Regina Labega is no longer authorized to function as the managing director of Princess Juliana International Airport, but it is at this moment uncertain whether she will be removed from her position, her attorney Cor Merx told this newspaper yesterday. “It is unclear what is going to happen on November 13.”

Labega’s position requires a certificate of no objection, but Minister of General Affairs Marcel Gumbs refused to give this to her, based on the result of a screening by the national security service VDSM.

The airport risks a fine of 1,000 up to 500,000 guilders – per violation – if it allows Labega to stay on as managing director Read more

St. Maarten Day Speeches Focus On Cooperation

From left: Collectivité President Aline Hanson, Préfète Délégué Anne Laubies, Governor Eugène Holiday, Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, Chief Inspector Denise Jacobs, Franklin Richards, MP Sarah Wescot-Williams, MP Cornelius de Weever, Justice Minister Dennis Richardson and Education Minister Rita Bourne-Gumbs at the border monument in Cole Bay Read more

Unity, Theme Word For St. Maarten/St. Martin Day 2015

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - President of the Collectivite of St. Martin Madame Aline Hanson told her peers and those gathered to celebrate St. Maarten/St. Martin Day 2015 that their aim is to go forward, as they look towards developing the island.

She also spoke of the areas of cooperation between St. Maarten/St. Martin.

Outgoing Prime Minister, the Honorable Marcel Gumbs of St Read more

Stalling Planned Elections Would Be Unconstitutional Says Prime Minister

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Can the incoming government take a decision to annul the decree as has been signed by the Governor and the Prime Minister to dissolve parliament and hold elections?

That question was put to outgoing Prime Minister, the Honorable Marcel Gumbs this week.

The Prime Minister noted that the process towards the snap elections is now law and as such it is the right of the people to vote on the 9th of February Read more

February Elections Will Cost Almost 230,000 Guilders

St. Maarten – The cabinet has budgeted 229,763 guilders ($128,359) for the upcoming elections on February 9. The money comes from the budget of the Ministry of General Affairs.

Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs said yesterday that the voter registry will close on November 23 and that the members to the Central Voting Bureau will be appointed on December 23.

Postulation Day is on December 22 and a day later, parties will have to submit the signatures of voters who support their list.

The elections will take place on February 9 – a Tuesday Read more

Winners And Losers: Who Will Survive The Polls In February?

St. Maarten / By Hilbert Haar – February 9, 2016 is crunch day for politicians and those who aspire to become one. The parliamentary elections – for some mysterious reason perceived by some as ‘snap elections’, whatever that may be – will give voters the opportunity to speak their mind about the constitutional drama that concluded on Wednesday when the ministers of the Marcel Gumbs cabinet tendered their resignation and Governor Drs Read more