SXMElections.com

Minister Doran Publicly Apologises For Insulting Ombudsman Mossell

PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI Egbert Doran has publicly apologised for his letter to Ombudsman Gwendolyn Mossel.

  Doran had been urged to do so by Members of Parliament (MPs), who unanimously called his letter abominable.

  On Tuesday, Doran wrote to the ombudsman, who had asked the minister questions about Vineyard Heights/Over The Bank and announced a systemic investigation into the allocation of pieces of land, saying that he suspected that the ombudsman was not impartial in this matter.

  These properties and the allocations of same that you are seeking clarification on are directly tied into person that you were/are legally and/or physically involved with Read more

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Sitting at table (from left): Eldelmiro Jansen of the VROMI Ministry, DComm Head Maurice Lake, Central Voting Bureau Vice-Chairperson Tamara Richardson, Central Voting Bureau Chairperson Jason Rogers, Department of Civil Registry Head Kathy Snijders, Police Chief Inspector Benjamin Gout, Police Chief Carl John and Acting Police Spokesperson Ethelwoldus Josepha Read more

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Property Owners: No Deal Signed For Weymouth Hill Resurfacing

SOUTH REWARD--Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake and Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI Angel Meyers seem to have jumped the gun when announcing the resurfacing project of Weymouth Hill Road on Wednesday afternoon.

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Lake: Needs Of Local People Should Be Addressed By Focus On Chinese Project

PHILIPSBURG--Independent Member of Parliament Maurice Lake said Thursday Government has "to start put our local people before big projects."

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Lake To Present Motion To Establish Nature Park, Agriculture Station

PHILIPSBURG--Independent Member of Parliament Maurice Lake says he intends to table a motion in Parliament to call on the Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure to develop a “Nature-Agriculture Park.”

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Coci: Land Granted By Lake, Not Connor

PHILIPSBURG--It was former Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI Maurice Lake, who granted St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce and Industry (COCI) a parcel of land in the vicinity of the ring road, and not former Minister < Read more

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Lake Wants Review Of Hillside Policy

PHILIPSBURG--Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake has called on Minister responsible for Spatial Planning Angel Meyers to review the Hillside Policy. He called it “outdated” in a parliamentary session on Thursday. The policy is “20 years old. Within those 20 years a lot has changed on St. Maarten.”

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Port, Mps Meet With Sir Branson To Discuss Investment Possibilities

POINTE BLANCHE--Port St. Maarten officials, along with two Members of Parliament (MPs) and government representatives met with Sir Richard Branson of the United Kingdom-based Virgin Group and Virgin Executives Tom McAlphin and Craig Milan on Wednesday. The meeting dealt with possible investment opportunities for Branson in St. Maarten.

Branson plans to launch Virgin Cruises in 2020 with the aim of delivering a unique and differentiated approach to cruise tourism for the millennial traveller Read more

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Mp Lake Wants New Gebe Board To Hit Ground Running

PHILIPSBURG--Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake wants the new board of Utilities Company GEBE to hit the ground running.

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Lake Joins Forces With Frans' Usp

PHILIPSBURG--Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake announced on Sunday his candidacy with the United St. Maarten Party (USP) for the September 26 Parliamentary Elections.

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Lake Says Government Has To ‘Straighten Out’ Garbage Issue

PHILIPSBURG--Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake said on Sunday, that government must “straighten out” the garbage system to provide residents with “good service.”

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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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Lake Urges Meyers To Update Gebe Workers On Developments At Company

PHILIPSBURG--Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Maurice Lake urged Minister Angel Meyers on Sunday, to hold a general meeting to update workers of utilities company GEBE about the developments at the company.

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ST. PETERS --“We need to step up to the plate now and start practicing what we preach in our national energy policy. We are two steps behind because of the constant changes in Government and GEBE’s sense of direction and leadership,” said independent Member of Parliament Maurice Lake in a press statement on Sunday.

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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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Focus needs to be on fighting crime & helping unemployed

Dear Editor,

With all of the political situation on the island, we can't lose focus on some of the issues affecting our economy and neighbourhoods, especially with the spate of crime on the island.

Education is key to fighting crime by starting with the young generation, by teaching them morals and values within the school system. We have a lot of houses but few homes in the community and we need to get back to basics where it concerns fighting crime, but also preventing crime on this island by improving our rehabilitation centre where young prisoners, when released early from jail, work them slowly back into the community so they can be productive citizens within society again.

Prison is becoming like a merry go around for a lot of youngsters where they come out and go right back to crime and then back to prison Read more

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Sarah elected new Parliament Chair in spite of De Weever’s cancellation

PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party (DP) leader Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams is again at the helm of Parliament. She was elected Parliament Chairwoman by the new National Alliance (NA)-led coalition in an extraordinary meeting of Parliament on Thursday evening Read more

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Government has ‘autonomous right’ to dissolve Parliament

~ Governor wrote in 2013 letter ~

PHILIPSBURG--“The right to dissolve Parliament by national decree is a constitutional and autonomous right of the Government,” wrote Governor Eugene Holiday in a letter dated May 16, 2013, to then-Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams when she tried to stopped the then-National Alliance (NA)-led Council of Ministers from invoking Article 59 of the Constitution.

The letter came to light this week as political tension intensified between the newest NA-led coalition with a majority in Parliament and the UP/De Weever/Marlin-Romeo-supported Council of Ministers, after the crumbling of the United People’s (UP) party-led coalition.

The current Marcel Gumbs Cabinet has held tight to the view that it is its right to dissolve Parliament in the face of the shifted majority in Parliament Read more

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De Weever cancels NA meeting, cites safety, security challenges

PHILIPSBURG--Second Deputy Chairman Cornelius de Weever has cancelled the Parliament meeting called by the new National Alliance (NA)-led coalition for today, Thursday, at 6:00pm citing in a letter to Members of Parliament (MPs) “the current safety and security challenges.”

The new coalition had decided to bypass submitting a request for a Parliament meeting to De Weever and had instead sent out on convocation letter on Wednesday to all MPs directly to attend an “urgent meeting” today.

The meeting had as its main agenda point the appointment of a chairperson, and a second deputy chairperson.

The letter, signed by the eight MPs of the new coalition, stated “in view of the recent developments” during meetings of Parliament, they have “all agreed” that today’s meeting would be chaired by MP George Pantophlet (NA).

De Weever in his letter to the MPs this afternoon said he took note of meeting time Read more

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New coalition calls Parliament meeting for today at 6:00pm

PHILIPSBURG--The new National Alliance (NA)-led coalition has decided to bypass submitting a request for a meeting of Parliament to Second Deputy Parliament Chairman Cornelius de Weever, and instead has sent out a convocation letter directly to all Members of Parliament (MPs) to attend an “urgent meeting” today, Thursday, in Parliament House, starting at 6:00pm.

The meeting has as its main agenda point the appointment of a chairperson and a second vice-chairperson Read more

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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

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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

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New coalition wants ministers to resign before talks on stability

PHILIPSBURG--Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs’ invitation to faction leaders in Parliament to meet separately with him today, Wednesday, in an attempt to get “support for solutions for stability in government” has been rebuffed by members of the new coalition in Parliament.

In response to Gumbs’ invitation to meet, faction leaders Members of Parliament (MPs) William Marlin (National Alliance), Sarah Wescot-Williams (Democratic Party), Frans Richardson (United St Read more

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De Weever seeks legal advice, suspends Parliament meeting

PHILIPSBURG--Second Deputy Parliament Chairman Cornelius de Weever took charge of one of the shortest Parliament meetings in the country's history on Tuesday and effectively thwarted the new coalition's move to appoint a new chairperson and two deputy chairpersons of Parliament.
  The meeting for which nine Members of Parliament (MPs) signed in, lasted approximately a minute and nine seconds Read more

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