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Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections

LAKE, Maurice In The News 2014Source: Today SXM

Maurice Lake


Year201820162014
Votes190235310
Party
UD
USP
UPP
Poster
Position

23

3

6

DP
NA
USP
Source: Today SXM
30 Dec 2014 12:03 AM

Answers Will Have To Wait Until Mid-January: Parliament Wants Clarity About Housing Foundation

St. Maarten – Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs answered the call to appear in Parliament as the acting minister of public housing within 72 hours after he was sworn in on Friday. Members of Parliament appreciated that, even though Gumbs sent them on their way with a flea in their ear, after listening to questions about the chaos of the St. Maarten Housing Development foundation for more than two hours.

The minister brought to mind the words he spoke on Friday in the constituting meeting where his team officially took over the reins: “The country needs tranquility, stability, civility and prosperity.”

Furthermore, Gumbs noted: “Integrity has been a buzz word this year Read more


Candidates in this article:
Source: Today SXM
18 Dec 2014 11:03 PM

Housing Foundation Board Member Elston Fos Speaks: “Lake Knew What Is Going On”

St. Maarten – Four candidates for the three vacant positions on the supervisory board of the Sint Maarten Housing Development Foundation withdrew their candidacy this weekend “for fear of their lives,” attorney Jairo Bloem stated in a press release issued yesterday on behalf of the foundation.

It is the next step in an ugly situation that developed last week with a report that the managing director of the foundation, Henry Lynch had been suspended. Next thing anyone knew, someone attempted to shoot board member Elston Fos Read more


Candidates in this article:
PPA
Source: Today SXM
17 Dec 2014 03:22 PM

Editorial: Not Helpful (Vague Press Statement From Minister Lake)

Vromi-Minister Maurice Lake is apparently not aware of the finer details of the articles of incorporation that regulate the St. Maarten Housing Foundation. That leads to public statements that are at odds with reality – and nobody stands to benefit from that.

The foundation’s board should have five – not seven, as the minister claims in a press statement – members and as long as there is at least one member left, that board is legal.

Another point is of course that the board should take action without delay (meaning: immediately) once there are fewer than five board members Read more


Candidates in this article:
Source: Today SXM
17 Dec 2014 03:21 PM

Minister Lake Misreads Articles Of Incorporation: Chaos At Housing Foundation

St. Maarten – The actions by a lone board member of the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF) to request the government’s accountants bureau (Soab) to carry out a forensic investigation, and also into the purchase-to-pay process and remuneration process is premature, Vromi-Minister Maurice Lake states in a press release.

“I was not aware of this process Read more


Candidates in this article:
HOPE
Source: Today SXM
09 Dec 2014 11:17 AM

Nature Foundation Helps Remove Wrecks From Lagoon

GREAT BAY–The St. Maarten Nature Foundation took part in the wide-scale cleanup of the Simpson Bay Lagoon spearheaded by Vromi Minister Maurice Lake and his ministry, in collaboration with the St. Maarten Marine Trades Association. The logistics were jointly organized by the Nature Foundation and the SMMTA.

During the cleanup the Nature Foundation focused on the removal of wrecks and major garbage on the lagoon Read more


Candidates in this article:
Source: Today SXM
08 Dec 2014 01:36 AM

Plans Little Bay Include Open Beach-Access

St. Maarten – Karis Development NV obtained a building permit for the construction of seven apartment buildings in Little Bay, between Little Bay Pond and the beach. The permit department at the Vromi-Ministry approved the permit on October 20. The building site became the center of a controversy earlier this week, after the landowner closed off public access to the beach. The gate has since then been reopened, but public concerns about free access to the beach persisted.

Vromi-Minister Maurice Lake showed the building plans yesterday to reporters Read more


Candidates in this article:
HOPE
Source: Today SXM
03 Dec 2014 08:05 PM

Lake Calls For Volunteers For Simpson Bay Lagoon Clean Up

St. Maarten—A clean up of the Simpson Bay Lagoon is scheduled to take place this Saturday December 6 and Vromi Minister Maurice Lake is calling on the marine community, organizations, businesses, volunteers and students to come out and support this clean-up.

 

Minister Lake’s initial appeal for a coastal clean-up of hurricane related debris in the lagoon due to the passing of Hurricane Gonzalo, was publicly stated early November and the St Read more


Candidates in this article:
HOPE
Source: Today SXM
02 Dec 2014 12:45 AM

Usm Presents Psn Project At 25Th Anniversary Celebration

St. Maarten – During the University of St. Martin’s (USM) 25th Anniversary celebration ceremony, which took place on Friday, November 28, USM Foundation President Valerie Giterson-Pantophlet and USM Foundation Vice President Wycliffe Smith gave a presentation of the university’s new project, called Project Serving our Nation (PSN), which aims to improve the quality of life in every household in St. Maarten.

“The project is based on the ethic of care,” said Smith Read more


Candidates in this article:
Source: Today SXM
02 Dec 2014 12:44 AM

Lake Wants More Emphasis On Usm Degrees

St. Maarten —MP Maurice Lake wants more emphasis placed on promoting degrees and academics at the University of St. Martin by the incoming government. Lake said on Sunday that “as an educator and a Member of Parliament” one of his priority areas is higher education for the people of St. Maarten.

“USM should be the University of higher learning on the island Read more


Candidates in this article:
Source: Today SXM
24 Nov 2014 07:59 PM

Vromi Prepared For Flooding

St. Maarten – In response to the Meteorological Department of St. Maarten’s (MDS) weather forecast, in which it was predicted that St. Maarten could expect cloudy skies with periods of showers and a risk of thunder over the weekend, Ministry Vromi made the necessary preparations on Friday to mitigate the effects of potential floods.

This quick response was an effort to avoid the deluge of a few weeks ago after torrential rains flooded low-lying areas around the Great Salt Pond and Fresh Pond Read more


Candidates in this article:
Source: Today SXM
13 Nov 2014 08:47 AM

No More Funds Available For Clean Up

St. Maarten – The island clean-up process has come to a halt because of an alleged lack of funds to pay the approximately 25 contractors involved in the project.

There are still a number of areas where there is debris from trees etc. that needs to be cleaned so that the island is again ready for the start of the tourist season next month. Questions are being raised as to what has happened to the money from the disaster relief fund. The disaster funds which are said by reliable sources to be in the area of Naf 250,000 annually is placed at the disposal of government to have this type of work done when it becomes necessary.

It has been speculated that the passage of hurricane Gonzalo which left the island in disarray last month may have taken a sizable amount of that budget Read more


Candidates in this article:
Source: Today SXM
03 Nov 2014 07:53 PM

Minister Lake Implores Boat Owners To Clear Lagoon Of Sunken Vessels

St. Maarten – “I’ve observed some of the vessels that partially sank or were blown ashore have been removed within the Simpson Bay Lagoon; however, there are still a number of vessels that are partially underwater or sitting onshore. I am appealing to the owners of the vessels to make arrangements to have these vessels removed as soon as possible,” Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure Maurice Lake said on Sunday Read more


Candidates in this article:
Source: Today SXM
03 Nov 2014 07:46 PM

Lake Says Work Will Start Soon On Chin Cactus Drive.

St. Maarten – Vromi Minister Maurice Lake has said that work will begin soon on the Cactus Drive road in Sucker Garden which is in a deplorable condition, but added that procedures must be followed.

Lakes statements comes on the heels of a petition signed by Sucker Garden residents and carried in local media in which they ask that the Cactus Drive road be repaired Read more


Candidates in this article:
Source: Today SXM
31 Oct 2014 11:04 AM

Chin Cactus Road Residents Implore Minister Lake To Fix Road

St. Maarten – In a petition signed by some 20 plus persons, residents of Chin Cactus Road in the Sucker Garden area voiced their discontent with the dilapidated condition of the road, which has been in a state of disrepair for some years now, imploring Minister of Vromi Maurice Lake and Department Head of Infrastructure Management Claudius Buncamper to fulfill their promise and pave the road Read more


Candidates in this article:
Source: Today SXM
28 Oct 2014 09:14 PM

Lake: “Dutch Instruction Is Part Of The Hidden Agenda To Take Over St. Maarten”

St. Maarten —The Dutch instruction to Governor Holiday is being interpreted by Vromi minister Maurice Lake as part of a hidden agenda to take over St. Maarten.

Lake, who was a successful candidate on the UP list in the last election noted that the country already has screening laws for candidates proposed to become a member of the Council of Ministers.

“This whole thing is not about that anybody is afraid of being screened.  We have nothing to hide.  Those who have served within the past four years as Ministers, going back to 2010, 2012 and 2013 and still do so today have passed the screening process to become a minister Read more


Candidates in this article:
Source: Today SXM
22 Oct 2014 10:07 PM

Analysis: Screening Of Candidate-Ministers Seems At Odds With Constitution

St. Maarten / By Hilbert Haar – Screening? What screening? Nobody has asked this simple question yet, because everybody has been either busy and confused, or excited and angry about the humongous cloud of dust the Kingdom Council of Ministers created with its instruction to Governor Holiday for additional screening of candidate-ministers. One may well wonder which instruments the experts Minister Plasterk wants to send to St. Maarten have at their disposal to find something so wrong with one of the candidates that this will give reason to ban them from becoming a minister.

St Read more


Candidates in this article:
NA
NDP
PPA
USP
UPP
HOPE
Source: Today SXM
22 Oct 2014 09:44 PM

St. Maarten Parliament Is Convinced That Screening Process Is Working: Motion Will Ask Governor To Reject Kingdom Instruction

St. Maarten – The United People’s party announced that it would table a motion that asks Governor Holiday not to go along with the instruction from the Kingdom Council of Ministers to execute additional screening of candidate-ministers for the new government. However, parliament adjourned until Wednesday morning after the first round. UP-leader Theo Heyliger told this newspaper that he had not delivered his final report about the new cabinet yet, even though yesterday was the deadline for his task as formateur.

A one-man protest action by Etienne Toochie Meyers – a representative of the movement People United for True Democracy – preceded the first meeting of the new parliament yesterday afternoon Read more


Candidates in this article:
Source: Today SXM
17 Oct 2014 04:32 PM

 Lake On Gebe Outages: “We Can’T Continue To Live In The Dark Ages”

St. Maarten – “We can’t continue to live in the dark ages,” Vromi Minister Maurice Lake noted as he cited the current location of NV Gebe’s water transformer house in Cay Bay as a reason for the lengthy utility outage in the wake of hurricane Gonzalo.

While Lake commended the staff of Gebe, emergency personnel, contractors and others who have been working to restore the island back to pre-Gonzalo glory, for their dedication and resilience, the minister noted that he will be seeking a meeting with NV Gebe board and management to address certain issues.

First on Lakes list of issues that needs to be addressed is the Gebe Cay Bay water transformer house which he believes needs to be relocated and upgraded to meet the needs of the people.  “We can’t continue to live in the dark ages of having a transformer house right next to the sea when a hurricane or storm hits everything goes dark….transformer houses should be more protected around the country.

“We can’t have the community and businesses go two days without water due to oversights that could have been prevented.  I also would like for Gebe to improve and restructure their organizational chart structure of who is responsible for which department in-case of emergencies in order to better serve the community,” Minister Lake said.

Minister Lake apologized to consumers with respect to the loss of essential services such as electricity and water based on the passing of the category one hurricane Read more


Candidates in this article:
Source: Today SXM
08 Oct 2014 01:35 PM

Court Puts Vorst-Ruling On Ice

Family has to wait for decision on appeal

St. Maarten – The government does not have to pay the Vorst-family immediately for the estate in Cay Hill for which Vromi-Minister Maurice Lake signed a purchase agreement for $5.5 million. On August 21, the Court in First Instance ruled in summary proceedings that the Vorst-family had a valid purchase agreement and that the country had to pay $3 million within four days and the remaining $2.5 million according to the contract Read more


Candidates in this article:
DP
NA
USP
HOPE
Source: Today SXM
02 Oct 2014 11:16 PM

Thompson Concerned About Economic And Environmental Sustainability

St. Maarten –Rueben Thompson of the United St. Maarten party expressed his concerns for St. Maarten’s future environmental and economic sustainability under the governance of current Minister of Vromi Maurice Lake and the newly-formed UP coalition, which will constitute the new government, saying, “We’re slaughtering the goose that lays the golden egg.”

“I’m very concerned about the plans for the protection of our natural and cultural heritage Read more


Candidates in this article:
NA
UPP
HOPE
Source: Today SXM
30 Sep 2014 10:52 PM

Parliament Takes Vorst Estate Purchase Out Of 2014 Budget

St. Maarten – The Parliament approved a motion to take a $5.5 million provision for the purchase of the Vorst Estate out of an amendment to the 2014 budget with 7 votes to 6. This blocks the purchase of the land, for which Vromi-Minister Maurice Lake signed an agreement in February of this year, but it does not absolve the country of liability towards the Vorst-family, because the Court in First Instance has already ruled that the purchase-agreement Lake signed is a valid one.

The meeting to handle the budget amendment has a long history Read more


Candidates in this article:
DP
NA
PPA
UPP
Source: Today SXM
25 Sep 2014 01:40 PM

Rumors Run Amok In Local Politics: Coalition May Fall Apart With De Weever’S Departure

Finance Minister Martin Hassink confers with National Alliance leader William Marlin while (from left) Frans Richardson and Romain Laville look on Read more

Candidates in this article:
HOPE
Source: Today SXM
22 Sep 2014 01:24 PM

Minister Lake Prepares Legal Defense For Vorst-Controversy

St. Maarten – Vromi-Minister Maurice Lake says he is preparing for a legal battle about the Vorst property based on the outcome of Friday’s Central Committee.

“I am going to prepare myself legally because some parliamentarians are making this issue a personal one.  This is not about politics anymore. I have to defend myself now with the slandering of my name. I don’t have any butter on my head Read more


Candidates in this article:
DP
NA
USP
OSPP
UPP
SRP
Source: Today SXM
04 Sep 2014 11:06 PM

Johan Leonard Squeezes Past Buncamper-Molanus Into Parliament

“Mister 7-UP” sends rival home

St. Maarten – Maria Buncamper-Molanus will not become a member of the new Parliament after all. After the Central Voting Bureau had scrutinized yesterday all the ballots the twenty polling stations had deemed invalid, it found two valid votes that went to Johan Leonard Read more


Candidates in this article:
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