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Gumbs apologises for suicide comments

PHILIPSBURG--Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs has issued an apology Friday for comments he made about suicide at the Council of Ministers Press Briefing on Wednesday. The Cabinet's Press Secretariat attributed "his outburst to frustration with what he has called the ongoing destructive conduct of certain media and community elements."

An emotional Gumbs on Wednesday heavily condemned persons, who he believes continue to paint the island black with negative comments Read more

NA and DP Requested that second agenda point be added to Monday's Public Meeting.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The Democratic Party Faction and National Alliance submitted a request to the chairman of Parliament requesting that he place a second agenda point be placed on Monday's meeting. In a joint press release issued by both factions states the following they submitted a  request was made today (Friday) by the opposition factions NA and DP Read more

Dp Reflects On The What To Do Next: “Crime Has Broken This Island”

From left: Hasani Ellis, Sarah Wescot-Williams and Emil Lee at yesterday’ press conference Read more

DP: Govt misleading MPs, public on pension age hike

PHILIPSBURG--The Democratic Party (DP) has sent a letter to Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs on the increase of the pension age to 62.

In a press release on Wednesday, DP Leader Sarah Wescot-Williams said the party believes government is misleading parliament and the people of St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- In a letter dispatched to Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, the Democratic Party points out what in the party’s belief is a case of misleading parliament and the people of St. Maarten.
The decision to raise the pension age to 62 has been taken quite some time ago by the
(former) government of St Read more

Democratic Party Questions Government On The Pension Age Increase To 62 Years

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - In a letter dispatched to Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, the Democratic Party points out what in the party's belief is a case of misleading parliament and the people of St. Maarten.

The decision to raise the pension age to 62 has been taken quite some time ago by the (former) government of St Read more

Wescot-Williams About Tourism Authority: “Government Believes It Can Fool All The People, All Of The Time”

St. Maarten – Is a letter Tourism and Economic Affairs Minister Claret Connor sent to parliament on June 22 “a scam”? Democratic Party MP Sarah Wescot-Williams asks that question in a press statement about the fledgling St Read more

Silent March Honors Officer Benjamin

Workers and officers take part in a silent march to show their solidarity with Officer Gamali Benjamin. Photo Today / Milton Pieters St. Maarten – More than 200 people marched the streets of Philipsburg yesterday in solidarity with the injured police Officer Gamali Benjamin. Nagico Insurances closed its doors at 3 p.m. and staff members walked with police officers and supporters to the spot on the Front Street were Benjamin was gunned down on Wednesday.

Emotions ran high and people were weeping and consoling each other on their way to the location Read more

DP and NA say meeting on crime should not have been closed door

~ Concerned about financing for proposals ~

PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) and the Democratic Party (DP) said in a joint statement on Tuesday that the information shared during Monday’s urgent meeting of the Central Committee of Parliament on crime did not warrant a closed-door session.

NA and DP said they had not immediately protested the calling of the meeting in a closed door session to give Government “the benefit of the doubt” as it pertains to the sensitivity of the information being shared and possible ramifications it might have on the outcome of the case.

The parties noted that the “information shared by the Council of Ministers, however, was not such that the public needed to be sheltered from the reality.”

The two parties said there had been repeated calls on Government for open communication with the public to put an end to speculation Read more

DP supports call for statue of slain cop

~ Weighs in on crime ~

PHILIPSBURG--The Democratic Party (DP) supports a call made by the general police union NAPB for a statue to be erected of bike patrol officer Gamali “Benji” Benjamin, who was gunned down at the scene of a robbery at a Front Street jewellery store on Wednesday, August 5 Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- On Friday August 7th 2015, the Department of Community Development, Family & Humanitarian Affairs (CDFHA) honored members of various NGOs and Community Councils that successfully completed the Capacity Building Program that took place in 2014, with a continuation in 2015 with accredited courses at the University of St. Martin.

Sixty Four (64) participants successfully completed the program which was originally sponsored by USONA and the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development & Labor.

The primary objective of the Capacity Building Program is to offer support and to enhance the skills and performance of NGOs and Community Councils Read more

Cdfha Hosts Award Ceremony For Ngos & Community Councils

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten — On Friday August 7th 2015, the Department of Community Development, Family & Humanitarian Affairs (CDFHA) honored members of various NGOs and Community Councils that successfully completed the Capacity Building Program that took place in 2014, with a continuation in 2015 with accredited courses at the University of St. Martin.

Sixty Four (64) participants successfully completed the program which was originally sponsored by USONA and the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development & Labor.

The primary objective of the Capacity Building Program is to offer support and to enhance the skills and performance of NGOs and Community Councils.

The training was given free of charge and focused on "Financial Management", "Subsidy Ordinance", "Governance", "Tax administration for NGOs", "Program Development", "Marketing & Public Relations" and "Strategic Alliance Formation".

Reverend Baptiste did the Invocation and Ms Read more

Sarah raises concerns about Tourism Authority

PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party (DP) leader Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams has raised concerns about Tourism and Economic Affairs Minister Claret Connor’s apparent plans to disband the existing foundation governing the St Read more

NA, DP call on Government to rework Governing Programme

PHILIPSBURG--Opposition National Alliance (NA) and Democratic Party (DP) have called on Government to rework the “Ready to Work for You” Governing Programme of the United People’s (UP) party-led coalition into “an executable and accountable programme.”

Debating the Governing Programme in Parliament would “inevitably lead to much rhetoric, but little substance,” said the two parties Read more

style="text-align: center;">Bullets remains in Officer Benjamin brain, he is currently in a comatose state at SMMC.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Members of Parliament ran for their lives on Wednesday when a bicycle patrol identified as officer Gamali Benjamin was shot in the vicinity of the Parliament Building in Philipsburg on Wednesday morning. Bystanders said some MP's tried to find cover as they beleive that the gunmen were coming after Members of Parliament. MP Sarah Wescot Williams, MP Theodore Heyliger, MP Franklin Meyers and MP Lloyd Richardson ran for cover in one of the private rooms of parliament SMN News was told Read more

Parliament Meet On Health Care Wednesday

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The Central Committee of Parliament met in public session on Wednesday.

Members of Parliament received a presentation on the National Ordinance on Public Health Care.

The presentation was made by a team from the department of Health headed by Drs. Fenna Arnell.

However members of Parliament had several questions as well as expressed areas of concern within health care. MP the Honorable Leona Romeo-Marlin was particularly concerned about the spread of infectious diseases.

DP leader the honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams in her remarks spoke about the complexities of the ordinance and its importance.

She also noted that the execution and monitoring of the legislation has been placed on a lower level in some cases, even below the legislation itself.

MP the Honorable Janchie Leonard also had various questions particularly in the area of control and enforcement.

As a former Police Officer the MP stated that this forms an integral part of the overall execution of the ordinance Read more

Transparency International Presents Integrity Assessment: “Political Parties Are Weak In Representing Social Interests”

Transparency International’s regional director for the Americas Alejandro Salas and lead researcher Cora de Voit. Photo Today / Leo Brown

GREAT BAY – At 7 p.m. local time last night, Transparency International’s National Integrity System assessment for St. Maarten came online. The company presented the report at the same time at the university on Pond Island. St. Maarten has now come full circle with probing its integrity issues. There are four reports on the table: the Baseline Study Institutional Integrity from the General Audit Chamber, the integrity-reports from the Bob Wit-committee and PricewaterhouseCoopers and now the transparency assessment.

It contains three core recommendations, of which the third one is the most concrete Read more

UPP/De Weever/LMR/USP Coalition fall apart --- Master, and Lake pulls support.

style="text-align: center;">New Coalition Government in the making.

PHILIPSBURG:--- What appeared to be a rumor seemingly became a reality Tuesday night when it was announced on Online radio program that the current coalition government fell apart. According to information reaching SMN News states that Member of Parliament Silvio Matser, and Member of Parliament Maurice Lake has pulled their support from the current coalition and would join the National Alliance, Democratic Party and USP to form the next government Read more

Dp Delivers Blistering Criticism On Governing Program: “If You Cannot Convince Them, Confuse Them”

St. Maarten – Democratic Party MP Sarah Wescot-Williams delivered blistering criticism of the governing program the Council of Ministers sent to the parliament a week and a half ago. The program shows “an inadequate end unprepared government, “contradictions are blaring” and the document is “poorly edited’ are some of the points Wescot-Williams makes in het analysis.

The Democratic Party “recognizes some initiatives as its own” while others “fit the priorities the DP has established for itself.”

As an example of “blaring contradictions,” the opposition-MP refers to remarks about good governance and integrity Read more

Claude Wathey Commemoration: Everybody On The Same Page Again

Family members and representatives of DP and UP gather for a group picture together with Minister Claret Connor. Photo Today / Leo Brown

St. Maarten – After the awkward split in the election year 2014, when the Democratic Party and the United People’s party organized separate wreath laying ceremonies to commemorate the birth date of the late Dr Read more

Sarah disappointed in governing programme

~ Shows govt inadequate, unprepared ~

PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party (DP) leader Member of Parliament (MP) Sarah Wescot-Williams has given the coalition government a thumbs-down for its recently-released governing programme.

Wescot-Williams said on Sunday that her analysis of the document showed that government was “inadequate,” and “unprepared.”

“I cannot but express utter disappointment in the document that should have spelled out government’s vision for the remainder of this governing term,” Wescot-Williams said on Sunday Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:---- 89 years later the late Albert Claudius Wathey also known as Claude Wathey was honored with a wreath laying ceremony in front of the Government Administration Building on Friday moring.
Family members of the late politician and supporters flocked by his statue to pay tribute to the “ole man” Erno Labega started out the wreath laying session with some words about the late politician.
Al Wathey laid the first wreath along with Michaela Hodge on the part of University of St Read more

Parliament to co-sign letter on shelving of dispute regulation

PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten Parliament will be a co-signer along with the legislatures of Curaçao and Aruba on a letter to the First and Second Chambers of the Dutch Parliament, seeking that body’s position on the Dutch Government in effect shelving the establishment of a dispute regulation, and a related body for the kingdom.

The letter, drafted by the Curaçao Parliament, came after last month’s Kingdom Conference -a meeting of the countries of the kingdom- saw the Dutch Government putting up a road block on the issue Read more

Transparency International Launches Integrity Report Next Week

St. Maarten – Transparency International will launch St. Maarten’s National Integrity System assessment next week Tuesday at the University of St. Martin.

Alejandro Salas, the regional director for the Americas at Transparency International will speak at this event, as will invited government officials, Transparency International said in a press statement.

The integrity assessment has been long in the making, ever since Kingdom Relations Minister Ronald Plasterk sent the first signals to then Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams in April 2013 that St Read more