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Code of Conduct signed during Integrity Ceremony

PHILIPSBURG--The Ministry of Justice and its various departments held a ceremony at University of St. Martin on Thursday afternoon to celebrate the completion of a six-month Justice Integrity Programme that led to the development of a Code of Conduct.

The Code of Conduct, in its introduction, states that it "provides a common framework to perform the important tasks within the field of Justice in a responsible manner and with integrity" and explains that it "applies to all those employed by the Ministry of Justice, both directly and indirectly." Its aim is to raise awareness of the necessity of displaying integrity and to provide employees guidance on dealing with integrity.

The Code of Conduct is based on six key principles of behaviour: Incorruptibility, trustworthiness, perceptibility, being meticulous, fairness and public interest, and expands by giving examples of how to deal with matters such as relationships at work, gifts, favours and bribes, confidential information and side jobs Read more

Prime Minister Has Nothing But Smooth Answers To Integrity Questions

St. Maarten – Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams had nothing but smooth answers to questions about the PricewaterhouseCoopers integrity report yesterday but then, her term in office comes to an end just eight days from now and from the way things stand now, she will not have to deal with it from an executive position anymore.

Wescot-Williams said that the government is ready to take over the recommendations from the PWC-integrity report, adding that the new government that will soon take office also ought to get an opportunity to react to it Read more

Editorial - First things first

Reports received by The Daily Herald that a change was being made to the casino policy were confirmed by outgoing Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams during Wednesday's weekly press briefing (see related article). Answers to further inquiries from this newspaper also were provided last night by the cabinet chief of the responsible Minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs Ted Richardson.

It's an interesting development especially because it regards gaming activities, always a sensitive subject Read more

Plasterk wants intervention in St. Maarten justice system

THE HAGUE--A special white-collar crime unit from the Netherlands at the Philipsburg Prosecutor's Office, an Integrity Officer appointed by the Dutch Government, more direct supervision of The Hague on immigration and border protection through the strengthening of the Royal Dutch Marechaussee, National Detectives/RST, Customs Department, the Royal Dutch Navy and the St. Maarten Police Force.

These are the measures that Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk will be proposing for St Read more

Policy expanded to grant four new casino licences

~ Airport and Harbour to get licences ~

PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Ted Richardson has expanded the casino policy to grant four additional casino licences – two for land-based casinos and two for vessels, the minister's Chef de Cabinet Ludwig Ouenniche told The Daily Herald last night.

The Harbour Group of Companies and Princess Juliana International Airport SXM already have submitted applications for casino licences, according to a press release from the minister's cabinet Read more

Minister de Weever Attended Council of Ministers Meeting on Tuesday --- Ministry fully functional.

style="text-align: center;">No political talks took place

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Health, Labor and Social Affairs Cornelius de Weever attended the Council of Ministers meeting on Tuesday, confirmed Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot Williams Read more

Minister of TEATT Broadens Casino License Policy – PM.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams confirmed on Wednesday when she was asked if the current caretaker government made changes to the casino license policy in order to grant three more stand-alone casino licenses. Wescot Williams told reporters she did hear something to that effect on the streets and she asked the Minister of TEATT about it and he told her that the casino licensing policy has been expanded Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The task ahead for St. Maarten is daunting said Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams when addressing the media on Wednesday during the Council of Ministers weekly press briefing. She said St. Maarten will do what is necessary to implement the recommendations given in the PWC integrity report which the Kingdom Council mandated the Governor of St Read more

Pwc-Integrity Report: Ministers Meddle In Day To Day Operations Of Their Departments

St. Maarten – Senior public officials throughout the government have failed consistently to set the tone that exemplifies the highest standards of personal and professional integrity. This is among the findings PricewaterhouseCoopers researchers have included in their integrity inquiry into the functioning of the Government of St. Maarten.

The report contains a stunning collection of examples that show how ministers and high-ranking civil servants alike use their clout to frustrate the functioning of departments Read more

Integrity report: Transfer SLAC back to government

THE HAGUE/PHILIPSBURG--The regulatory functions of the Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority Corporation (SLAC) should be transferred back to government to create a level playing field for the sector and avoid a distortion of competition.

This is one of the recommendations of the PricewaterhouseCoopers Inquiry Team that scrutinised the functioning of integrity in the St. Maarten government. The inquiry report, ordered by the Kingdom Council of Ministers through St. Maarten Governor Eugene Holiday, was released on Friday.

The Integrity Team observed that the 2009 acquisition of SLAC by the St Read more

Prime Minister Wescot-Williams highlights the Importance of Safety, Security, Efficiency and Growth for the Future of St. Maarten’s Airport.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams in her opening address at the Princess Juliana International Airport Safety and Security Conference highlighted the importance of safety and security for the economic stability on the island; "As you as representatives from the aviation industry have travelled to our shores to attend the Safety and Security Conference at the beautiful Westin Resort it is important for us to realize the importance of safety, security, efficiency and growth for the further development of the ports on our island.

"In recent decades airport safety and security has been one of the most important areas not only to airport administrators and security experts but also especially to the general public Read more

Prime Minister Wescot-Williams at Opening of Computer Courses for the Elderly; “I Am a Firm Believer that as Long as One is Able to One Should Continuously Learn and Develop”

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams attended the opening of the Computer Literacy Courses at the University of St. Maarten on Wednesday. The PM, accompanied by Minister of Education Patricia Lourens, congratulated the participants and stated that she very much looked forward to expanding these courses more in the future; "I feel excited being here and I want to commend all involved, including the University of St Read more

St. Maarten Hosts Stakeholder Forum For The 10Th European Development Fund Small And Medium Enterprise (Sme)

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The Government of St. Maarten in collaboration with the COSME Project Management Unit, PMU, will be hosting the 2nd Stakeholder Forum for the 10th European Development Fund Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) Regional Programme from October 2nd – 3rd, 2014 at the Divi Little Bay Beach Resort.

The event kicks off with a welcome cocktail party for the attending delegates of the twelve (12) Caribbean territories and invited guests at the Holland House Beach Hotel on October 1st, 2014.

The COSME Programme funded by the European Union, EU, with 15 million EURO's, has three specific objectives namely, (1) strengthening the capacity of the Governments of the Caribbean Overseas Countries and Territories, (OCTs) to service the business sector, (2) improving the capacity of Business Service Organizations (BSOs) to engage in public-/private policy and administrative reform dialogue with Governments and provide services to their constituency of SMEs and (3) promoting stronger collaboration, trade and investment relations among the EU, CARIFORUM and the Caribbean OCTs.

Upon completion of the program, it is expected that there will be improvement of policies and the legislative and administrative framework for SMEs to establish and conduct business in the Caribbean OCTs, improved capacity of business support organizations to deliver the necessary services to their members and engage in dialogue with Government and improved competitiveness of SMEs participating in the programme and improved collaboration, trade and investment relations amongthe EU, CARIFORUM and the Caribbean OCTs.

The Stakeholder's Forum will offer a platform for the participating stakeholders to discuss the proposals presented by the OCTs to the Project Management Unit over the course of the past months and the translation of these in a framework of activities.

In attendance to welcome all delegates from the various OCTs will be the Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams as well as the BVI Financial Secretary and Deputy Regional Authorizing Officer of the 10th EDF, Mr Read more

Pm Wescot-Williams At Opening Of Computer Courses For The Elderly; "I Am A Firm Believer That As Long As One Is Able To One Should Continuously Learn And Develop"

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams attended the opening of the Computer Literacy Courses at the University of St. Maarten on Wednesday.

The PM, accompanied by Minister of Education Patricia Lourens, congratulated the participants and stated that she very much looked forward to expanding these courses more in the future; "I feel excited being here and I want to commend all involved, including the University of St Read more

Prime Minister Wescot-Williams Highlights The Importance Of Safety, Security, Efficiency And Growth For The Future Of St. Maarten's Airport

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams in her opening address at the Princess Juliana International Airport Safety and Security Conference highlighted the importance of safety and security for the economic stability on the island;

"As you as representatives from the aviation industry have travelled to our shores to attend the Safety and Security Conference at the beautiful Westin Resort it is important for us to realize the importance of safety, security, efficiency and growth for the further development of the ports on our island.

"In recent decades airport safety and security has been one of the most important areas not only to airport administrators and security experts but also especially to the general public.

Oftentimes while traveling or preparing to travel we are confronted by the disquieting perception that air travel is inherently risky and that these risks are often dictated by the international political climate and instances that have plagued the airline industry recently Read more

Editorial - Fair chance

There can be little doubt that the conclusions of the "Integrity Inquiry into the functioning of the Government of St. Maarten" first reported on in Saturday's paper are reason for concern. To a certain extent the general reaction coming from the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament in The Hague (see today's related story) is therefore understandable.

On the other hand, outgoing Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams and Justice Minister Dennis Richardson had a point in their official reaction on the report to Dutch Prime Minister and Kingdom Council of Ministers chairperson Mark Rutte: The relatively young country lacks means to deal effectively with integrity breaches and really could use more help from the Netherlands in that sense.

One concrete example is that almost a year of discussions on requests for assistance to strengthen the National Detectives and Prosecutor's Office so they can better tackle corruption and fraud have not yet led to tangible results Read more

Sarah: Counterpart policy was ‘moot point,’ unclear why Cornelius de Weever defected

~ He has not resigned from DP ~

PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party (DP) leader Sarah Wescot-Williams says the counterpart policy was a "moot point" and could not be the reason DP Member of Parliament (MP)-elect Cornelius de Weever had pulled his support from the slate on which he was elected to help United People's (UP) party form a one-seat Parliamentary majority.

Wescot-Williams told reporters at a press conference at Holland House Beach Hotel on Sunday that the policy never had been an issue, as De Weever's proposal in the Council of Ministers on August 12 to establish a counterpart policy had been approved.

De Weever indicated at the time that the policy would be introduced as a pilot programme in collaboration with social partners and said there were some businesses that were willing to work with him on the initiative Read more

Second Chamber calls for intervention in St. Maarten

THE HAGUE--The Dutch media reported on Monday that there is majority support in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament for intervention through a large criminal investigation of "St. Maarten's corrupt government." Dutch politicians are especially worried now that the United People's (UP) party of Theo Heyliger is about to take power.

Two major Dutch newspapers, De Telegraaf and Trouw, reported on Monday morning on PricewaterhouseCoopers' (PwC's) Integrity Inquiry report on St Read more

Bewilderment In Dp About Appointment Informateurs

St. Maarten – Democratic Party leader Sarah Wescot-Williams used air quotes yesterday afternoon to express her bewilderment about Governor Holiday’s decision to appoint two informateurs on  Thursday, after UP-leader Theo Heyliger’s presentation of a coalition-agreement signed by eight elected members of the new parliament.

When the DP, together with the National Alliance and the United St Read more

Editorial - Wait and see

Governor Eugene Holiday's decision to appoint two "informateurs" – Joe Richardson and Marcel Gumbs – (see Saturday paper) is interesting. He obviously had to do something when it became clear that "formateur" William Marlin (NA) no longer could deliver a majority in Parliament after DP's MP-elect Cornelius de Weever signed an agreement with the seven UP fraction members-elect and thus torpedoed the envisioned NA/DP/UP Party coalition.

The governor, based on the document presented to him by UP leader Theo Heyliger, could have named the latter "formateur" instead, but stopped short of doing so Read more

St. Maarten requires Dutch support to improve integrity

By Suzanne Koelega

THE HAGUE/PHILIPSBURG--Assistance from the Netherlands to enhance integrity in the St. Maarten Government and to carry out the integrity programme is necessary. Philipsburg is pressing on the Dutch Government to give its cooperation to strengthen the National Detectives Department, the Prosecutor's Office and the Tax Department.

Incumbent St. Maarten Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams and Justice Minister Dennis Richardson sent a letter to that extent to Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte on Thursday Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Leader of the Democratic Party Sarah Wescot Williams and her party president Hasani Ellis told reporters on Sunday afternoon that they still do not know exactly why Minister Cornelius de Weever defected and why he signed an agreement with the seven members of the UPP Read more

Statement Minister De Weever: “Let My Work Determine My Contribution To Our Country”

St. Maarten – A “political statement” of 867 words Minister of Public Health, Social Affairs and Labor Cornelius de Weever issued last night makes clear that the counterpart policy was the breaking point that drove him to the decision to take up a seat in Parliament instead of continuing as a minister. The statement does not contain a single reference to his support for the coalition with the United People’s party.

De Weever states that he told Democratic Party leader Sarah Wescot-Williams on Tuesday that he would take up his seat in Parliament Read more

De Weever breaks silence on reasons for abandoning DP

~ Counterpart policy at centre of decision ~

PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party (DP) Member of Parliament (MP)-elect Cornelius de Weever broke his silence Friday on his reasons for pulling his support from the slate on which he was elected to help the United People's (UP) party form a one-seat Parliamentary majority.

De Weever said in a press release that the counterpart policy was "a principle" on which he "was not willing to compromise," as it sought to protect the interests of "our nationals [who – Ed.] want to return home only to be told they do not have enough experience and are even sometimes told they have too much experience and the company cannot afford to pay them; all this while companies still want foreign work permits for the same position."

De Weever said that with all "the rumours and innuendo circulating," he wanted to inform the populace formally on the "reasoning" behind his decision.

He said he had informed DP party leader Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams that he would be taking up his seat in Parliament instead of serving as Minister.

"In this regard, I believe an explanation is warranted to the people of St Read more