SXMElections.com

Is change really coming?

Dear Editor,

Anyone who looked in The Daily Herald of Friday, January 30th, and saw the commercial from Music Man thanking the people for voting them the best place to buy Electronics, would be under the impression that that was in India or some dependent of India. This has nothing to do with human discrimination whatsoever, but it is a classic example of what the hot topic is based on these days.

One of the MP's in his debate during the budget meeting made it clear, when he was making a point concerning the counterpart policy, that it did not take rocket scientists to sell TV's and watches, with which I concur Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Gov’t instructed to raise fee on money transfers

PHILIPSBURG--Increase or create an international transfer fee to be levied on money transfer services such as MoneyGram and Western Union was an instruction from Parliament to Finance Minister Martin Hassink. The motion was adopted by Members of Parliament (MPs) in the Plenary Session of Parliament dealing with the 2015 budget on Thursday evening.

Thirteen MPs voted for the motion.

MP Sarah Wescot-Williams (Democratic Party) voted against the motion, saying she could not support the piecemeal approach to changing the tax system Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Marlin changes his tune on leasing EWE to Rainforest

PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) leader Member of Parliament William Marlin was in favour of leasing Emilio Wilson Estate to Rainforest Adventure for the creation of zip-line attraction when he was Deputy Prime Minister/Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment an Infrastructure VROMI in July 2012.

Marlin's support for Rainforest could be seen clearly in an excerpt from the Minutes of the Council of Ministers meeting of July 5, 2012, United People's (UP) party leader Member of Parliament Theo Heyliger told Parliament Thursday in the Plenary Session on the budget Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Budget heads to plenary session of Parliament

PHILIPSBURG--The Central Committee meeting of Parliament on the 2015 budget wrapped up late Friday night after a marathon session that started at 10:00am. The budget will now head to a plenary session of Parliament for final handling and voting. The meeting originally started on Thursday morning and was suspended on that night after Members of Parliament posed questions to the Council of Ministers.

The plenary session of Parliament is slated for next week.

Government needs to meet the deadline of January 31 for the establishment of the budget Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

The Emilio Wilson Estate St. Maarten’s Heritage in peril

Dear Editor,

A number of people have called me over the past two days to express their frustration regarding the most recent turn of events in what some are now calling the Emilio Wilson Estate Saga.

The news as featured in the local media announcing that Rain Forest Adventures (RFA) has obtained or will soon obtain the long lease to Emilio Wilson Estate is of course extremely worrisome. The Honourable Prime Minister Gumbs' (a gentleman I hold in high regard) statement in the media yesterday that "no long-lease has been granted to Rain Forest Adventures" and that he has "not signed anything for or granted anything" does nothing to decrease my concerns Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

William agrees with CFT’s lower budget assessment

PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) leader Member of Parliament (MP) William Marlin says his party agrees with the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT estimate of the draft budget. CFT has tagged the budget at NAf Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

MPs emphasise need for information from govt

PHILIPSBURG--Parliament wants timely information from government when such is requested, especially on matters being handled in the Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation IPKO. This need was highlighted by United St. Maarten Party Member of Parliament (MP) Frans Richardson on Friday.

His recommendation was supported by other MPs in the debriefing meeting of Parliament's Permanent Committee on Inter-Parliamentary Affairs and Kingdom Relations held in Parliament House Read more

---

Candidates in this article:

Heyliger: NA’s call for Matser’s resignation ‘truly hypocritical’

PHILIPSBURG--National Alliance (NA) elected members were "busy" last week trying to persuade United People's (UP) party Member of Parliament Silvio Matser "to leave UP in their attempt to cause problems in the UP-led coalition, says UP Leader MP Theo Heyliger Read more

---

Candidates in this article: