St. Maarten’s Traffic Crisis Reaches Breaking Point ~ ~ With 40,000+ Vehicles on 37 Square Miles, Our Daily Paralysis is a Calculated Failure. The Cost? Millions Lost and Our Health at Risk ~ By Dr. Clifford A. E. Illis PHILIPSBURG — On Tuesday, November 4, I landed at Princess Juliana International Airport. The distance to my destination in Cole Bay was just 5.2 miles. It took 67 minutes. This was not an anomaly. It was the inevitable result of a simple, terrifying equation documented by local business and sector analyses: over 40,000 registered vehicles operating on an island of just…
Author: The Publisher
By Dr. Clifford Illis A storm we didn’t start, a price we will pay While world leaders trade threats and headlines about Venezuela and Washington, a quiet, dangerous ripple is already moving across the Caribbean Sea. It doesn’t look like tanks or missiles. It looks like something far simpler — and for us, far more deadly: Tourists hesitating to book. Airlines reconsidering routes. Cruise line changing destinations Investors pressing “pause.” Families asking, “Is it safe to go to the Caribbean right now?” For a region where tourism is not a luxury but a lifeline, this kind of fear is not…
~ while tensions rise between US and Venezuela ~ THE HAGUE — The rising tension between the United States and Venezuela is reason for serious concern on Curacao and – to a lesser degree – on Aruba. The Dutch newspaper Trouw posed the question what the Netherlands can do for the Caribbean part of the Kingdom. Peter Wijninga, a defense expert at the Hague Centre for Strategic Studies came with the clearest answer. He told Trouw that the Netherlands cannot do much to put pressure on the United States, comparing the two countries as a mouse and an elephant. That…
PHILIPSBURG — Five years ago, Arjen Alberts completed a thesis about the effect of the tourism industry on the islands of Aruba and S. Maarten. His conclusion was a clear warning to local decision makers: the tourism economies on these islands exceeded their carrying capacity and no longer show any increase in productivity. Now the same topic has hit the much larger island of Curacao, where concerns have arisen about the seemingly unlimited construction of hotels. “Up to what point do the growth of the hospitality sector really contributes to the prosperity and the wellbeing of the population?” is a…
Sint Maarten has long been a place where vibrant cultures, diverse histories, and modern challenges intersect. Now, one of its own is stepping forward with a unique academic lens to deepen our understanding of everyday life on the island — from labor disputes to community dynamics and public policy. Dr. Clifford Alberto Enacio Illis, recently honored with a Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology from Orange County University (USA), will be contributing a regular series to StMaartenNews.com exploring the social and cultural forces shaping life here in Sint Maarten. We posed a series of questions to him to learn more about…
What began as an online flashpoint quickly evolved into one of the most substantive public conversations Sint Maarten has seen in years about labor rights in the hospitality sector. Following the publication of the editorial “Creating Poverty With Every Bill” on StMaartenNews.com, social media erupted with reactions, personal stories, and sharply divided opinions on a single, emotionally charged issue: businesses charging “service fees” while workers never see the money. The article struck a nerve precisely because it touched everyday life. Diners believed they were supporting service staff. Workers believed tips were part of their livelihood. Employers, meanwhile, often defended the…
By A StMaartenNews.com Contributor Sint Maarten does not have a specific law that meticulously distinguishes between “service charge” and “gratuity” like the U.S. Fair Labor Standards Act. Instead, we must look at broader legal principles. The Civil Code and the Employment Contract The Foundation: The Sint Maarten Civil Code (Burgerlijk Wetboek) is the primary source of law governing employment relationships and contracts. Customary Practice: In the hospitality industry, it is a long-standing customary practice that tips and gratuities belong to the staff. This custom can be considered a legally binding part of your employment, even if it’s not written down.…
CHARLESTOWN, NEVIS – It almost sound too good to be true, but Nevisians are serious about it: the establishment of a Special Sustainability Zone (SSZ) on the south coast of the island, powered by a multi-million dollar investment by crypto millionaire Olivier Janssens. The project Janssens and his company South Nevis have in mind is called Destiny, described in the Financial Times as “a libertarian community with its own legal system.” Its proposed location is between Long Point Port and Indian Castle Estate. The establishment of the SSZ is made possible by a law the government in Nevis approved last…
ORANJESTAD — John ‘Poentje’ Castro was a popular Aruban journalist, but not everyone appreciated his efforts. In December 2010 the 47-year old was shot to death in the front garden of his house. The murder was never solved and seemed, almost fifteen years after the crime was committed, as good as forgotten. This inspired journalist and jurist Luis Anibal Villegas Hernandez to take action. He wants to prevent that the murder is swept under the carpet, Emiel Hakkenes reports in the Dutch newspaper Trouw. For nine years, Castro presented his program Un Dia den Bida (A Day from Life) on…
By Hilbert Haar When St. Maarten obtained its autonomous status within the Dutch kingdom in 2010 there were quite some politicians (like André Bosman and Ronald van Raak) who expressed their doubts about the wisdom of this decision and now the chicken have come home to roost. Prime Minister Luc Mercelina is on a working visit in the Netherlands, a trip that begins more and more to look like a beggar’s attempt to solve the problems he is not able to solve by himself. First, Mercelina asked for $6.5 million to renovate the main police station in Philipsburg. It is…
