A report from our news correspondent PHILIPSBURG — Members of Parliament from the National Alliance (NA) have raised serious concerns over the government’s updated Nature Policy Plan 2025–2030, questioning whether the plan can deliver on its promises or if it risks remaining a paper exercise. During a parliamentary review session this week, the MPs highlighted gaps in transparency, enforcement, and operational readiness. An elaborate list of questions from NA Member of Parliaments Egbert Doran and Darryl York underscored long-standing frustrations with Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI Patrice Gumbs’ management of environmental and development matters. The minister,…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG – The causeway bridge scandal that earned former politician Theo Heyliger a five year prison sentence will feature in a court case in the Netherlands, where prosecutors have demand that two construction companies that were involved in the scheme – Volker Construction International and Volker Stevin Caribbean – pay a fine of 525,000 euro ($614,250) while a former director will have to pay fine of 175,000 euro ($204,750). The prosecutor’s office in the Netherlands accuses both companies of bribing former minister Theo Heyliger to obtain the contract to build the causeway bridge that connects the Union Road in Cole…
Analysis By Cdr. Bud Slabbaert Air Antilles, re‑founded on 10 October 2023, launched operations in late June 2024, ceased flying on 8 December 2025, and is now expected to enter bankruptcy proceedings in early 2026. The airline survived 17 months of operations and 27 months as a corporate entity. The airline’s failure was structural, not accidental. It was built on misaligned assumptions, insufficient capitalization, political over‑optimism, and a business model incompatible with the realities of Eastern Caribbean aviation. No single actor “caused” the collapse. The failure was baked into the founding logic. Air Antilles did not fail because of just one…
From our St. Barths Correspondent He retired from politics three years ago, bringing to a close a career that shaped public life in Saint-Barthélemy for nearly half a century. Retirement, however, did not mean withdrawal. Bruno Magras has remained closely connected to the island’s daily rhythm. At 74, the co-founder of St. Barth Commuter—an airline that marked its 30th anniversary in 2025—continues to play an active role in public life, focusing on aviation while also offering political advice and commentary when called upon. From his office at Rémy de Haenen Airport, Magras looks out over the runway where St. Barth Commuter aircraft land and take…
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…
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…
