Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Grisha Heyliger‑Marten has announced the official establishment of the St. Maarten Tourism Authority, set to take effect on March 1, 2026. The move marks the culmination of more than two decades of discussions, stalled reforms, and incremental efforts to modernize the island’s tourism governance. Speaking at Wednesday’s Council of Ministers’ press briefing, the minister said the authority will play a central role in aligning marketing, policy coordination, and industry development with St. Maarten’s long-term economic strategy. The initiative reflects longstanding calls from government officials and private-sector stakeholders for a more structured, accountable approach…
Author: The Publisher
Member of Parliament Egbert Doran of the National Alliance (NA) delivered a forceful statement on Wednesday during the St. Maarten Parliament’s public session regarding the proposed ad hoc parliamentary committee on NV GEBE. Speaking as the only MP to take the floor, Doran emphasized the urgent need for concrete results for residents rather than additional committees that risk becoming bureaucratic exercises. “Madam Chair, to be honest, I don’t believe the people need another headline,” Doran said. “They need stability, clarity, and above all, relief. We’ve had frequent outages, confusing and inflated bills, threats of disconnection, and a lack of transparency. This is not political theory — these are families…
Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Grisha Heyliger-Marten unveiled a new public transportation compliance sticker during Wednesday’s Council of Ministers press briefing, warning operators that participation in the 2026 Public Transportation Confirmation Process remains “very low” ahead of the February 27 deadline. The minister stressed that the confirmation process is not a simple administrative formality but a mechanism to verify that operators are active, authorized and compliant. “It strengthens oversight, protects passengers and ensures fairness for operators who follow the rules,” she said. As of February 9, participation numbers remained limited. Of the 138 registered buses, only 36 had completed submissions,…
From our St. Barths Correspondent Although separated by only a few nautical miles, St. Maarten and Saint-Barthélemy remain far apart when it comes to communication and mutual understanding. According to President of the Collectivité territoriale of Saint-Barthélemy, Xavier Lédée, the lack of familiarity between the neighboring islands is striking—and regrettable. “We don’t know each other very well,” Lédée observed, noting that geographic proximity has not translated into cultural familiarity. Rather than assigning blame, Lédée views the issue as a consequence of limited cultural exchange. He illustrated the point with an anecdote from 2022, when he invited then Prime…
National Alliance (NA) Member of Parliament Ardwell Irion says he will no longer attend parliamentary meetings with the General Audit Chamber unless they are held in public, arguing that discussions about accountability and public spending should not take place behind closed doors. Irion made the remarks Tuesday during a Central Committee meeting of Parliament, where the board of the Audit Chamber presented its 2024 annual report. The session was held publicly — an exception to the usual practice, he noted. Addressing the chamber, Irion said the Audit Chamber had distinguished itself through innovation and outreach, particularly in its use of social…
PHILIPSBURG — Tensions over parliamentary oversight and the role of the General Audit Chamber surfaced in Parliament on Tuesday as Members of Parliament began reviewing the institution’s 2024 annual report. National Alliance MP Egbert Doran used the Central Committee meeting to question why the Audit Chamber declined to immediately carry out a requested review into public funding related to the Soul Beach music festival. The meeting, chaired as Central Committee No. 15 for the parliamentary year, opened with a welcome to Audit Chamber Chairman Alphonse Gumbs, Secretary General Keith de Jong, board members and supporting staff. The agenda focused on the…
Dear Editor, The recent proposal by the Government of Sint Maarten to double the room tax from 5% to 10% is more than just bad math; it is a symptom of a government that refuses to look where the real money is. As a practitioner who has navigated our island’s financial maze for over three decades, I see this not as a solution for a cash-strapped budget, but as a desperate maneuver by a ship sailing without a rudder. The “Financial Ghost” Economy: The government claims it needs revenue, yet it ignores the massive fiscal leakage occurring right under its…
PHILIPSBURG — Questions surrounding the long-awaited 2025 budget amendments dominated Monday’s continuation of Parliament’s Central Committee meeting, with National Alliance (NA) Members of Parliament Egbert Doran and Ardwell Irion using the discussion on tax reform to raise broader concerns about government finances, legislative planning and fiscal transparency. MP Doran opened the round of questioning by pressing Finance Minister Marinka Gumbs for clarity on when Parliament can expect the revised 2025 budget. Doran noted that legislators require updated financial information to properly evaluate new tax measures and to fulfill their oversight responsibilities. He stressed that as the country moves further into 2026,…
From our St. Barths Correspondent Xavier Lédée is serving as President of the Collectivité territoriale of Saint-Barthélemy since March 2022, marking a generational shift in the island’s political leadership. He succeeded Bruno Magras, who had dominated local politics for decades, ushering in a new chapter for the French overseas collectivity. Born in 1980, in Saint-Barthélemy, Lédée left the island at age 14 to finish his high school education in France. He returned to St. Barth and went to Boston for half a year to study English, then returned to Paris for his MBA in accounting. Lédée spent part of his…
PHILIPSBURG — The Committee of Petitions of Parliament on Friday approved a draft proposal to establish an ad hoc parliamentary committee focused on sustainable and affordable electricity and water, marking a significant step in addressing long-standing public concerns surrounding utility company GEBE N.V. The meeting, held on Friday morning at 10:00 a.m., centered on a proposal to create a topical ad hoc committee that would allow Parliament to more deeply examine GEBE-related issues from a parliamentary oversight perspective. Committee Chair MP Sarah Wescot-Williams (Democratic Party, DP) explained that the initiative originated at the end of the 2024–2025 parliamentary year, when…
