By Hilbert Haar The coalition of National Alliance and United People’s party is close to collapse after UP-MP Ludmila de Weever declared herself independent. Sure, the numbers are with 8 to 7 still in favor of the governing parties but how long will this last? That question is legitimate after UP-MP and chairlady of parliament Grisha Heyliger-Marten voted in favor of a motion that would have sent Minister Doran home. In this sense, the vote of MP Chanel Brownbill (who voted against the motion) saved the day for the coalition and for the embattled minister. Independent MP Akeem Arrindell also…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG — UNICEF, the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund, has so far conducted two studies into the situation of children and adolescents in St. Maarten. The first report was published in 2013 and the second one in 2020. That second report contains some shocking details that urgently need the attention of our decision makers. The report is entitled Situation Analysis on Children and Adolescents on Sint Maarten 2020. It was produced by the Dutch branch of Unicef and funded by the Dutch Red Cross. Shocking? Take for instance these findings. Of the people interviewed for the report, 85 percent…
AMSTERDAM – ABN AMRO is entitled to terminate the Dutch bank account of VapEps, a law office established in Curacao with offices in Curacao, Aruba, Bonaire, Sint Maarten and the Netherlands. VanEps wanted to keep the account citing higher costs, currency risks, loss of revenue and problematic payments to Dutch clients and institutions if it loses the account. On December 6, 2002, VanEps opened its business account with ABN Amro in the Netherlands. One of the conditions: the bank is entitled to terminate the relationship without giving any reason for it, providing that it observes a notice period of 30…
~ “Financial situation critical” ~ PHILIPSBURG — Embattled utilities company NV GEBE is “counting on people to come in with their payments,” Temporary Manager Sharine Daniel said in an interview with Lady Grace during the radio broadcast The Breakfast Lounge on Thursday. Daniel acknowledged that GEBE is in financial dire straits but that it will take another two weeks until it will consider disconnecting non-paying clients. See interview recording online here>>> GEBE has put its clients in four different categories, simply labeled A, B, C and D (see images below). Those in the A-category (residential, commercial and industrial users) are…
PHILIPSBURG — The Public Prosecutor’s Office has made an agreement with Curacao’s former Prime Minister Gerrit Schotte about the payment of 1.8 million guilders (a bit more than $1 million). The payment is part of Schotte’s conviction for money laundering and corruption, for which he served two-third of his 3-year sentence in the prison in Curacao. Schotte was released on November 27, 2020. The prosecutor’s office confirmed the payment arrangement with Schotte in a brief press statement that did not reveal any details. CJIB, the Central Judicial Collections Agency of the Dutch Ministry of Justice and Safety explains on its…
A nose for business By Terrance Rey Recently I had to laugh a lot when I heard a story about a businessman who ended up on St. Maarten and in no time he was managing a sizeable portfolio of businesses in the port. When asked how he managed to acquire so many real estate properties and businesses, he replied that when he first drove past the harbor in Pointe Blanche, he smelled business. The reason I found this so funny was because I immediately remembered the pungent smell of molasses emanating from the Pott Rum factory when I took drives…
By Hilbert Haar Wrestling through a press release issued by MP Rolando Brison, leader of the United People’s party (UP), a couple of things stand out. First of all this statement: “The constitution can never be sidelined.” This seems to indicate that MP Brison wishes to live up to the oath he took when he became a Member of Parliament: allegiance to the King and the Kingdom Charter, maintaining the State Regulation of St. Maarten and promoting the wellbeing of St. Maarten to the best of his abilities. But there are also a few statements that offer a glimpse into…
PHILIPSBURG — Utilities company GEBE is in a serious crisis, Minister of General Affairs Silveria Jacobs acknowledged during a public meeting of Parliament on Friday, but the shareholder (the Council of Ministers) has “limited authority to intervene.” Only the supervisory board of directors can provide the solution, she said. Jacobs also made clear that GEBE has no legal relationship with parliament and that parliament has no authority over the company. “It cannot summon members of the managing board or the supervisory board to parliament; they can appear voluntarily but they are not compelled to answer questions or to provide information.”…
PHILIPSBURG — Minister Rodolphe Samuel (Education, Culture, Youth and Sports) has addressed the ten recommendations established in the Interim Education Review Report to arrive at the following conclusion: “All the proposed recommendations are being addressed.” In one sense this is correct, because Minister Samuel has indeed addressed all the issues that stem from the review-report. But in spite of an exhaustive and very detailed explanation of all the shortcomings and possible solutions for St. Maarten education-system, there seems to be very little to report in terms of actual results. The minister uses terms like initiatives, research, evaluation and even recommendations…
PHILIPSBURG — Local entrepreneurs have the tools for growth at their fingertips due to the activities of Islandpreneur, an initiative founded by Ife Badejo, president of the Foundation INFOBIZZ and founder of the Produce Wealth Revolution Agency. Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion has recognized the potential of the initiative; hence the ministry has signed up as one of its key official partners. “The Ministry recognizes development programs that strive to improve the business community through innovative means while providing the wider community with opportunities to enhance their skills in an ever-changing world,” Irion said in a statement. “Programs which focus…
