PHILIPSBURG — The National Alliance-United People’s party governing coalition continues discussions with members of parliament about their willingness to leave the opposition benches. But Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs declined to comment on these developments during Wednesday’s Council of Ministers press briefing. Asked whether she supported the addition of MPs Akeem Arrindell (independent) and Chanel Brownbill (United St. Maarten party substitute for suspended MP Claudius Buncamper) to join the coalition, Jacobs only conceded that there are “discussions with MPs” but that these talks have not been finalized. “And as long as they are not finalized, I will not say anything further…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG — Starting on August 1, vaccinated travelers to St. Maarten will be able to get pre-approval for entering the country by using EHAS (Electronic Health Authorization System), Public Health Minister Omar Ottley announced in a press release. The intention is to make EHAS more convenient by allowing vaccinated persons to receive an immediate pre-approval, once the form is filled out in its entirety,” Ottley’s press release states. In St. Maarten, entry requirements that have been in place since April 1, 2022, remain unchanged. The detailed travel requirements can be found online at stmaartenehas.com/travel-requirements/. Minister Ottley claims in his press…
PHILIPSBURG — A 59-year old casino-dealer with a rather checkered work-history gets more than 100,000 guilders gross from her now former employer as compensation for the termination of her labor contract, the Court in First Instance ruled in June. The employee, who entered service with the casino in 1991, collected 29 warnings from her employer between 2002 and 2021. The warning were related to theft, swearing, being present in the casino outside of her working hours and sending impolite text messages to her superior: “Look how. That bitch make my schedule.” In January 2021 the casino sent the employee with…
PHILIPSBURG — United Democrats-MP Sarah Wescot-Williams vented her frustration about recent political developments in a press statement that suggested the appointment of a professional as the new minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT). MP Wescot-Williams notes that MPs Akeem Arrindell (Independent) and Chanel Brownbill (United St. Maarten party) will join the coalition for a joint appointment of a successor to Roger Lawrence at the TEATT-ministry. “MP Brownbill’s consent to this agreement is on shaky ground,” the press statement reads. “He is deputizing for suspended MP Buncamper. Deputizing can mean different things in different circumstances, but this particular…
PHILIPSBURG — “We question if the goals set forth in the country package are realistic,” the General Audit Chamber states in its audit on the possibilities of rent reduction for government. Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs signed the agreement for the country package in December 2020. One of the measures mentioned in this deal is a 20 percent reduction of the rent the government pays for office space by 2025. The Audit Chamber is puzzled about the basis that should be used to calculate the reduction. The budgets for 2020 and 2021 both mention total rental costs as 15.2 million guilders,…
PHILIPSBURG — Eliane Berwers has left the island of St. Maarten for a three-week summer intensive program of the Dance Theater of Harlem in New York this month. Not only due to the 15-year old’s determination but also thanks to the generous sponsorship of travel entrepreneur (and publisher of StMaartenNews.com) Terrance Rey. “I told her and the way she screamed I think Marigot heard her,” Eliane’s mother Christ’l Larmonie wrote in a message to Rey after he had informed her about what he is ready to do for this venture. Eliane Berwers dances at the INDISU Dance Theater in St.…
PHILIPSBURG — The Party for Progress hit a brick wall during last week’s Parliament meeting about the Ombudsman-report that details everything that went wrong with the tender for solid waste collection for the period 2021-2026. The minister responsible for the dossier, Egbert Doran, maintained that he had fully cooperated with the Ombudsman’s investigation before ducking a motion of no confidence from the PFP by asking for “at least” two weeks to answer 21 simple questions from parliamentarians. PFP-MPs Melissa Gumbs and Raeyhon Peterson stated in a press release after the meeting that the minister’s delaying tactics had not surprised them.…
PHILIPSBURG – Party for Progress (PFP) Members of Parliament (MPs) Melissa Gumbs and Raeyhon Peterson are not surprised by the deliberate stalling tactics played by the Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) Egbert J. Doran to avoid a motion of no confidence in Wednesday’s urgent public meeting. MP Gumbs opened the first round of Wednesday’s public meeting by announcing that PFP will introduce a motion of no confidence against Minister Doran, citing the numerous missteps, questionable decisions, and outright legal violations that has accompanied Minister Doran’s two-year tenure as VROMI Minister. The latest has been detailed…
~ Calls on Minister Doran to resign; requests Urgent Public Meeting ~ PHILIPSBURG – Following Monday’s publication of the Ombudsman’s report on the tendering and awarding process of the garbage collection contracts 2021-2026, outraged Party for Progress (PFP) Members of Parliament (MPs) Melissa Gumbs and Raeyhon Peterson have called on Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) Egbert J. Doran to immediately resign because of his demonstrated history of irresponsible governance and questionable decisions. The Ombudsman’s final report is the conclusion of the systematic investigation into alleged wrongdoings in the tendering and awarding process of five-year public…
PHILIPSBURG — The public tender for the collection of solid waste for the period 2021-2026 was “neither fair nor transparent,” the office of the Ombudsman concludes in a report about its systemic investigation into this issue. VROMI-Minister Egbert Doran reacted tersely when he was given the preliminary report. He considered the investigation to be incomplete and its findings to be unbalanced because the report does not include “additional documentation the ministry has provided from the onset.” In a postscript Ombudsman Gwendolien Mossel retorts that “all documentation and relevant information provided by the ministry is included in the final report.” Mossel…
