THE HAGUE — While the three BES-islands (Statia, Saba and Bonaire) receive millions from the Dutch government, the autonomous countries St. Maarten. Aruba and Curacao have to make do with observations from State Secretary Alexandra van Huffelen (Kingdom Relations) about their well-known problems and about their responsibilities based on their autonomous status. This appears from a letter Van Huffelen sent to the Dutch parliament after her recent visit to the Caribbean. In St. Maarten (and in Curacao and Aruba) Van Huffelen encountered “a combination of resilience, opportunities and serious concerns about daily life.” She notes in her letter that a…
Author: The Publisher
THE HAGUE — State secretary Alexandra van Huffelen (Kingdom Relations) makes €35 million available for the preservation and restoration of nature on the BES-islands. This comes on top of the structural annual provision of €5 million for infrastructural projects, another €2 million (in 2022) for measures to strengthen the local governments and a structural contribution of €30 million (to achieve common objectives). A total of €72 million ($78.5 million). This appears from a letter Van Huffelen sent to the Dutch parliament after her recent visit to the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom. The 16-page letter deals with Caribbean Netherlands (Saba,…
PHILIPSBURG — On October 10, the second 6-year term of Governor Eugene B. (the B stands for Bernard) Holiday comes to an end. During the past twelve years the Governor has functioned as the unflappable representative of the crown, the guardian of the Constitution and a supporter of youth sports development, notably through the Governor’s table tennis cup. On October 10, St. Maarten will have a new governor. Who that will be is anybody’s guess. The names of several candidates are already circulating. Among them is attorney Jason Rogers, the former chairman of the Central Voting Bureau. Stepping into the…
We’ve all heard of Stockholm Syndrome. If you have seen the Netflix series Money Heist, you know that hostages fall in love with their captors. St. Maarten seems to have its own form of Stockholm Syndrome. I call it Robin Hood syndrome. Let me explain. St. Maarten will cost the Netherlands billions. Of course, the Netherlands has come up with a new way to justify the costs of those many billions in Sint Maarten in the coming years by setting up the COHO, the Caribbean Body for Reforms and Development. In the meantime, the Netherlands will also saddle the coming…
PHILIPSBURG — The General Audit Chamber asked the government in December 2020 – by now more than fourteen months ago – for the appointment of a third board member but in spite of repeated reminders in the course of 2021, the post still remains vacant. Currently, Alphons Gumbs is the chairman and Mandy Daal-Offringa is a board member. The term of deputy board member Sheryl Peterson expired on June 25, 2021. All this appears from the 2021 annual report of the Audit Chamber. As usual, the institution did an excellent job by delivering this report to the Governor and the…
PHILIPSBURG — The government can no longer sell immovable assets exclusively to one party without making the intention to do so public beforehand. The office of the Dutch Country Attorney Pels Rijcken arrives at this conclusion in a factsheet it produced at the request of the Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations, Hanke Bruins Slot after studying the arrest of the Supreme Court in the Didam-case. StMaartenNews.com reported about this arrest in November of last year (see: Supreme Court ruling affects long lease-rules in St. Maarten). Pels Rijcken agrees in its factsheet with an observation former Justice Minister Roland…
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KRALENDIJK — The Dutch Ministry of Economic Affairs denied Bonaire’s electricity company WEB €40 million subsidy for its plan to make the island’s energy-supply almost completely sustainable. Instead, the ministry gave €10 million to Bonaire Brandstof Terminals (BBT) “for investments in renewable energy on Bonaire.” The Dutch investigative TV-program Zembla reported in its broadcast of Thursday, February 17, about the situation on Bonaire. The reporters interviewed STINAPA’s marine biologist Roxanne Liana Francisca for the program, as well as her fellow marine biologist at Harvard University George Buckley, Lt. Governor Edison Rijna, communication advisor René Zwart, Edward Sedney (Bonaire Food Bank)…
PHILIPSBURG — The Common Court of Justice wants to hear two members of the Velasquez-family before it takes a decision about Ashton Lake’s request for early release. Lake is currently serving a life sentence for the kidnapping, rape and murder of 5-year old Amy Velasquez on August 27, 1983. The now 59-year old convict is legally entitled to a review of his sentence. On February 17, the court issued an interim-ruling. It states that Amy’s father Bobby Velasquez made his position about Lake’s request known during a court hearing on January 22. However, Amy’s mother Ruth and her sister Jennifer…
PHILIPSBURG — The St. Maarten Communication Union (SMCU) has asked Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs in a letter dated February 16 to provide a template or a format that makes clear to government-owned companies how they have to implement the 12.5 percent reduction on labor conditions for their employees. According to SMCU-chairman Ludson Evers it is unclear whether a part of those reductions can be applied to salaries. “A direct reduction of salaries should be avoided at all cost,” Evers wrote to the prime minister. He also asks in his letter until when the ordinances that regulate the reductions are valid.…
