By Hilbert Haar The establishment of the COHO, the Caribbean Organization for Reform and Development, is a done deal, even though the parliaments of the four kingdom countries still have to give their approval. For the Caribbean countries there is no alternative. Of course the parliaments are free to reject the consensus kingdom law but that will have dire financial consequences: no more liquidity support, and no support, financial or otherwise, for sorely needed reforms. The intentions behind the draft COHO-law are honorable. There is no doubt about that. The draft that was sent to the four parliaments last Friday…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG — The Ministry of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations submitted the draft consensus kingdom law COHO (Caribbean Organizations for Reform and Development) to the Second Chamber and to the parliaments of St. Maarten, Aruba and Curacao on Friday. On the same day, the ministry launched the website COHO-acs.com that contains information about the legislation and the activities of the COHO. As of Sunday, the Parliament in Philipsburg had not yet published the draft law on its website, but it is available on the website of the Dutch Second Chamber. There is consensus among the governments of the Netherlands, St.…
PHILIPSBURG — When St. Maarten became an autonomous country in the kingdom of the Netherlands on October 10, 2010, the Island Council disappeared and was replaced by the Parliament as we know it today. The date of 10-10-10 therefore marks the switch from a monistic to a dualistic political system. Was that an improvement and does it function as it is supposed to work? That’s debatable. Sjaoel Richardson started the debate about St. Maarten’s dualistic system with a post on Facebook this week. “In sweet sxm you see MPs and ministers shoulder to shoulder defending political moves and strategies, both…
WILLEMSTAD — Old sins cast long shadows. That became once more clear from a court ruling against MFK-parliamentarian Eduard Braam’s attempt to wipe a 20-year old conviction for a sexual offense off the books so that it would no longer stand in the way of his nomination and subsequent appointment as minister of justice. On April 8, 2002, Braam, who worked at the time as a physician in the Netherlands, had sex with a 16-year old patient, a girl with psychological problems. Initially, the court sentenced him to 12 months of imprisonment, with 6 months suspended, but a higher court…
PHILIPSBURG — In February 2020 the Common Court of Justice ruled in favor of Social and Health Insurances SZV in a contract-dispute with E’s Solutions and ordered the company to repay SZV 1,757,550 guilders ($976,417). SZV had paid this amount to E’s based on a different ruling from the Court in First Instance. Now the Supreme Court has annulled the appeals court decision of February 14, 2020, stating that it is “incomprehensible.” The court will now have to handle the case for a second time. SZV has to pay the costs for the procedure at the Supreme Court, around $10,900.…
By Hilbert Haar Since 2013, the European Human Rights Court has ruled several times that a life sentence without the possibility of review is inhumane. The Supreme Court has confirmed this point of view. In the Netherlands, a life sentence was really a life sentence. The only way to get out of prison was through the granting of a pardon. That happened for the last time in 1986. The government has in the meantime aligned its policy with the rulings from the European Human Rights Court and the Dutch Supreme Court. Without that change it would not have been possible…
PHILIPSBURG — August 27, 1983, was supposed to be just another hot and dry day in paradise. Temperatures peaked at 32 Celsius at noon and did not go lower than 28 during the evening. St. Maarten was a peaceful place, its population just above 16,000, a far cry from the estimated 43,000 people that call the island their home today. Little Amy Velasquez was looking forward to her sixth birthday the very next day. Sadly it was the last day of her precious life. She was brutally taken, raped, tortured and murdered by a 21-year old from Anguilla, one Ashton…
PHILIPSBURG — “Unlock private investments and promote job creation through public investments.” That is one of the recommendations Richard Doornbosch, President of the Central bank of Curacao and St. Maarten (CBCS) makes in his report The Insight of Foresight that was released on January 26. Doornbosch also advises helping the unemployed to find work through job training programs and job search assistance programs, to invest in education and lifelong learning, to address rigidities in the labor market and to improve the quality of, and access to digital technologies. Both Curacao and St. Maarten should also have a multi-annual plan in…
By Hilbert Haar We have lost out trust in our politicians. We have lost our moral compass. Our integrity compass. Actually, we don’t have a compass at all anymore. Court rulings are wrong. I am not making this up. These opinions come from former Lt. Governor Franklyn Richards and former Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs. They are both hitting the proverbial nail on the head. Our politicians – not all of them, but too many of them – are foolhardishly setting the wrong example while they ought to be role models for the current and the next generation. But they are…
Knowledge is power, gives confidence and peace of mind. Knowledge straightens the spine, lifts up the chin and empowers one’s steps. Knowledge, formally acquired through the educational system, or informally learned through modern technology, is not a luxury but a must in today’s world. In retirement for three years, I reflected on forty-five years of engagement with society as a teacher, lawyer, TV host, the first Ombudsman of Sint Maarten, mentor, motivator and more, and feel compelled to issue a CALL TO ACTION for 2022. First to all who aspire to assume a leading role in public office, and secondly…
