~ “Are you ready?” Police Chief Carl John asked the cadets ~ PHILIPSBURG — Thirteen new police officers received their epaulets on Friday, October 29, thereby boosting the strength of the police force. The recruits went from being cadets to full-fledged police officers upon completing their basic police training. At the end of this year, another class will complete the same training and its graduates will also join the force. The thirteen new officers from BPO class 2018 took their oath before Justice Minister Anna Richardson in front of police headquarters in Philipsburg. Chief Inspector Rob Appelhof of the Dutch…
Author: The Publisher
The Court of First Instance of Sint Maarten by judgement of 3 November 2021 ordered N.V. GEBE to place the following announcement on StMaartenNews.com: On the 2nd and 3rd July 2021, Mr. Bloem, attorney of the Supervisory Board of NV GEBE, stated in various media, among other things, that our employee Ms. S. Daniel displayed “illegal and irregular behavior” and that he will provide the Public Prosecutors Office with evidentiary data. The Court has found that these statements unlawfully harm the interests of our employee Ms. S. Daniel and that NV GEBE is required to safeguard Ms. S. Daniel against…
By Hilbert Haar MP Rolando Brison took the only option left to him by stepping down as president of parliament. Quite some people may think: good riddance, and on a certain level that is understandable. The documented wheeling and dealing of Mr. Brison is public knowledge, which makes me wonder why the United People’s party took him on board to become the next Theo Heyliger. The United St. Maarten party surely must be glad that he left them, though his replacement, MP Buncamper, also had plenty of mud on his face. Nobody has been asking the rather significant question why…
Dear Editor, Allow me to play my violin as backup music to the disingenuous Rolando Brison “me, me, me sob story” I just watched as he announced his resignation from the position of President of Parliament. Mr. Brison has convinced himself that the position he is leaving is (in part) a limiting factor in his own development. After all, healing takes time….from the Parliament chairmanship at least. His fall from grace (although self inflicted) is a cautionary tale. It’s been a long time since I personally told him that he impressed me as being very smart and “going places” on…
PHILIPSBURG — Building relationships, maintaining them and keeping St. Maarten safe and clean, is part of the message former minister and now a member of parliament for the United People’s party (UP) Ludmila de Weever sent in an interview with Lady Grace on the radio broadcast The Breakfast Lounge. The 41-year old De Weever emphasized that “there is nothing more important than relationships with stakeholders, whether they are citizens, airlines or hotels. I am very grateful to my parents for teaching me the importance of networking. This way you know how to maintain a relationship and how to use it…
~ UD, UP, USP and Emmanuel sign on ~ PHILIPSBURG — Stemming from the recently leaked, controversial statements of President of Parliament Rolando Brison, Party for Progress (PFP) Members of Parliament (MPs) Melissa Gumbs and Raeyhon Peterson have called on MP Brison to resign from his position. If he does not comply, the PFP MPs have submitted a request for an urgent public meeting on the issue, where Parliament can officially remove MP Brison with a majority vote. Before submitting the request, MP Gumbs called a meeting of faction leaders on Monday afternoon, November 1, 2021, to discuss the matter…
PHILIPSBURG — Former Minister of VSA Pamela Gordon-Carty on Tuesday cautioned the country’s elected representatives about the dangers of casting St. Maarten, its government and its people, as mediocre on the regional and world stage, and gain a reputation as a country that refuses to, or is incapable of dignified, ethical governing. In observing the many ongoing saga involving past and present government, Gordon-Carty had a simple reminder for all high officials, including Members of Parliament and the Council of Ministers: “Show some decency, and integrity. Be reminded of the constitutional law from the LMA AB 2010 GT no 25…
PHILIPSBURG – After careful consideration the Constitutional Court has rejected the Ombudsman’s request to void three temporary national ordinances that regulate cuts in the labor conditions for civil servants, politicians and employees in the (semi) public sector. This means that the salary-cuts, that were ratified in March of this year with retroactive effect until July 1, 2020, now have a definite legal basis. It is not possible to appeal Constitutional Court-rulings. The Ombudsman petitioned the Constitutional Court on April 26, 2021 and the government submitted its rebuttal on June 22. The court handled the case in a public hearing on…
Dear Editor, Although I am tempted to say a few things that point directly to the character of the present holder of the office of President of Parliament, I want to focus on the stature and importance of that position and office, as well as the role of the other 14 Parliamentarians. When any of the 15 Representatives of ‘We the People’, before or during their time in office, goes off the rails, it needs to be called out and dealt with, particularly when they do not have the decency to recognize their indiscretion, draw their conclusions and exit Stage…
Over the weekend, following the spreading of a recording of MP Rolando Brison making derogatory remarks regarding fellow UP party member and faction leader Grisha Heyliger-Marten, via social media, several parties in Parliament called for the immediate resignation of Brison as Chairman. The first party to immediately do so was the United St. Maarten Party (USP), followed by the United Democrats (UD) party and Independent Member of Parliament, MP Christophe Emmanuel. Remarkably, the Party for Progress (PFP) has not issued a statement regarding the ‘faux pas’ MP Brison as President of Parliament has committed. Word on the street is that…
