by Cdr. Bud Slabbaert Having aspirations to be part of the Caribbean tourism industry? Get education in hospitality programs of universities or academies, right? Not always right! Webinars or workshops of hospitality or tourism consultants, right? Not necessarily right either! Then what the heck seems to be right? Think of the “Disney Institute” and it is no Micky Mouse! It is not about turning the Caribbean into Disney World. It is all about the Caribbean learning about and then applying some of the principles that made Disney beloved and successful. Caribbean authenticity can not only be preserved, but it can…
Author: The Publisher
Life insurance is insurance based on a specific payment to one or more beneficiaries upon the passing of the insured. The reasons that motivate people to take out insurance on their lives can be many and have far-reaching consequences. First, most life insurance policies are taken out as guarantees for loans. If the borrower passes, the policy will pay, mainly to the bank, the policy’s face value to cover the loan. The balance is then remitted to the heir(s) of the policyholder. The second reason most people take out life insurance is to cover the expenses of passing. We all…
PHILIPSBURG — Gambling became an issue after StMaartenNews.com revealed how old slot machines have surfaced at several locations around the island. Just last month, the General Audit Chamber published its mini audit entitled Responsible Gambling. The audit shows that there are no reliable data and that the government hardly allocates any funding to battle gambling addiction. The data that are available present wildly different views on the scope of gambling addiction. An American study (Alegria et. al) states that problem gambling affect 5 percent of the population. An article by Anna Goudriaan (Amsterdam University Medical Center) published in December 2012…
By Hilbert Haar Minister Kajsa Ollongren (Home Affairs) has suggested that the residents of Caribbean Netherlands (Saba, Statia and Bonaire) ought to spend less time in the shower and go easy on the use of air-conditioning systems to make the islands more sustainable. Energy-saving measures can help local households to lower their utility-bills, the minister wrote in a letter to the Second Chamber, adding that the average electricity-consumption per household on the islands is higher than in European Netherlands. The minister based her remarks on research by Milieu Centraal (Environment Central). This research shows that there are three simple savings-options:…
PHILIPSBURG — With an eye on the future and living up to its founding principles, the United St. Maarten (US) party is in the process of restructuring its board, party platform and representation in preparations for the upcoming electoral cycle, according to a press statement issued by the party. The board of the USp said that it is vital for any political organization to re-examine and plan for the future, especially in changing times. “Political parties are the major players in the democratic transitions. However, some have been unable to change their practices and/or adapt to ever changing realities, and…
PHILIPSBURG — Party for Progress (PFP) Members of Parliament (MPs) Melissa Gumbs and Raeyhon Peterson are pleased that their Motion of Disapproval against Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) Egbert Doran received a substantial majority in the Public Meeting of Parliament on Wednesday, October 20, 2021. The motion – the first of its kind in St. Maarten’s history as an autonomous country – had a total of ten (10) votes in favor and two (2) votes against. Stemming from Minister Doran’s questionable handling of the Vineyard Heights long-lease land controversy, the Sint Maarten Parliament has sent…
By Hilbert Haar St. Maarten’s judicial system contains a unique institution: the Constitutional Court. No other country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands has such a court. Is that good or bad? First of all it is good to remember that local politicians were soundly asleep when they approved a huge pile of legislation during the last meeting of the territory’s Island Council back in 2010. The Island Council members rubberstamped everything and made the establishment of the Constitutional Court a non-item. Fact: not the local Parliament but the Constitutional Court is the highest authority in Sint Maarten. The Parliament…
PHILIPSBURG — The Dutch judicial system could do with a makeover that had the potential to spill over to St. Maarten. Geert Corstens, a former President of the Supreme Court in The Hague made the suggestion during an interview on the TV-program Buitenhof in the wake of the childcare benefits scandal and the controversy surrounding Minister of Justice and Security Ferdinand Grapperhaus after he broke the rules of social distancing at his own wedding. The Grapperhaus-controversy is small beer compared to the childcare benefits scandal. In that case, 26,000 parents and 70,000 children were affected by unlawful actions of the…
PHILIPSBURG — St. Maarten appears not to be the brightest bulb on Broadway where securing funding from the European Development fund (EDF) is concerned. But the relationship between St. Maarten – with its status as OCT (Overseas Country and Territory) – and the European Union remains intact. The Union has committed to support its OCTs for the next seven years (2021-2027). Therefore there is time for St. Maarten to clean up its act and become a more active and successful participant in the battle for EU-millions. In December of last year, the EU hosted a virtual OCT-Forum. The news there…
Philipsburg – “It is truly remarkable how the people of St. Maarten had to be subjected to media reports of another groundbreaking ceremony at the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) without a single mention of US Pre-Clearance,” remarked Stuart Johnson former Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunication (TEATT). “When last has the committee for US Pre-Clearance had a meeting? What is the vision and position of the NA/UP Coalition Government regarding US Pre-Clearance? Have the collective individual positions of the various supporting Members of Parliament (MPs) changed or what is their view now? Have there been any developments…
