PHILIPSBURG – Party for Progress members of Parliament Melissa Gumbs and Raeyhon Peterson issued a press release on Thursday, expressing their concern over responses received to questions sent to the Prime Minister, particularly those related to Government’s much-discussed ‘plan B.’ The faction noted that they had submitted questions to the Prime Minister regarding the ongoing discussion with the Kingdom Government over support for the country, the economic recovery plan (which was requested by Parliament on July 8th” and what was in Government’s ‘plan B.’ Clarity on the economy, it seems, will not be available for several more weeks, according to…
Author: The Publisher
GREAT BAY — The members of the Committee of Civil Servants Unions (CCSU), known in Dutch as the GOA, filed an official complaint with the Ombudsman against the Government of St. Maarten on Friday August 21, 2020. The CCSU in its complaint to the Ombudsman highlighted several infractions committed by the Council of Ministers throughout the negotiation process on Cost Cutting Measures as agreed to with the Kingdom Government. From the onset, the Unions continuously raised its deep concerns and remained firm in its opposition to the abundance of irregularities since the start of negotiations, with Government, on Thursday May 7,…
PHILIPSBURG – St. Maarten has a fundamental difference of opinion with financial supervisor Cft about the conditions attached to the second tranche of liquidity support, Finance Minister Ardwell Irion said during last week’s online Council of Ministers press briefing. “Our opinion is that we have met the conditions for the second tranche, while the Cft could not determine this,” the minister said. Irion said that his cabinet is currently working on a response to the concerns “to make sure we have a seat at the table. Starting the discussions about the third tranche are important.” The minister said that these…
~ MP S.A. Wescot-Williams requests a meeting of Faction Leaders to discuss urgent changes to the Rules of Order to better serve the people in these unprecedented times ~ Philipsburg, St. Maarten, August 25, 2020 – “It would appear that in the past months, the agenda of Parliament is dictated by the Government. Several crucial meetings are still pending, questions by Members of Parliament still awaiting answers, yet urgent meetings at the behest of Government are called and rushed. Information promised during these meetings is not always forthcoming”, stated MP Wescot-Williams. The MP continued to state in a release issued on…
PHILIPSBURG – The National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB) launched its Enterprise Support Program (ESP) with a virtual presentation. There is $35 million available for the next four years for eligible projects. The program is financed through the World Bank Trust Fund. The program’s online launch included brief introductory remarks by NRPB-director Claret Connor, ministers Egbert Doran (Public Housing, Urban Planning, Environment and Infrastructure) and Ardwell Irion (Finance), Elwin Groenevelt (director microlender Qredit), Derek Downes (Windward Islands Bank), Michelle Keane (World Bank program manager for the St. Maarten trust fund), Robert Jan de Wilde (office of the Dutch Representative) and Raquel…
PHILIPSBURG – Members of Parliament Wescot-Williams, Gumbs, Heyliger-Marten and Buncamper have requested a meeting of Parliament to get information regarding the (financial) state of the government-owned companies. The Members of Parliament wish to be updated as to the financial position of these companies and therefore requested a meeting to this effect with the managements and boards of these companies. In their letter, the MPs allude to the lack of information regarding these companies and express their concern that in these dire financial times, keen attention must be paid to the government-owned companies as well. “These companies have also had to…
by Cdr. Bud Slabbaert In a previous essay, the “Development from within the Caribbean” was suggested. Up to five territories could be the Founders of such an initiative. Which territories is the first question that comes up. The willing and able to proactively and wholeheartedly and who are committed and competent to take on a pioneer’s role! Does that mean the ones with the largest economies, the highest growth rate, or highest GDP, or the richest? In that case, one would tend to think of the Dominican Republic, Trinidad & Tobago, Cayman Islands, Jamaica or Bahamas. Yet, those are not…
PHILIPSBURG — Inmates at the Point Blanche prison sounded an even louder alarm this weekend urging the powers-that-be to get serious about restructuring the prison system or risk facing a situation they will not be able to control. The inmate association, speaking through their representative Sjamira Roseburg, said Minister of Justice Anna Richardson constantly lies about the situation at the prison, thinking that inmates don’t have a voice to get the real story out. First and foremost, they said, the COVID-19 situation has caused serious concern at the prison among inmates who feel like they are already treated like sub-human.…
PHILIPSBURG – The Pro Soualiga Foundation, a vehicle established by attorney Denicio Brison, is taken the State of the Netherlands to court in an attempt to have the Kingdom Charter of 1954 declared null and void. The foundation also demands that the Netherlands registers St. Maarten on the United Nations list of non-self-governing territories and to ‘cease and desist’ from the proposed consensus Kingdom Law Caribbean Reform Entity. The petition sets December 31, 2020, as the deadline for its demands. Related: Caribbean Reform Entity In its 37-page petition to the court, the foundation goes to great length in its attempt…
~ Readying petition for Government and Parliament ~ SIMPSON BAY — The vendors on the parking lot at Kim Sha Beach, classified as the Kim Sha Market Place, are incensed with government over its latest move to put them out of business. The vendors reacted over the weekend to a Ministerial decision dated August 17, 2020, by Minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs Ludmila De Weever that would set the max opening time of business for the vendors to 10pm daily and re-classify the area as a “re-designated marketplace.” This decision was made public by the Minister over this past…
