PHILIPSBURG – Earlier this year, former Minister Plenipotentiary Jorien Wuite became a member of the Dutch political party D66. Now she is the number 19 (out of 65) on the party’s so-called advice-list of candidates for the parliamentary elections that are scheduled to take place on March 17 of next year. The D66-membership is able to vote on the candidates from November 19 until December 1. Shortly afterwards, the party will announce the definitive list of candidates. StMaartenNews.com had the opportunity to have a candid interview with Jorien Wuite about her D66-candidacy.
Author: The Publisher
In February of 2018, the Kingdom of the Netherlands submitted a Written Statement to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague regarding the Chagos Islands and their struggle for a full measure of self-governance and right to self-determination. The ICJ, also known as the World Court, is one of the six organs of The United Nations. Its primary tasks are to settle “disputes between states in accordance with international law and give advisory opinions on international legal issues.” In the the aforementioned Written Statement of February of 2018, the Kingdom of the The Netherlands declared that “the right to self-determination of…
PHILIPSBURG — The Common Court of Justice (Hof), on Thursday, October 29th, ruled against the claim of the Attorney General (PG) to prosecute MP Mr. C.T. Emmanuel for among other accusation, abuse of function in connection with the issuance of leasehold property . The legislator has determined that if the Public Prosecutor’s Office (OM) wishes to prosecute a political authority, they must seek an order to that effect from the Court. This procedure serves as a guarantee for a thorough prosecution decision in such cases. In its decision to reject the claim of the Attorney General, the Court of Appeal…
By A Contributor The predominantly Dutch European Judiciary and Public Prosecution Service consistently claim that adjudication and prosecution takes place without regard to persons (‘zonder aanziens des persoon’). However, has the proclaimed blindness of lady justice created a just society, where righteousness is even a sought after ideal? Are we living in the country of St. Martin proudly, united and integrated or conveniently with one foot in and one foot out? Or are we further muddying the water ensuring that greed and corruption prevails, as the system and individuals that partake in the shared state power knowingly or unknowingly partake…
Dear Editor, Endorsing the comments and observations by Sarah Wescot Williams and Melissa Gumbs regarding all the “noise” about De-Colonization, I ask Grisha Heyliger, Rolando Brison, George Pantophlet and all other noisemakers: What, according to your coalition, are Government’s immediate plans to: 1. Fix the potholes in our roads; 2. Get more controle over COVID19 by using mass testing, tracking & tracing; 3. Finalize repairs of SXM residents’ house-roofs damaged by Hurricane IRMA in 2017; 4. Tell us about their efforts to repair our schools and re-arrange our educational system, so all the students now left behind can receive a…
By Hilbert Haar The spin doctors in Parliament, spearheaded by UP faction leader Grisha Heyliger-Marten are going all out in their attempt to sell their story about the decolonization process. So far, twelve parliamentarians fell for it – not only the representatives of the UP and the NA, but also their allies of the USp. Only MPs Wescot-Williams (UD) and Melissa Gumbs and Raeyhon Peterson kept a clear head and recognized the decolonization-drive for what it really is: a sneaky attempt to divert the public’s attention from the real problems St. Maarten is facing. On November 5, the parliament approved…
~ “Understanding the process requires extensive reading and understanding of international law” ~ PHILIPSBURG – In a statement issued on November 9th, the Faction Leader of the UPP and Second Vice-Chair of Parliament, MP Grisha Heyliger-Marten responded to statements from the opposition parties in Parliament regarding the decolonization process. “In the first place”, MP Heyliger-Marten stated, “I would like to point out that, to a certain extent, I can understand the “confusion” that the UD and PFP factions are referring to. The right to self-determination, decolonization, and international law are not complicated topics, but they are very specialistic part of…
PHILIPSBURG – Not all schools are fully adhering to the protocols and safety guidelines from the government’s Education Continuity Plan, Minister of Education Drs. Rodolphe Samuel reports in a press release. Inspectors found that in some schools floor markings had been removed, classrooms had been arranged differently from their approved layout, regular sanitation was not observed and staff members were not wearing the mandatory facemasks. Some schools still have to enhance the sanitation and temperature screening upon the arrival of staff and students. Three weeks ago exam students and special education students returned to their classrooms. A week later vulnerable…
PORT ST. MAARTEN – Port St. Maarten made history once again servicing CMA CGM Fort Fleur d’Épée, the largest container ship to ever call at the Dr. A.C. Wathey Cruise & Cargo Facilities. The vessel arrived in port on Friday, November 6, 2020. Measuring 219 meters in length and 36 meters in width and over 37,000 gross tons, the CMA CGM Fort Fleur d’Épée can hold a maximum capacity of 3,504 twenty-foot equivalent units (TEU). “The arrival of this vessel also highlights the success of Port St. Maarten’s operational excellence platform that continues to ensure excellent service to our clients.…
PHILIPSBURG – The Court in Basse-Terre (Guadeloupe) sentenced Grenada-born Kathron Fortune in October to 30 years of imprisonment for the rape and murder of Angélique Chauviré in 2006. Fortune is currently serving a life sentence in a high security prison in the Netherlands for the manslaughter and murder on Luis Sarante Diaz and Edwin Rosario Contreras on December 5, 2016 after his escape on February 15 from the Pointe Blanche prison where he was serving a 19-year sentence for the execution-style murder of Aruban Ervin Margerita on May 11, 2006, in Rice Hill Estate. If Fortune ever gets released from…
