By Hilbert Haar If the result of the island council elections in Statia have made anything clear it is that change does not come easy to people. You can take horse to the water but you cannot force it to drink, the well-worn cliché goes. The electorate has spoken and the message is clear: they have lived for twenty years with Clyde van Putten as the controversial leader of the Progressive Labor Party and they want him back. The PLP won three of the five seats in the new Island Council, one more than it did in the 2015 elections.…
Author: The Publisher
ORANJESTAD – “We have to prevent at all cost that the situation on the island from before the intervention reappears after a return to a regular administrative administration,” is one of the observations in the law that aims to address the gross neglect of duties by the island government of Statia.
~ Says: “Free and Fair elections allow democracy to reign.” ~ PHILIPSBURG— “Democracy at work,” were the words, Member of Parliament, the Honorable Grisha Heyliger-Marten used to describe her sentiments after hearing the results of the Island Council elections on St. Eustatius yesterday October 21, 2020. She said, “Part of self-determination is the ability of a people to participate in free and fair elections where their elected officials can serve without fear of attack from forces within our external forces. The people who you elect as your leaders must be the people who lead you, or you risk seeing your…
PHILIPSBURG — On Tuesday, October 20th, 2020, the Alpha Team arrested two men with the initials W.L.H. (42) and S.J.J. (30) in connection with an ongoing investigation. The suspects were arrested for their involvement with a drug smuggling offense that took place earlier this year at the cargo facilities in Point Blanche. W.H and S.J both remain in police custody in connection pending further investigation. The Alpha Team is a joint multidisciplinary team comprised of the Police Department KPSM, the Customs Department, the Immigration Department, the Koninklijke Marechaussee, and the Coast Guard.
By Hilbert Haar Finding the best possible solution in any situation requires first and foremost that you understand and acknowledge the problem. That’s why recovering alcoholics always begin their stories at AA-meetings by stating their name, followed by; “I am an alcoholic.” Recent media reports have established that, without a shadow of a doubt, the Mental Health Foundation (MHF) has some serious issues. So the initiative of chairlady Grisha Heyliger-Marten to call a meeting of the permanent parliamentary committee for Public Health, Social Affairs and Labor on a subject that concerned the MHF seemingly could not have come at a…
PHILIPSBURG — “Bringing mental health problems up for discussion is the best way to break the taboo surrounding mental illness,” says Fredericka Ford, CEO of Ethegrity Healthcare Consulting. Yesterday morning the consultant gave a presentation to Members of Parliament in a subcommittee on health matters chaired by MP Grisha Heyliger-Marten. Ethegrity wants to offer organizational advice for the Mental Health Foundation as well as telepsychiatry for the population of St. Maarten. Two of the MPs took the opportunity to share their own struggles with depression and mood swings with the public. Chairman of Parliament MP Rolando Brison (UP) explained that…
PHILIPSBURG – De 75 million guilders bond issue Finance Minister Ardwell Irion had in mind will not become a reality. State Secretary Drs. Raymond Knops called Irion to order with a firm reminder that St. Maarten should have repaid a 50 million guilders loan on October 21. Knops offered a conditional 4-week postponement for the repayment this loan. In a letter to Irion, Knops writes: “These four weeks offer you the opportunity to comply with the conditions for the second tranche of liquidity support. When you meet these requirements our countries can engage in talks about the third tranche of…
PHILIPSBURG — The Detective Department together with the Patrol officers has arrested three suspects for two armed robberies which took place early this morning, Tuesday, October 20th, 2020. The police patrols together with members of the Special Robbery Unit of Sint Maarten Police arrested the three (3) suspects with the initials R.R.R, A.E-A, and M.P-C, for their alleged involvements in this morning’s robberies. At approximately 8:50 am, the Central Dispatch received a report that a male suspect, fled a supermarket in the Sucker Garden area, after having robbed the establishment of its earnings. On the scene, the officers were informed…
Philipsburg, October 19, 2020 Gracita Arrindell reflected on the past ten years and said: “Ten years of constitutional reform arrived fast and furious. October 10, 2020. It’s been a tumultuous decade plagued by hurricanes, and a lack of political will power to acknowledge our mistakes and a commitment to do better. The end of a decade that culminated in a COVID-19 pandemic that caught the world off –guard and brought Sint Maarten to its knees. No one expected this. It has become crystal clear we failed to learn from our mistakes while being an Island Territory under a former constitutional…
PHILIPSBURG — On Friday, October 16, 2020, around 6:00 pm, the patrol officers arrested a man with the initials E.R. as he had severely injured his girlfriend after an altercation. This incident took place in the area of Mount William Hill. After being arrested, the suspect brought to the Philipsburg police station, where he is being held for questioning. In the subsequent arrest, the patrol officers were directed to A.J.C. Brouwers road on Saturday, October 17, 2020, around 12:40 am for a case of assault. Later it turned out that a man with the initials R.B.J had also mistreated his…
