PHILIPSBURG / AMSTERDAM – Economist Arjen Alberts obtained his PhD at the University of Amsterdam on Monday. In a ceremonial setting in the Agnietenkapel he defended his thesis entitled “Small Island Tourism Economies and the Tourism Area Lifecycle; Why Aruba and Sint Maarten have exceeded their carrying capacity.” The study ought to sound the alarm at the government building among those responsible for kicking the island’s devastated tourism industry back in shape. With the author’s permission, StMaartenNews.com published in July already part of the contents of the thesis. (see: Thesis: “Tourism industry exceeds carrying capacity”). Watch online here: thesis presentation…
Author: The Publisher
POND ISLAND — The Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment & Infrastructure (VROMI), the Honorable Egbert J. Doran, announces that an island-wide cleanup of the car wrecks will begin on Monday, September 21, 2020. Car wrecks are an eyesore and negatively effects the Country’s environmental well-being. Since taking office, Minister Doran embarked on a project along with the Department of Infrastructure Management to continue with the cleanup of the car wrecks. Minister Doran stated that the project is in collaboration with the Community Police Officers and the designated contractors. Some of the abandoned wrecks have been tagged and this…
Dear Publisher, As interim director I would like to inform the general public of St. Maarten that the reason for my resignation is the fact that per September 30th, 2020, my contract ends. After hurricane Irma I was asked to return for a year because the post of Director had become vacant and management support was urgently needed. It has been 3 years now and the contract by law can no longer be extended. In accordance with the procedures of the foundation I tendered my resignation. Dr. Pelswijk so far has done and enormous job during COVID19, within one-week MHF…
CAY HILL — Amidst a growing need for a national mental health response during the coronavirus outbreak, interim-director Eileen Healy of the Mental Health Foundation (MHF) has submitted her resignation effective September 30. Against the wishes of the staff, the Board of MHF has offered dr. Kitty Pelswijk the position as interim-director. In a letter dated June 1st, 2020, the caregivers at Mental Health Foundation terminated their trust in both interim-director Eileen Healy and her intended replacement dr. Pelswijk for creating ‘a culture of fear’. Concerned staff speaks of ‘structural long-lasting mistreatment and abuse of power against employees of the…
PHILIPSBURG — On Wednesday, the 16th of September 2020, this – One Island, One People, One Destiny – came together as One and with One Voice sent One Message to the one person that was showing pure disregard for the unique cultural heritage of this island and the spirit in which we have been living for hundreds of years. This Island will not be divided. The borders we share are symbolic and will remain symbolic. This is what makes our island unique and “The Friendly Island”. The Sint Maarten Christian party – SMCP was contacted during the course of last…
The worldwide crisis due to COVID-19 has hit the islands in the Kingdom relentlessly hard, notes Erwin Arkenbout, representative of the Netherlands in Curaçao, Aruba and St. Maarten. “The past few months have been intense and have led to a discussion about rights and obligations within the Kingdom. Can we count on each other?” Arkenbout poses the question in a speech in honor of Prinsjesdag, the day on which King Willem-Alexander addresses a joint session of the Dutch Senate and House of Representatives to give the speech from the throne (Dutch: Troonrede); setting out the main features of government policy…
THE HAGUE – “It remains urgent that the detention situation in St. Maarten improves within the foreseeable future. The problem requires a decisive approach and the cabinet has offered assistance on several occasions,” State Secretary Knops writes in a letter to the Second Chamber about the execution of a motion tabled by CDA-MP Chris van Dam and VVD-MP André Bosman on June 22 that was approved by the Dutch parliament. The motion asks the Kingdom Council of Ministers to take control of the prison system in St. Maarten for a period of five years. While Knops speaks of the need…
PHILIPSBURG — Minister of Education, the honorable Drs. Rodolphe Samuel, issued a statement informing the general public that a total of nine persons – seven civil servants and two external candidates – have enrolled from St. Maarten to participate in a one year legislative course organized by the University of Curacao. The program, slated to begin today September 14, 2020, is an online training for lawyers, to equip them with the knowledge of the technique and rules to draft legislation. Participants in the program, originate from St. Maarten, Curacao and Aruba. The initiative, from the University of Curacao, is one…
PHILIPSBURG – Aruba has reportedly a deal with a consortium of local banks for a loan in an attempt to get away from the conditions the kingdom has attached to the provision of liquidity support. Prime Minister Evelyn Wever-Croes said last Thursday that she has found a party that is interested in extending the loan – reportedly 100 million guilders against an interest rate of 5.25 percent. But Aruba cannot get this loan without approval from The Hague. State Secretary Drs. Raymond Knops said after the Kingdom Council of Ministers meeting last Friday that Aruba needs permission from the Netherlands…
I follow the trails in the kochia bushes And find the age-old footprints of the Diamond 26 and the dew-fresh shoe prints of sobbing children escaping to go to school, backpacks caught in the prickly thorns of the thickets because the gendarmes turned them back at the border. I hear the lizards scurrying about without borders I watch the mockingbirds take off with no flight plans And I swear I’ve seen this green iguana somewhere before without a pass to cross from Colebay to Bellevue from French Quarter to Belvedere How did we then become immigrants in this land of…
