PHILIPSBURG – “Once more we see now what was already clear for a longer period of time: the countries cannot support their own autonomy.” That explosive remark comes from a letter State Secretary Drs. Raymond Knops (Kingdom Relations) sent on Tuesday to the chairman of the Dutch parliament, Khadija Arib, on the eve of the parliamentary debate about liquidity support for Aruba, Curacao and St. Maarten. Knops notes that the gap between rich and poor citizens on the islands is large and that this gap is increasing due to the corona-virus crisis. The state secretary repeats in his letter that…
Author: The Publisher
~ Unions need to present a more detailed explanation to substantiate their 100-million guilders cost savings claim ~ By Hilbert Haar How realistic are the cost-cutting proposals the unions submitted to the government? In a statement that was short on specifics, the unions claimed that their proposals would result in savings of more than 100 million guilders. This amount represents 16.4 percent of the 2020 budget (projected expenditures for the year are 610,557,076 guilders). Where did the unions find those enormous savings? Their press release mentions cutting travel costs and consultancy fees, freezing training, and reducing gas vouchers and the…
PHILIPSBURG – Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs has extended the state of emergency by six weeks by ministerial decree. The six week period ends on June 21. Citizens are allowed to go shopping only on weekdays between 6 a.m. and 8 p.m. the curfew from 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. remains in place. With the announcement of the extended state of emergency, the ministry of general affairs has published guidelines for its prevention and safety plan that warns businesses “to prepare for the new normal.” Businesses are allowed to reopen in stages, depending on their risk to public health. In the…
PHILIPSBURG — From Monday, May 18th, to the 25th, it’s International Mental Health Awareness Week. And as we know from previous difficult times: mental health issues are likely to rise after a period of increased stress. It is for this reason that the mental health foundation decided to promote mental health awareness week this year, under the theme: Mental Fitness During Covid-19 Times. To spread information and awareness about mental health and tips on how to best deal with the current situation, the MHF is organizing a series of online activities this week. As a healthy mind resides in a…
~ Economic Affairs Minister Ludmilla de Weever Calls on All Stakeholders to Come Together ~ PHILIPSBURG – Minister of TEATT Ludmila de Weever reached out to various stakeholders in the past several weeks to create an Economic Recovery Group with the aim of achieving a sustainable economic recovery as St. Maarten and the world begin to ease shutdown measures amid the Covid-19 pandemic. The diverse group comprises both up-and-coming and established professionals from the private and public sectors. They have offered to volunteer their expertise and collaborate with the common national goal of restoring economic activity and safeguarding the quality of…
By Hilbert Haar The conditions attached to the provision of continued liquidity support have put the government in a rather awkward position. Demanding a 25 percent salary cut for ministers and parliamentarians seems to be the least of all concerns: for ministers, it is just a small step from the 20 percent they already agreed to and parliamentarians will have a hard time objecting to a further cut in their income if this leaves their constituents without financial support. In my opinion, there is nothing indecent about the above-mentioned part of the conditions. Our politicians had it coming for a…
PHILIPSBURG – The Kingdom Council of Ministers had presented a brutal package of conditions for the release of continued liquidity support. Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs has labeled these conditions as an ‘indecent proposal’ but State Secretary Knops has made clear that continued support depends on “agreements and results.” The Kingdom Council will review on July 3 whether St. Maarten has put the required measures in place. The kingdom is prepared to release 53 million guilders in liquidity support, of which 24 million can be released immediately while payment of the remaining 29 million is earmarked for salary-subsidies “after St. Maarten…
Den Haag – As per July 1st, 2020 prof. dr. Raymond Gradus will be reappointed for a three-year term as chairman of the Board of financial supervision Curaçao and Sint Maarten, the Board of financial supervision Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba and the Board of financial supervision Aruba. Prof. dr. Gradus is chairman of the three Boards as of July 1st, 2017. The reappointment of Mr. Gradus has been discussed in the Kingdom Council of Ministers of May 15th. The reappointment shall take place by Royal Decree. Prof. dr. Raymond Gradus is professor in governance and economics of the public…
PHILIPSBURG — The judge acknowledges that former Member of Parliament Theo Heyliger has been brutally treated by holding him first in a filthy Philipsburg police cell and then in Bonaire, violating his right to visits from his family. His sentence for laundering nearly $4 million and taking bribes has been lowered as a result: Heyliger has to spend not 6,5 years, but five years in jail. Heyliger’s time in pre-trial detention will be deducted from the sentence. For the time being, the protagonist in the LARIMAR case does not have to go to prison. His doctors will be consulted first.…
~ Is it a good time now to take up the 2013 SER advice to split up the monetary union between Curacao and St. Maarten? ~ By Hilbert Haar The conditions the Kingdom wants to impose on Curacao for more liquidity support put the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten basically under higher supervision of the Dutch central bank – De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB). This condition seems predominantly based on concerns about the viability of several financial institutions in Curacao, like the Girobank, PSB and insurance company ENNIA. These developments have resulted in new calls for the dissolution of…
