PHILIPSBURG – Ten thousand people in St. Maarten are smoking marijuana and they spend $20 to $30 a day on it, MP Christophe Emmanuel said during his plea for legalizing the soft drug the budget debate. If Emmanuel’s numbers reflect reality this would mean that ganja-users spend between $600 and $900 a month on marijuana. The current monthly minimum wage on the island is around $845. Consumption for all users on an annual basis would be between $73 million and $109.5 million if the parliamentarian’s numbers check out. “Legalize it now, he said, holding up a sheet from an exercise…
Author: The Publisher
GRACITA: “SCHOOL DEEP-CLEAN PLAN URGENTLY NEEDED PRIOR TO – COVID- 19 RE- OPENING” “ESTABLISH SCHOOL FOR AUTISTIC STUDENTS” Philipsburg, April 27, 2020 Gracita R. Arrindell states: “Education remains a key factor in the development of our nation. St. Maarten has been under government-mandated lockdown since early March. It is clear that being confined for long periods of time can bring tension among citizens resulting in dangerous behavior. When government decisions are made based on plans that are carefully thought out and evaluated regularly on its merits, social escalation, can be prevented, or mitigated”. “This virus is a clearly a game…
Says President’s comments regarding CBCS not reflection of Parliament’s position ~ PHILIPSBURG –- Members of Parliament for the Party for Progress (PFP) faction Melissa Gumbs and Raeyhon Peterson have sent a letter to President of Parliament MP Rolando Brison, regarding a press release concerning a letter Brison has sent to the Central Bank of Curacao & St. Maarten, via the Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion. The letter to Brison highlights the faction’s concern over the impressions given by the article’s tone and content. “We are writing to you, as President of Parliament, to inform you of the reality that the…
CAY BAY — The Regional Manager of SOL Petroleum David Antrobus was asked to go into retirement as of April 1, 2020, following the huge drop in oil prices in Russia and Saudi Arabia. Since the Covid-19 pandemic has taken over the world, oil prices dropped so low that the oil producing countries are now selling fuel at minus $0.59 per gallon. Antrobus has been a veteran in the oil industry for more than 27 years and has held senior management positions for nearly 20 years. He is presently on vacation and is expected to leave the island as soon…
PHILIPSBURG – Door het coronavirus zitten Venezolanen vast op St. Maarten, zonder geld en zonder vooruitzicht op hulp. “In Venezuela hebben we meer overlevingskansen dan hier,” zegt Carlos (40), namens een groep Venezolanen zonder papieren. “We hopen dat we met hulp van Nederland terug kunnen naar onze familie, of dat St. Maarten de hand over het hart strijkt en ons helpt.” Wie tijdens de lockdown voedselhulp nodig heeft, kan zich hiervoor registeren bij de overheid. Dit geldt zowel voor ingezetenen als voor ongedocumenteerden. De overheid heeft ruim 9.000 aanvragen ontvangen voor een voedselpakket. Bij de verdeling van de pakketten hebben…
PHILIPSBURG — Because of the coronavirus, Venezuelans are stuck on St. Maarten, without money and without prospect of help. “In Venezuela we have more chances of survival than here,” said Carlos, 40, on behalf of a group of undocumented Venezuelans. “We hope that with the help of the Netherlands we can return to our family, or that St. Maarten will help us to get back to Venezuela.” Anyone who needs food aid during the lockdown can register with the government. This applies to both residents and undocumented migrants. The government has received over 9,000 applications for a food package. When…
THE HAGUE – The Netherlands made €16.5 million ($17.82 million or around 32 million guilders) available on Friday in immediate assistance for the most vulnerable citizens in St. Maarten, Curacao, Aruba and the BES-islands. State Secretary Drs. Raymond Knops said during a live-streamed press conference that the money will be used to supply people with food and hygiene products. How the money will be divided over the islands remains unclear. Knops said that the Dutch government wants to use the local networks of non-governmental organizations to identify and help vulnerable citizens. “We will help there where the need is the…
PHILIPSBURG – The draft 2020 budget understandably shows significantly higher expenditures due to the COVID-19 crisis, but it seems that the government is unable to get a grip on its ballooning personnel costs while the overview of subsidies contains contributions to events that did not even take place, such as the annual carnival. Personnel costs are up 5.1 million guilders (5 percent) for a total of 119.8 million guilders ($66.9 million). Other costs are also projected to increase. The government expects to pay 13 percent more for child allowance (a bit over 1 million guilders), 24 percent more for gratifications…
by Lasana M. Sekou GREAT BAY, St. Martin (April 24, 2020)—The author Louis L. Duzanson passed away in St. Martin on April 16, 2020. He was 71. He leaves his beloved wife Oretha and many family members. He also leaves several friends and colleagues throughout the island and abroad. Louis L. Duzanson was born on November 16, 1948, in San Nicolas, Aruba. His early schooling was completed at St. Joseph School in St. Martin, his family’s homeland. From 1966 to 1971, he studied public administration at Bestuurschool Overijssel and document management at Studiekring Overheidsdocumentatie in the Netherlands. Between 1975 and 1991,…
PHILIPSBURG — Social protection systems are coming under considerable pressure with the implementation of mitigation strategies to control the spread of COVID-19 in the Caribbean. Efforts to mitigate the negative effect of the pandemic on the well-being of those most at risk are now underway across the Caribbean. Attention is being given in particular to those most economically vulnerable, notably women, youth, older persons, persons with disabilities and migrant populations. The Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC), as part of its outreach under the auspices of the Presiding Officers of the Regional Conference on Social Development in…
