~ Port calls on Stakeholders to Move Forward Together in 2020 in Offering New and Enhanced Experiences ~ PORT ST. MAARTEN – The Old Year ended with the destination receiving over 1.6 million cruise passengers (1,631,537) and 565 cruise ship calls in 2019. This is an increase of 2.2 per cent (34,436) over 2018 when the destination received 1,597,101 passengers and 490 cruise ship calls. Port St. Maarten for the past consecutive five years 2015-2019, has received annually over 1.5 million cruise passengers with the exception of 2017 due to the hurricanes, the number of passengers that year was 1,237,760.…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG — The Sint Maarten Christian Party, SMCP, learned that The Netherlands did offer to pay for the international election observers to visit Sint Maarten during this week’s election but that the Government has not yet taken up the Dutch on their offer. This is worrisome, because in an article, published in the Daily Herald on December 7th, 2019, Prime Minister Jacobs said that she had “absolutely no problem” with elections being observed as long as Sint Maarten did not have to pay. This is based on the liquidity position as country, Sint Maarten would not be able to bear…
Dear Editor, Many voters will be challenged to cast their vote in a manner that they are sure that they have selected the candidate most likely to advance their interests in the upcoming elections. This is because they will be unable to predict what the available options are likely to achieve. There is some evidence based on the past that will give some indication as to what they should be looking for to achieve their goals and I hope to summarize as follows. Most important is that they realize that they are really voting for a party and within this…
What has the Sint Maarten Christian Party (SMCP) accomplished during its 19 months in Parliament and 17 months in Government? Our worst critics would say “nothing” while our best supporters would say “a lot!” The truth lies somewhere in between and in my assessment, it lies closer to “a lot”. Having been elected to Parliament, SMCP is obliged to give an account to the people for the time spent in office. Therefore, this article will deal with SMCP’s achievements and accomplishments in Parliament. Note that even prior to the elections in February 2018, SMCP had already begun to make a…
Dear Editor, Again, during another unfortunate election cycle, the environment, sustainable development and conservation are taking a backseat amidst the current political discourse engulfing our country. This despite our country needing to develop amidst the uncertainties which we will face due to a changing global climate. Sint Maarten needs a Green New Deal. Democrats in the American House are doing it. The European Parliament is in the process of implementing it, yet here we are on our beautiful rock in the Caribbean dragging our toes in the sand. During this ‘Silly Season’ of political discourse I have yet to come…
Dear Editor, Sint Maarten became an autonomous country on October 10, 2010. This year, we will be celebrating ten years of its existence. I am proud that we have reached thus far, yet, I would like to bring the following forward. At its birth, Sint Maarten was, as it were, a baby country. A country in its beginning stages. In order to grow and become mature, nation-building is necessary. Many boasts of Sint Maarten’s economy and thereby declare that we are successful in comparison to the neighboring countries and other parts of the world. But…are we really successful? How is…
Philipsburg — On Friday, December 20, 2019, the Members of the Committee of Civil Servants Union (CCSU) received a request, from the Honorable Minister of Justice, to approve the proposed amendments to the National Decree “Besluit rechtspositie Korps Politie Sint Maarten”. Based on article 112h of the “Landsverordening materieel ambtenarenrecht”, the CCSU has to grant its approval in order for the Minister of Justice to proceed with the proposal to amend the National Decree, to establish the new salary scales for the St. Maarten Police Department. After a careful review of the requisite documentation that was submitted, the proposed amendments…
PHILIPSBURG — As of January 2020, the St. Maarten Development Fund (SMDF) will consist of a full team of dynamic young women, with twenty-nine-year-old Melanie Choisy joining the social development agency. Choisy, a well-known St. Martiner, will be joining the Fund as the new Program and Development Manager. In her new role, Choisy will serve as SMDF’s primary liaison with local non-governmental organizations (NGOs). As SMDF’s newest staff member, Choisy will be bringing her numerous years of working throughout St. Maarten’s NGO community. Since graduating from the University of Miami with a Bachelors of Arts degrees in International Development and…
~ Party manifesto available for download here ~ PHILIPSBURG – With its 17-page manifesto the Sint Maarten Christian Party (SMCP) heads with confidence into the parliamentary elections on January 9. “SMCP expects to be involved in forming the government,” the document states. The manifesto is organized in four sections; the first one describes the party, the second one the party’s vision for St. Maarten, the third one covers topics related to parliament and the fourth section is about controversial issues. The party’s philosophy is based on universal Christian values and it therefore aims to “restore and promote accountability, transparency, integrity…
By Harriot Voncken PHILIPSBURG — Citizens who believe a notary has not complied with the rules and therefore wish to submit a complaint cannot turn to the Chamber of Notaries. This professional body in charge of supervising notaries is not active; this is because since 2010, the Chamber has not had a notary member. Someone who is disadvantaged by this is Demitrus Marlin. He already filed a complaint in 2015 against a notary but that was not dealt with at the time. He also sent a letter to the Governor of St. Maarten that year about the absence of the…
