St. Maarten, August 15, 2024 – Hyacinth Richardson, the #11 candidate on the National Alliance (NA) slate, has released a comprehensive manifesto detailing his strategic vision for the future of St. Maarten. As the island approaches the crucial elections on August 19, 2024, Richardson’s platform highlights a transformative agenda aimed at ensuring sustainable development, advancing technology, and enhancing the quality of life for all citizens. Constitutional and Foreign Affairs:Richardson emphasizes the importance of solidifying St. Maarten’s autonomy by realizing a National Development Plan focused on achieving a high standard of living for all inhabitants. He advocates for advantageous foreign…
Author: The Publisher
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PHILIPSBURG — Member of Parliament and leader of the National Alliance Silveria Jacobs wants answers from Prime Minister Luc Mercelina about the situation at utilities company GEBE and about the energy crisis that has resulted in endless power cuts during the past couple of weeks. In a letter to PM Mercelina, MP Jacobs questions the recruitment of a new management team by the supervisory board of directors. “The recruitment was in its final stages in May; has it been completed?” she asked. Jacobs refers to Mercelina’s energy crisis address in which he suggested interim appointments for the new management team.…
PHILIPSBURG — The TelEm Group of Companies is still in a bind due to its dispute with the Israeli telecom giant MER over a payment of more than $3 million. This story goes back to June 30, 2017, when TelEm signed a contract worth $15.7 million with MER Sint Maarten BV for the construction of a fiber optic network. More than two years later, on October 17, 2019, TelEm canceled the contract, citing deficiencies and delays in the execution of the work. MER maintained that the cancellation was unlawful. On January 20, 2022, the International Court of Arbitration of the…
PHILIPSBURG — Shemira Hernandez, Candidate No. 13 on the National Alliance list, has a bold vision for the future of Sint Maarten. Her passion lies in seeing the island flourish, particularly in the tourism and recreation sectors, which she believes are the backbone of the local economy. With the slogan “Innovate to Elevate,” Hernandez is determined to bring a fresh perspective to how the island can reach new heights, benefiting both locals and visitors alike. Hernandez’s passion for tourism and her understanding of the industry were honed during her studies in the Netherlands, where she learned the importance of adaptability…
By Andre Huie PHILIPSBURG — Several political candidates contesting the St. Maarten August 19 elections have been speaking on the severe load shedding St. Maarteners have been experiencing over the past few months and are calling for solutions. The power and water company GEBE has been experiencing major power generation issues in recent months, triggering frequent power outages and constant complaints from consumers, especially business owners, some of whom have invested in generators to help solve their power problems. Candidate for the Soualiga Action Movement (SAM) Claude “Chacho” Peterson, who himself is an engineer, is proposing adding a renewable energy…
By Andre Huie PHILIPSBURG — Some candidates contesting the August 19 snap parliamentary elections in St. Maarten are calling for electoral reform to help minimize defection of parliamentarians that often times lead to the collapse of coalition governments. This snap election comes just six months after voters in St. Maarten would have voted in January 2024 after a member of parliament withdrew his support from the coalition government, forcing Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina to call fresh elections, 17 days into the new government taking office. Leader of the Soualiga Action Movement Franklyn Meyers, suggested that St. Maarten should adopt…
PHILIPSBURG — Finance Minister Marinka Gumbs made clear during a meeting of Parliament in June that the Outline Agreement as a solution for troubled insurance company ENNIA is not the best solution for St. Maarten. In a reaction to the letter she received from the Central Bank, the minister stated that she is waiting for Parliament to tell her what to do. Related link: CoM Press Briefing August 7th 2024 That remark seems to fly in the face of a suggestion by former Finance Minister Ardwell Irion during the June-meeting: “If you say that this is not the best solution,…
By WENDELL MOORE At the moment we do not teach Civics in our Schools. Some Educators will argue that Civics is taught as part of the subject called Social Studies. First off, we need to define what is Civics and what it teaches to our students to earn its own curriculum. The definition of Civics is the study of the rights and duties of Citizens: the study of Citizenship is also called Civics because it teaches you about the rights granted to Citizens as well as their responsibilities: such as serving on Juries, Voting, Laws, Taxes and engaging in the…
PHILIPSBURG — The Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten (CBCS) wants to finalize the restructuring of troubled insurance company ENNIA by December 1 of this year but it is unable to do so without approval of the so-called Outline Agreement by the Parliament of St. Maarten. Without St. Maarten’s approval, the CBCS has no other choice but to file for the bankruptcy of ENNIA, President Richard Doornbosch and Executive Director Jose Jardim write in a letter to outgoing Finance Minister Marinka Gumbs. Minister Gumbs criticized the proposed solution during a meeting of parliament that took place on June 29.…
By Cdr. Bud Slabbaert What would happen if an entire tourism destination was dedicated to expressing tourism legacy in a new way? Wanting to explore the potential for developing a bolder, and more distinctive concept for tourism destination services and products. Conceived as model to explore future directions with innovative features and enhanced by promotion language that reflect the destination’s unique products and professional services. The new concept may be a radical demonstration of the power of an avant-garde brand that will appear as the tourism destination of tomorrow. Does it sound like a politician’s biddle-boo diddley squat? It doesn’t…
