PHILIPSBURG — On Postulation Day, Thursday, November 21, 2019, the Sint Maarten Christian Party, SMCP, submitted a list of 13 candidates for the upcoming 2020 elections to be held on Thursday, January 9. The list of 13 candidates are as follows: #1 – Smith, Wycliffe Sylvester #2 – Peterson, Claude Alfred Hans #3 – Somersall, Michael Orlando #4 – Gittens, Keith Peter-John #5 – Gibbs, Beverley Denisse #6 – Bell, Benjamin Stephen #7 – Nunes geb. Burleson, Tswana #8 – Sam geb. Arrindell, Marva Rosalinda #9 – Kotai, Viren Vinod #10 – York, Linda Cherline #11 – Rattan geb. Poulo,…
Author: The Publisher
Video explaining the process on Postulation Day:
PHILIPSBURG — StMaartenNews.com was informed by Drs. Rodolphe Samuel that he submitted his documents on Tuesday, November 19, to the Secretary General of the Secretariat of Parliament. These documents will be vetted on Wednesday at 11am during a meeting of Parliament. If all goes according to schedule, at 4:30 in the afternoon, Samuel will take the oath of office at the Governor’s cabinet in order to officially become a member of Parliament.
GREAT BAY — On Monday, November 18, 2019, Faction Leader of the Sint Maarten Christian Party and Member of Parliament, Claude Chacho Peterson, sent a letter to President of Parliament informing him of his resignation as a Member of Parliament according to article 49, sub 2 of the Constitution of St. Maarten. MP Peterson was quoted as saying: “Since the formation of Government process in 2018, I always told the Leader of SMCP, Mr. Wycliffe Smith, I would give back the seat to the party should Government fall and he would no longer be Minister. I became MP when Mr.…
Harbour View – On Saturday evening, November 16, 2019, the Governor of Sint Maarten, His Excellency drs. E.B. Holiday, received the final report from formateur Ms. S. Jacobs. The formateur has accepted the commission to form an interim government supported by a majority in Parliament comprised of the NA-fraction, the USP-fraction, and independent Members of Parliaments L. Mercelina, C. Brownbill and R. Brison. The new government consists of Ministers who will, amongst others, give priority to conclude the legislation regarding the combating of money laundering and financing of terrorism, to execute the agreements made with The Netherlands regarding the financing…
PHILIPSBURG — StMaartenNews.com is nominated for a Crystal Pineapple Award as Media Personality of the Year via the person of our writer Hilbert Haar. Love him or hate him, his iconic photo image has been the face of StMaartenNews.com since its launch in October 2017. Despite his retirement, Hilbert Haar continues to be the watchdog in our St. Maarten society. Hilbert Haar is the embodiment of what StMaartenNews.com stands for. StMaartenNews.com stands for a critical but fair approach towards decision makers. StMaartenNews.com stands for respect of human rights. StMaartenNews.com stands for the protection of the environment. StMaartenNews.com stands for the…
THE VALLEY, ANGUILLA — Former Minister of Public Health, Labor and Social Development, Emil Lee, was invited to participate as a keynote speaker at the 13th Caribbean Conference on National Health Financing Initiatives held in Anguilla at the Cuisinart Resort on Monday November 4th. The conference seeks to provide a platform for participants to share their experiences and to learn from other professionals in the field of healthcare. Mr. Lee’s keynote address was entitled, “A Practical, Political and Financial Perspective on Universal Health: The St. Maarten Experience”. “While a lot of time is spent on the technical and financial process, the process to get the politicians and the public to understand and support the effort should not be underestimated. The draft General Health Insurance (GHI) legislation for St. Maarten is currently waiting…
PHILIPSBURG – Foreign investors are moving in on the banking sector in St. Maarten, After Trinidad-based Republic Financial Holdings Limited bought the activities of Scotia Bank – that will now become Republic Bank – for $123 million in August, GNB Financial Group, owned by Colombian banker Jaime Gilinski Bacal, put up $779 million for a majority share in Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce (CIBC) FirstCaribbean. GNB now controls FirstCaribbean banking activities in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, St. Lucia, St. Maarten. Anguilla, St. Kitts and Nevis, and Dominica. GNB also operates banks in Grenada, Guyana, Barbados, Cayman Islands, Ghana and…
PORT ST. MAARTEN – A delegation from Port St. Maarten and other local stakeholders recently returned from the flagship marine event, the Fort Lauderdale International Boat Show (FLIBS) in Florida. Owned by the Marine Industries Association of South Florida (MIASF) and produced by Informa Markets, FLIBS is recognized as the largest in-water boat show in the world. FLIBS spans more than three million square-feet of exhibit space. The five-day show attracts approximately 110,000 attendees and 1,200 exhibitors representing 52 countries with more than 1,500 boats on display each November. “Attending the boat show allowed us to gain insight into the…
By Hilbert Haar The parliament meeting about funding for the airport reconstruction was rather bewildering – at least, that was my experience. Finance Minister Perry Geerlings made clear that the bondholders refuse to sign off on the loan agreements with the World Bank Trust Fund and the European investment Bank until parliament unequivocally declares that the incoming interim government will honor these agreements. Only then will the bondholders release the $72 million insurance pay-out that is currently under its control. Passing a motion presented by Christian Party MP Claude Peterson would most likely have satisfied the bondholders. But former opposition…
