GREAT BAY, St. Maarten (October 9, 2024)—Former Minister of Finance and current MP Ardwell Irion (NA) voted against the ENNIA Outline Agreement on October 8, 2024, alleging that he was “uncertain” over whether Curaçao would follow suit. However, the Parliament of Curaçao unanimously approved the Agreement the next day. Finance Minister Marinka Gumbs noted that MP Irion, who had signed the original Outline Agreement, appears to have been playing “petty politics” with an issue of such grave importance for St. Maarten. “It is incomprehensible to me that someone who had sidelined Parliament, when he was Minister of Finance to sign…
Author: The Publisher
Dear Editor, As the world watches Hurricane Milton churn toward the Gulf of Mexico, declared by the National Hurricane Center as potentially “one of the most destructive hurricanes on record,” we are reminded of the accelerating threat of climate change. The scientific community has warned us for decades, but we are now living the consequences. The BioScience group recently pointed out that humanity has driven the planet into climatic conditions “never witnessed by us or our prehistoric relatives.” Extreme weather events are becoming the norm, and Sint Maarten cannot afford to ignore the pressing reality that we are living in…
GREAT BAY, St. Maarten (October 7, 2024)—The There will be no distinction between civil servants and subsidized schools in terms of payment of Cost of Living Adjustment, (COLA), next year, Minister of Finance, Marinka Gumbs has assured. “The expected indexations will be incorporated into the 2025 budget to ensure all receive their payments concurrently,” she said in a press release. According to the Minister, in September, the focus was on ensuring that the COLA payments were made to civil servants currently in service. “For civil servants who were employed earlier in 2024 but have since left service, the corresponding payments…
~ And what are the implications of moral hazard? ~ By Terrance Rey The question of whether the government can guarantee the recovery of the ENNIA pension fund is a critical one, especially for the policyholders whose pensions are at stake. With the looming financial instability of ENNIA, there is increasing pressure on the government to step in and provide assurances. However, while a government guarantee might offer much-needed security to policyholders, it comes with significant challenges and risks. The Nature of Government Guarantees A government guarantee essentially means that if ENNIA cannot meet its obligations, the government will step…
On Wednesday, October 2, 2024, NV GEBE hosted several Members of the Parliament of St. Maarten for an insightful presentation and tour of the Power Plant. The delegation in attendance included: the Hon. Chairlady of Parliament Sarah A. Wescot-Williams, along with the following Honorable MPs: Melissa D. Gumbs, Viren V. Kotai, Francisco A. Lacroes, Ludmila N.L. de Weever, and Darryl T.J. York. Also, in attendance were various faction members, including: Oliver Williams and Carlita Guy, and St. Maarten Parliament staff members S.G. Garrick Richardson, Jessica Duzong-Weeks and Rosencio Hassell. At the opening by Troy Washington, NV GEBE’s Temporary Manager, he…
GREAT BAY, St. Maarten (October 3, 2024)—The Council of Ministers has approved the amendment to the 2024 budget, and it has already been sent to Parliament, said Finance Minister Marinka Gumbs. Although the amended budget contains a reduction of approximately 25 million guilders in both income and expenditures compared to the current budget, it still includes allocations for several key investment projects that are crucial to St. Maarten’s development, such as improvements to the prison, GEBE, and the Mental Health Foundation. Minister Gumbs expects Parliament to pass the amended budget by the end of October 2024, thus allowing the necessary…
GREAT BAY, St. Maarten – Honor to Whom Honor is Due: For World Tourism Day 2024, eight individuals who have significantly contributed to the development of tourism on the island were honored by Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport, and Telecommunication Grisha Heyliger-Marten, along with the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau. The ceremony took place earlier this week at the Bureau’s office. The honorees were Regina Labega, Vernon Jacobs, Jerome Welcome-Reiph, Zephanie Fleming, Marcel Gumbs, Keith Franca, Lucien Deher, and Felix Hyman. In picture, L-R: Regina Labega, Vernon Jacobs, Minister Grisha Heyliger-Marten, Jerome Welcome-Reiph, Zephanie Fleming, Marcel Gumbs, May-Ling Chun. World…
PHILIPSBURG–The recent decision by CMA CGM, one of the world’s leading ocean freight companies, to re-route its transhipment operations from Pointe Blanche to Guadeloupe due to Port SXM’s inability to accommodate larger LNG-powered vessels has prompted Member of Parliament for the United People’s Party, Francisco Lacroes to renew his call for swift and decisive action to transition St. Maarten towards using Liquified Natural Gas (LNG). MP Lacroes issued a press release Wednesday stating, “As global industries transition to cleaner, more efficient energy sources, St. Maarten faces a critical moment in ensuring its place as a leading regional port and economic…
WILLEMSTAD/PHILIPSBURG – For the past week, the flags of Curaçao and Sint Maarten have flown on the property of the Royal Canadian Mint (RCM) in Winnipeg, Canada. The raising of the flags symbolically concluded a special visit to the Mint, where the first strike of the Cg1 and Cg5 coins took place earlier in the day, bringing the CBCS one step closer to the introduction of the Caribbean guilder. The Cg1 and Cg5 are the final coins in the Caribbean guilder series to be minted, following the completion of the lower denominations. As the coins rolled off the press, Alex…
GREAT BAY — Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication, Grisha Heyliger-Marten (3rd R), last week paid an unannounced visit to the small businesswomen housed temporarily at the Pavillion at the old Government Administration Building area while work on the Soualiga Market gets off the ground on Backstreet. The Minister listened to the concerns of the market vendors and urged them to exercise some patience while the necessary attention is being given to how to drive traffic to their temporary location. ### ADVERTISEMENT
