PHILIPSBURG — “Every discussion about the future of our kingdom is completely meaningless as long as article 73 of the United Nations Charter is considered as a given.” This statement is part of an article written by Sietse Fritsma, a former parliamentarian for the extreme right party PVV. The question is whether Fritsma’s ideas will resurface now that the PVV will be a part of the new Dutch government. Fritsma’s explanation of Article 73 is that the interests of the inhabitants of the Caribbean islands come first and that their wellbeing must be promoted “in order to ensure their progress…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG — It is not at all certain that the parliament will approve the proposal to save Ennia from bankruptcy and thus protecting the interest of its policy holders. Finance Minister Marinka Gumbs presented a detailed overview of the proposal (see related story) but she said at the same time that what is now on the table is not the best solution for St. Maarten. “If you say that this is not the best solution, then take your time and present a better one,” MP and former Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion said. He noted that Gumbs had sought advice…
PHILIPSBURG — Finance Minister Marinka Gumbs is highly critical of the proposed solution to keep insurance company Ennia out of bankruptcy. The Netherlands has made the interest rate St. Maarten has to pay over its 316 million guilders ($176,536,313) Covid-loans dependent on the parliament’s approval of the rescue plan. Parliament has not approved the proposal yet but if it does, the interest rate goes from 3.4 to 2.9 percent. The lower interest rate would save the treasury 1,580,000 guilders ($882,682) per year. Parliamentarians asked several questions but Minister Gumbs asked time to prepare all the answers and suggested that she…
~ Looming Crisis: Unresolved Sinkhole on Cole Bay Hill Raises Concerns ~ COLE BAY — It’s been six weeks since a significant sinkhole appeared on Cole Bay Hill on May 15, 2024, and there is still no resolution in sight. As one of the main roads on the island, this area is crucial for daily commuters, and its current state is becoming a growing concern for the community. The government’s primary focus has been on the energy crisis with GEBE, almost to the exclusion of other pressing issues. This tunnel-vision approach has left the sinkhole problem on Cole Bay Hill…
WILLEMSTAD — After Insel Air ceased operations on February 16, 2019, it was replaced by another Curacao-based airline called Jetair. Five years later, on June 18, 2024, Jetair filed for bankruptcy and the Court in First Instance confirmed its status. Both Insel Air and later Jetair were the national airlines of Curacao. Jetair was founded in 2006 as United Caribbean Airlines and rebranded as Jetair Caribbean in 2019. After the court declared both entities bankrupt, Jetair canceled all flights and the company’s planes were grounded. The trustees in the bankruptcy, attorneys of HBN Law &Tax reported the possibility of a…
By Hilbert Haar Plans to help St. Maarten move forward in a positive direction are wonderful, unless those plans are at odds with reality, or if those plans go in the opposite direction of other plans. I remember that years ago the European Commission funded programs that aimed to discourage smoking, while the same Commission at the same time subsidized tobacco farmers in Greece. That did not make a lot of sense to me. Now we are confronted with another impressive report from the European Commission about the multiannual indicative program (MIP) for St. Maarten. Reading Annex IX of that…
PHILIPSBURG — “It is imperative for St. Maarten to look into renewable energy sources and alternative energy sources. The COVID-19 crisis has shown St. Maarten that making deep structural changes and reforms is unavoidable,” Annex IX of the European territorial multiannual indicative program (MIP) states. The program has €7.7 million (around $8.2 million at the current rate of exchange) available for initiatives in the fields of sustainable and resilient energy and cross-border cooperation. There is even more European money on the line for St. Maarten: €42.67 million ($45.66 million) through the Resilience, Sustainable Energy and Marine Biodiversity Program and €21…
PHILIPSBURG — Politicians are jumping on the energy-crisis bandwagon expressing different concerns and suggestions. URSM-MP Richinel Brug addressed concerns about public health, while DP-MP and President of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams suggested a public private partnership as a way to solve the crisis at utilities company GEBE. Brug stated in a press release that frequent power outages affect frozen food, adding that he received several calls from citizens about this issue. “Some supermarkets do not have a generator while others are not working properly,” he observed. “This could lead to food poisoning.” Brug acknowledges that the troubles at GEBE should not…
GREAT BAY, St. Martin (June 24, 2024)—Dr. Rhoda Arrindell, president of the One St. Martin Association (One SXM), was the sole delegate from St. Martin at the BIG international conference on decolonization in New York last week. Arrindell was an invited speaker at the conference, “Towards Independence and Fundamental Freedoms: The Role of the C-24 in Ending Colonialism,” hosted by the Baku Initiative Group (BIG) at the United Nations headquarters in New York City. Arrindell read the One SXM statement on June 20, highlighting the association’s ongoing campaign “to bring awareness to the St. Martin and international communities about St.…
PHILIPSBURG — In November of last year the Court in First Instance ordered Olivier Arrindell to rectify statements he had made in several videos about former Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs. The penalty for not complying with the ruling was $20,000 per day with a maximum of $4 million. Arrindell did not comply with the verdict and found himself at the receiving end of a letter dated June 20 from Jacobs’ attorneys, Nancy Joubert and Jason Rogers. In this letter, the attorneys point out that Arrindell failed to comply with the court order and that they are holding him liable for…
