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…
Author: The Publisher
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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…
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.…
THE HAGUE — Is someone convicted if a court finds a defendant guilty and punishable but does not impose a sanction? The Supreme Court considered this question “in the interest of the law” after the Common Court of Justice in Curacao ruled that in such circumstances a defendant does not become a convict. Now there is clarity: a conviction that does not contain a sanction (like imprisonment, community service or a fine) is a conviction for a crime, as described in Curacao’s national ordinance integrity candidate-ministers. After the Court in First Instance and the Common Court of Justice arrived at…
PHILIPSBURG – The faction of the National Alliance (NA) has requested an urgent meeting of parliament with the objective to establish an amendment to the national budget to facilitate the purchase of generators for utilities company GEBE. The NA states in a press release that it is dissatisfied with the lack of clarity after a meeting with Prime Minister Mercelina to discuss solutions for the energy crisis. NA-MP and former Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion strongly disagrees with Mercelina’s statement that renting a power barge (a proposed solution) is too expensive. “I do not believe that any solution which can…
PHILIPSBURG — Two new political parties will contest the August 19 parliamentary elections: the Soualiga Action Movement (SAM) and the Oualichi Movement for Change (OMC). The founder of the latter party is businessman Olivier Arrindell. The Electoral Council confirmed the party’s retroactive registration per May 31, 2024. Nathalie Tackling, the chairlady of the Electoral Council confirmed that both parties are eligible to take part in the elections. The admission of both parties is based on “an instruction by the prime minister to adhere to June 17 as the deadline for registration,” Tackling told StMaartenNews.com. The legal basis for this decision…
THE HAGUE — Instead of Nicolien van Vroonhoven-Kok, the number two on the list of Pieter Omtzigt’s party New Social Contract (NSC), Zsolt Szabo, a member of Geert Wilders’ anti-immigration Party for Freedom (PVV) will become the new State Secretary for Digitalization and Kingdom Relations. That is, as the Dutch newspaper Trouw reported, “bad news for the islands.” Ferenc Zsolt Szabo is described as a seasoned politician for the VVD, but his appointment to the post is on behalf of the PVV. Szabo, 62, is currently the vice-president of IT-company Capgemini and the vice-chairman of ECP, a platform that promotes…
Philipsburg, St. Maarten – June 17, 2024 – MP Egbert J. Doran is requesting the upcoming Parliamentary recess to be canceled due to the ongoing national crisis. He believes it is important for Members of Parliament to remain at work and focus on finding solutions for the people. In a letter to President of Parliament, Sarah Wescot-Williams, MP Doran highlighted the need for continued effort during these challenging times. “Our people need to know that their Members of Parliament are committed to working tirelessly on their behalf, especially during these times,” Doran wrote. The recess is scheduled to last for…
PHILIPSBURG — Cusha Cartoons is more than a collection of 96 satirical cartoons, published on StMaartenBews.com between 2016 and 2023. Almost all of the cartoons come with back stories that offer readers a candid insight into St. Maarten’s political history during the seven years that are covered by the 244-page book. Author Terrance Rey, the publisher of StMaartenNews.com, went all out to uncover the stories that make St. Maarten to what it is today. Satire is more than a sarcastic view on current events; handled with care, as Rey did, it also puts a smile on the faces of those…
PHILIPSBURG — Democratic Party Member of Parliament and President of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams has asked Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina to reconsider his decision to hold a meeting about utilities company GEBE behind closed doors. A public meeting should “allow the people to hear from the respective ministers about GEBE and it has nothing to do with any demand by the opposition for an open door meeting, but all with allowing the government to balance providing the public with information and safeguarding any national interest that could be affected by untimely and incomplete information that could jeopardize GEBE’s long-term survivability,”…
