PHILIPSBURG — Families who are suffering to “make ends meet” are encouraged to visit the Ministry of Labor to acquire financial aid, said Minister of Health, Labor and Social Affairs Emil Lee. The Labor Minister was responding to questions about the increase of the minimum wage which is now seen as way below the living wages for employees. Increase of minimum wages have always been a topic of discussions in all the elections for the last 25 years. Lee pointed out that that it is presently the focus of ongoing discussions with the tripartite committee. This committee consists of the…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG — The introduction of a general health insurance policy seems to be the solution to all the health care woes facing the government. Minister responsible for health affairs Emil Lee said at Wednesday’s Council of Ministers press conference that everyone will have to fall under the general health insurance policy. However persons will have options to maintain their private insurance and pay a solidarity fee in the general health insurance as a solidarity contribution, which means that they will be helping in the community health care cost. “In order for persons to opt out of the general insurance the…
~ Suspected perpetrators in pre-trial detention ~ PHILIPSBURG/MARIGOT — The victim that was involved in a stabbing incident that occurred on the French side on the morning of Monday March 25th, 2019, does not want to press charges. This is according to a report published online by Soualigapost.com. The French prosecutor’s office however is still pressing on with a criminal case against the alleged perpetrators who have been placed in pre-trial detention and sent to Guadeloupe. On the Monday morning in question, a car pulled up on the curbside in front of the L’Express cafe restaurant (in the Bakery &…
PHILIPSBURG — The government has appointed Drs. Alwin Queeli as the new Interim Prison Director for the Pointe Blanche Prison. This was announced by the Justice Minister Cornelius De Weever during the weekly Council press conference on Wednesday. The new Interim Director who comes highly recommended, is said to have a wealth of experience working in the prison system and was also the director of the Bon Futuro prison in Curacao. “His expertise includes among others, organizational enhancement, policy development and risk management,” said De Weever. The recruitment process which started in May 2018 after the former prison was suspended…
POND ISLAND — During the council of Ministers’ press briefing of Wednesday March 27th, Minister Lee outlined several examples of groups of persons who fall in between the cracks of the current health insurance system, facing challenges in accessing health insurance. These groups include sole proprietors, persons working less than 5 days, persons earning above the ZV wage limit, persons who are under insured via private insurance, persons who do not qualify for private insurance based on age or pre-existing conditions etc. At present, persons who cannot access health insurance become reliant on the Government. “This might not show up…
WILLEMSTAD — A press release from the Ministry of Traffic, Transportation and Spatial Planning (VVRP) in Curacao on March 26, 2019, contained a letter from the Minister of VVRP, Zita Jeus-Leito, to Liberty Latin America (LLA) on the sale of United Telecommunication Services (UTS). Entire letter reads as follows: Dear Chairman, As a shareholder, the Country Curacao has an interest in the continuity of its companies. The financial challenges facing UTS and its subsidiaries are not unknown. Measures have been taken by the board to reduce costs. Also, the current financial situation of the company is such that capital from…
PHILIPSBURG — Insel Air may be bankrupt but its successor is almost ready to take to the skies. JetAir Caribbean a company owned by Antonio Ribeiro (Tony), who with his CEO Robert Maas, has already brought the first Fokker-70 plane to Hato airport in Curacao. A second plane, that will mainly function as a backup to safeguard on-time performance will follow in April. For now, JetAir Caribbean keeps the lid on the exact destinations it will service, but according to the Antilliaans Dagblad the focus will be on mid-range distant flights to places like Trinidad, Jamaica, Haiti and Medellin in…
By Hilbert Haar The story that I am hearing now is that suspended MP Theo Heyliger is done with politics. It tallies with a statement he made to me earlier last year when he wrote me a message saying that the 2018 election had been his last one. His arrest on February 19 and his continued incarceration may have sped up the decision, though I have no way of knowing whether Heyliger is really going to disappear from the political arena. If he does not reclaim his seat after his release, the coalition does not have much to worry about…
PHILIPSBURG/THE HAGUE — During a reception party hosted by the St. Maarten House in The Hague, Governor Eugene Holiday gave the following speech under the theme “Building partnerships of cooperation for socio-economic susttainability”. ### BUILDING PARTNERSHIPS OF COOPERATION FOR SOCIO-ECONOMIC SUSTAINABILITY by H.E. drs. Eugene B. Holiday Governor of Sint Maarten Domo Electica, The Hague, March 26, 2019 Excellencies, Ladies and Gentlemen, Good evening, I bring you warm greetings from Sint Maarten. It is truly good to see and welcome all of you for this reception. And particularly, to see several persons and representatives of organizations who, over…
PHILIPSBURG — Guyanese Nationals will no longer need to have their documents stamped with the Apostille to ensure that it is authentic. This was brought to the attention of the Guyanese diaspora through a recent publication which was issued by the Guyana government. According to the publication on August 16, 2018, the Permanent Bureau was informed that the Cooperative Republic of Guyana had deposited its instrument of accession to the Hague Convention of October 5, 1961, abolishing the legislation for foreign documents (Apostille Convention) on July 19, 2018. With the accession of Guyana, the Apostille Convention now has 116 contracting…
