PHILIPSBURG – Discussions about the dispute regulation during the Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation got heated when the delegations from Curacao, Aruba and St. Maarten expressed their disappointment about the draft law State Secretary Knops has sent to the Dutch parliament and about the fact that the Dutch Ipko-delegation declined to take a position on the issue. Especially within the Curacao-delegation there seems to be discontent. The Caribbean islands pressured their Dutch colleagues to stick to the agreements that were made in the Ipko in 2015 when all four delegations found common ground. But VVD-parliamentarian André Bosman labeled the discontent in a…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG – All four delegations taking part in the Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation (Ipko) reacted positively to a proposal by VVD parliamentarian André Bosman to establish structural election observation. In the Netherlands this is already regulated in the electoral law but the three Caribbean islands will have to develop their own vision on this issue. St. Maarten received election observers for the first time during the 2018 elections. “It is customary in many countries to observe each other’s elections,” Bosman told the Ipko-gathering on Thursday. “The democratic process is very valuable and it is important to make elections as accountable as…
Authorities tolerate unfair competition at Great Bay Marina PHILIPSBURG – The dispute between Dock Maarten, Bobby’s Marina and Country St. Maarten is alive and kicking. Bobby’s Marina continues to operate on parcels of water without holding long lease rights and valid building permits, to infringe upon de Neutral Waterway Agreement and to ignore government-orders to take down illegally constructed structures. The government does nothing against this and even refuses to entertain a meeting with Dock Maarten to discuss the situation. One major bone of contention is the irrefutable fact that Bobby’s Marine has been using water parcels without holding rights…
By Hilbert Haar It is no news that French-side garbage ends up on the dump on Soualiga Boulevard. What is however news is that the department of infrastructure apparently has no idea how to prevent this from happening. On the French side garbage collectors have to pay a fee for every truck that dumps garbage on the landfill, but on Dutch St. Maarten dumping is free. The head of VROMI’s Infrastructure Management Department, Claudius Buncamper said during a presentation at the Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation on Wednesday that trucks with a French license plate will not be given access to the…
PHILIPSBURG — Applications for housing jumped after hurricane Irma from 1,500 to 9,000 according to the St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation but Louis Brown, secretary-general at the ministry of VROMI, doubts these numbers. During a presentation about housing issues at the Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation on Wednesday, he said that the number is more likely to be around 3,000. To tackle housing issues on a non-construction level caused by Hurricane Irma in September 2017, the government needs close to 20 million guilders, Brown said. Most of that money (15 million) would go to an “informal settlement upgrading project” while another 4…
PHILIPSBURG — A waste to energy facility is no longer the first option for dealing with the island’s garbage issues. The focus has shifted from producing energy to getting rid of waste. This became clear from a presentation by Claudius Buncamper, the head of infrastructure management at the VROMI-ministry at the Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation on Wednesday. Taking a decision about how the government wants to solve its garbage issues could take up to three years, Buncamper said. It is more than likely that the government will take steps to impose levies on garbage collection and on waste water processing. Up…
PHILIPSBURG – Over the past months, the Government of Sint Maarten has worked closely with the Netherlands, the World Bank and the European Investment Bank to secure the necessary funding for the full recovery and strengthening of Princess Juliana International Airport. The Government has initiated this process based on a request for financial assistance by the airport. The discussions with the Netherlands, the World Bank and the European Investment Bank have resulted in a financing proposal of a 100 million US dollars for the reconstruction of the terminal and related facilitates. Under this proposal, 50 million US dollars will be…
PHILIPSBURG – Over the past months, the Government of Sint Maarten has worked closely with the Netherlands, the World Bank and the European Investment Bank to secure the necessary funding for the full recovery and strengthening of Princess Juliana International Airport. The Government has initiated this process based on a request for financial assistance by the airport. The discussions with the Netherlands, the World Bank and the European Investment Bank have resulted in a financing proposal of a 100 million US dollars for the reconstruction of the terminal and related facilitates. Under this proposal, 50 million US dollars will be…
PHILIPSBURG – On Wednesday January 9th, during the Council of Ministers Press Briefing, Prime Minister Leona Romeo Marlin confirmed the appointment by the Council of Ministers of Claret Connor as Director of the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB). As Director of the NRPB Mr. Connor will be responsible for the execution of the National Recovery and Resilience Plan. During his courtesy visit to the Cabinet of the Prime Minister, Director Connor received an introductory briefing on the status of the recovery process. “I would like to express special thanks to Prime Minister Leona Romeo Marlin the Council of Ministers for…
By Hilbert Haar Every now and then when there is apparently nothing better to do, this question comes up. Who is a St. Maartener? Drs. Rodolphe Samuel, a member of the National Alliance, has once more lit the fire under this seemingly simple question with a draft motion. Technicalities aside – Samuel is not a member of parliament, so he cannot submit motions – his proposal is to declare anyone borne after 10-10-10 on the island to be a St. Maartener. As a seemingly vague afterthought, the motion also notes that “there are persons born before 10-10-10 who are St.…
