PHILIPSBURG – The Council of Ministers has appointed Mr. Rafael Boasman as Quartermaster of the Integrity Chamber with the task of setting up the institution on Sint Maarten. The setup of the Integrity Chamber involves finding an appropriate office location and the hiring of qualified staff to run the day-to-day operations among others. The Netherlands has also appointed Mr. Hans Lobber as Quartermaster and he is expected to visit Sint Maarten shortly. Communication between both men has already commenced as preparations for the establishment of the Integrity Chamber remains of utmost importance for the Government of Sint Maarten. On Friday…
Author: The Publisher
By: Koos Sneek May 6th 2018 On April 3 the judge ruled in the case which former interim island secretary Koert Kerkhoff had initiated against St. Eustatius Island government. The judge ruled in favor of the government. Kerkhoff had requested the court to instruct government not to obstruct him to continue doing his job as island secretary. First of all, it is kind of remarkable that only last week through Facebook this verdict became known to the public. It gives the impression that the former coalition parties have attempted to keep this information, which also can be considered a loss…
Dear Editor, The Board of the Sint Maarten Christian Party (SMCP) would like to extend sincere condolences to the wife, family and friends of the late Joseph Emmanuel Richardson, affectionately known as Joe. “As leader of the SMCP, I have a strong connection to Mr. Richardson who was always a source of inspiration and encouragement to me,” Smith said. “Joe was the youngest person in the Netherlands Antilles to be appointed as Administrator, which inspired me to eventually also pursue a career in government.” In October 1969, the well-known Ebony Magazine published an article about Joe (see photo above, Ed.),…
PHILIPSBURG — Settlement of the insurance claim for the repairs to the New Government Building due to the passing of hurricanes Irma and Maria pave the way for reconstruction of the building with an anticipated completion date before the start of the upcoming hurricane season. The building is owned by SZV but rented by Government. Damages sustained were both to the exterior and interior of the building and were estimated at USD 2.653.000,-. The insurance claim for the damages was settled for USD 2.450.000,- after a deducible of USD 540.000,-. The exterior damages being namely to the roof and the…
I would like to extend my sincere condolences to Mrs. Loretta Richardson and the rest of the Richardson family as you mourn the loss of Joe Richardson, a man that was well admired by all over the years for his humble and steadfast personality. St. Maarten has lost a hero! On the 3rd of August, 1973, I was just 20 years old when I had the privilege to cast my first vote for this great man fondly called “Joe for so”. He was devoted to the upliftment of this beautiful Island and he was selfless in his pursuit for growth…
PHILIPSBURG – The Central Committee of Parliament continued on Thursday with the handling of the 2018 budget in a setting that began in the morning, continued into the afternoon and, after an adjournment trundled on towards the end of the afternoon and into the early evening. Members of the Council of Ministers were present to answer questions, MPs asked for clarifications and later on they peppered the ministers with yet more questions about a myriad of subjects. The parliamentarians stayed on topic and from their attitude it seems that there is little objection against the budget, even though there are…
PHILIPSBURG – MP Wycliffe Smith (SMCP) got almost instant satisfaction from his remark during Thursday’s Central Committee meeting about the 2018 budget that Parliament should be more involved in the country’s financial management. Finance Minister Mike Ferrier declared Smith’s suggestions applicable with immediate effect. Smith noted that the Parliament should be more involved in overseeing the country’s financial management. “It cannot be that only when the budget has to be approved, Parliament has to drop everything to meet the date that the government or the Kingdom government sets. Parliament needs to become more pro-active.” Smith pointed out, based on a…
PHILIPSBURG – Incineration of garbage, the production of electricity from waste and mining the existing landfill are part of the options Minister Miklos Giterson listed for the improvement of landfill-management during Thursday’s central committee meeting about the 2018 budget. But the minister did not say a word about the waste-to-energy facility his predecessor Christophe Emmanuel presented in December of last year. Minister Giterson referred in his address to the Central Committee to a SOAB-report about the management of the landfill. That report found shortcomings in the terms of reference. Those terms are now under consideration and a new version should…
PHILIPSBURG – More than 3,400 elementary school children will take part in a massive eye screening exercise organized by the Lions Club from May 14 to 18 at the Belair community center together with Volunteer Optometric Services to Humanity (Vosh), an Omaha, Nebraska-based non-profit organization that will send nineteen doctors and assistants along with three fast screening machines to the island. The total cost of the project is around $30,000; 80 percent of that amount has been raised through fundraising and donations from local sponsors. Vosh handles the balance of the funding, Davey Woods, chairman of the organizing Lions-committee said…
~ Two month celebration being planned ~ The St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) on Wednesday announced April 22, 2019, to May 6, 2019, as the dates for the 50th anniversary of St. Maarten Carnival. “We are going to go all out for Carnival’s golden anniversary. It will be a celebration to remember,” SCDF President Alston Lourens said, adding that the Saves The Dates campaign is underway via social media. The official part of Carnival 2019 (when Carnival Village opens and closes) spans two weeks, exactly 14 days. The pre-Carnival events, the SCDF explained, will start mid-March and run until…
