PHILIPSBURG – “We are starting to see signs of economic recovery and some jobs coming back to the community,” Minister Emil Lee (Public Health, Social Development and Labor) said at Wednesday’s Council of Ministers press briefing. “There are positive signs that St. Maarten is busy to rebound – not as quickly as we would like, but there are positive indications all the same.” The minister based his statements on the job fair held at Divi Little Bay Resort on Tuesday, where 260 permanent residents and Dutch passport holders applied for a job. The resort plans to reopen 87 rooms during…
Author: The Publisher
INVESTING IN DEVELOPING HERITAGE TOURISM, Opportunity and Responsibility Remarks delivered by H.E. drs. Eugene B. Holiday Governor of Sint Maarten on the occasion of the Grand Opening of the Rockland Estate Sint Maarten April 11, 2018 Ladies and Gentlemen, Good Afternoon. Today’s Grand opening of the Rockland Estate by Rainforest Adventure represents a new chapter in the evolution of this area from former plantation to eco-park for visitors and residents. An evolution that interconnects Sint Maarten’s former plantation economy with Sint Maarten’s current tourism economy. An evolution which because of this unique site has the potential to interconnect our culture,…
PHILIPSBURG – While the French side of the island already saw an influx of refugees from Venezuela back in 2016, Minister of Justice Cornelius de Weever said on Wednesday that no requests for asylum had come across his desk from that corner so far. De Weever reflected on his meeting with Dutch Minister of Foreign Affairs Stef Blok and the Prime Ministers of Aruba and Curacao to discuss the situation in Venezuela. “The situation is a lot different for them than it is for St. Maarten,” he said, before referring to Prime Minister Marlin-Romeo for further elucidation. “We do not…
PHILIPSBURG – A fire on the post-Irma dumpsite on Pond Island ignited on Tuesday night and continued to be a nuisance throughout the day on Wednesday. Low-hanging smoke wafted over Soualiga Boulevard and on social media citizens complained about yet another dump fire. Prime Minister Leona Marlin-Romeo said at Wednesday’s Council of Ministers press briefing that the people from the fire department and the ministry of VROMI were at the location on Tuesday night. “As I speak they are doing their utmost to extinguish this fire.” The government will continue to monitor the effects of the smoke, the Prime Minister…
PHILIPSBURG – The Council of Ministers approved the draft 2018 budget on Wednesday morning and its now on its way to the Council of Advice, the Board financial supervision (Cft) and the General Audit Chamber for scrutiny and comment. Minster Mike Ferrier (Finance) expects a speedy advice process that will enable the Parliament to approve the budget by May 1. Ferrier said that the adjusted budget has brought down the deficit from 257 to 250 million guilders. “That is still a huge amount and I ask everybody to do his fair share to reduce our costs.” Personnel costs for 2018…
PHILIPSBURG – The Receiver’s Office will be open on Saturday from 9 a.m. until 1 p.m. to accommodate companies that have to come in to pay their turnover tax and other duties, Minister Mike Ferrier (Finance) announced at Wednesday’s Council of Ministers press briefing. The fifteenth of the month is the standard deadline for companies to bring in their turnover taxes. Because that date falls on a Sunday this month, the deadline has been extended by one day until next Monday. Minister Ferrier said that the opening of the Receiver’s Office on Saturday is designed to accommodate tax payers. To…
PHILIPSBURG – The Court in First Instance postponed the trial against the former station manager for Insel Air in St. Maarten and a sales ticket sales agent to an unspecified future date because there is no clarity about the amount of money the two defendants allegedly embezzled from the company. The court wants to see bank statements to find out how much money the defendants deposited in the account of their now former employer. In August 2016, Insel Air filed a complaint against station manager Alonzo Alfred H. (now 51) and sales agent Stephanie B.B. (now 28) after discovering that…
PHILIPSBURG – For the time being the Central Voting Bureau (CVB) does not see a role for itself in assessing the right of United St. Maarten party (USp) leader Frans Richardson to his seat in Parliament. CVB-chairman Jason Rogers met with the chair of Parliament, MP Sarah Wescot-Williams, to discuss the situation last week.
By Hilbert Haar Informateurs disrupt the political process. That’s the opinion of well-respected political analyst Julio Romney (see article: Political analyst Romney: “Informateurs disrupt political process”). It is a clear statement but I think that it misses the point.
PHILIPSBURG – The concept of the informateur disrupts the political process, political analyst Julio Romney said in a broadcast of the discussion program Viewpoint on PJD2 shortly after the elections. That’s a remarkable point of view that we highlight here, with permission from presenter Wendell Moore, for our readers.
