Photo caption: Finance Minister Mike Ferrier said last week that all ministries have to find ways to cut costs and that one of the options he is looking at is switching off the lights at the Government Administration Building on Pond Island in the evening and during the night. On Wednesday evening that idea had not become a reality yet, because after business hours the lights were blazing from all windows. However, there were still quite some cars in the parking lot, including the one of Prime Minister Leona Marlin-Romeo, so it is possible that some civil servants were working…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG – CIBC First Caribbean International Bank opened its new office at the Emmaplein on Wednesday evening with a festive ceremony in the presence of bank executives, Prime Minister Leona Marlin-Romeo, Minister Jorien Wuite, Mike Ferrier and Emil Lee and MP Franklin Meyers. Country manager Garth Sherwood welcomes invited guests to the bank’s new home, noting that the road to recovery is long. Mark St. Hill, managing director of CIBC FirstCaribbean International Bank in Barbados was on the island for the opening of the bank’s branch office in Cole Bay in 2016. “It seems like yesterday,” he said. “St. Maarten…
PHILIPSBURG – Construction of the new general hospital could begin as early as March or April, Minister Emil Lee (Public Health) said at Wednesday’s Council of Ministers press briefing. “we have secured financing for 135 million guilders from financial institutions in St. Maarten and Curacao,” the minister said, adding that the total investment is based on post-Irma specifications. “We are in the process of finalizing loan documents and contracts,” Lee said. The hospital-design had to be adjusted after the island went through Hurricane Irma in September of last year. “It is upgraded to rest Hurricane 5+ hurricanes,” the minister said.…
by Jacob Gelt Dekker Hurricane Maria of 2017 posed a tough question to Caribbean islands, to rebuild or not to rebuild. And a far more intriguing dilemma, can Caribbean mini- and micro-States continue to exist? The devastation on Puerto Rico, St. Martin, Barbuda and Dominica was so extensive that it may take ten years, or more, and hundreds of billions of dollars, to rebuild. Tens of thousands of Caribbean island dwellers decided that it was better to leave the destroyed isles, and rebuild their lives elsewhere; they voted with their feet. In Puerto Rico at least 300,000 left the ravages…
Line-up for Carnival’s flagship show announced “live” online Pond Island– Performing artistes, Burning Flames, Jah Cure, T-Vice and local favourites, The Control Band, will be headlining this year’s TelCell Night of the Hit Makers flagship show for Carnival 2018. The artistes were announced live online to Facebook, Youtube and google audiences by show promoter, Berteaux “Mr. Rude” Fleming, during a press conference at the John Larmonie Center, Longwall Road, Tuesday. According to “Mr. Rude” neither the devastation of Hurricane Irma in September last year, nor the tightening of sponsorship belts has curbed his enthusiasm to stage his premier carnival show…
THE HAGUE – Almost five months after the passing of Hurricane Irma the Netherlands still does not have an agreement with the World Bank about the reconstruction of St. Maarten, the Volkskrant reports. Pending that agreement the island has already received €7 million of the €550 million the kingdom has made available for recovery efforts.
CAYHILL: The St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) is pleased to announce the in service of Pediatrician Dr. Thibisay Morvan as of December 21st, 2017. Dr. Morvan brings 20 years of experience to the SMMC with the enthusiasm to utilize her knowledge and experience in her specialty of pediatric intensive care. She was born and raised in Venezuela, where she studied and began her practice. She gained a Master’s degree in Tropical Medicine at Liverpool University in England. She speaks both Spanish and English fluently. Upon completing her education Dr. Morvan worked for several years at the Maternidad Santa Ana in…
Philipsburg — On Tuesday, January 30th, at approximately 11.10 a.m., police patrols and detectives were directed to Old Simpson Bay Road #36 to investigate a case of a man who had hung himself. On the scene the investigating officers located a white male hanging from a tree with a rope tied around his neck. The victim was not showing any signs of life. Dr. Mercuur who arrived shortly at the scene pronounced the death of the victim as “death by hanging”. On the scene the investigators identified the victim with his passport and had also learnt that he had recently…
PHILIPSBURG/THE HAGUE – “It is difficult to explain why parliamentarians and ministers n St. Maarten – the smallest country in the Kingdom – receive the highest salaries,” State Secretary Raymond Knops wrote on Tuesday in answers to questions posed by MP Ronald van Raak (Socialist Party). The State Secretary noted that these salaries fall under the authority of Country St. Maarten and that it is up to St. Maarten to come up with an explanation.
Dear Editor, The main motivation when postulating one’s self to political party is to serve the people. It’s why we are called Civil Servants. Unfortunately, however; not every postulated candidate shares this motivation. Also noticeable are persons postulated with the best of intentions, and later unfortunately corrupted by others. As a member of the National Alliance I am extremely fortunate that no such pressure was ever placed upon me by any member of the party. As I climbed in rank, supported by the voters of St. Maarten, the former leader and Prime Minister William Marlin, embraced the rise and started…
