There is a commonly used word here on St. Maarten that, when used, aptly describes a funny but ironical situation in just one five-letter word: “jokey”. We had a ‘jokey’ situation yesterday that promptly forced both Telem and UTS to issue public statements denying any culpability in this jokey situation. We know of one well-known politician on St. Maarten who, after elections, in order to avoid being engaged in conversations with people on the street, often acts like he is on the phone talking. In this situation the phone is used as a tool to avoid contact. Now it is election time, the phone…
Author: The Publisher
THE HAGUE/PHILIPSBURG — In a letter dated January 25 addressed to the Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, Leona Marlin-Romeo, Dutch State Secretary Raymond Knops turned down the request of the Sint Maarten Government to have the dissolution decree discussed in a Kingdom Council meeting with the intention to have it annulled. On behalf of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Kingdom Relations (BZK), State Secretary Knops writes to PM Marlin-Romeo: “In your letter you express reservations about the legality of the National Decree concerning the dissolution of the States. You therefore request an opinion from the Council of Ministers of…
Unsolicited campaign calls irk phone users Philipsburg — UTS received a string of complaints from customers today regarding unsolicited calls and messages received on their mobile phones. The calls and messages originated from campaigns vying for the upcoming parliamentary elections. The telecom provider was contacted by customers concerned about whether the operator provided their information for the purposes of these campaign solicitations. The mobile operator informed that it had no involvement, as the calls are the result of an automated system employed by the campaigns and no cooperation from mobile providers is needed. These so-called ‘robo-calls’ are made by using…
Philipsburg – Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS) Jorien Wuite strongly encourages all organizations, especially all schools, sport and cultural organizations to register with the SXM Doet campaign and make use of the up to $1000 available to execute a project of their choosing. SXM Doet is scheduled to take place on March 9th and 10th. The yearly event sponsored by the Oranje Fonds is the largest volunteer event in the Dutch Kingdom. Due to the increased challenges facing the island after the passing of Hurricane Irma an increase has been made to the usual $650 available. Minister…
Philipsburg — Having established that the concerns presented to the Constitutional Court, which led to the first Ordinance on the Integrity Chamber being squashed, and the contours offered by the Court for consideration in drafting a new law, were adequately addressed in the law ratified on 18 December 2017, the Ombudsman considers the rights of the people sufficiently protected. The main reason for the petition to the Constitutional Court against the first National Ordinance Integrity Chamber revolved around the lack of protection of the fundamental rights of the persons involved in an investigation, whether it being a party of interest,…
GREAT BAY — “The people of Sint Maarten deserve much better than this,” was the reaction of former Prime Minister William Marlin to statements made by Interim Prime Minister Leona Marlin-Romeo that she had sent a letter to the Kingdom Government regarding the National Decree to hold snap elections on February 26, 2018. “It is either that our Honourable Interim Prime Minister doesn’t have a clue as to how government really functions, or she is clearly and openly demonstrating that her cabinet doesn’t want to deal with his Excellency our Governor Drs. Eugene Holiday.” Elections for Parliament are being held…
PHILIPSBURG – The Government of Sint Maarten and UNDP signed a project document outlining the support of UNDP towards the early recovery process in Sint Maarten. The project entails house repairs, clean-ups and repairs of community structures. The interventions are to be implemented in close cooperation with different government agencies through an employment generation approach, utilizing labour from the areas where house repairs and other works are being done. The total value of these projects is 2.6 million US dollars. UNDP will utilize national contractors in the implementation of these projects, supplemented with labour from the intervention areas. The project…
PHILIPSBURG –Member of Parliament Chanel Brownbill has made an attempt to prevent that he would be dragged into court for tax fraud, but a ruling from the Common Court of Justice of December 20 of last year, published on January 15, shows that the case can continue. Brownbill – currently a member of the United St. Maarten party faction – will have to appear in court on February 7. Brownbill’s attorney Safira Ibrahim told the court in a closed-door hearing in December that her client has filed a tax return in the meantime and that the prosecutor ought to await…
Willemstad — BES Reporter reports on their website that flights by Curaçao-based carrier Insel Air no longer seem a given, now that the company is increasingly plagued by operational issues, a lack of planes and a lack of spare parts to keep their 3 operational planes in the air. Over the last few days Insel has had great trouble to keep up some sort of a regular schedule. Various flights during the past day were actually executed by Haitian carrier Sunrise Airways, because of lack of operational capacity at Insel Air. According to yet unconfirmed rumors, even the last operational…
Under the law of Sint Maarten it is possible to form a co-operative association (coöperatieve vereniging, or coöperatie) also called a co-operative. The co-operative is a distinct legal entity, a special kind of association, formed by two or more members (individuals or companies may be a member) to realize a benefit. The incorporation of a co-operative is relatively easy: a notarial deed, signed by the civil law notary and at least two members, is enough. Also in other aspects the legal regime regarding a co-operative is relatively light. Activities of the co-operative The law of Sint Maarten offers great flexibility…
