By Koos Sneek In the Daily Herald of Friday, January 19th, there was an article about the Island Council meeting in Statia held on the day before. In the article the reporter mentions that the faction of the Democratic Party walked out the meeting. The reporter deemed it not necessary to also report on the reasons why the faction walked out the meeting or if it was not clear to him or her to seek clarity by the DP faction. A political faction does not walk out of an official Island Council meeting for no reason. Certainly not the Democratic…
Author: The Publisher
By Hilbert Haar I don’t know how many people have noticed – and started wondering about – the additional function that several stores have bestowed upon their security guards. I certainly did; on a certain level it irritates the hell out of me and on another level I find it hilarious. When I leave stores like Ace in Cole Bay or Cost U Less in Philipsburg there is always a security guard at the exit. He or she has apparently been instructed to ask me (and all other customers) to show the receipt for the purchased items. The guards are…
The latest campaign rhetoric coming out of the USP camp exposes a question we have been wondering ourselves. Who is the true leader of the United Democrats party? Another question mulling on our minds is that of the Minister Plenipotentiary for in The Hague. Or the lack thereof. This vital position has been reduced to nothing more than a fixture in the Kingdom Council of Ministers meetings. Now St. Maarten has gone a step further and reduced it to that of an invisible fixture. In order words, the figurative lack of representation these past couple of years in the Kingdom…
It is the season of End of the Year and New Year parties and reception. At this time, many organizations reflect on the past year and set goals for the new year ahead. However, many think that this is just a tradition or a ritual, and are not aware that this a part of the governance cycle. Governance is a circular process of periodically repeating actions and events. The most noticeable circle is the annual cycle, which starts with establishing an annual business plan and finishes with the presentation of the annual report, approved by the external accountant. Personally, I…
PHILIPSBURG – On behalf of the Public Schools and the Ministry, Minister Jorien Wuite expresses her sincere condolence to the family, friends and teachers of Kenrick Richardson on his passing. Kenrick, a student of the St. Maarten Vocational Training School, died Wednesday, January 17th in Colombia after a prolonged illness. Kenrick was described by teachers as a very courteous, quiet, respectful student who would always encourage his classmates to do the right thing. His passing has sent a wave of sadness throughout the school. Student councilors visited the school on Friday to offer their services to any student or staff…
PHILIPSBURG – On Friday January 19th the German Ambassador Dirk Brengelmann paid a courtesy visit to Prime Minister Leona Romeo Marlin at the Government Building. During the meeting the two parties discussed briefly the political developments on Sint Maarten, reconstruction efforts, tourism initiatives, higher education and how Germany can assist Sint Maarten in its future development. Prime Minister Romeo Marlin also took the time to express her gratitude for the humanitarian aid provided by Germany following the devastation Sint Maarten faced after the passing of Hurricane Irma. Photo caption – German Ambassador Dirk Brengelmann exchanges gifts with Prime Minister Leona…
Pond Island — TelEm Group technicians are going all out Saturday to repair a faulty telecommunication cable in the Pelican area Saturday and are warning customers in the area to expect interruptions in mobile and internet services. According to TelEm Group, Manager, Outside Plant, Marco London, the cable repair and related telecommunication cabinet cutover has become critical because of the deterioration of service to customers in the area in recent weeks. During the cable repair and cabinet cutover of residential and business properties, there will be voice and data service outages in the following streets: Opal Road Zircon Road Topaz…
GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – A small Work Group (WG) within the Emergency Support Functions (ESF) that falls under the Emergency Operations Center (EOC), has been formed to assess and ensure National Tsunami Preparedness within the Government apparatus, and to develop a national tsunami preparedness plan. A tsunami is a very large ocean wave caused by an underwater earthquake or volcanic eruption. On Tuesday a meeting chaired by the EOC Disaster Coordinator and Fire Chief Clive Richardson, and supported by ESF-10 Coordinator and Secretary General of the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications (Ministry TEATT) Miguel de…
THE ROTARY CLUB OF SINT MAARTEN AND THE LIONS CLUB OF SINT MAARTEN ACCEPT LARGE DONATIONS FROM THE JUMP UP CASINO Rotary to Continue Focus On Children; Lions to Continue Focus on Vision PHILIPSBURG, SINT MAARTEN – January 19, 2018 – The Rotary Club of Sint Maarten and the Lions Club of Sint Maarten proudly accepted large donations from the Jump Up Casino on Saturday evening at L’Isola Restaurant in Pelican Key totaling $46,694. The donation was shared equally between the two Clubs. Students from The Gulliver Schools of Miami, Florida, who were on island to assist with various beach clean up efforts,…
GREAT BAY, Sint Maarten (DCOMM) – The Collective Preventive Services (CPS), a government department under the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, says due to recent rainfall the country has experienced, CPS is calling on the populace to wear light colored clothing at dusk; long sleeve shirts and pants; and use mosquito repellent to prevent being bitten by a mosquito that could possibly be carrying a mosquito borne disease. Actively destroy or dispose of tin cans, old tires, buckets, unused plastic swimming pools or other containers that collect and hold water. Do not allow water to accumulate in…
