In general a Motion is a question or issue put to a vote in Parliament expressing its position on a particular topic or issue, its feelings or view, a desire or an instruction of Parliament on any particular subject. A Motion must be submitted in writing, signed by the presenter and must be seconded by at least 2 other members, before it can be debated and voted on. Some motions are accepted or rejected by a majority vote in Parliament. The motion can relate to any subject and is oftentimes directed towards the Government. The subject of this article, the…
Author: The Publisher
On February 26, 2018, a “snap” election will take place. Voters are called to cast their vote to elect 15 Parliamentarians. According to the Constitution of St. Maarten, Parliament has the task to approve concept laws of the Council of Ministers (ARTICLE 83); can also propose laws (ARTICLE 85); amend laws; pose questions to government (Council of Ministers) (ARTICLE 62); and can start inquiries (ARTICLE 64). A member of Parliament cannot be in Parliament and be a Minister at the same time. Article 33 of the Constitution of St. Maarten states that ministers are appointed and dismissed by National Decree.…
Philipsburg — The Sint Maarten Nature Foundation has made 100 facemasks available to the Charlotte Brookson Academy this week. The facemasks were donated on two separate occasions by Nature Foundation Project Manager Melanie Meijer ze Schlochtern and Manager Tadzio Bervoets in order to provide some protection to the students of the school. “The staff and students of the CBA are in a direct downwind location from the fumes caused by the landfill and therefore we decided to provide these facemasks to the staff and students”, commented Bervoets. During previous studies in air quality and soil composition at the Philipsburg landfill…
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Philipsburg — “Building back better with good governance is key for progress,” writes Loekie Morales in a press release issued yesterday. The author and politician describes how “Sint Maarten has been hit by the devastating hurricane Irma and still we can see around us lots of damages to houses, commercial buildings and our infrastructure. But we have resilience people, who know the dynamics of fighting back to get there, where we want to be: A recovered Sint Maarten, not only physically but also mentally. The Recovery plan with its principle of ‘Building Back Better’, tackles great part of the physical…
By Hilbert Haar Vromi-Minister Christophe Emmanuel is at war with the media, and with the Daily Herald in particular. I think it is time to stand up for our colleagues at Bush Road and take a closer look at the situation. The minister is making a lot of noise but I am convinced that this is an attempt to create a smokescreen. Blaming the messenger is a very old game. Every journalist comes sooner or later in a situation where a source will deny a controversial quote attributed to him. A professional journalist has one solid weapon: his integrity. You…
PHILIPBURG – Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs Rafael Boasman shed some light on the troubles citizens experience with the census Office at Wednesday’s Council of Ministers press briefing. “There was no malice or lack of attention from the government to remedy any inconvenience,” he said. Part of a solution is in the making: a toll-free dedicated phone number. Citizens have had trouble reaching the Census Office since it moved – out of necessity – after Hurricane Irma to limited space in the new government building. The phone number that was given out for the Census Office did not…
PHILIPSBURG – The National Day of Prayer will take place this Sunday at 4 p.m. in front of the new government building on Pond Island, Minister Silveria Jacobs (Educations, Culture, Youth and Sport) announced on Wednesday. The annual event is a collaboration between the government, the Christian Council of Churches, the St. Maarten United Ministerial Foundation and the Seventh Day Adventist Church. With a reference to the Thanksgiving ceremony that took place in December at the same location, Minister Jacobs said that these ecumenical services became a tradition after Hurricane Luis in 1995. The theme of this years ceremony is…
PHILIPSBURG – The Court in First Instance sentenced four youngsters to prison sentences varying from 24 months to 10 years for their role in armed robberies and a home invasion whereby a resident was ill-treated and tied up. A fifth defendant got off with a wholly conditional youth detention sentence. The court sentenced all five defendants to repay the home invasion victim $13,000 in damages. Brian Boodram (20) received the heaviest sentence of 10 years; Ashmore Deandre Hodge (18) and Delangio Rakeem Webster (21) were each sentenced to 9 years, while 20-year old Janry St. Ville’s sentence was limited to…
Philipsburg — Rolando Brison, on Wednesday shared his plans and insight into his campaign slogan “Making Tourism Work For You” that primarily focused on St. Maarten’s tourism product and how it can and should benefit every citizen directly, through job creation and/or economic gains. Brison, current Head of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau (STB), is contesting the upcoming Parliamentary Elections on February 26 with the United St. Maarten (US) party as the party’s #4 candidate. “Tourism can and should do more for our people and our communities. We just need people who can translate St. Maarten’s tourism product into real…
