PHILIPSBURG – “The government remains committed to the University of St. martin as the only line of higher education,” caretaker Minister of Education Silveria Jacobs said on Wednesday. “This remains key; but the Council of Ministers also holds USM accountable for the funds it receives.” Jacobs said that, under a memorandum of understanding, the university will received three times 230,000 guilders to cover the costs for the last trimester of the year. Next to that, USM will continue to receive its monthly subsidy installment of 63,750 guilders. Minister Jacobs said that the government already signed an agreement with USM back…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG – Prime Minister Rafael Boasman initially did not have an answer to a question by stmaartennews.com about the justification for forgiving Randall Friday’s lottery company My Lucky Day a 2.1 million debt in license fee arrears. “I don’t have the details on it so I would have to check what exactly the issue was.” Boasman said. “I know that there was a request earlier in the year from companies that had a license but never used it. Because they had the license they accumulated fees that had to be paid and they requested forgiveness for the payment of these…
PHILIPSBURG – The Council of Ministers sent the draft law Integrity Chamber on Tuesday to the office of Governor Holiday for forwarding to Parliament. Prime Minister, Rafael Boasman, said at Wednesday’s Council of Ministers press briefing. “I have heard comments that this is all taking too long,” Boasman said. ‘But there are procedures that we have to follow. If we don’t, and someone objects, we might have to start from scratch again.” Asked whether the relevant counterparts in the Netherlands are aware that, after approval by Parliament, the Integrity Chamber law is still subject to a six-week review by the…
Dear Editor, Many people are saying they are fed up and tired of elections and that they are not going out to vote. Since 2010 Sint Maarten has had three elections. In September 2010, August 2014, and September 2016. And on February 26, 2018 the voters of Sint Maarten will have to go to the polls for the fourth time since 2010. Four elections in eight years is an average of one election every two years. This frequent demand on the voter to go to the polls has resulted in voter fatigue and election apathy. SMCP truly understands the voter’s…
Philipsburg — Managing Director of the Sint Maarten Nature Foundation Tadzio Bervoets this week attended the United Nations Environment Program/Caribbean Environment Program’s meeting on Ecosystem Based Management in Panama City, Panama. The United Nations’ Caribbean Environment Program (CEP) and Protocol Concerning Specially Protected Areas and Wildlife (SPAW) to the Cartagena Convention, have been aiming to promote and integrate the principles of ecosystem-based management approach throughout the insular Caribbean. Ecosystem-based management (EBM) is an environmental management approach that recognizes the variety of interactions within an ecosystem, including humans, rather than considering sonly ingle issues, species, or ecosystem services. An ecosystem-based management…
Philipsburg — The latest book by author Loekie Morales, beautifully illustrated by the realistic artist-painter Penka Petkova, named ‘Chella and the Weird Woman/’Chella en het Vreemde Vrouwtje’, is being baptized on Friday coming, December 8th during its book launch at OBA OBA, Lapa Lapa Center, Simpson Bay from 6.00 to 7.00 pm. Rita Aikman, the treasurer of Beyond Kultura Events Foundation (BKE) stated: ‘It is with great pride, that Beyond Kultura is announcing that the book launch of this bilingual (Dutch and English), full colored THRILLER for 8 years and older is published, thanks to the donations of the Windward…
Philipsburg — Over the next week, the Sint Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA) will be holding a recovery photo contest. By means of collecting pictures of the rebuilding of Sint Maarten, SHTA wants to break the vicious circle of international media still portraying pictures of the devastation directly after hurricane Irma. The continued use of those pictures spread the image of the island not being ready to receive visitors – even though many tours and restaurants are already open for business. As the association sees progress being made on many fronts, SHTA wants to share images of the island getting…
Philipsburg — On Wednesday, December 5th at approximately 01.15 p.m. several police patrols, detectives, Forensic Department and paramedics were sent to Madrid Drive in Dutch Quarter where according to incoming reports a shooting had taken place. On the scene the investigating officers encountered the victim who was bleeding from several stab wounds he had suffered. The victim was treated on the scene by paramedics and rushed to the Sint Maarten Medical Center for further medical treatment. The scene was immediately closed off for the detectives to question potential witnesses and for the Forensic Department to collect evidence. As the investigation…
Dear Editor, The parliament of St. Maarten has set aside this Thursday, December 7, 2017 to hear from the ministers individually and the Council of Minsters collectively on their plans and projects for the immediate recovery funding. “The parliament is still awaiting the final NRP as announced, but what we see are initiatives being taken by the individual ministers, mostly uncoordinated, while an overall plan of action is lacking. 3 months following hurricane Irma, there is no excuse for the absence of this plan.” “In addition, I have again reminded the Council of Ministers of the urgency of the draft…
By Hilbert Haar The financial quagmire the University of St. Martin finds itself in should not come as a surprise to anyone, especially not to politicians and decision makers. Under its previous president, Annelies Oliver-Van den Assem, the institution teetered already on the brink of financial disaster and under her successor, Francio Guadeloupe, things apparently went from bad to worse. Is this a surprise? Something the Parliament woke up to after Hurricane Irma? Or did the USM only got the attention of decision makers when it became clear that it would have to close its doors because now there is…
