Great Bay — Democratic Party leader and President of Parliament, Sarah Wescot-Williams, issued the following press release stating that the fall of the Marlin cabinet is justified by the horrific financial and economic outlook of St. Maarten. Sarah writes: “That the financial state of the country is worrisome is a no-brainer. But we all should be alarmed.” “This dismal picture is all the more clear with the presentation of the amendments to the 2017 budget by the minister of Finance. These amendments have been in the make for some time, but the format had to be changed from one that…
Author: The Publisher
On our way to 2018 By Koos Sneek As I am writing this we are in the final days of 2017. It is therefore the time to look back and evaluate how this year went, the progress we have made as well as the obstacles and setbacks we have met along the way. Although Statia has been in the news in a negative way regularly the past year, there undoubtedly have been also positive developments. The establishment of a new agreement with NuStar has substantially increased the income of government. Though through various reasons, among which the passing of two…
Great Bay — Leader of the United St. Maarten (US) party MP Frans Richardson on Thursday asked the people of St. Maarten to remember who manipulated the country into the chaos and instability that it is currently in, with a DP/UP/Brownbill coalition unable to form a government. “They threw down government for greed, using flimsy, childlike excuses and now cannot form one. Wasting time, money and rebuilding of this country and for what?” ~ A waste of time and focus on country ~ Richardson was reacting to reports, some confirmed, that a number of the persons selected for screening to…
Philipsburg — Minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs Mellissa Arrindell-Doncher disclosed on Thursday that government has no clear indication where or to whom tax-payer money designated for a boxing event in 2015 ended up. “The people’s money is basically missing and for almost three years nobody has been held accountable. I will not end my tenure with this issue lingering and not make a serious effort to secure the funds and seek appropriate recourse if a criminal act was committed here,” the Minister said. ~ Starts investigation to recoup funds ~ As such, an advice has been prepared for the…
#1 Police officer injured during traffic control On Tuesday December 26th 2017 while conducting a routine traffic control, police officers noticed a motorcycle approaching their control checkpoint and decided to stop the rider in order to control his vehicle’s documentation. After signaling the rider to stop, he refused to do so and instead increase the speed of his motorcycle in an attempt to bypass the officers. Because of this one of the officers was unable get out of the way in time, which resulted in him being struck down by the rider. At this point the rider also lost his…
Philipsburg — The Sint Maarten Consumers Coalition consisting of the Windward Island Chamber of Labor Unions (WICLU), the Sint Maarten Seniors and Pensioners Association (SMSPA) and the Sint Maarten United NGO Federation (SUNFED) are requesting the SMMC, the Minister of VSA, the SZV and the private insurance companies to inform them about the new tariff structure approved for SMMC, about what will be the real price increase and what will be the impact on the premiums for the Sint Maarten Consumer. Last week Friday, three days before Christmas and one day before the long weekend of Christmas started, the Sint…
The Netherlands — Dutch king Willem-Alexander has called on people to work towards a sense of community in his traditional Christmas address to the nation. King Willem Alexander – Copyright RVD – Photo Frank van Beek People, the king said, should ‘not be looking for a bigger I, but for the greater we.’ Speaking at his home on the De Eikenhorst estate, the king said it is becoming more difficult to meet people in daily life. ‘The places where people used to come together – the church, the office, the café, the sports club, the school – are loosing their…
Marigot — Tasyanna Clifton, Saint-Martin Carnival Teen Queen 2017 will be participating in the 38th annual Haynes Smith Miss Caribbean Talented Teen Queen pageant on Saturday December 30th in Saint-Kitts. She will be the first contestant to represent French Saint-Martin in this pageant. Tasyanna will be vying for the crown along with 6 other contestants from the region (Anguilla, Antigua, Barbados, Guyana, St Lucia, St Kitts). “This is an honor to have our Queen participate for the first time. It will be a great opportunity for us to showcase our culture and resiliency despite the aftermath of the hurricane” says…
by Cdr. Bud Slabbaert How serious can we take the various New Year messages and forecasts? In essence, many boil down to telling the audience that if their feet are numb, polishing their shoes is the ultimate solution, because it will reflect the sunshine. That can make some people obscenely loaded, yet others obscenely depressed especially in situations when they cannot afford more than wearing flip-flops. New Year’s messages are often made by persons wanting to prove that they have a firm hold of the rudder, for an audience that hopes that there is ship attached to it. If you…
Philipsburg — We received the following press release from Wycliffe Smith about his resignation from the USMF board with the request to dissemminate this news via our media platforms. Smith writes in his press release: “The financial woes of the University of St. Martin (USM) have been widely reported on hence there is no need for further elaboration in this letter. I would like however, to take this opportunity to let the people know why I stayed on the Board of the USM Foundation (BUSMF) after the financial crisis was announced and why I submitted my resignation effective December 21,…
