Author: The Publisher

The power outages that are currently plaguing the island are a fact of life. It used to be that the late Ir. William Brooks would be blamed for all the troubles Gebe’s equipment had to endure but now that he is no longer there, people may be looking for a new scapegoat. The obvious choice is the freshly appointed CEO, Kendrick Chittick – but what’s the point? The generators that produce our electricity contain a lot of moving parts. Even under the best of conditions, some parts could break down and voila – another bad situation that frustrates not only…

Dear Editor, We commend Prime Minster, William Marlin, for insisting that the Oyster Pond border dispute be brought to our Parliament which is indeed the direct representative of the people of St. Maarten. After presenting the problem to Parliament his proposal should have been to request parliament to invoke article 67 of the State Regulation (Constitution) as suggested by MP Sarah Wescot-Williams. Article 67 authorizes Parliament to “represent the interests of Sint Maarten to the Government of the Kingdom and to the States General of the Netherlands.” As the Oyster Pond conflict is clearly a matter between the Kingdom of…

Insel Air’s financial troubles pose an interesting dilemma for the government in Curacao. It does not want the airline to go bust because it is considered too important for the island in terms of the economy, employment and accessibility. Too big to fail, were the words outgoing Minister of Economic Affairs Eugène Rhuggenaath has used. But were to draw the line? Insel Air will probably never see the $100 million that is said to be stuck in Venezuela. Should tax payers then carry the can for a company that is, for whatever reason, unable to remain economically viable? We perfectly…

WILLEMSTAD – The Court in First Instance confirmed last week that the Common Court of Justice did not give permission for a search at the Central Bank in Willemstad on October 6. However, the court also ruled that the search was not unlawful because of this formality. The anti-corruption unit – part of the Detective Collaboration Team (RST) and the Attorney General’s office – led by an investigative judge searched the main office of the Central Bank in October as part of the investigation into alleged tax evasion by the bank’s president, Dr. Emsley Tromp. The search was necessary because…

WILLEMSTAD – Independent MP and general practitioner Eduard Braam will not surrender his seat to the PAR for the time being, Dick Drayer reports on Caribisch Netwerk. He will assess per topic whether he is going to vote with the coalition or with the opposition. Braam does not exclude cooperation with the MFK and Kòrsou di nos Tur parties, but he says that that is not in the line of expectations or logical. Photo caption: Eduard Braam. Photo Caribisch Netwerk / Dick Drayer The controversial politician came under fire when he decided to leave the PAR during the formation of…

GREAT BAY – KLM and Winair have begun the process of expanding their business relationship in St. Maarten. The target date for implementation of code share agreement is scheduled for 2017. ”Winair currently enjoys a interline with KLM, one of the world’s premiere airlines, thru expansion of this agreement to a code share agreement both Winair and KLM will operate flights throughout each other’s route network offering greater benefits to our mutual customers, improving connectivity, adding destinations, pricing and ease of travel for customers traveling to and from the Caribbean, Europe and beyond,” stated Winair’s President and CEO Michael Cleaver.…

WILLEMSTAD – Insel Air has received financial support from the government of Curacao for the past six months, Dick Drayer reports on Caribisch Netwerk. Outgoing Minister of Economic Affairs Eugène Rhuggenaath confirmed this. The ailing airline is not only living on credit from the development bank Korpodeko, but also on agreements that have been made through the Ministry of Finance with the tax inspectorate. This weekend Insel Air approached the government again. The airline has no more cash to execute its operations and to pay salaries including premiums and insurances. According to Insel Air, there is $100 million stuck in…

Dear Editor, As is the case in the wider world, here on St. Martin too, transparency has become a hip hip hurray word; a feel good word; a word without spot or blemish. Few question how they came to love this word and idea so much. A word that is unsoiled and uncontested – and never connected to inhuman trends is a dangerous thing. If you want to be taken seriously as being anti-establishment—regardless of the fact that you are a millionaire or you are politically well-connected—then make sure you use the word transparency in your criticism of the powers…

GREAT BAY- The second edition of the aerobatic show sponsored by the management of the Princess Juliana International Airport was short, but entertaining as expected. Melissa Pemberton and Skip Stewart both delivered the goods and the hundreds of spectators that occupied the dozens of vantage points between Belair Hotel and the Walter Plantz Square yesterday afternoon could not have asked for more. The nail biting maneuvers on an individual basis as well as a team work was on point, but those moves involve years of experience sitting in the cockpit of those superfast and super light single engine planes. Photo…

GREAT BAY – The Democratic Party feels that before damaging the cooperation between the Northern and Southern halves of the island, all efforts to find a speedy resolution locally should have been exhausted before escalating the conflict by boycotting the St. Maarten/St. Martin Day celebration, a celebration of unity and friendship by the people and for the people,” the party said in a press statement issued yesterday. Oyster Pond border dispute “Nobody in Paris or The Hague is impacted by the boycott of a local event; the only people impacted are the very people we have sworn to protect. Despite…