The Government of Curaçao should not continue throwing the people’s money in a private company. An airline of which its management has proven their incompetence to run it. They have no viable plan and the right aircraft to operate their scheduled flights. If Curaçao wants to have an airline to save the hundreds of jobs then they should, before injecting any money, make sure that the airline has an action plan to restructure its business plan. Also, a change of management must take place. The current management has wasted millions of dollars of the Curaçao Government. This proves their incompetence…
Author: The Publisher
The Caribbean Cybercrime Conference pushed local politicians with their noses right into today’s digital reality. Cybercrime is probably one of the most profitable criminal activities of our time, but law enforcement in the Caribbean part of the Kingdom has limited expertise at its disposal to deal with such issues. The conference is a call for action and for setting priorities. People don’t die from cybercrime, but these activities could very well ruin people’s lives, and sabotage the health of a country’s economy. There is no point throwing money blindly into cybercrime capabilities but it is high time for decision makers…
ORANJESTAD – “All businesses can become a victim of some form of cybercrime; the motive often is financial gain. A complex underlying issue makes this form of crime difficult to detect. The data is volatile, clues disappear quickly and the source is often anonymous. Furthermore cybercrime, which is not limited to borders and time, can cause great damage and make many victims in a small timeframe. It is a pre-eminent form of transnational crime,” Chief Prosecutor Ton Maan said yesterday at the opening of the first Caribbean Cybercrime conference in the Renaissance Hotel in Aruba. Caribbean Cybercrime Conference Maan delivered…
The lackadaisical attitude of government and parliament towards reports from the General Audit Chamber is more than worrisome. When a serious report presents serious shortcomings there ought to be at least one Member of Parliament sounding the alarm and asking for a meeting to discuss the situation. But ever since the Audit Chamber presented its findings on administrative appointments at the beginning of this month, nobody has made a move. There is no outrage, there are no concerns to speak of; at least, that is the impression this silence suggests to the community. If nothing changes, we will find people…
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.…
