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…
Author: The Publisher
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…
By Hilbert Haar GREAT BAY – On October 20, Minister Ingrid Arrindell (Tourism and Economic Affairs) held a farewell speech at the Council of Ministers press briefing. During this address she said, among other things that Avireps was appointed as St. Maarten’s Marketing Firm for the Benelux (Belgium, Netherlands, Luxemburg) for three years “and that Spring O’Brien would do similar marketing in the United States starting in November.” Minister Arrindell made incorrect claim Today learned from confidential sources that Spring Obrien does not have a contract for these marketing activities – at least, not yet, and November is already halfway…
Dear Editor, President-elect Donald Trump is the change that I would like to see happen in St. Maarten one day. The elite establishment government believes that only they are smart and have the rights to tell people how to think. Mr. Trump teaches people to believe in themselves and to think independently. This is the same mentality that establishes a real change in life. This is exactly what St. Maarten needs to change. First, we had Brexit in Great Britain and now we had a repudiation of the Obama and Hillary Clinton ideology of shut your mouth and do what…
What is it with our outgoing minister of tourism and economic affairs? First there was the confusion about the appointment of Rolando Brison as the director of the Tourism Authority, now there is another blooper surrounding destination marketing in the United States. With the high season switching into high gear, there is not even a contract with the American Marketing Firm, while Minister Arrindell said in October that these activities would begin this month. The company that was going to do the job has ‘no comment’ on the current situation – a solid indication that something is seriously amiss. That…
GREAT BAY- For the fourth straight year, a female photographer has won the very attractive cash prize for the top photograph in the Aviation Photographic Competition, Toppix. Toppix aviation photo contest Bernie Verhoeven achieved notoriety four years ago after winning the first competition and her image which occupies a permanent spot above the doors of the arrival hall at the Princess Juliana International Airport is a timely reminder. She did it again in the second competition, but that time the winning image was shot by Ricardo Benjamin. Because he was not present at the time of the announcement – a…
Dear Editor, In the wake of the decision taken by parliament to back the decision taken by the Council of Ministers not to attend our St. Maarten Day (Not that of France nor Holland), I want to share my opinion and observation on this entire matter. The right to fight for water rights of St. Maarten that the French might want to claim is a good fight but, the fact that it took the French side authorities to trigger the Dutch side to take such a stand is to me up until now a pity to say the least. Standing…
Dear Editor, As a former Member of Parliament, I must say that our ancestors must be turning over in their graves with the type of leadership and cooperation we displayed during our St. Martin Day Celebration by boycotting the people’s celebration. France and Holland must be smiling to see the recent dispute between the French and Dutch local governments where they are fighting over the border lines that are documented and registered in the Dutch side Cadastre registry. There is a court case decision on this. In the Captain Oliver’s dispute the judge said that based on French documents the…
