GREAT BAY – Formateur William Marlin met yesterday afternoon at 4 p.m. with Governor Drs. Eugène Holiday to discuss the state of affairs around the screening of candidate-ministers and the formation of the new government. In yesterday morning’s press briefing, Marlin said that the information for four candidates that had to come from the national security serviced VDSM was not complete yet; for four others, information coming from the prosecutor’s office was still pending, but the formateur said that he expected to receive these reports yesterday afternoon. The new government will be sworn in as soon as possible after all…
Author: The Publisher
GREAT BAY – The suspects E.R.M (65), D.F. (54), L.M.A.R. (50) and R.L.R. (47) who were previously detained in connection with the Pompeii-investigation, have now been taken into custody. The Prosecutor requested the suspects to be remanded. Yesterday the Judge of Instruction ordered the suspects to be taken into the custody for eight more days. This means that according to the Judge of Instruction there are grave presumption against the suspects regarding human trafficking (exploitation of girls working at the brothels – “animeermeisjes”), illegal confinement (locking up the girls), illegal employment and human smuggling. These criminal facts were committed between…
It is tempting to think all kinds of things about the prolonged screening process of the candidate-ministers for the new government. Is this really about the hiccup in the government’s computer systems? Or is there something else going on. The truth is, we don’t know and for lack of information we will just have to sit back and wait until the proverbial white smoke is coming out of the chimney at the governor’s cabinet. The screening process is confidential for obvious reasons. There is still something called privacy and that has to be respected. Those who violate that principle lack…
There is a remarkable difference between the administration of justice on the Dutch side and that on the French side. Consider this: last Tuesday the crew of a catamaran carrying 52 refugees was intercepted by the French border police. Three days later, on Friday, the crew stood trial in Basse-Terre in Guadeloupe where they were sentenced and immediately sent to prison. One may well wonder about (or admire) the speed of the investigation and the way defense attorneys prepare such cases. Compared to the French system, the system on our side of the border moves at a snail’s pace. It…
GREAT BAY – Prime Minister William Marlin has requested the Chairman of Parliament MP Claret Connor to convene an urgent meeting of parliament to discuss the ongoing problems at the Captain Oliver’s Marina in Oyster Pond. Marlin said that up to Sunday evening no response was received from the Préfète Déléguée of St. Barths and St. Martin Anne Laubies. The PM said that he will be calling on the President of the Collectivité Aline Hanson to ensure that the French authorities adhere to agreements made at the quadripartite about the border at Oyster Pond. Marlin said that it had been…
GREAT BAY – Members of the new parliament participated in an orientation week last week. After the oath taking ceremony on Monday, October 31, Members of Parliament delved immediately on Tuesday in the orientation week organized by the secretariat of parliament. It started with a brief presentation by Secretary General Nancy Guishard-Joubert on some practical matters followed by a master class about the role of parliament in the constitutional framework as well as its competencies and responsibilities. This master class was provided by Luciano Milliard, the vice-rector for governance and policy affairs of the University of Aruba. Milliard has many…
GREAT BAY – Winair promoted First Officers Achmed Gomez, Martin Derrick, Thomas Dubern and Alexander Spencer to Captain last Friday. “A great achievement for these young aspiring pilots. They are a testament of our motto: Winair does not hire first officers, we only hire future Captains.” Winair also welcomed seven new First Officers to its team: Danielson Antoin, Neshomar de Jesus Anthony, Ryan Spencer, Malika Moiso, Kirk Fraser, Richard Johnson and Timothy Vaseur. “This was the largest group of captaincy upgrades as well as the largest number of first officers hired in the history of Winair. Winair continues to grow…
GREAT BAY – Jacinth Hunkins, a 15-year-old student of the St. Maarten Academy School, won the senior division of the annual Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) essay contest. This year’s essay competition theme was, “If you were a cruise passenger, what would you like to see and do in your destination.” As the winner in her age group, Jacinth was invited to accept her prize of a cash scholarship of $3,000 and a plaque from FCCA, at the FCCA Caribbean Cruise Conference in San Juan, Puerto Rico with all travel expenses paid. The St. Maarten Academy School also received a monetary…
Is Prime Minister Marlin following the right path by asking for a meeting of parliament to discuss the border row with the French over Captain Oliver’s? That seems a fair question. What is the parliament supposed to do? Listen to something it has already learned via the media? And then what? The facts are simple: the water in Oyster pond is Dutch territory, Captain Oliver’s is a tax payer on the Dutch side and the French have no business meddling in its affairs. The thing is, they did. It is a matter for the Dutch and French ministries of foreign…
Dr. Natasha Gittens about her departure from Scell: ”I weep quietly inside” By Terrance Rey GREAT BAY – The business community in St. Maarten was set alight on Friday with the announcement that Dr. Natasha Gittens had resigned as Director of the University of St. Martin’s Scell program. In a press release published on Friday, the university’s board thanked Dr. Gittens for her contribution. This newspaper sought out Dr. Gittens for an interview as it is yet another departure of yet another director at university over the past few years in a row and a personal insight into the motivations…
