GREAT BAY – The United People’s party has not yet taken decisions about who will become their ministers in the new government, party-leader Theo Heyliger informed us. In yesterday’s front page article, we reported that of the five top vote getters at the UP, none would take up a ministers post, but according to Heyliger this is at best undecided. The party has nevertheless two obvious candidates for the post at the ministry of Public Health: Dr. Lloyd Richardson and Cornelius de Weever. Speculation about who the UP-ministers will be are rife, but as MP Heyliger emphasized: no decisions have…
Author: The Publisher
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NIEUWEGEIN – The MH17 flight brought down in 2014 was attacked by a BUK missile that came from the Russian Federation and returned there afterwards, according to the first report from a Joint Investigation Team into the disaster. The Malaysia Airlines Flight 17 (MH17) from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur was shot down on July 17 2014, killing all 298 people aboard, two-thirds of them Dutch. At a packed international press conference in Nieuwegein today, representatives of the Netherlands, Australia, Malaysia, Ukraine and Belgium announced the results of analyzing millions of images, social media posts, videos and telephone conversations. They presented what…
No support for “discriminating law” THE HAGUE – The controversial Bosman-law died in the Second Chamber yesterday, after all parties – with the exception of the VVD and the PVV – distanced themselves from it. Bosman’s law would have set criteria for citizens from St. Maarten. Aruba and Curacao who want to establish themselves in the Netherlands. Bosman pushed his law in an effort to prevent that islanders end up in a life without perspective or, worse, in criminality. Bosman was “disappointed” after the debate in the Dutch parliament. He had revised the text of his initiative-law after consultation with…
Dear Editor, We are still in the midst of the hurricane season. A challenge which we in the Caribbean have to face every year. Unfortunately, there are many people who believe that when a hurricane devastates a community it is an act of God to punish such persons. We need to realize that this is a misconception, since the destruction, suffering and death that a hurricane can bring is an inherent evil and must therefore be the work of Satan, the source of all evil. We want us to be clear in our minds that God does not inflict evil.…
GREAT BAY – Statia will get a daily ferry service to St. Maarten next year, Caribisch Netwerk reports. Currently there is no maritime connection between the two islands. Statia can only be reached through flights with airline Winair. The Wagendorp group is going to change this situation. The shipping company has a history of a hundred years ferrying passengers to the Dutch Wadden islands Ameland and Schiermonnikoog. “We are in the process of purchasing a ferry with a capacity of 350 passengers. The twice-daily departures in both directions will begin in the third quarter of 2017. A single fare will…
Governments have been falling like dominoes since 10-10-10 – the day St. Maarten became an autonomous country and everything was going to become better for all residents. Well, well, and here we are with the formation of the sixth government in as many years. Let’s have a look at the rather pathetic political history. The National Alliance won the three-horse race that were the 2010 elections. With 7 seats, the party seemed in control but it still ended up in the opposition, because the United People’s party – the new vehicle of MP Theo Heyliger after he had left the…
The half-year report of financial supervisor Cft makes clear that contracting a loan for the new hospital via the cheapest route – the Netherlands – is far away, because the Cft has made healthcare reform a condition to obtain such a loan. We do not know what the current government is still able to achieve in the remaining weeks of its term, but it seems highly unlikely that the parliament will get to handle such reform on short notice. In that case, the financing of the project will fall to other parties, like the SZV and possibly the pension fund…
That Emil Lee has run an effective campaign, no one can deny. The results are there to prove it. I saw his video interviews on Facebook the weekend before election day and they were personable, informative and very convincing. He touched on all the basic topics in his 7-clips series and answered all the common questions everyone were asking. Who is Emil Lee? Why did you enter politics? Why the DP? Do you feel accepted by the people? What are your accomplishments? What are your most memorable campaign moments? He was so sincere and credible, I was damn near ready to vote for…
VVD-MP André Bosman has been at it for a long time with his initiative-law to restrict access to the Netherlands for citizens from St. Maarten, Aruba and Curacao. Yesterday his initiative law stranded in the Second Chamber. One may well wonder whether this is indeed a reason to celebrate. What we learn here is that two political parties in the Netherlands –Bosman’s VVD and Geert Wilders’ PVV – have no problem with discriminatory legislation. The good news is that all the other parties, including the VVD’s ailing coalition partner PvdA are not buying it. From that perspective, we still have…
GREAT BAY – The 5-5-3-2 result of the elections put fifteen parliamentarians in their seats early Tuesday morning. But the surprise agreement between the National Alliance and the United People’s party threw several careers in disarray, opened the doors for others and triggers questions about the future of the hospital project. NA-leader William Marlin sent a Whatsapp to his party’s membership to inform them about the cooperation with the UP. From left: Franklin Meyers, Theo Heyliger, William Marlin and Silveria Jacobs showing the agreement parties signed early Tuesday morning. Photo contributed Surprise coalition: NA joins forces with UP The turn…
