PHILIPSBURG — Attorney David Comissiong made a strong case for the payment of reparations for harm caused by the Trans-Atlantic slave trade at the Governor’s Symposium in June, but a quote from a letter written by former Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte made clear that the Netherlands understands the situation very well but that it is not ready to commit to reparations. Comissiong explained that the heads of state of Caricom decided in 2013 to pursue a reparations claim for native genocide and African slavery against all European nations that were implicated in it. Caricom created an infrastructure to pursue…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG — Governor Ajamu Baly hosted the eleventh Governor’s Symposium on June 28 at the auditorium of the American University of the Caribbean in Cupecoy. The subject of the symposium was the Trans-Atlantic slave trade. Five speakers addressed the issue: David Comissiong, Dr. Nilda Arduin, Dr. Napolina Richardson, Amaris Richardson and Raimie Richardson. Veteran attorney Comissiong is currently ambassador to the Caribbean community (Caricom) and to the Association of Caribbean States for Barbados. Dr. Nilda Arduin was St. Maarten’s first Ombudsman. Dr. Napolina Richardson is a historian, librarian, author and theologian. Amaris Richardson is the manager of the St. Maarten…
PHILIPSBURG — Utilities Company GEBE has made a down payment for renting container generators with an output of 10 MegaWatt. Prime Minister Luc Mercelina stated in a press release that these containers are expected to arrive on the island by mid-July, “provided there are no unforeseen delays.” GEBE wants to have the generators operational by the end of July or the beginning of August. The company has also reached an agreement with large consumers to go offline during scheduled hours to ease the load on the power grid. Mercelina stated that GEBE has furthermore made a down payment on lease-to-own…
PHILIPSBURG — Outgoing Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Grisha Heyliger-Marten opposes the renewal of the contract of airport director Brian Mingo, it appears from a letter dated July 4 she sent to Perry Wilson, the managing director of the airport holding company. Read related press release here: Minister Grisha Heyliger-Marten not in favor of contract renewal for airport CEO In her letter, the minister speaks of “the upcoming transition in leadership” at the airport, adding that she does not support an overlap period between the current and incoming director. Mingo’s contract expires in December. Minister Heyliger-Marten…
WILLEMSTAD — The Court in First Instance sentenced Emsley Tromp and René Lourents to conditional prison sentences for forgery. The court acquitted both defendants of bribery and corruption. At the time of the alleged crimes, Tromp was President of the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten (CBCS); Lourents was adjunct director for corporate relations and facilities management. The Hercules-investigation began on February 1, 2019, as a follow up to the Saffier-investigation. The latter investigation focused on suspicions of corruption linked to a $400,000 transaction from Banco di Caribe to Tromp’s pension fund. In the end the charges were limited…
PHILIPSBURG — The National Alliance submitted a list of seventeen candidates for the August 19 elections on Postulation Day to the Central Voting bureau in the legislative hall of the Parliament building. Former Prime Minister and MP Silveria Jacobs heads the list, followed by two former ministers: Egbert Jurendy Doran and Ardwell Irion. Campaigning with the slogan We are one the party welcomes four new members to its team: Carlita Guy, Edsel Gumbs, Curtis Thomas and Allen Conner. Gumbs is a senior loan officer at Qredits, who said no to getting into politics for nine years, but, he said, “The…
PHILIPSBURG — “Every discussion about the future of our kingdom is completely meaningless as long as article 73 of the United Nations Charter is considered as a given.” This statement is part of an article written by Sietse Fritsma, a former parliamentarian for the extreme right party PVV. The question is whether Fritsma’s ideas will resurface now that the PVV will be a part of the new Dutch government. Fritsma’s explanation of Article 73 is that the interests of the inhabitants of the Caribbean islands come first and that their wellbeing must be promoted “in order to ensure their progress…
PHILIPSBURG — It is not at all certain that the parliament will approve the proposal to save Ennia from bankruptcy and thus protecting the interest of its policy holders. Finance Minister Marinka Gumbs presented a detailed overview of the proposal (see related story) but she said at the same time that what is now on the table is not the best solution for St. Maarten. “If you say that this is not the best solution, then take your time and present a better one,” MP and former Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion said. He noted that Gumbs had sought advice…
PHILIPSBURG — Finance Minister Marinka Gumbs is highly critical of the proposed solution to keep insurance company Ennia out of bankruptcy. The Netherlands has made the interest rate St. Maarten has to pay over its 316 million guilders ($176,536,313) Covid-loans dependent on the parliament’s approval of the rescue plan. Parliament has not approved the proposal yet but if it does, the interest rate goes from 3.4 to 2.9 percent. The lower interest rate would save the treasury 1,580,000 guilders ($882,682) per year. Parliamentarians asked several questions but Minister Gumbs asked time to prepare all the answers and suggested that she…
~ Looming Crisis: Unresolved Sinkhole on Cole Bay Hill Raises Concerns ~ COLE BAY — It’s been six weeks since a significant sinkhole appeared on Cole Bay Hill on May 15, 2024, and there is still no resolution in sight. As one of the main roads on the island, this area is crucial for daily commuters, and its current state is becoming a growing concern for the community. The government’s primary focus has been on the energy crisis with GEBE, almost to the exclusion of other pressing issues. This tunnel-vision approach has left the sinkhole problem on Cole Bay Hill…
