PHILIPSBURG — Two new political parties will contest the August 19 parliamentary elections: the Soualiga Action Movement (SAM) and the Oualichi Movement for Change (OMC). The founder of the latter party is businessman Olivier Arrindell. The Electoral Council confirmed the party’s retroactive registration per May 31, 2024. Nathalie Tackling, the chairlady of the Electoral Council confirmed that both parties are eligible to take part in the elections. The admission of both parties is based on “an instruction by the prime minister to adhere to June 17 as the deadline for registration,” Tackling told StMaartenNews.com. The legal basis for this decision…
Author: The Publisher
THE HAGUE — Instead of Nicolien van Vroonhoven-Kok, the number two on the list of Pieter Omtzigt’s party New Social Contract (NSC), Zsolt Szabo, a member of Geert Wilders’ anti-immigration Party for Freedom (PVV) will become the new State Secretary for Digitalization and Kingdom Relations. That is, as the Dutch newspaper Trouw reported, “bad news for the islands.” Ferenc Zsolt Szabo is described as a seasoned politician for the VVD, but his appointment to the post is on behalf of the PVV. Szabo, 62, is currently the vice-president of IT-company Capgemini and the vice-chairman of ECP, a platform that promotes…
Philipsburg, St. Maarten – June 17, 2024 – MP Egbert J. Doran is requesting the upcoming Parliamentary recess to be canceled due to the ongoing national crisis. He believes it is important for Members of Parliament to remain at work and focus on finding solutions for the people. In a letter to President of Parliament, Sarah Wescot-Williams, MP Doran highlighted the need for continued effort during these challenging times. “Our people need to know that their Members of Parliament are committed to working tirelessly on their behalf, especially during these times,” Doran wrote. The recess is scheduled to last for…
PHILIPSBURG — Cusha Cartoons is more than a collection of 96 satirical cartoons, published on StMaartenBews.com between 2016 and 2023. Almost all of the cartoons come with back stories that offer readers a candid insight into St. Maarten’s political history during the seven years that are covered by the 244-page book. Author Terrance Rey, the publisher of StMaartenNews.com, went all out to uncover the stories that make St. Maarten to what it is today. Satire is more than a sarcastic view on current events; handled with care, as Rey did, it also puts a smile on the faces of those…
PHILIPSBURG — Democratic Party Member of Parliament and President of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams has asked Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina to reconsider his decision to hold a meeting about utilities company GEBE behind closed doors. A public meeting should “allow the people to hear from the respective ministers about GEBE and it has nothing to do with any demand by the opposition for an open door meeting, but all with allowing the government to balance providing the public with information and safeguarding any national interest that could be affected by untimely and incomplete information that could jeopardize GEBE’s long-term survivability,”…
WILLEMSTAD — The Court in First Instance has forbidden Elvis de Andrade and the political party Union i Progreso (UP) to make a video that contains threats against Minister Charles Cooper (Traffic, Transport and Urban Planning) publicly accessible. The party has to remove the video from its Facebook-page. The UP published the unabridged text of the court verdict on its Facebook-page on June 13. Cooper initiated a lawsuit against De Andrade because of the threats. In the video, De Andrade holds up a bull’s eye with bullet holes and says among other things about Cooper: “He is a dirty thief…
Dear Editor, A while back at the Cigar Bar, seeing our conditions, the boys decided to discuss health care systems, on St. Maarten and around the world. Some said the health care system on the French side was boss, while on the Dutch side—not so much, or far from, in some instances. Though we have to consider the particular cases and not the grass is greener on the other side. For only those who have gone through the system and the degree of the condition of the patient can really tell. We even looked at some countries that have free…
PHILIPSBURG — The National Alliance faction is pushing for transparency regarding the recent changes to the parliamentary schedule about N.V. GEBE. In a letter to President of Parliament, Sarah Wescot-Williams, Members of Parliament Silveria Jacobs and Cloyd Marlin questioned the postponement of the crucial meetings originally set for Friday, June 14, 2024, and the decision to reschedule them behind closed doors to Monday, June 17, 2024. “Why can’t the public be informed along the way?” asked the MPs. “The Prime Minister and other ministers have emphasized the urgency of these meetings, so it’s essential for the public to be kept…
Letter to the Editor by Tadzio Bervoets As St. Maarten grapples with an ongoing power crisis, the call for robust solutions has never been more urgent. Recent discussions by our Prime Minister about reaching out to the World Bank and the Dutch government for financial assistance underscore the critical need for substantial investment in our energy infrastructure. This juncture presents a golden opportunity to pivot towards sustainable energy solutions, rather than pouring funds into antiquated, polluting technologies that the world is steadily moving away from. In the short term, we must unfortunately rely on the same outdated, fossil fuel-dependent technology…
PHILIPSBURG — The much anticipated public session organized by NV GEBE on Friday, June 7th, 2024, quickly saw tension grew as PR spokesperson, Paula Gordon, announced to the 60+ guests present that live broadcasting of the company’s ‘candid conversations’ with the public via Facebook would not be allowed. Radio personality Jeffrey Sochrin, aka Dr. Soc, expressed his frustration about the ban on recording the meeting. Nevertheless, hundreds found solace on Facebook via the manual but real-time reporting of a number of citizen reporters, including Melanie Choisy. Acting manager Troy Washington explained to the sixty attendees that GEBE has been facing…
