PHILIPSBURG — Today’s continuation of a public meeting of Parliament to vet the credentials of incoming members of Parliament Viren Kotai (DP) and Richinel Brug (URSM) failed to achieve quorum after Thursday’s first attempt also failed. Roll call proved that the meeting of Parliament with a significant presence of both coalition and opposition members no longer had a quorum as the opposition members walked out after MP Egbert Jurendy Doran triggered the call for a roll call. Critical to the failure to make a quorum today is the absence of MP Ludmila De Weever of the PFP party and the…
Author: The Publisher
PHILIPSBURG– In today’s public meeting of Parliament, Member of Parliament and Leader of the UPP faction Omar E. C. Ottley raised serious concerns about the ability of the current coalition government to govern effectively. As it stands, the current coalition does not have the support of majority of Parliament since Thursday last week. The chaos witnessed during the recent meeting today underscores a deeper issue within the government’s ability to govern effectively. Last week, this crucial meeting to approve the credentials of two soon-to-be MPs could not proceed due to a lack of quorum by the current “majority” of the…
PHILIPSBURG — After a period of relative silence, the National Alliance faction in the Parliament of St. Maarten issued a press release on the evening of Monday, May 6, 2024. The press statement reads as follows: “St. Maarten’s political landscape is at an impasse as the 2×4 coalition is faced with a crisis of confidence, raising questions about its capacity to govern effectively. Recent events have highlighted significant divides within the coalition, with key coalition members demonstrating a lack of trust in their own coalition. The situation unfolded last week when Members of the NOW party and a Member of…
The recent screening process for ministerial candidates in the Mercelina cabinet has sparked a whirlwind of questions and concerns about political leadership, transparency, and the efficacy of governance in St. Maarten. As the dust settles, it’s imperative to scrutinize the decisions made and their implications for the island’s future. Dr. Luc Mercelina, the Formateur and incoming Prime Minister, stands at the center of this storm. His handling of the screening process has raised eyebrows, casting doubt on his political acumen and leadership abilities. By submitting candidates under investigation or with convictions, Mercelina has exposed Governor Baly to political liability, undermining…
PHILIPSBURG — Today, part of the Mercelina cabinet was sworn in on Sint Maarten. At the beginning of the ceremony, it became clear that Governor Baly has remained adamant in his refusal to install two candidate ministers. Leading up to the swearing-in, due to a lack of transparency from Baly, there was much speculation about whether he would stick to his decision, and if so, whether the other ministers proposed by formateur Mercelina would proceed with their swearing-in. Now that they have been installed, the question arises about what will happen with the two rejected candidates, Christophe Emmanuel and Raeyhon…
PHILIPSBURG — After every elections the same issue comes up: criticism of the screening of candidate-ministers. Whether this is justified or just sour grapes from candidates that did not make the cut remains an open question. Fact: in January 2013 then Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams stated that is is important for St. Maarten to establish its own national laws governing the screening of ministers. Eleven year down the road those laws remain a pipe dream. Time for change? Yes. Maybe. Complaints that the screening process is “obscure’ have no merit because this process is per definition confidential though in St.…
By Terrance Rey One thing has become crystal clear in the screening of ministerial candidates for the new government under the leadership of formateur Dr. Luc Mercelina (URSM), and that is that there is too much ambiguity involved in the process. Just from the conflicting press releases issued by the formateur, the governor, and the leaders of the three other parties PFP, DP, and NOW supporting this 2×4 coalition, we can deduce that there are many internal conflicts between the governor and the formateur and indirectly with the coalition partners. Are there now 9 or 7 candidates nominated for swearing-in…
Dear Editor, In the face of an increasingly devastating hurricane season and ongoing environmental degradation, the need for Sint Maarten to adopt sustainable development strategies has never been more urgent. As a resident who has witnessed the transformation of our island, the reckless pace of development has led to the destruction of our natural, cultural, and historical heritage. This approach not only compromises our resilience to climate change but also overlooks the well-being of our communities, communities very vulnerable to the impacts of a changing climate. The first step towards sustainability is to halt the overbuilding and ecological destruction currently…
PHILIPSBURG — St. Maarten structurally ignores recommendation from the Law Enforcement Council. In 2016, the Council issued six recommendation to improve the country’s policies towards prostitution. Seven years later, none of these recommendations have been executed, the Council notes in a report about human trafficking and prostitution that was published in March 2024. “The continued uncertainty in legislation and policy for prostitution complicates prostitution-related criminality and makes the position of sex workers in St. Maarten more vulnerable,” the Council wrote already in a report published in 2021. People interviewed by the Council said that progress is complicated especially in the…
PHILIPSBURG — In a stark revelation, Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment, and Infrastructure, Egbert Doran, admitted on Wednesday that the St. Maarten government lacks sufficient measures to prevent landowners from engaging in unsustainable development practices. This admission came during a Central Committee meeting of Parliament focused on the implementation status of the Nature Policy Plan 2021-2025. The Nature Policy Plan, approved in October 2021, was hailed as a comprehensive strategy to safeguard the island’s natural resources. However, Minister Doran’s acknowledgment highlights significant gaps in its implementation and enforcement. Crafted in compliance with international conventions and local legislation, the…
