PHILIPSBURG — CANTO, the Caribbean Association of National Telecommunications Operators, focused its attention on big tech companies that earn major revenue and contribute nothing to the IC infrastructure in the Caribbean during its Connect and 40th GM Celebration at the Hyatt Regency in Trinidad and Tobago this week. Lisa Agard, the newly appointed chair of C9, addressed the issue during a panel discussion about Fair Share. Members of C9 are ATN International, Belize Telemedia Limited (BTL), Cable Bahamas, Digicel, Guyana Telephone and Telegraph Company (GTT), Liberty Latin America, Telesur, The Cable in St. Kitts, and Telecommunications Services of Trinidad and…
Author: The Publisher
How we describe our political reality in St. Martin by Fabian A. Badejo GREAT BAY, St. Martin (January 28, 2024)—Long before the southern or Dutch part of St. Martin obtained an adjusted autonomous status as a territory of the Netherlands kingdom on October 10, 2010 (nicknamed “10-10-10”), politicians and others, both on the island and beyond, have used language that is inaccurate and often misleading to mask their own fears and shortcomings and create an obviously confusing narrative. We cannot ascribe this to ignorance. To the contrary, I think many of them have a pretty good grasp of what the…
~ Vox populi, vox Dei! ~ By Fabian A. Badejo GREAT BAY, St. Martin (January 23, 2024)—That Latin aphorism, “Vox populi, vox Dei” simply means “the voice of the people (is) the voice of God.” In our own parlance in St. Martin, we would say, “the people have spoken.” But what did the people really say with the results of the last parliamentary elections held in the southern part of our island on January 11, 2024? Here are 12 points that stood out for me: Six out of the eight lists got seats in the new Parliament? That’s 75% of…
PHILIPSBURG — The police force does not have the necessary financial and material resources to adequately set up, manage and guarantee the deployment of the arrest team. This appears from an inspection by the Law Enforcement Council into the organization and the deployment of the arrest team. On the other hand, the Council praises the quality of the training of the team-members and the commitment of individual police officers “which is characterized by dedication, creativity and expertise.” The Law Enforcement Council report describes in great detail the legal framework that underpins the functioning of the arrest team. That framework is…
PHILIPSBURG — Every dollar earned from international tourism induces almost 62 dollar cents in additional imports. This appears from research conducted by Dr. Shekinah Dare and Christopher Rigaud. The researchers say that these numbers substantially lower the net contribution of international tourism to St. Maarten. Dare and Rigaud made a presentation at a symposium the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten (CBCS) organized with key economic stakeholders under the title Fostering the right Balance. Dr. Dare is the head of the Data and Statistics department at the CBCS. She graduated as a financial economist from Erasmus University in Rotterdam…
~ Urges Public to Remain Aware and Be Critical of Agitators ~ PHILIPSBURG -– In a joint statement issued Thursday evening, the eight MP-elects of the announced 4-party coalition consisting of the URSM, DP, PFP and NOW parties denounced repeated attempts to distract the public from ongoing political discussions. “We remain committed and focused on continuing the formation of this coalition,” the statement reads. “That is where the concentration of all elected persons and the general public should be: preparing to work together for the improvement and advancement of those who call St. Maarten home.” The four parties provided the…
We have always thought that elections are the ultimate form of community involvement but after reading a press release from informateurs Dr. Nilda Arduin and Drs. Candida Joseph we have to reconsider this assumption. The informateurs have invited “selected civic organizations and government-owned companies” to offer their considerations about the January 11 elections. Their press release does not say which organizations and companies belong to the selected few. Is GEBE part of it? The Nature Foundation? The teachers union? We have no idea. Still, the impression we get is that our informateurs want to do a thorough job. At the…
PHILIPSBURG — In a surprise move, informateurs Dr. Nilda Arduin and Drs. Candida Joseph have selected community stakeholders “to gather an overall view on the elections and the formation of the next government.” In a press statement, the informateurs encourage the board of selected civic organizations and government-owned companies to monitor their emails, “to avoid missing the opportunity to share their considerations with the informateurs post-elections.” Arduin and Joseph ask selected organizations “to thoroughly review an answer questions they provided with the input of their membership and/or associates.” In a letter to the leaders of the political parties that won…
PHILIPSBURG — Low cost carrier Frontier Airlines will begin nonstop services from Princess Juliana International Airport to Luis Muňoz International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico, on June 3. Frontier is already flying from St. Maarten to Orlando once a week. “We’re thrilled to offer this convenient, affordable new intra-island service between St. Maarten and San Juan. This is part of our new focus on underserved and overpriced routes,” said Frontier’s Vice president of network and operations design Josh Flyr in a press statement. “This new service will provide a low-cost option for local residents seeking to travel between the…
PHILIPSBURG — The Oranje Fund is inviting candidates for its 2024 Appeltjes van Oranje program. Three winners will each receive a cash prize of 25,000 Euros and a bronze statuette crafted by Princess Beatrix during a ceremony at Noordeinde Palace from Queen Maxima. Applications should be submitted no later than February 23. This year’s theme is Fighting Loneliness Together. Projects should focus on bringing people, participants and volunteers together on an equal footing to actively reduce the impact of loneliness, the Oranje Fund states in a press release. The release points out that loneliness affects one in ten people -…
