By Hilbert Haar StMaartenNews.com publisher Terrance Rey wrote an interesting column for dossierkoninkrijksrelaties.nl about the phenomenon of stooges in St. Maarten. I’d like to add a few elements to his observations. A stooge, sometimes called a straw man, is somebody who fronts for somebody else. This way, the ultimate beneficial owner of a company remains in the shadows and if you are not careful, you have no idea whom you are doing business with. Stooges will remain in business as long as politicians do not take any initiative to change relevant legislation. How it works? Let’s say that somebody -…
Author: The Publisher
By Hilbert Haar With the Silveria Jacobs government teetering on the brink of collapse, the question arises why governments apparently fall so easily in St. Maarten. The short answer is: village politics. Our little island nation has around 40,000 inhabitants. It is a place where everybody knows everybody. Years ago there was a complaint from The Hague: politicians were too close to the population. What a joke, if you realize that it is possible to meet any politicians on any day at the vegetable department of a supermarket. But what The Hague thinks about us is not the real problem.…
PHILIPSBURG — The Dutch St. Maarten Taxi Association (DSTA) has sounded the alarm over rumors that the acting Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Omar Ottley intends to lift the moratorium on taxi licenses and that he is about the issue forty new licenses. DSTA President May Friday confirmed the rumor and the unrest it has created in a written statement. “Word is out that the honorable minister of TEATT will be lifting the moratorium on the permits. Supposedly, forty permits will be issued,” she stated. The DSTA does not mention the minister by name and emphasizes…
Dear Editor, A letter written by SHTA to the authorities responsible for tourism is on the mark as it pertains to the EHAS. I don’t think the person(s) responsible for tourism keeps up to date with the advancement our competitors have made since their termination of COVID-19 restrictions. Once upon a time we were the trend setters with our tourism product, when other islands were still into agriculture. Today, they followed and learned from us, and have become more progressive in tourism. They have all done away with entry restrictions to their respective islands. But, we like stubborn children still…
PHILIPSBURG — Suspended Member of Parliament Claudius Buncamper accuses the Council of Advice in a press release of an “apparent dereliction of duty” for its refusal to provide advice on the lawfulness of the constitution’s article 50.2b. “The position of the Council of Advice is respectfully incorrect and not sustainable,” the press release states. Buncamper adds that this does not take away from the obligation of the parliament and the government to take requisite remedial measures if they are of the opinion that a provision in the Constitution violates higher treaties and/or human rights. “On June 3 I presented a…
Dear Editor, On June 3rd 2022, I presented a compelling and detailed analysis to the Parliament of Sint Maarten identifying how article 50 sub 2b of our Constitution has proven to be in violation of International Treaties and specifically Human Rights of a higher order, to which Sint Maarten is bound. These international treaties and human rights as such out-rank article 50 sub 2b of the Sint Maarten Constitution in the legal hierarchy and render the application of article 50 sub 2b of the Sint Maarten Constitution moot, under the given circumstances. Article 50 sub 2b of our Constitution regulates…
By Hilbert Haar Democracy at its finest. That is how my publisher Terrance Rey describes the outcome of what was basically a vote of no confidence against the chairlady of parliament, Grisha Heyliger-Marten. I agree, but there is more to the story. There is no doubt that Heyliger-Marten is doing a fine job in her current function. One could say that she has definitely stepped out of the shadow of her husband Theo Heyliger. She is a force to be reckoned with. That the initiative for a motion to remove her from her position came from the leader of her…
PHILIPSBURG — Government mediator Marcellina Loblack has called a referendum at telecom provider TelEm for Wednesday, October 19. Employees have the choice to be, or not to be, represented by the Windward Island Civil Servants Union (WICSU/PSU). Ludson Evers, president of the St. Maarten Communication Union (SMCU) has called this referendum illegal in a letter addressed to Loblack dated October 13. Loblack’s convocation to take part in the referendum is dated October 11. The referendum is to take place at the TelEm building from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Employees who want to participate have to bring the convocation as…
What happened today, Monday, October 17, 2022, in Parliament is Parliamentary Democracy at its finest. A motion to add an agenda point to today’s public meeting of Parliament to have MP Grisha Heyliger-Marten removed as the Parliament’s Chairperson was unceremoniously shot down by 9 members of parliament voting across party lines showing their disapproval of this proposal. We saw today Members of Parliament voting according to their conscience and not according to party politics. That is the old school way of doing things. Voting according to party lines is a tradition that will soon go the way of the dinosaurs.…
PHILIPSBURG — In a short press statement released on Monday morning, President of Parliament, MP Grisha Heyliger-Marten expressed her appreciation for the majority of Parliament supporting her to continue as President of Parliament. “I am very thankful and honored to have received majority support from my colleagues to continue my work as President of Parliament”, Heyliger-Marten stated after the meeting. She added that she still forms part of the governing coalition, and supports the Jacobs II cabinet as one of the original signatories. “As such, I will continue to work in my capacity as President of Parliament with discipline, efficiency,…
