PHILIPSBURG — Is St. Maarten completely decolonized or is there still work to be done? That is the central question in a factsheet three experts put together for the Dutch Second Chamber. The answer remains a matter of opinion, so the proponents and the opponents of the decolonization debate all have something to hang on to. The authors of the factsheet are prof. dr. Gerard Hoogers (National University of Groningen), prof. dr. Gert Oostindie and dr. Wouter Veenendaal (both Leiden University). The authors examined historic, legal and socioeconomic aspects of the issue. The United Nations Charter of June 26, 1945,…
Author: The Publisher
By Hilbert Haar A recent article by Malcolm Gladwell about his experiences at a Mennonite wedding in Southern Ontario sheds a bright light on the way people interact with each other (or not). His thoughts about the difference between high power-distance cultures and low power-distance cultures ought to give politicians in St. Maarten reason to think about the way they deal with people. What is the difference between the two culture-types Gladwell is writing about? France, Saudi Arabia and Colombia are examples of countries with high power-distance cultures. “Authority, in all its manifestations, matters a lot there.” On the other…
PHILIPSBURG — The Common Court of Justice acquitted Mark Mingo, the former Chief Executive Officer of the Harbor Group of Companies of all charges on Tuesday, June 21, 2022. More than two years ago, on January 29, 2020, the Court in First Instance sentenced Mingo to 46 months in prison and a 6-year ban on holding a management position at any government-owned company. Two other defendants in the so-called Emerald-case, Checkmate director O’Neal Arrindell and former parliamentarian Frans Richardson did not escape justice. The court sentenced Arrindell to 40 months of imprisonment for fraud and firearm possession. Richardson received a…
PHILIPSBURG — Eight years ago, financial expert Emilio Kalmera pointed out how the government abuses the turnover tax-system by applying this levy twice to the price of gasoline and diesel: once to the wholesale price and after that to the consumer price. This system is still in place, though Kalmera stated at the time that the government does not understand its own tax legislation. ”You can see how the government abuses the turnover tax as if it is a value added tax. Lord, have mercy.” The tax system assumes that entrepreneurs pay turnover tax to the government. They are not…
New initiative launched to introduce opportunities in avionics to local girls. PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Women in Aviation International (WAI) Girls in Aviation Day is a new collaborative effort by WAI and Member of Parliament (MP) Ludmila De Weever. The initiative is one that focuses on exposing young girls to career opportunities available in the aviation field; one that is predominantly male-driven. The event was first hosted in 2015 and has remained annual; growing every year since its inception. St. Maarten is now added to the list of participating countries. MP De Weever wishes to extend a special thanks to…
PHILIPSBURG — The Kingdom Council of Ministers decides next Friday, June 24, whether St. Maarten gets permission to terminate the 12.5 percent pay-cut for civil servants. For a positive outcome, the government has to abide by eight conditions. So far, Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs has only spoken publicly about three of the eight conditions and MP Sarah Wescot-Williams (United Democrats) is the only one who has described them in a press release. According to that release, St, Maarten has to finance the effects of lifting the pay-cut from its own budget. The 25 percent cut for ministers and parliamentarians has…
PHILIPSBURG — The essence of the problems with government-owned companies is “political meddling,” Terrance Rey, the publisher of StMaartenNews.com recently said on Wendell Moore’s radio program People’s Voice. “No matter who gets appointed to these companies, they will always have to battle political interference. There is no government-owned company in St. Maarten where this has not taken place – from the airport and the harbor to Telem and GEBE.” Rey suggested that the Corporate Governance Council ought to get a role in guiding the Chief Executive Officers (CEO) of these companies. “And the moment politicians interfere with their work, they…
PHILIPSBURG — The government is not very good at managing the money it has at its disposal to run the country. This becomes clear once more from the General Audit’s Chamber audit of the country’s 2020 financial statements. On a balance sheet of a bit more than 2.3 billion guilders, the Chamber identified 992 million, or 42 percent, as “uncertain.” The government’s accounting bureau SOAB arrived at an even higher number of “identified uncertainties”: 1.6 billion guilders, more than half of the total balance sheet. The Audit Chamber points out that this amount includes items for which the scope cannot…
St. Peters – A group of concerned residents in the St. Peters community met on Thursday evening June 9th, with residents of the community, to discuss establishing a Community Council. The district has been missing out on aid in time of disaster due to a lack of proper representation. A recognized Community Council could assist residents of St. Peters in times of disaster with support from NGO’s, the Government and other funding agencies. The concerned St. Peters group includes: Ashma Berkel, Eva Williams, Clifton Wilson, Aramis Halley, Jr., Beatrice George and Reginald Richardson – The group was supported by Ms.…
~ Innovative and financially sound businesses is key to economic recovery and growth ~ GREAT BAY, St. Maarten — In the past five (5) years, St. Maarten has seen unprecedented challenges. From the devastation of Hurricane Irma to the ongoing pandemic, the community has seen severe socioeconomic challenges. As a learning organization, the Ministry of Finance strives to develop its staff and community through education in areas of finance and innovation as it is critical to economic resilience and development, both personally and for the nation. For this reason, the Ministry has helped to steer a variety of programs such…
