Dear Editor, Words can’t describe how distraught I am at this moment. I can only imagine how my ancestors would feel if they were here to witness this atrocity. The historical structure at Diamond Estate has been completely destroyed at the cost of what? It begs to wonder who ensures that proper policies and laws are put in place to stop these presumed “illegal” acts. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports (ECYS) through the Department of Culture ensures a re-enactment of the Diamond Estate 26 Run for freedom is part of the yearly Emancipation Day celebrations. Which seems…
Author: The Publisher
Dear Editor, I hope one of the outcomes of the pandemic would be a real discussion on the dependence of our island’s economy on tourism. Every election there has been much talk on the economy, but besides from our tourism product, the only real driver of the economy has been the funds granted from the Netherlands. Every election, few candidates take some ideas out of their hats in regards to diversifying the economy. Although, what is really done? We have to take a step back, assess and observe the situation. Which party has been…
PHILIPSBURG – For the first time in history, citizens of the Caribbean part of the kingdom will have an opportunity to influence the composition of the Dutch First Chamber, aka as the senate. On March 15, there is an election for Dutch citizens who live outside of the Netherlands for members of the Electoral College. The deadline to register is February 1. The election for the Electoral College for non-residents is at the same time an election for members of the First Chamber and for the European Parliament. Local attorney Remco Stomp is the number 3-candidate for the Electoral College…
PHILIPSBURG — St. Maarten currently has an estimated 600 citizens living with dementia and over the next couple of decades the situation is projected to get much worse. Alzheimer’s Disease International (ADI) says that by 2050 the number will have increased dramatically to 1,800. In the wider Caribbean numbers will increase on average by 155 percent in 2050. ADI and the local Alzheimer’s Foundation led by Drs. Raymond Jessurun are now both urging governments to put a national dementia plan in place. Not unique: according to ADI only 16 percent of Caribbean countries have made any progress with the establishment…
PHILIPSBURG — Nina Ansary, the 56-year old daughter of Hushang Ansary has filed a complaint at the US District Court for the District of Columbia in an effort to protect her multi-million 15.9 percent stake in Parman International BV. She alleges in her complaint to the court that the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten “unlawfully retained control of private assets” and that it “orchestrated the sale to a notorious money launderer tied to a Central Bank-official.” Related link: Internationally Renowned Women’s Rights Advocate Files Suit Against Central Bank Of Curacao And Sint Maarten For Theft Of Property That…
PHILIPSBURG — The Cadastre office on Back Street is no stranger to controversy. More than six years ago, in December 2016, internal correspondence revealed that it was run by incompetent people and notorious trouble makers. That its current director Shaka Lake has been suspended over accusations of irregularities adds just another chapter to the Cadastre’s troubled past.
PHILIPSBURG — Local politicians have reacted with caution and at times enthusiasm to the news that the consensus kingdom law COHO (Caribbean Organization for Reform and Development) is now definitely history. The Caribbean countries – Curacao, Aruba and St. Maarten fiercely opposed the law and with its removal it seems that they got their way. That is however only partially true, because in its place will come a mutual agreement. And the country package St. Maarten signed on to in 2020 remains firmly in place. Veteran Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams (United Democrats) spoke in a press statement of “exciting…
PHILIPSBURG – The Cadastre is in the news once again and that news is not positive: the supervisory board has suspended its director, Shaka Lake, without pay earlier this month. Lake is a former policy advisor at the Department of Civil Aviation and was suspended allegedly on suspicion of irregularities with pay, eventhough rumors have it that he and the board were not seeing things eye to eye regarding a planned board trip to the Netherlands. Lake was appointed when the United Democrats (UD) party was in power. Other candidates for the position at the time were Louis Brown and…
PHILIPSBURG — In April 2019 the Law Enforcement Council made six recommendations for the improvement of the management and supervision of the Crime Fund. In November 2022 the Council completed a report that details what happened to those recommendations. Only one has been implemented, the remaining five are still a work in progress. The Council advises the ministry of justice to temporary suspend the financing of new projects with money from the Crime Fund. That should not be too difficult or painful because the last call for new projects dates back to 2018 and since that time no new projects…
PHILIPSBURG — The United Nations has made good intentions its core business, or so it seems. Case in point is the twelve strategic development goals (SDG) it formulated during a conference in Rio de Janeiro in 2012. Those SDGs consist of seventeen objectives (see the complete list at sdgs.un.org) and they are part of the 2030 agenda for sustainable development. All UN member states adopted that agenda in 2015. It was presented as “a blueprint for peace and prosperity for people and the planet, now and in the future. Some of these SDGs are more relevant for St. Maarten than…
