PHILIPSBURG – The Council of Ministers has approved the draft Right to a Bank Account law according to a press release by its creator, parliamentarian Rolando Brison. The release claims that more than 21 percent of the country’s residents are currently unable to obtain a basic bank account. Brison speaks in his press release of “unchecked and at times reckless tactics” local banks use in determining who has a right to a bank account. “The draft law is a major step to empowering our citizens to achieve financial security,” he stated. After the Council of Ministers approved the draft on…
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Previous request by Wescot-Williams not honored PHILIPSBURG – PFP members of Parliament Melissa Gumbs and Raeyhon Peterson, as well as an independent member of Parliament Grisha Heyliger-Marten, submitted a request for an urgent meeting of the Ad-hoc Committee New Parliament Building. This request followed the indication that the meeting requested by MP Wescot would not be called. Gumbs, Peterson, and Heyliger-Marten, as members, submitted a new request for a meeting, in the presence of the Minister of Finance, who has been highlighted as being the one to spearhead the project. “MP Wescot’s original request stemmed from the May 29 public…
During a recent press conference, State Secretary Van Huffelen stated that the Government of St. Maarten had to “come up with a solution to the problems at the pension insurer Ennia.” She also indicated that these so-called solutions would be tied to the restructuring of the liquidity support loans. In August of 2021, the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten (CBCS) affirmed that it will “continue to focus on the restructuring of ENNIA to safeguard the interests of the policyholders.” In November of 2021, the Court of First Instance stated that the Central Bank of Curacao and St. Maarten…
On Monday, May 21, 2023, Minister of Justice Anna E. Richardson officially opened the two-day Start Conference “Strengthening Border Control” which was held in the conference room of the Simpson Bay Resort. The Start Conference marked the official beginning of the implementation of the plan of approach for Sint Maarten aimed at further bolstering the country’s border security. The current plan of approach is the result of the political agreement reached between Aruba, Curacao, and Sint Maarten, individually with the Netherlands in 2020, which includes long-term financial assistance to the Caribbean countries for measures to be taken to strengthen their…
PHILIPSBURG – The fate of Dr. AC. Wathey’s statue has caught the attention of M Sarah Wescot-Williams, a member of parliament for the United Democrats and the leader of the resurrected Democratic Party. Wescot-Williams is concerned about statements by Vromi-Minister Egbert Doran that the statue might have to be stored and that there are plans for a wall of heroes. “Not as a replacement for this statue,” the MP wrote in a press statement. “There are plans in the works at the Ministry of Vromi, but they cannot be revealed. So, what is it?” Wescot-Williams has asked the minister via…
PHILIPSBURG – A rise in temperature of just one degree has an impact on the consumption of electricity,” MP Melissa Gumbs (Party for Progress, PfP) pointed out in a letter to Minister of General Affairs Silveria Jacobs that contains questions about electricity provider GEBE. Gumbs states that increased electricity consumption puts additional stress on the grid. “It must be made clear if GEBE’s financial and operational status can sustain the current and projected high temperatures for 2023, in particular the upcoming season.” The MP also asked Minister Jacobs for an update about GEBE’s readiness for the new hurricane season and…
In an urgent letter to be sent to the Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication, the Hon. Arthur L. Lambriex on Monday, May 22nd, 2023, MP Grisha Heyliger-Marten will submit a number of questions to the Minister seeking clarity on his process or plans to issue new transportation licenses. “Knowing that a moratorium was put in place for transportation licenses in 2014, I was very surprised to receive news from within the taxi sector that people are being approached by the Ministry to register for a license application. Taking everything into consideration, I am very concerned about the…
In a press statement released on Sunday afternoon, MP Grisha Heyliger-Marten expressed concern for both the Presidium of Parliament and members of the Council of Ministers for not carrying out their respective duties adequately. The first example cited by Heyliger-Marten is the urgent public meeting regarding TelEm, which started on November 7th, 2022. The topics were the SOAB report, the complaints of the union regarding the CEO, and the status of the Fiber-To-The-Home project. “We are now in May, so seven months later, and this urgent meeting is far from being completed. In the meantime, the issues have not been…
Richinel Brug says teachers should not be held hostage in their current salary scales. As a person vying for legislative office, Brug proposes an amendment to article 2 of the “Bezoldigingslandsbesluitonderwijs”. This amendment would allow teachers who are stuck in their current salary scale, to go over to the next scale. The “Bezoldigingslandsbesluitonderwijs” is the National Decree containing general measures that regulate the remuneration of teachers in Sint Maarten. As indicated in previous public statements, Brug believes that it is high time our Frontline workers, First responders, and Essential workers get the respect and appreciation they deserve. Brug promised to…
PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – The Law Enforcement Council (the Council), in its third sub-inspection as part of an overall review of particular recommendations related to the Sint Maarten Police Force (KPSM), found that the majority of the recommendations have been followed. Related link: Read the complete report online Since 2020 the Council has been conducting sub-inspections to review the status of the follow-up of recommendations from 43 inspection reports published from 2012 up to and including 2018. The first two sub-inspection reports were published in 2021 and 2022 respectively. The current and also third sub-inspection concerns the level of follow-up…
