Following procedures the new norm?
It is very interesting to hear members of parliament rail against the new work permit policy imposed by Minister Pamela Gordon-Cary, citing lack of following procedures and lack of consultations with other government entities and stakeholders. For a body that does not always follow its own rules of order nor adhere to principles of good governance, More...
What did any other parties really do in Parliament?
The question was raised when we published the achievements article about the SMCP on our front page outlining what the party did in Parliament during its 19 months’ term. Few parties if any can publish anything More...
The H-Factor
Leader of the SMCP, Wycliffe Smith, writes in an article about the H-Factor. Already on November 7, 2019, during an ad hoc committee meeting on electoral reform, the former MP Claude Chacho Peterson proposed that More...
Separation of church and state
St. Maarten is a very religious island. The separation of church and government was never a discussion point until the appearance of the Sint Maarten Christian Party, SMCP, in the political arena in 2015 and with More...
The thing with article 59
Is there a cure for the seemingly never-ending battle between an obstinate parliament – that sends the government home – and an evenly stubborn Council of Ministers that reacts by invoking Article 59 of the More...
Hands off
The times they are a’changin and so is the political makeup of St. Maarten’s government. Once upon a time – and not all that long ago – appointments to key positions, be it as policy advisors or in executive More...
Screening: a step in the right direction
By Hilbert Haar Is screening candidates for positions on supervisory boards of government-owned companies a good idea? Definitely. In fact, I am almost taken aback by Prime Minister Romeo-Marlin’s decision to More...
Mullet Bay to take center stage
The parliamentary inquiry proposal submitted by member of Parliament Rolando Brison as faction leader of the United St. Maarten Party (USP) aims to shed light on the decades long pressing question of the ownership More...
Anti-Lee sentiments run deep. Why?
That human behavior is unpredictable is a fact. With all the smart inventions predicted in Star Trek – from the Universal Translator, to the Medical Tricorder and the Communicator – all nicely wrapped More...
The Light Bearer
At the dawn of the internet it was seen as the cusp of the information age and was dubbed the information superhighway. The internet became the great equalizer where everyone, no matter color, race or creed, could More...
