“We want to drink champagne on a mauby budget”
“We cannot drink champagne if we only have money for Coca Cola.” – Marcel Gumbs PHILIPSBURG — First MP Claudius Buncamper declared himself independent. Then Akeem Arrindell followed his example. Result: the United St. Maarten party (USp) lost its representation in Parliament. After Buncamper’s suspension that situation will soon be More...
Desperate deeds
By Hilbert Haar One would think that discussing the suspension of a parliamentarian who has just been sentenced for corruption and forgery is an excellent opportunity for the remaining members of parliament to More...
Never a dull moment
By Hilbert Haar A political crisis? I don’t think so. Of course, it is unique that the only two members of the United St. Maarten party (USp) – Claudius Buncamper and Akeem Arrindell – have declared More...
Wie zwijgt stemt toe
By Hilbert Haar I honestly cannot remember a moment when there was no trouble at all at utilities company GEBE and I have followed the developments in energy-land closely for more than ten years. Being the managing More...
Mar, bribe and destroy
By Hilbert Haar It is not a good week for the United St. Maarten party (USp), its faction leader Claudius Buncamper and its founder Frans Richardson. Like attracts like, or as the Dutch like to say: soort zoekt More...
Being human
By Hilbert Haar MP Rolando Brison took the only option left to him by stepping down as president of parliament. Quite some people may think: good riddance, and on a certain level that is understandable. The documented More...
Gordon-Carty warns: Lack of dignity casts St. Maarten as mediocre on world stage
PHILIPSBURG — Former Minister of VSA Pamela Gordon-Carty on Tuesday cautioned the country’s elected representatives about the dangers of casting St. Maarten, its government and its people, as mediocre on More...
Deja vu all over again
MP Rolando Brison (UPP) has come under fire this weekend after a 'spliced up' recording of him went viral. Amazingly, when it comes to St. Maarten's politics, history has an uncanny ability to repeat itself. It More...
Is the Constitutional Court such a good idea?
By Hilbert Haar St. Maarten’s judicial system contains a unique institution: the Constitutional Court. No other country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands has such a court. Is that good or bad? First of all it More...
Political pipedreams
By Hilbert Haar The Central Plan Bureau in the Netherlands routinely analyses election programs of political parties before an election takes place. Such analyses show whether these programs are financially feasible, More...
