Protect your assets
By Hilbert Haar The mindboggling case of the now former branch manager of the courthouse in St. Maarten, Maritsa James-Christina, should function as a cautionary tale to all companies and organizations where somebody is entrusted with money. If you ever needed proof that the occasion makes the thief, this is it. Years ago, I interviewed a private investigator More...
The Conspiracy to Rehabilitate Christophe Emmanuel
By Hilbert Haar An anonymous letter writer has posted several installments on the 721news website under the headline The conspiracy to ruin MP Christophe Emmanuel. The stories come across as exhaustively researched More...
Instability is here to stay
By Hilbert Haar Based on results, issues like integrity and transparency do not appeal to our electorate. The United Democrats and the St. Maarten Christian Party campaigned on these issues and look where it got More...
Reforming politicians
By Hilbert Haar The amendments to election-related ordinances proposed by Sint Maarten Christian Party leader Wycliffe Smith seamlessly solve the existing conflicts between these ordinances and the constitution. Article More...
Tax fugitives
By Hilbert Haar The National Gazette reads these days as a manual for tax payers on the run. Hundreds of pages in the government’s official publication are dedicated to the listing of companies and private citizens More...
Election candidates are running for office in Parliament
Reminder: election candidates are running for office in Parliament, not to become a minister in government. Each political party that obtains proportional representation in Parliament via its candidates and is More...
Just a pipe dream
By Hilbert Haar Wow, the funding agreements for the airport-reconstruction with the World Bank and the European Investment Bank have finally been signed by the current government. That’s good news for the airport More...
The writing is on the wall
By Hilbert Haar Let me make one thing clear before writing anything else. The real winners and losers will become apparent only after the January 9, 2020 elections. But I still think, quoting Greta Thunberg, that More...
Playing dead
By Hilbert Haar The interim government led by Silveria Jacobs currently consists of five ministers – one from the United St. Maarten party (USp) and the rest are all with the National Alliance (NA). Until the More...
The blame game
By Hilbert Haar The parliament meeting about funding for the airport reconstruction was rather bewildering – at least, that was my experience. Finance Minister Perry Geerlings made clear that the bondholders More...
