Generous travel allowances for ministers on a cut 2023 budget

PHILIPSBURG — Finance Minister Ardwell Irion allocated himself a travel budget of NAf 60,000 for 2023, an increase of 601.39% compared to 2022. Tourism Minister Leo Lambriex has 100 percent more to spend on travel than his predecessor Roger Lawrence. Their budgets, as well as those of Health Minister Omar Ottley and Minister of Justice Anna Richardson, More...

Lottery booths: how the government facilitates gambling addiction
PHILIPSBURG — The Social Economic Council (SER) sent its advice about the placement of lottery booths in low income areas to Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs on February 14. It is hampered by a lack of data. More...

Prime Minister speaks on latest developments
PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Prime Minister and Minister of General Affairs Ms. Silveria Jacobs was shocked and concerned when she was informed of the news of the detention of Member of Parliament Rolando Brison More...

The Daily Invisible
By Hilbert Haar Julius Vischjager was, I am not exaggerating, a phenomenon. Between 1977 and 2009 he produced 528 editions of The Daily Invisible, the only handwritten newspaper in the world. Vischjager was its More...

Poor financial management remains a concern
PHILIPSBURG — That the country’s financial management leaves a lot to be desired is no secret. Cft-chairman Raymond Gradus underlines in a letter dated January 31 to St. Maarten’s Minister of Finance More...

Kingdom Council drops demand for salary cuts
THE HAGUE – The Kingdom Council of Ministers has asked St. Maarten to establish the 2023 budget by March 31 and to make sure that it meets the requirements from the kingdom law financial supervision. This More...

Taking you back in COHO history
By Roberto Achken Richardson I made a complete Overview on the Facts of what had taken place in the past during the Term of the Former Dutch State Secretary in terms of decisions on this Country Packages Process. Note: I More...

COHO off the table but country packages remain
PHILIPSBURG — The draft consensus kingdom law COHO (Caribbean Organization for Reform and Development) is definitely off the table, Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs announced in a press release after the conclusion More...

Justice ministry struggles with regulating the legal position of its employees
PHILIPSPBURG — The Ministry of Justice is “making great progress with the final phase of regulating its personnel affairs,” according to a press release issued by the same ministry. On December 9, 2022, More...

Execution country packages encounters ups and downs
PHILIPSBURG — St Maarten has achieved ‘beautiful results” Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs wrote in a reaction to the fourth progress report from the Temporary Work Organization (TWO) about the implementation More...