SXMElections.com

High Court Backs Same-Sex Marriage

Celebrating the outcome.

THE HAGUE--Same-sex couples are now permitted to marry immediately in Aruba and Curaao, as decided by the High Court in the Netherlands on Friday. It affirmed an earlier ruling by the Joint Court of Justice for the Dutch Caribbean.

The latter determined on December 6, 2022, that marriages between people of the same sex must be permitted in Aruba and Curaao. Both governments turned to the High Court, which has now rejected their appeals.

The case was brought by Fundacion Orguyo Aruba and Human Rights Caribbean (HRC) in Curaao Read more

Dr. Rhoda Arrindell Represents One St. Martin Association At The Big Conference At The Un

GREAT BAY, St. Martin Dr. Rhoda Arrindell, president of the One St. Martin Association (One SXM), was the sole delegate from St. Martin at the BIG international conference on decolonization in New York last week.

Arrindell was an invited speaker at the conference, Towards Independence and Fundamental Freedoms: The Role of the C-24 in Ending Colonialism, hosted by the Baku Initiative Group (BIG) at the United Nations headquarters in New York City.

Arrindell read the One SXM statement on June 20, highlighting the associations ongoing campaign to bring awareness to the St Read more

Bocce Champion Receives New Book About Slavery

Bocce champion Jurgen Leon (left) receiving the book from author Walter Hellebrand (centre), with Leons mother Maya Pandt looking on.

ST. EUSTATIUS--Jurgen Leon, a gold and bronze medallist at the recent Special Olympics in the Netherlands, received a copy of the newly released book From Slavery to Freedom.

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Minister Jansen-Webster Calls For Adherence To International Labor Standards

Philipsburg The Honorable Minister of Public Health, Social Development, and Labor (VSA), Mrs. Veronica Jansen-Webster, has issued a compelling call to action, urging all employers in St. Maarten to fully recognize and uphold the rights stipulated in the International Labor Organization (ILO) Convention 87. Known as the Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize Convention, this critical international standard guarantees workers the right to form and join organizations of their choosing without fear of retaliation or punishment. Convention 87 is a cornerstone of international labor law, ratified by numerous countries, including St Read more

I Will Not Pay Lip Service To Agriculture, Says Grisha

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten We have treated agriculture like a bastard child, said Grisha Heyliger-Marten, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications. In her inaugural address last Friday, the minister said, The COVID-19 pandemic showed us how vulnerable we are when we depend almost exclusively on imported food to feed ourselves. I am announcing now that agriculture will receive the attention it deserves Read more

United St. Maarten Party Unveils Ambitious 2024-2028 Agenda For National Improvement

PUBLISHED: on DECEMBER 22, 2023 The Daily Herald Newspapers

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — United St. Maarten Party (USP) has laid out its comprehensive plan of action for the year 2024 and beyond. The party already initiated the execution of the outlined restructuring plan in 2022, emphasizing its commitment to ongoing refinement and formulation in the subsequent years. The strategic execution and implementation of these plans are set to span the entirety of the party’s presence, whether as a coalition partner or in the opposition.

USPs primary objective is a collective pursuit of comprehensive improvement in social, financial, economic and infrastructural restructuring for all residents Read more

PHILIPSBURG: --- Minister of VSA Omar Ottley tells the court on Friday morning that he will not be a scapegoat or posterchild for corruption on St. Maarten, corruption that took place in the past or present Ottley addressed the court in the defamation case he brought against businessman Olivier Arrindell for slander and defamation. In addressing the court, he said the only thing he had was his name and he worked very hard for the assets he obtained in life Read more

PHILIPSBURG:---  In a heartfelt appeal letter addressed to the Minister of Justice Anna Richardson, and co-copied by the council of ministers and the Parliament of Sint Maarten, Fabio Doralice, Interim President of the Haitian Association of Sint Maarten (HASMA), is urging the Government of Sint Maarten to temporarily halt the forced returns of Haitian nationals a midst the dire humanitarian crisis currently engulfing Haiti Read more

United Sint Maarten Party: Sint Maarten Day MessageOne People One Nation One Destiny

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — As we celebrate our unique qualities on this 64th St. Martin day, and in honor of the motivation of Dr. Claude Wathey and Dr. Hubert Petit, we implore our people to not only celebrate their strength and resilience, but in-vision a St. Martin that we can all be proud of. It is our responsibility to further create a history that our children and ancestors can be proud of.

For it is the blood and sweat of those same ancestors from which our freedoms and privileges are derived Read more

PHLIPSBURG:--- As the Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, and someone who has held public office in this great nation, I stake my reputation on passion and dedication to service in the political arena. I have never wavered in my integrity and service to the people of St. Maarten. Because of this, I initially had no intention to respond to the ridiculous allegations being made against me.
Contrary to what has been promoted by Mr. Arrindell, this civil case is to ensure the freedom of speech as guaranteed by our constitution in article 10, cannot lead to a violation of other human rights an individual has, such as the right to privacy and family life Read more

Businessman Oliver Arrindell Did Not Appear In Case Brought Against Him Pm Jacobs.

 ~ Defense admits that Arrindell went too far. ~

PHILIPSBURG: --- The Court of First Instance had to make two courtrooms available on Friday afternoon to accommodate members of the public who showed up at the Courthouse in support of Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs who filed a civil case against businessperson Olivier Arrindell for slander and defamation.
Arrindell who is currently in Congo Africa, was supposed to attend the hearing virtually but he did not do so because he claimed that his internet connection in Africa was not stable Read more

Patient In Dominican Republic Had Surgery At Smmc.

~ Doctor mocks patient at SMMC. No agreement in place between the Dominican Republic and St. Maarten.~

PHILIPSBURG/ Dominican Republic:--- The St. Maarten resident Egbert Hector Richardson who is currently a patient at CEDIMAT Dominican Republic went overseas on his own to seek further medical treatment after having surgery at the St. Maarten Medical Center.

Edison Adamus the Director and Pastor of Key to Freedom said that Richardson lives at Key to Freedom since he is in rehabilitation for substance abuse.
He explained that Richardson had a hernia and he was operated upon at the St Read more

World Bank Delegation Impressed With R4cr

Philipsburg – A World Bank mission, led by Mr. Alex Kamurase visited Sint Maarten from September 11 to 15, 2023 to assess the progress of the Resources for Community Resilience program (R4CR). The delegation also included Ms. Natalia Bavio, Financial Consultant and Ms. Chanelle Fingal, Social Development Consultant. Their primary objectives were to evaluate the overall progress, operational implementation and compliance of the R4CR program with the World Banks standards in the key areas of financial management, procurement, social and environmental safeguards.

During their visit, the World Bank team engaged with various other stakeholders, including the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB) and R4CR’s Project Technical Committee Read more

PHILIPSBURG:--- A World Bank mission, led by Mr. Alex Kamurase visited Sint Maarten from September 11 to 15, 2023 to assess the progress of the Resources for Community Resilience program (R4CR). The delegation also included Ms. Natalia Bavio, a Financial Consultant, and Ms. Chanelle Fingal, a Social Development Consultant. Their primary objectives were to evaluate the overall progress, operational implementation, and compliance of the R4CR program with the World Banks standards in the key areas of financial management, procurement, and social and environmental safeguards.

During their visit, the World Bank team engaged with various other stakeholders, including the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB) and R4CR's Project Technical Committee Read more

Deadline Extended For Emotional Freedom Techniques Course To Sept 5Th.

~BE EQUIPPED TO SERVE YOUR COMMUNITY~

PHILIPSBURG:---  In light of the many challenging issues that our families, individuals, and communities face daily, Dr. N. Erna Mae Francis Cotton visionary of Victorious Living and the counseling program developer at the GHBU, St. Maarten Campus designed a Masters Level counseling degree program in 2015 to meet the growing socio-emotional and psychological needs in our community. The program covers topics such as effective grief counseling, suicide prevention and assessment, effective marriage counseling, and effective techniques for working with children.
Francis-Cotton, who also co-developed the Grief Counseling curriculum for the University of West Indies BSC in Social Work program, recognizes the significance of providing practical and evidenced-based tools for counselors to effectively help their clients to heal Read more

Deadline Extended For Emotional Freedom Techniques Course To Sept 5Th

BE EQUIPPED TO SERVE YOUR COMMUNITY

Great Bay, Sint Maarten — In light of the many challenging issues that our families, individuals and communities face daily, Dr. N. Erna Mae Francis Cotton visionary of Victorious Living and the counseling program developer at the GHBU, St. Maarten Campus designed a Masters Level counseling degree program in 2015 to meet the growing socio- emotional and psychological needs in our community. The program covers topics such as effective grief counseling, suicide prevention and assessment, effective marriage counseling, and effective techniques for working with children.

Francis-Cotton, who also co-developed the Grief Counseling curriculum for the University of West Indies BSC in Social Work program, recognizes the significance of providing practical and evidenced-based tools for counselors to effectively help their clients to heal Read more

Brug Submits National Decree For Government Subsidized School Food Program

PHILIPSBURG Unified Resilient Sint Maarten Movement (URSM) prospective candidate Richinel Brug submits in accordance with article 7 of the Law on Compulsory Education a National Decree containing general measures regulating a Government subsidized school food program for students Read more

PHILIPSBURG:--- This Saturday, August 12, 2023, Ms. Tefari Prevoo Francisco, returned from a five-week summer intensive music program at the prestigious Berklee College of Music. She successfully completed this preliminary course to the Bachelor program and received a glowing introductory letter from Mr. Witness Matlou, a South African Jazz Pianist and a music theory professor at Berklee. Ms. Tefari Prevoo Franciscos participation in the course was made possible through assistance by the Division of Study Financing, the Department of Culture, and the Cabinet of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sport (MECYS) Read more

PHILIPSBURG:--- We did not stumble into the present, and are not stumbling into our future, said Prof. Hillary Beckles to the CARICOM and African Union (AU) representatives at one session of the Reparations and Racial Healing Study Tour in Barbados, July 24 28, 2023.
The CARICOM-AU conference brought together perspectives from government and civil society leaders and Reparations advocates from the Caribbean, Africa, and African Diaspora communities on developing a unified front on Reparations from historical crimes Read more

New Us Party Leadership: Educating Its New Candidates

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten — Leader of the US Party, Mrs Pamela Gordon Carty, recently declared that she was content to see that a valiant attempt is being made by the other political parties to educate their incoming potential candidates. On the other hand, she remains skeptical as it appears to be a copycat phenomenon that seems to have been initiated as of late. The USP has been providing informative sessions to the citizens of St. Maarten under its new leadership team since November of 2021 Read more

Sacred Heart School students and invited guests at Sabas Emancipation Day event.

SABA--Saba marked the start of the Commemoration Year of the Slavery Past on Saturday, July 1, with a well-attended Emancipation Day event with a number of speakers and a range of performances.

The events theme, Liberation through healing, was most fitting, said Commissioner of Culture Eviton Heyliger. Although healing hundreds of years of trauma will not happen overnight, we need to start the dialogue Read more

From left: President of Parliament Sidharth Bijlani, Janique Baly, Governor of St. Maarten Ajamu Baly, ECYS Minister Rodolphe Samuel, President of French Saint Martin Louis Mussington, Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs and Dutch State Secretary of Kingdom Relations and Digitalisation Alexandra van Huffelen.

PHILIPSBURG--Born Free was the theme of this years Emancipation Day event, the 160th anniversary of the Proclamation of the Abolishment of Slavery in 1863, across the Dutch Caribbean islands on Saturday, July 1.

The event commenced with an ecumenical service at Saints Simon and Jude Anglican Church, Back Street, in the morning, followed by a Freedom March on Boardwalk Boulevard to the Sports Park.

The beautiful ceremony was filled with performances and renditions of song, poetry and dance by local musicians, poets, dancers, singers and storytellers.

Performance by National Institute of Arts (NIA) dancers during the ceremony.

Symbol of freedom

In his speech, Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS) Rodolphe Samuel noted the day as a symbolic celebration of freedom Read more

Minister Of Finance Prepares Electronic Payment App Sen

Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion speaking at Islandpreneur Live 2023 event.

PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion is about to launch a new app called Sen, explained by Irion as a hybrid between Cash App and Venmo Read more

SABA:--- Saba marked the start of the Commemoration Year of the Slavery Past on Saturday, July 1, with a well-attended Emancipation Day event with a number of speakers and a number of powerful performances.

The events theme, liberation through healing, was most fitting, said Commissioner of Culture Eviton Heyliger. Although healing hundreds of years of trauma will not happen overnight, we need to start the dialogue. By engaging in healing practices, as a community we can reclaim our agency, reconnect with our inner strength, and restore our sense of wholeness, he said in his speech.

Collectively, we can contribute to social transformation and liberation by dismantling oppressive systems, challenging inequities, and promoting justice Read more