SXMElections.com

~Attorney Brenda Brooks was elected president of the board.~

Cole Bay:--- A sizeable crowd turned out to the URSM's first congress held on Sunday afternoon at the Tropicana Ball Room in Cole Bay. Attorney at law Brenda Brooks was elected president of the URSM board while the other elected board members are Veronica Webster Jensen, Josianne Artsen-Fleming, Stuart Johnson and ---
The elected leader of the URSM is its founder Dr Read more

~Politicians have been enriching themselves through Government-owned companies--- URSM Leader  Dr. Luc Mercelina.~

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Unified Resilient St. Maarten Movement ( URSM- You are St. Maarten) officially launched the newest political movement on St. Maartens Constitutional Day. Its leader Dr. Luc Mercelina is no stranger to St Read more

Aging With Grace Presents Virtual MotherS Day Song Festival

Great Bay, Sint Maarten – On Sunday, May 10, 2020, Drs. Linda Richardson, host of the recently launched program AGING WITH GRACE; CORONA AGE EDITION, will be hosting a VIRTUAL MOTHERS DAY SONGFESTIVAL to celebrate Mothers Day.

This year, due to Covid-19 and the safety measures implemented, Mothers Day will not be celebrated in the usual manner. Churches, stores and restaurants will remain closed and the flower and gift baskets vendors will not be alongside the road selling flowers or gifts Read more

Aging With Grace Presents Virtual MotherS Day Song Festival.

- On Sunday, May 10, 2020, Drs. Linda Richardson, host of the recently launched program AGING WITH GRACE; CORONA AGE EDITION, will be hosting a VIRTUAL MOTHERS DAY SONGFESTIVAL to celebrate Mothers Day.
This year, due to Covid-19 and the safety measures implemented, Mothers Day will not be celebrated in the usual manner. Churches, stores, and restaurants will remain closed and the flower and gift baskets vendors will not be alongside the road selling flowers or gifts. It is clear that this Mothers Day celebration will be different and somewhat sad for many Read more

Duncan says Justice Minister should do proper research.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Justice Rafael Boasman confirmed on Wednesday that the Justice Academy is not a registered entity within the Justice Ministry. Minister Boasman was asked by SMN News to clarify his statements on the establishment of the Justice Academy. Asked if the diplomas issued from the institution of the years are valid and are recognized the Minister said that the establishment of the institution has nothing to do with the diplomas since the curriculum that are followed are from recognized institution Read more

Tzu Chi Volunteers Visit Seniors At St. Martin Home

A Tzu Chi volunteer interacting with a client.

St. Maarten News —St. Maarten Tzu Chi Foundation volunteers continued to spread cheer to St. Martin’s Home clients during their most recent visit on Sunday, June 26. The Foundation said in a press release that 12 volunteers, including four new ones, visited the home to pamper and give loving care to the seniors.

Tzu Chi held a meeting two days before the visit to introduce the new volunteers to the foundation and to have a brief training with them on the foundation’s approach during its monthly visits Read more

Plenipotentiary Concerned About Integrity Matters And Relationship With Holland

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Minister of Plenipotentiary the Honorable Josianne Artsen Fleming also traveled along with the student to Holland on Sunday.

Speaking to our newsroom exclusively on Sunday the Plenipotentiary Minister noted that the break with S4 was taken to heart by the organisation.

She noted that the personnel of S4 really enjoyed taking care of the St Read more

Gendarmes, Firemen, honoured in Bastille Day pinning ceremonies

MARIGOT--The usually predictable format of the Bastille Day programme took on a different twist Tuesday when military medals were bestowed on six Gendarmes and, in a separate ceremony, three professional firemen promoted in rank received their stripes.

The medal ceremony for the Gendarmes of St. Martin and St. Barths conducted by Colonel Thiriot, second in command of the Guadeloupe Gendarmerie, preceded the wreath-laying ceremony at the war memorial in the garden of Hotel de la Collectivité.

Dignitaries from both sides of the island and Anguilla had attended a service in the Catholic Church just earlier.

The Military Medal, France’s third highest military distinction, was pinned on the lapels of Adjudant-Chef Nicolas Heslon (48) of the St Read more

St. Maarten signatory to OCT sustainable Energy Roadmap

BRUSSELS, Belgium--Minister Plenipotentiary Josianne Artsen signed on the Overseas Countries and Territories (OCTs) Sustainable Energy Roadmap on behalf of government on Thursday. The roadmap was the end result of the Summit of the OCTs Energy Ministers in Brussels, Belgium, from June 16 to 18.

The roadmap facilitates and supports the path to lower fossil fuel dependency, and increases energy efficiency to further assist OCTs in the transition to sustainable energy.

OCT governments agreed at the summit to support the development of an OCT Sustainable Energy Roadmap to help reduce their reliance on fossil fuels and improve their energy efficiency.

A selection of the identified sustainable energy priority areas for the Caribbean OCTs and a proposal for a possible joint project were shared with the participants of the summit.

The Energy Summit gave OCTs the opportunity to provide guidance regarding sustainable energy priorities for the Thematic Programme (16-18 million euros) under the 11th European Development Fund (EDF).

Sustainable energy was identified as an essential area of cooperation at the OCTs Ministerial Conference, held in Tortola, British Virgin Islands, on February 26.

St Read more

Studying in the Caribbean

Minister Plenipotentiary Josianne Artsen and Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Rita Bourne-Gumbs visited Dutch Minister of Education, Culture and Science Jet Bussemaker at her ministry in The Hague. They discussed vocational and higher education, accreditation matters, studying in the Caribbean, supervision and inspectorate education, secondary education examination, cultural heritage, monument care, youth employment, Fort Amsterdam and student support services Read more

Country committed to tackling the underperformance of boys

PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten "remains committed" to examining gender-development to address "gaps in raising successful and engaged boys and men." This was the message delivered by Minister Plenipotentiary Josianne Artsen on behalf of Education and Youth Minister Rita Bourne-Gumbs at a recent briefing with the fellow Dutch Kingdom delegation members and non-governmental organizations in New York.

The message, outlining the position of women on St Read more

Editorial - Help yourself

Today’s report that new Plenipotentiary Minister in The Hague Josianne Artsen attended the first St. Maarten Student Support Services S4 mentors intervention meeting is most welcome. Guidance is obviously very important for the island’s “best and brightest” sent to the Netherlands every year to further their education.

That the request for such a trouble-shooting and networking forum came from the mentors indicates a clear desire to improve Read more

New Marcel Gumbs Cabinet takes office

~ Governor issues challenge to unify people ~

PHILIPSBURG--"The greatest little country in the world" as St. Maarten has been described by its new Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, finally has a new Council of Ministers. Gumbs, a veteran politician, and the five other ministers were sworn in on Friday afternoon by Governor Eugene Holiday at his office.

The swearing-in ceremony was followed by the first meeting of the Council of Ministers with the governor in A.C Read more

style="text-align: center;">Marcel Gumbs second Prime Minister since St. Maarten became a country

PHILIPSBURG:--- Five of the seven required Ministers were sworn in on Friday. Former Senator of the Netherlands Antilles Marcel Gumbs was sworn in as the second Prime Minister of Country St Read more

New Gumbs Cabinet to be sworn in on Friday

HARBOUR VIEW--St. Maarten finally will have a new cabinet as of 3:00pm Friday when six new ministers are sworn in by Governor Eugene Holiday at his office.

The cabinet will be headed by veteran politician Marcel Gumbs as Prime Minister. He will also be ad interim Minister of Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI.

Current Justice Minister Dennis Richardson will continue in his post as well as serving as ad interim Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour.

Finance Minister Martin Hassink also will continue in his post.

School Manager Rita A Read more

Four minister candidates reportedly fail screening

PHILIPSBURG--It appears that efforts to put together a new cabinet have come up a few ministers short. Four of the minister candidates reportedly have failed the extensive screening to take up a post in what has been billed as the Marcel Gumbs Cabinet.

Those said to have failed the security and integrity screenings are finance minister candidate Richard Gibson Sr., health minister candidate Leroy de Weever, infrastructure minister candidate Peggy-Ann Brandon and deputy minister plenipotentiary candidate Lucas Berman.

According to people close to the issue, attorney and former minister in the Netherlands Antilles Gibson Sr Read more

Lucas Berman tipped to be next deputy minister plenipotentiary

PHILIPSBURG--Attorney Lucas Berman is said to be the candidate minister for the post of deputy minister plenipotentiary in The Hague.

Providing he passes the security and integrity screening, Berman will join the minister plenipotentiary in representing the country in the Netherlands, particularly at the meeting of the Kingdom Council of Ministers. Minister plenipotentiary is expected to be Josianne Artsen, who currently serves as deputy minister plenipotentiary.

Berman, a junior partner with Lexwell Attorneys-at-Law, was born in Toulouse, France, and was raised in the Netherlands Read more

Minister candidates submitted to governor

HARBOUR VIEW--The names of the minister candidates for the new cabinet were submitted to Governor Eugene Holiday by formateur United People's (UP) leader Theo Heyliger on Wednesday. The security and judicial screenings of the candidates for the post of prime minister, the six other ministers and minister plenipotentiary has commenced, according to the governor's cabinet.

Holiday and Heyliger met yesterday to discuss the progress of the formation process Read more

St. Maarteners in the Netherlands unite to celebrate their national day

THE HAGUE--For the fourth time, St. Maarteners, joined by friends from Aruba, Curaçao, St. Eustatius, Saba, the Netherlands and France, celebrated St. Martin/St. Maarten Day in Wassenaar, close to The Hague on Friday evening.

The event, held at the Van der Valk Hotel, had a low political profile: there were no members of the Second and First Chamber of the Dutch Parliament or of the Dutch Caribbean governments, except for the Ministers Plenipotentiary of the three islands.

Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk didn't attend either despite his promise made earlier that week during a debate in the Second Chamber about financial supervision in the Dutch Caribbean and the financial situation in Aruba.

The Minister had other commitments as he was the guest on the popular TV talk show Pauw that same night Read more

style="text-align: center;">Curacao Policy Advisor to be Appointed Minister of VSA by MP Lloyd Richardson

PHILIPSBURG:--- Two months and days after the August 29th Parliamentary Elections there is still no Government on St. Maarten and while the Governor of St. Maarten has extended the formation period for the UPP/De Weever/Marlin coalition to appoint a Ministerial cabinet Read more

Usm Alumni Host Youth Forum

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten -- The "Students Stand Up" Youth Forum was organized by the USM Alumni Foundation on Tuesday evening in order to provide the opportunity for students to voice their perspective and concerns about various situations prevalent throughout St. Maarten.

With youth of various ages in attendance at the University of St. Martin, the Forum provided an outlet for the youth to be involved in the shaping and direction for reform of the education system, labour market, career development, and other pertinent areas affecting the ability for our youth to grow and prosper.

President of the USM Alumni Foundation Stuart Johnson said, "It surely was an informative and interactive session with our special invited guest."

Josianne Artsen, Immediate Past President of USM and Deputy Minister Plenipotentiary gave a comprehensive presentation on education "From the Cradle to the Grave." "I am honored for the opportunity to hear from my youth and to be a guest at this forum," says Josianne Artsen Read more

"Woman 2 Woman, Phenomenal Women" To Hold Political Debate At Usm

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The University of St. Martin (USM) and the "Woman 2 Woman, Phenomenal Women" program have partnered to present the first 'Phenomenal Women Political Debate' on Wednesday August 20th, 2014 at the USM Lecture Hall, from 6:00pm to 9:00pm.

This exclusive event will consist of ten female debate panelists, two from each political party contesting St. Maarten's 2014 Parliamentary Elections.

The candidates chosen by their respective political parties and confirmed to participate are:
• Richelda Rodriquez Emmanuel and Mulrose Toulon (Democratic Party)
• Silveria Jacobs and Dorothy Richardson (National Alliance)
• Regina Janga and Marie-Lou Conner (One St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The University of St. Martin (USM) and the "Woman 2 Woman, Phenomenal Women" program have partnered to present the first 'Phenomenal Women Political Debate' on Wednesday August 20th, 2014 at the USM Lecture Hall, from 6:00pm to 9:00pm. This exclusive event will consist of ten female debate panelists, two from each political party contesting St. Maarten's 2014 Parliamentary Elections. The candidates chosen by their respective political parties and confirmed to participate are:

 Richelda Rodriquez Emmanuel and Mulrose Toulon (Democratic Party) Silveria Jacobs and Dorothy Richardson (National Alliance) Regina Janga and Marie-Lou Conner (One St Read more

Former Mayor Fleming Endorses Wife And Speaks Of Island Unity

St. Maarten - Former St. Martin Mayor Albert Fleming shared his vision for the unification of the northern French side and southern Dutch side of the island. “I am a people person and I love my country,” said Fleming. “Things on the French side are not going well because of the direction the politicians took on article 74 without having done a study. That’s one of the reasons why I left government because we don’t have the structure. We are in the crossroads of an extremely difficult situation financially, especially as a result of when the euro went into effect,” Fleming explained Read more