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style="text-align: center;">TODAY Newspaper Editor in Chief could have confirmed the screening reports by asking their Publisher.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Some of the candidates that ran on the UPP slate are enraged because they said they were treated like children when their party leader Theodore Heyliger interrogated them to see if any of them would have told him who leaked the screening results to SMN News Read more

Parliament Bloopers continue, Country’s constitution not respected --- MP Lloyd Richardson voted on his own appointment as Chairman of Parliament.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- The bloopers in the Parliament of St. Maarten continue as the MPs that are elected fail read and comply with the country's constitution. This is the second time a Member of Parliament violated article 53 of the country's constitution.
On Monday MP Lloyd Richardson voted in favor of his own appointment where he was appointed the chairman of Parliament 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

Who has whose back?

Dear Editor,

Franklin Meyers wants the Dutch government to “pass legislation to help feed my people of St. Maarten and to alleviate my people from poverty.” Mr. Meyers has been part of the governing party of St. Maarten many times, first with DP and then with UPP, now HE'S BACK with UPP and I have a simple question to ask him Read more

Theo Heyliger Confirms He Is The Next Prime Minister Of St. Maarten

St. Maarten – United People’s party leader Theo Heyliger confirmed in the Oral Gibbes Live TV-program on Monday that he will be the country’s next Prime Minister. While others on the UP-list may also take up a post in the new cabinet, Heyliger’s move makes it certain that the controversial candidate Maria Buncamper-Molanus will become a Member of Parliament.

If, as is to be expected, Franklin Meyers becomes the new minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs, Jules James will return to parliament for a second 4-year term.

“I made a promise to the population of St Read more

Parliament Takes Vorst Estate Purchase Out Of 2014 Budget

St. Maarten – The Parliament approved a motion to take a $5.5 million provision for the purchase of the Vorst Estate out of an amendment to the 2014 budget with 7 votes to 6. This blocks the purchase of the land, for which Vromi-Minister Maurice Lake signed an agreement in February of this year, but it does not absolve the country of liability towards the Vorst-family, because the Court in First Instance has already ruled that the purchase-agreement Lake signed is a valid one.

The meeting to handle the budget amendment has a long history Read more

Vorst land purchase to be omitted from 2014 budget amendment

~ Roy's amendment to budget amendment passed ~

PHILIPSBURG--An amendment to remove the purchase of the Vorst Estate property from a budget amendment tabled by Finance Minister Martin Hassink was passed during a public plenary session of parliament on Monday.

It was the third time the meeting had been convened to handle this and other issues. The first two meetings were cancelled due to lack of quorum. The motion, which was tabled by Democratic Party (DP) Member of Parliament (MP) Roy Marlin, was passed by seven of MPs voting in favour of the amendment and six voting against it.

Supporting the motion were author Roy Marlin, National Alliance (NA) MPs William Marlin, Hyacinth Richardson, George Pantophlet and Louie Laveist and Independent MPs Frans Richardson and Romain Laville Read more

Mps Prefer Trip To Panama To Parliament Meeting

St. Maarten – It was to be expected, but it still was a sight for sore eyes when the rescheduled meeting of Parliament yesterday morning to handle an amendment to the 2014 budget did not get a quorum. Only MPs Hyacinth Richardson and George Pantophlet (National Alliance), Roy Marlin (DP) and Parliament President Gracita Arrindell (UP) were present Read more

Budget amendment meet called off again due to lack of quorum

PHILIPSBURG--The public plenary session of Parliament on amendments to the 2014 budget was cancelled for the second time on Friday, as only four Members of Parliament (MPs) showed up and signed in for the meeting.

The meeting was first called off on Wednesday, due to the lack of a quorum when seven MPs were signed in, though United People's (UP) party MPs and Independent MP Dr. Lloyd Richardson had been in the building.

Present at Friday's session were National Alliance (NA) MPs Hyacinth Richardson and George Pantophlet, Democratic Party (DP) MP Roy Marlin and United People's (UP) party MP Gracita Arrindell Read more

Second time Budget meeting could not be held --- UPP MPs not present.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament Roy Marlin spoke out on Friday on the budget meeting that had to be postponed for the second time due to a lack of quorum. MP Marlin said that the chairlady of Parliament has not being following the rules of order. He said that the meeting is supposed to be called within 48 hours (2x24 hours).
Marlin said that St Read more

No quorum for budget amendment meeting

~ UP, Dr. Richardson, Illidge, De Weever absent ~

PHILIPSBURG--The public plenary session of Parliament on amendments to the 2014 budget was cancelled on Wednesday due to the lack of a quorum, as only seven Members of Parliament (MPs) were signed in.

Parliament Press Secretary Roddy Heyliger said in a press release last night that the session had been rescheduled to Friday at 10:00am.

At least eight MPs are needed for the meeting to proceed Read more

Governor Holiday At Opening Parliamentary Year: “There Are Real Opportunities For Economic Growth”

St. Maarten – Ravel’s Bolero was once more floating through the parliament building yesterday morning ahead of the official opening of the parliamentary year 2014-2015. What stood out apart from the music was the absence of United People’s party leader Theo Heyliger – who had sent notice – and of Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams who was for undisclosed reasons off island.

Other Members of Parliament who passed on the festive occasions were Jules James, who missed his re-election by a mere three votes, Dr Read more

Motion passed to restrict outgoing ministers’ actions

PHILIPSBURG--A motion calling on Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams to inform individual ministers of the Wescot-Williams III Cabinet "to not make any long-term policy, financial and/or decisions of such a nature as granting lands in long lease, bus and taxi licences, concessions, hiring and placement of personnel in crucial functions" was adopted by a majority of Members of Parliament (MPs) in the closing meeting of the 2013-2014 parliamentary year on Monday.

The motion was presented by MP Roy Marlin (Democratic Party (DP)) and also signed by six other MPs.

The motion further called on the ministers to refrain from making any decision on the waste-to-energy concession or any other decision "that may obstruct or encumber the incoming government from functioning adequately during the next governing term."

The motion also requested the prime minister to inform the individual ministers who are shareholder's representatives of government-owned companies "to instruct management and boards of these companies to refrain from entering into long-term agreements and sign contracts that may negatively affect or bind these companies for a long term."

The motion was presented by MP Roy Marlin after he requested an addition to an agenda of the plenary session of Parliament Read more

Johan Leonard Squeezes Past Buncamper-Molanus Into Parliament

“Mister 7-UP” sends rival home

St. Maarten – Maria Buncamper-Molanus will not become a member of the new Parliament after all. After the Central Voting Bureau had scrutinized yesterday all the ballots the twenty polling stations had deemed invalid, it found two valid votes that went to Johan Leonard Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- After listening to the last political debate on Sunday night which was organized by AVS News one wonders who really is running the country at this present moment. The two political parties namely the UP and DP tried their utmost best to convince the people that they are the ones most capable of running the country for another four years, yet they did not admit they are the ones in charge right now at least until October 10th, 2014.
SMN News has been bringing you a review of the past four years to remind voters of some of the things that transpired when the three coalitions ran the affairs of the people this great nation.
Early 2011 shortly after the UP/ DP government took office, the biggest scandal that broke and had the country in uproar was when Member of Parliament Jules James who is working for Simpson Bay Resorts Management Company (SBRMC) laid off close to 200 workers that have been working for Pelican Resorts for years Read more

Parliamentarians irked at De Weever’s ‘condescending’ remarks in meeting

~ De Weever will offer 'no apologies' for telling truth ~

PHILIPSBURG--Several Members of Parliament (MPs) condemned on Wednesday the manner in which Minister of Health, Labour and Social Affairs VSA Cornelius de Weever addressed Parliament during the Central Committee meeting, with some MPs saying the minister had been "condescending," "disrespectful" and 'sarcastic."

De Weever responded by saying he had "sat quietly" and "took it all" from MPs in his three years going to Parliament to answer questions, while watching some MPs put on a "grand performance." De Weever said he would not sit and allow anyone to "play politics" with the work his ministry had done Read more