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Gracita Arrindell Candidate For Dutch Council Of State

St. Maarten –Drs. Gracita Arrindell is a candidate to fill the position for St. Maarten at the Council of State in The Hague, the former president of parliament confirmed to this newspaper on Saturday. The appointment has not yet been formally announced.

Arrindell would succeed Dennis Richardson who sat on the council until he was appointed minister of justice in the third Wescot-Williams cabinet in 2013 Read more

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Government Launches Official Facebook Page

GREATBAY—The Government of St. Maarten has embraced social media by launching its Official Facebook page– “Government of Sint Maarten”– to the local populace and the rest of the world.

A government information service press release yesterday announced “The goal of the Government’s Facebook page is to gain wider exposure to a new demographic in the world of social media with information such as press releases, public notices, pictures and or videos of government related events Read more

Local Alternative For Rain Forest

St. Maarten – He wrote a comprehensive plan for the sustainable development of the Emilio Wilson estate and brought it to the attention of former Vromi-Minister Maurice Lake, the former Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams and the former Minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs Ted Richardson Read more

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No Waste-To-Energy Plant In Cay Bay

St. Maarten – The government is not aware of any plans for the construction of a waste-to-energy plant in Cay Bay, acting Vromi-Minister Marcel Gumbs said yesterday in parliament. He added that there are no plans for Gebe to invest in such a plant either.

“Negotiations with the selected company (for the construction of a waste-to-energy plant on Pond Island – ed.) are still ongoing and there are no plans for a plant in Cay Bay,” Gumbs said.

The minister said that Gebe buys its fuel from SOL and that this company has a storage facility for a two-week supply.  Gebe calculates the average cost of the two monthly orders and then calculates the fuel clause in the first week of the following month.

Gumbs said that Gebe had lowered its tariffs with 5 cent per Kwh for households and 1 cent per Kwh for companies after it no longer had to subsidize the utility companies in Saba and Statia Read more

Lenny Priest On Appointment Of Ministers: Up Has No Confidence In Its Own Candidates

St. Maarten —A vote of no confidence in almost its entire slate of candidates in the 2014 elections has unwittingly been expressed by the United People party, according to leader of the One St. Maarten People Party Lenny Priest, who explained that this is his conclusion after noting that out of the 23 candidates on the UP list only one has been appointed as a minister in the new UP lead cabinet.

“Each party that contested the 2014 election was allowed to carry 23 persons on the list Read more

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Gumbs Reiterates Integrity Is Top Priority; Submits Notifications Of Assets To Council

St. Maarten —Three days before the legally stipulated deadline, Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs submitted to the Council of Advice the written declarations and notifications (assets/holdings, secondary positions/interests) of the new ministers as well as those of the ministers of the former cabinet in accordance with the National Ordinance Promotion of the Integrity of Ministers (Landsverordening Integriteitbevordering Ministers).

The law stipulates that these declarations were to be submitted within 30 days from when the ministers were sworn in and accepted the appointment as a minister and within 30 days of the date on which the former ministers ceases to be a minister.

“We have stated on previous occasions that the integrity of the administration and integrity in general is a top priority for this cabinet Read more

Gumbs To Wescott-Williams: Screening Happened Under Your Tenure

St. Maarten —Current Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs has pointed out to former Prime Minister that the screening of candidate ministers was done under her tenure and that since taking office he has not made any statements regarding the role of the Dutch Secret Service in the screening process.

The Prime Minister responded, via official letter, to the questions by former Prime Minister and Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams as submitted to the Chairman of Parliament via letter dated January 13.

“It should be noted that I am not accountable for statements of Minister Plasterk or for publications of the media Read more

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Dp-Leader Criticizes Heyliger’S Statements On Concession Fees

St. Maarten – Democratic Party MP  Sarah Wescot-Williams questions that United People’s party leader Theo Heyliger has no knowledge of the draft 2015 budget that has been sent to the governor and is from thereon on its way to parliament Read more

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Dp Wants Answers About Housing Foundation

St. Maarten – Democratic Party MP Sarah Wescot-Williams has repeated her questions about the Sint Maarten Housing Foundation, wondering when Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs will find the time to answer them Read more

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Shareholders Approve Telem’S 2015 Budget

St. Maarten – A review and approval of TelEm’s financial statements for the year 2013, discussion on dividend payments to government for 2013 and a review and approval of the company’s budget and capital expenditures for this year – 2015 were the highlights of the company’s annual general shareholders meeting on Thursday.

The AGSM was held at the A.C. Wathey Legislative Hall an in attendance were shareholder representatives in the persons of Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs, Minister of education, sport and  culture Rita Bourne-Gumbs; Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, and Telecommunications ,Claret Connor; Minister of Finance, Martin Hassink and Secretary General, C.I Read more

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Prime Ministers Asjes (Curacao) And Gumbs (St. Maarten) Strengthen Ties

Ivar Asjes (l) presents a book to Marcel Gumbs entitled “Curacao: Religions, Rituals and Traditions.” Photo cabinet Prime Minister

St. Maarten – Prime Ministers Marcel Gumbs and Ivar Asjes both dubbed the latter’s visit as important in establishing a basis for continued good relations between the two countries.

PM Asjes met yesterday with Governor Eugène Holiday, President of Parliament Dr Read more

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Curacao’S Prime Minister Asjes Pays A Working Visit To St. Maarten

WILLEMSTAD – Prime Minister Ivar Asjes is on Sint Maarten for an official working visit until January 13. This will be the first time the two Prime Ministers of the former Netherlands Antilles islands will meet. Marcel Gumbs was recently sworn in as the Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, four months after the parliamentary elections were held Read more

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Pm Gumbs Tasked With Completing His Cabinet

St. Maarten – The mandate for United People’s party leader Theo Heyliger as formateur ended shortly after he submitted his final report to Governor Drs. Eugène Holiday on December 17. Heyliger presented a cabinet of five ministers and stated in his one-page report that he had elected “to pursue the appointment of the remaining ministers as soon as possible.”

However, Heyliger’s role as formateur ended when the five ministers were sworn in, the press secretariat of Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs confirms.

In his New Year’s message, Heyliger emphasized that he would like to see a complete 7-member cabinet in place within the first sixty days of 2015 – setting a deadline at March 1.

“The task of nominating remaining ministers falls with Prime Minister Gumbs,” the press secretariat confirmed Read more

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Ministers Sign Declarations National Ordinance Registration & Finance

St. Maarten – The five Ministers of the Gumbs Cabinet on Tuesday signed the declaration pursuant to article 53 of the National Ordinance Registration and Finances of political parties prior to the stipulated deadline in the law. All five signed their declarations at the office of the Electoral Council.

Article 53 point 2 stipulates that within 30 days of accepting an appointment as Minister, a Minister must submit a declaration signed by him to the Electoral Council that he did not act in contravention of the provisions of the national ordinance during the election campaign Read more

New Year’S Address Prime Minister Gumbs: Government Wants To Implement Controversial Counterpart Policy

St. Maarten – In his inaugural New Year’s address, Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs has indicated that his government will make work of implementing the controversial counterpart policy and that it will tackle the gray economy. Gumbs’ address is first and foremost a message that holds the promise of an incorruptible government that takes ingerity serious and that intends “to carry out the majority of the recommendations” from the three integrity reports, produced by the General Audit Chamber, the Bob Wit-committee and PricewaterhouseCoopers Read more

Answers Will Have To Wait Until Mid-January: Parliament Wants Clarity About Housing Foundation

St. Maarten – Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs answered the call to appear in Parliament as the acting minister of public housing within 72 hours after he was sworn in on Friday. Members of Parliament appreciated that, even though Gumbs sent them on their way with a flea in their ear, after listening to questions about the chaos of the St. Maarten Housing Development foundation for more than two hours.

The minister brought to mind the words he spoke on Friday in the constituting meeting where his team officially took over the reins: “The country needs tranquility, stability, civility and prosperity.”

Furthermore, Gumbs noted: “Integrity has been a buzz word this year Read more

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The Road To The Gumbs I Cabinet: “Peddling Seats To The Highest Bidder”

St. Maarten / By Hilbert Haar – When Governor Drs. Eugene Holiday administers the oath of office to the five ministers of the Gumbs I cabinet this afternoon, it marks the end of a tedious process that started during the night after the parliamentary elections on August 29. How did we get where we are today? A review.

To avoid any misunderstandings, the governor also administers the oath to the minister plenipotentiary today – but that is not a ‘real’ minister – it is the representative of St Read more

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Formateur Heyliger: Reports About Gumbs Are Speculative

St. Maarten – Formateur Theo Heyliger has labeled media reports suggesting that Marcel Gumbs could become the next prime minister as speculative. In a statement issued yesterday afternoon, Heyliger noted that he has not completed the names of the candidate ministers for presentation to Governor Drs Read more

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St. Maarten Governor Asks Theo Heyliger To Form New Government

MP Theo Heyliger. Photo today / Leo Brown

St. Maarten – Governor Drs. Eugène Holiday has asked United People’s party leader Theo Heyliger to form a new government as formateur.

Last Friday the governor received the final report of the informateurs Joe Richardson and Marcel Gumbs, plus the governing accord 2014-2018 signed by the 7 members of the UP and Cornelius de Weever who will take up their seats in Parliament on Friday.

The 8 MPs-elect agreed in the governing accord that they will form a government that will among others give priority to the approval of the 2015 budget and to the decision making regarding the different reports on integrity of the public administration as well as to the execution thereof Read more

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Bewilderment In Dp About Appointment Informateurs

St. Maarten – Democratic Party leader Sarah Wescot-Williams used air quotes yesterday afternoon to express her bewilderment about Governor Holiday’s decision to appoint two informateurs on  Thursday, after UP-leader Theo Heyliger’s presentation of a coalition-agreement signed by eight elected members of the new parliament.

When the DP, together with the National Alliance and the United St Read more

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Governor Appoints Marcel Gumbs And Joe Richardson As Informateurs

St. Maarten – Marcel Gumbs and Joe Richardson have been offered and have accepted an assignment to become the informateurs of the new government of St. Maarten that is expected to be formed as a result of an agreement between Cornilus de Weever and the UP party Read more