Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
~ Airport and Harbour to get licences ~
PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Ted Richardson has expanded the casino policy to grant four additional casino licences – two for land-based casinos and two for vessels, the minister's Chef de Cabinet Ludwig Ouenniche told The Daily Herald last night.
The Harbour Group of Companies and Princess Juliana International Airport SXM already have submitted applications for casino licences, according to a press release from the minister's cabinet. It said the policy review process had started late last year when Richardson received a request from SXM Airport in October 2013.
Ouenniche said the request was about the possibility for the airport to have a licence to operate a casino facility in the departure hall, after the immigration and security checkpoints. Consultation and discussions started with the relevant departments since then to see how such request could be handled, Ouenniche said.
"This decision was also in line with our collaboration with the Finance Ministry to see ways to increase government income," he added.
After several rounds of consultation, the department then submitted a first draft of the policy amendment in June 2014 that will give the possibility to allow the two ports of entry – harbour and the airport – the possibility to apply for a casino licence. In the case of the harbour, he said this was in keeping with its drive to offer additional activities to cruise visitors, especially to the ones who do not leave the ships.
The harbour also discussed the possibility to have a small entertainment vessel with limited seats to offer tours to the cruise visitors. Ouenniche said a substantial number of visitors did not leave the ships or port premises, while by law the ship's facilities must be closed while berthing at St. Maarten.
He said the only changes to the policy were for the four additional casino licences. The new policy will go into effect after its publication.
Asked whether the change to the policy was in contravention to the motion recently passed by Parliament restricting outgoing ministers from making any long-term decisions that could affect the incoming government, Ouenniche said this was not about issues and matters that were initiated just before the last election. He said the process for the policy had begun in October 2013.
When the same question had been put to Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams earlier in the day during the Council of Ministers press briefing, she said this determination would have to be examined on a case-by-case basis taking into consideration the motivation behind the decision.
"I think the substantiation of decisions would have to prove whether it was something that would be the explanation we have gotten and will be getting from the different ministers. The incoming Parliament and government will have to decide if this was the case or not," she said.
Wescot-Williams said she had "heard on the streets" that changes had been made to the policy and when she enquired from the minister she had been informed that the policy had been expanded to include "other types" of casino licences, although no new licences had yet been granted.
She said she had asked to see exactly what changes had been made, but had not yet seen the document up to yesterday morning. She said Richardson had indicated that the policy had been expanded "for further economic growth" and for "the opening of economic possibility" to include the granting of additional licences to locations that would not be patronised heavily by the resident population.
Wescot-Williams said she had heard reports about "the airport" to this effect and even of a "floating" casino, hence her queries to the minister. She said the casino policy was a prime example of an issue that was a ministerial responsibility and unless it were taken note of "via, via" or as a result of the minister in question bringing it up, the Council of Ministers "will not see it."
