Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
Pledges of cooperation to new Dutch Representative
PHILIPSBURG--New Representative of the Netherlands in Curaçao, Aruba and St. Maarten Henk Brons was welcomed with pledges of cooperation and communication during an informal brunch at Sheer Restaurant in Philipsburg on Tuesday morning.
Hosted by acting Dutch Representative in Philipsburg Gert Versluis, the gathering also served to bid farewell to Dutch Representative Gerard van der Wulp, who served the Dutch Government in this capacity during the past three years and six months. He is now going into retirement.
Many dignitaries and government officials sat in on the brunch Read more
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
Frans joins UP-led coalition, gets Justice Ministry portfolio
PHILIPSBURG--The United People's (UP)-led coalition again has the support of ten Members of Parliament (MPs) as of Monday morning when United St. Maarten (US) party leader MP Frans Richardson signed on to the coalition.
Richardson signed on with the "100 per cent support" of his party's board Read more
PHILIPSBURG:--- Another shake up in the current coalition government will soon force Minister of Justice Dennis Richardson out of office. Last week Member of Parliament Frans Richardson confirmed to SMN News that he was approached by persons representing the coalition to join them as they move to strengthen the current government Read more
BTP wants end to fraud allegations
PHILIPSBURG--The Supervisory Board of the St. Maarten Bureau Telecommunication and Post BTP SXM has issued a press release saying that after prior consultation with Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT) Claret Connor, it has decided to make a public statement that "it is evident that crucial available information within Government is not made available to all, or considered, which leads to the continued unfounded allegation of fraud at the BTP SXM."
"In an effort to address these unfounded allegations once and for all the Supervisory Board of BTP SXM wishes to inform all that the laws applicable to the functioning of BTP SXM are followed Read more
Editorial - Need for speed
The news that parliamentarian Sarah Wescot-Williams (DP) intends to "pick up" former DP fraction member Leroy de Weever's two initiative laws to establish a timeshare authority and better regulate the sector no doubt will be welcomed, especially in light of the problem at Caravanserai and the bad publicity for the destination this is generating Read more
Minister of Tourism meets with SMTA
PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Tourism Claret Connor met with members of the board of St. Maarten Timeshare Association (SMTA) on Tuesday. During the meeting they discussed, amongst other things, the possible litigation of timeshare issues moving forward.
The meeting was called based on a directive from the Prime Minister to ensure that government has all relevant information about the industry in order to make informed decisions.
Minister Connor said what was realised, was that there are instances on the island where people purchase a product, where a buyer has a opinion about the nature of what he/she is purchasing, which differs from that of the seller Read more
Minister Connor Meets With Smta
PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Minister of Tourism Claret Connor on Tuesday met with members of the board of the St. Maarten Timeshare Association (SMTA) to look at, among things, the possible litigation of timeshare issues moving forward.
Minister Connor said what was realized was that there are instances on island where persons purchase a product and the buyer has an opinion about what he/she purchasing.
These opinions are often brings unfortunate conflicts Read more
Editorial - The last one
As predicted, for the second year in a row St. Maarten isn't represented at the Vacation Fair taking place in Utrecht (see related story). It's arguably the largest annual hospitality trade show in the Netherlands, where the Dutch side no longer has any official tourism representation.
That Curaçao is a co-host on this occasion along with Spain makes the continued absence of "The Friendly Island" even more conspicuous. It is also being felt by nearby St. Eustatius and Saba.
Those who don't care about the latter should think again Read more
Connor: Timeshare industry has government’s attention
PHILIPSBURG--Grievances and complaints about a lack of protection from timeshare owners “have not fallen on deaf ears,†Tourism and Economic Affairs Minister Claret Connor said in a press statement issued on Sunday. The continued contribution of timeshare owners to the economy is “very important†to St. Maarten.
Some timeshare owners have the “impression†government does not care about them Read more
The grass might be greener on the other side of the fence, but the mangoes in your own backyard are the sweetest: a report on the USM in 2014.
The Grass Might Be Greener On The Other Side Of The Fence, But The Mangoes In Your Own Backyard Are The Sweetest: A Report On The Usm In 2014
PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Too often we half-forget the wisdoms of our grandparents and great-grandparents. This of course is lamentable and tragic.
It is time that we remember and endorse the other part of our grandmother and grandfather's wisdom notes to achieve wholeness as individuals and as a society.
Most of us are familiar with the saying, "the grass is always greener on the other side of the fence." We use this colourful expression routinely to state that from our dwelling place, from our little Caribbean island, from where we are standing, what takes place educationally in the overdeveloped countries in Western Europe and the USA and Canada or even the emerging economic powers in Asia, and what people in those countries have materially and we don't because we lack their educational system, is simply extraordinary.
We consider ourselves deprived and long to be there; we dream of having those mountains of things and those degrees that they have Read more
Minister Connor: Concerns of timeshare Industry has government’s attention.
He said though government knows and appreciates the industry and its players, legislation must reflect protection measures for the industry Read more
Minister Connor Continues Familiarization Of His Departments
PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Traffic & Telecommunication Claret Connor on Friday last continued his familiarization round with the departments under his Ministry.
He met with all department heads at Divi Little Bay Resort to get an update on all developments and ongoing projects.
Cruise terminal bomb hoax causes traffic disruption
PHILIPSBURG--A bomb scare on board a cruise ship docked at Dr. A.C. Wathey Cruise and Cargo Facility on Wednesday afternoon turned out to be a hoax.
The threat sparked a large scale security alert after a security officer reported that a crew member of one of the four cruise ships had told him around 4:00pm that she was carrying a bomb.
Security immediately informed the police, who rushed over to the cruise terminal, which was shut off from all traffic. Police, Port Security and the captain of the vessel discussed the situation Read more
Economic Affairs Minister Meets With Staff
PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Minister of Economic Affairs, Tourism, Traffic & Communication Claret Connor on Wednesday met with members of his staff bureau including Ministry Secretary General Miguel DeWeever (second from left).
The Minister received an update on ongoing issues under his Ministry as well as discussed initial ways Read more
Prime Minister And Minister Of Tourism And Economic Affairs Visits Port
PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs and Minister of Tourism, Economic and Maritime Affairs Claret Connor visited the harbour facilities to receive a first hand briefing of the incident.
They were provided with a detail report by Harbour CEO Mark Mingo, Head of Security at the Harbour Roberto Leventsone and Police Commissioner Carl John.
Both Ministers stressed that such actions that threaten(s) the corporate and economic image of St Read more
Minister Connor Pays Tribute To D’Shnay
St. Maarten – Minister of Tourism Claret Connor recently paid tribute to St. Maarten’s reigning Teen Carnival Queen D’Shnay York who won the Haynes Smith Talent Teen Pageant in St. Kitts on December 30. He congratulated her on behalf of his entire Ministry.
The Minister presented D’Shnay with a congratulatory letter from his ministry and hailed her as a true ambassador for St Read more
Port Records More Than 2 Million Cruise Visitors: Research: Industry Overstates Spending Per Cruise Passenger
St. Maarten – On the last day of 2014, the Oasis of the Seas docked in the cruise port, bringing the estimated total number of cruise arrivals for the year 2014 over the historic 2 million mark, at 2,000,864. Minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs Claret Connor honored John and Marleen Tharpe and their three granddaughters from Columbus, Georgia, as the 2 millionth-passengers Read more
Economic Affairs Minister Claret Connor: “Service Levels And Standards Are Important Principlesâ€
St. Maarten – The government will share many ideas and initiatives to trigger tangible economic growth in the first few months of 2015 and most of these initiatives will be done in collaboration with the private sector and non-governmental organizations with a strong focus on service, Minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs Claret Connor states in a press release issued last night.
Echoing UP-party-leader Heyliger, Connor states that he looks forward to starting his tenure with renewed passion and vision “that will hopefully effect sustainable economic growth for our country and a better quality of life for all Read more