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Mp Marlin-Romeo: No Political Games With Pensions

St. Maarten News — Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Leona Marlin Romeo said political games must not be played on issues such as the nation’s pension fund.

According the MP, after attending the recently held 5th Henderson Insurance Conference, one of the messages that was clear to her was a need for an urgent national dialog where all stakeholders including both government and parliament congregate to analyze, discuss and set a clear strategic plan for the sustainability of the pension system on Sint Maarten.

She pointed out that whether the decision is to follow the Aruba model of passing a law where it is mandatory to contribute to the pension system or to create a new solution, an urgent plan is needed and unpopular decisions need to be made in order for Sint Maarten to be able to sustain the current pension system, considering the aging population.

“If this is not done collectively then Sint Maarten will be facing the same dilemma as Curacao Read more

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Mp Frans Richardson Sounds The Alarm: Social Media Messages: Kill The Prime Minister

St. Maarten News – Messages on social media suggest killing the prime minister, members of parliament and their corrupted friends, MP Frans Richardson said during a meeting of parliament about vote buying. While Richardson considered there threats far more important than the issue of vote buying, no other MP even reacted to his statement.

“I am going to protect myself and my family,” Richardson said Read more

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St. Maarten Parliament Debates Sale New Government Building

Plenty of questions but no new insights

St.  Maarten News – Parliament debated the purchase of the new government administration building in a meeting yesterday afternoon but it did not provide any new insights. Minister of General Affairs William Marlin answered a plethora of questions that mostly covered issues so far in the past that they have lost their significance or that addresses issues that are already public knowledge.

Marlin said that at this moment there is no accurate assessment of the office space the government will still need outside of the new building after departments have moved in by September Read more

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Student Receives Support From Mp Marlin-Romeo

MP Leona Marlin-Romeo (left) presents her check to Cyril Brooks. Photo contributed

St. Maarten News – Cyril Brooks also known as Junior has been chosen as April’s recipient for the Give back to the Community project Independent MP Leona Marlin-Romeo initiated.

Cyril Brooks has been recently accepted to follow the Travel & Tourist Consultancy study in France and inspires to become an entrepreneur in the cruise industry.

“This is a young ambitious Sint Maartener who has shown his willingness to further his education by working several side jobs in preparation for his departure Read more

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Little Opposition To 2016 Draft Budget

MP Tamara Leonard: “I feel like we have to take a hit too.” Photo Today / Milton Pieters

St. Maarten News – The parliament seemed to be going in record tempo through the debate about the draft 2016 budget yesterday. By 6.35 p.m. all speakers had put in their two cents in the first round; only nine MPs used their right to address the issue Read more

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Opinion: The Spirit Of Giving

Sometimes, initiatives that may have started with the best of intentions are raising eyebrows. Such is the case with the “giving back to the community” initiative of parliamentarian Leona Marlin-Romeo – and we’d like to place this in the context of 2016 – an election year.

We are all familiar with the vote buying scandal dating back to 2010 when a couple of police officers sold their vote for $300 a pop to the United People’s party Read more

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Up-Leader Commends Police For Arrest Robbery-Suspects

St. Maarten News – Leader of the United People’s Party (UP) and Member of Parliament (MP) Theo Heyliger and the party-board “commend the men and women of the Sint Maarten police force for their successes within the past two weeks that led to several dangerous armed robbers being taken off the streets,” the party said in a press statement.

“We have taken note of the recent joint operation between the Gendarmes and our local police force that resulted in the apprehension of four suspects who are thought to be responsible for armed robberies committed on both sides of the island,” the UP said in a press statement.

“These robbers are suspected of aggressive and violent robberies.  Thanks to the cooperation between both law enforcement agencies of the French and Dutch sides, an end has been brought to this group.  This is a result of the Police Cooperation Treaty that exists to fight cross-border crime.”

“Everybody has a role to play in fighting crime.  It cannot be left up to the men and women in blue.  They need the help of the community to fight crime effectively, and therefore every law-abiding member of the community has to be the eyes and ears of our police force if we really want to take a big bite out of crime,” the release states.

“At the same time, our men and women in blue also need to have the necessary tools and protections for them and their families.  They put their lives on the line every day for our community and for our visitors.  We must ensure that they are taken care of for the sacrifice that they make every day in serving our community – to protect and serve,” the UP stated.  

An urgent Central Committee meeting requested by UP MPs Franklin Meyers and Tamara Leonard and independent MP Leona Marlin-Romeo about the status of insurance coverage for police officers and their families; has been scheduled for this Friday at 10 a.m Read more

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Government About To Collect 13 Million From Casino Sector

Parliamentarians happy with withdrawal increased road tax

St. Maarten – By providing the receiver’s office with a mandate, the government is able to collect 13 million in tax arrears from the casino-sector, Finance Minister Richard Gibson said yesterday afternoon during a meeting of the Central Committee where he, as announced on Wednesday, withdrew the draft law to increase the road tax in 2016.

In a brief introduction, the minister told parliament that he would like to make some changes to the draft the previous government had submitted Read more

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Pm Marlin: “First Electoral Reform” No Elections In February

Ministers Silveria Jacobs, William Marlin and Emil Lee (l.t.r.) at the first press briefing of the new cabinet Read more

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Mp Johan Leonard About The Cause Of Ship Jumping: Our Party Leaders Blatantly Disrespect Their Members

MP Heyliger is still smiling after the severe criticism from his fellow-faction member Johan Leonard (left). Photo Today / Milton Pieters

St. Maarten – The attitude of party leaders is the main reason for ship jumping, United People’s party MP Johan Leonard said yesterday morning in an unexpected sharp attack on UP-leader Theo Heyliger Read more

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Samuel And Richardson Return To Parliament

Rodolphe Samuel and Hyacinth Richardson (third and second from right) wait to be sworn in. Photo Today / Milton Pieters

St. Maarten – Rodolphe Samuel and Hyacinth Richardson took the empty seats of National Alliance faction leader William Marlin and Silveria Jacobs yesterday afternoon in parliament, after a small committee of three, consisting of MPs Leona Marlin-Romeo, Dr Read more

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Conference Gets To The Roots Of Mental Illness

Workshop at the mental health conference in progress. Photo contributed

Belair, St. Maarten – The Mental Health Foundation (MHF) facilitated a resonating conference on community and person-centered treatment planning at the Belair Community Centre last Thursday and Friday.

The 2015 Mental Health Conference was held in collaboration with The Institute for Progressive Living and Empowerment (IPLE), a New York based organization of mental health clinicians that promote culturally sensitive, evidenced based interventions within communities Read more

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Winners And Losers: Who Will Survive The Polls In February?

St. Maarten / By Hilbert Haar – February 9, 2016 is crunch day for politicians and those who aspire to become one. The parliamentary elections – for some mysterious reason perceived by some as ‘snap elections’, whatever that may be – will give voters the opportunity to speak their mind about the constitutional drama that concluded on Wednesday when the ministers of the Marcel Gumbs cabinet tendered their resignation and Governor Drs Read more

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“Saying That Elections Will Stop Ship Jumping Is Lying To Voters”

St. Maarten – Parliamentarians bitched and moaned about rules and regulations yesterday all the way until the final vote on the two motions the new majority presented yesterday morning. It was a losing battle for the opposition UP and its faithful independents and in the end, it did not change anything at all.

Independent MP Cornelius de Weever started with an attack on the new president of parliament, Sarah Wescot-Williams Read more

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University Reminds Government Of Promise To Increase Subsidy

St. Maarten – On May 20 the Board of the University of St. Maarten Foundation, assisted by its management team, discussed the developments of the University with the parliamentary committee of Education, Culture, Youth & Sport Affairs. During that meeting, which was chaired by MP Silveria Jacobs, Minister of Education Rita Bourne-Gumbs made two public promises Read more

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Chair Aborts Meeting Within Sixty Seconds: New Majority Calls Action Mp De Weever Illegal

St. Maarten – Acting as the second vice president of Parliament, independent MP Cornelius de Weever wrong-footed parliament yesterday morning by opening and closing a meeting designed to appoint a new chair within sixty seconds after which he “ran out of the hall,” according to Democratic Party MP Sarah Wescot-Williams.

De Weever called on article 37 of the rules of order, after remarking that the cabinet had submitted a national decree to dissolve parliament Read more

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St. Maarten Government Falls Again: Fifth Cabinet In Five Years In The Making

UP-leader Theo Heyliger (left) and MP Silvio Matser on 10-10-14 when they were still political allies. Now the political marriage is over: “I cannot take the internal abuse anymore,” Matser said yesterday Read more

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St. Maarten Government Falls – Three Coalition Members Defect

Picture: St. Maarten Parliament

NEWSFLASH!! St. Maarten– The Gumbs government fell shortly after 12.30 p.m. today (Wednesday, September 30, 2015) after the parliament passed a motion of no-confidence submitted by Democratic Party MP Sarah Wescot-Williams with an 8-7 vote Read more

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Mp Marlin Wants To Talk About Dress Code

St. Maarten – There are zero journalist here. They are boycotting this meeting of parliament,” National Alliance faction leader William Marlin said yesterday afternoon during the debate about the deal the harbor made with developer Zebec Read more

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Mp Marlin Wants To Talk About Dress Code

St. Maarten – There are zero journalist here. They are boycotting this meeting of parliament,” National Alliance faction leader William Marlin said yesterday afternoon during the debate about the deal the harbor made with developer Zebec Read more

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Meeting About Zebec-Deal Continues: Opposition Questions Deal, Coalition Praises Harbor

St. Maarten – Parliament will have to wait until this afternoon for answers to the questions it posed yesterday in a public meeting about the settlement between the Harbor Group of Companies and real estate developer Zebec over the failed Harbor Village project.

As Today reported on Monday, September 14, social insurance agency SZV borrowed the harbor $10 million on a short 3-month loan to settle the dispute with Zebec.

Yesterday’s meeting did not bring anything new to light Read more

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Meeting About Zebec-Deal Continues: Opposition Questions Deal, Coalition Praises Harbor

St. Maarten – Parliament will have to wait until this afternoon for answers to the questions it posed yesterday in a public meeting about the settlement between the Harbor Group of Companies and real estate developer Zebec over the failed Harbor Village project.

As Today reported on Monday, September 14, social insurance agency SZV borrowed the harbor $10 million on a short 3-month loan to settle the dispute with Zebec.

Yesterday’s meeting did not bring anything new to light Read more

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Garbage Meeting Fizzles: Many Questions, No Answers And No Solutions

St. Maarten – At the end of a long meeting, finally there were some fireworks when opposition MP asked Vromi-Minister Claret Connor to answer one question: “Is there a contract with a company to build the waste-to-energy plant and how does this jive with your visit to a project in Miami?”

Minister Connor, who had just said that he would be able to inform the parliament on Monday when he would be able to answer the more than one hundred questions MPs had asked, did not bite Read more

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Ombudsman Ducks Question About Uncaring Civil Servants

St. Maarten – “There is a group of civil servants that feels that the LMA protects them and that it is difficult to dismiss them. Is that part of the problem? Is there a sentiment that some civil servants just don’t care and that they don’t have to follow recommendations?” with that remark, independent MP Leona Marlin-Romeo, who worked as a civil servant at the census office, seemed to give a spark to a meeting of parliament where Ombudsman Dr Read more

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