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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

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

Mp Silveria Jacobs Embarrassed By Ministers’ Crude Language

St. Maarten – National Alliance MP Silveria Jacobs admonished Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs and Vice Prime Minister Dennis Richardson yesterday for the language they have used in public fora Read more

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

Minister to answer MPs’ dump questions by Friday

PHILIPSBURG--New Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI Claret Connor has confirmed with Parliament that answers to the pertinent questions about the landfill, as discussed in the urgent plenary session on Friday, can be expected on Friday, September 25.

Therefore, another follow-up plenary session scheduled tentatively for Thursday, October 1, depending on the status of these answers, should be able to go forward as planned Read more

MPs question Dennis on Zebec settlement at Port

~ Sarah’s call for more speaker’s time voted down ~

PHILIPSBURG--Members of Parliament (MPs) fired off numerous questions seeking clarity on the Harbour’s settlement with Zebec Development during an emergency meeting on Monday.

The meeting was adjourned after the first round of questions to give Deputy Prime Minister Dennis Richardson a chance to obtain answers. The meeting will continue at 2:00pm today, Tuesday.

A proposal by Democratic Party (DP) MP Sarah Wescot-Williams at the start of the meeting for the speaking time to be increased to 30 minutes in the first round and 20 minutes in the second round was voted down with eight MPs voting against the proposal and six voting for it.

The vote was called after United People’s (UP) party MP Franklin Meyers said he opposed Wescot-Williams’ proposal Read more

Members of Parliament wanted more speaking time in Zebec/Harbor debate.

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Members of Parliament were called to vote on Monday when a member of the opposition asked for speakers time to be extended and a member of the coalition opposed the extension. MP Frans Richardson who supports the government voted in favor of the extension citing that he believes that Members of Parliament should be given extra time if they need when debating certain topics Read more

Urgent Plenary Session of Parliament scheduled for Monday about Settlement Agreement between Port St. Maarten and Zebec

>PHILIPSBURG:----  An urgent public Plenary sitting of the House of Parliament will take place on September 21.

The plenary session is set for Monday, at 2.00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is the settlement between the Harbour Group of Companies and Zebec.

This parliamentary meeting was requested by the Democratic Party faction and the National Alliance, Members of Parliament (MP) Hon Read more

Disaster waiting to happen at Landfill --- MP’s express outrage at the current situation regarding Waste to Energy Plant and statements made by Prime Minister.

style="text-align: center;">MP Meyers and MP Marlin engaged in verbal war during live meeting of Parliament

PHILIPSBURG:--- Several Members of Parliament expressed outrage on Friday morning in Parliament while posing several questions regarding the dumpsite in the middle of Philipsburg. Recently Member of Parliament Christopher Emmanuel posted a video on Facebook on the current situation at the Landfill Read more

Minister Richardson Criticizes Attorney-General Schram: “Justify Your Claims Or Shut The Hell Up”

Justice Minister Richardson is tired of accusations about corruption. Photo Today / Milton Pieters

St. Maarten – “My position has changed: it is put up or shut up. Justify your claims or shut the hell up. This has to stop,” Justice Minister Dennis Richardson said yesterday afternoon in parliament about the statements Attorney-General Guus Schram made last Friday about the interconnection between the underworld and the legitimate part of St. Maarten’s society.

“There are numerous indications showing that the underworld and the legitimate society in St Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- Members of Parliament from the National Alliance Faction and Democratic Party dispatched a letter to the Chairman of Parliament requesting an urgent meeting to debate the statements made by Attorney General of St. Maarten Guus Schram on September 11th 2015.
The le Read more

Urgent Plenary Session about Landfill scheduled for Friday with Minister of VROMI.

>PHILIPSBURG:----  An urgent Plenary Session of the House of Parliament that was scheduled for September 9 will take place on September 18.

Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) Hon. Claret Connor will be present for the public sitting of the House.

The public Plenary Session is set for Friday, at 10.30am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is the dumpsite (landfill) in Philipsburg and the plans for a waste to energy system for the country’s garbage problems.

This urgent plenary session of the House was initially requested by the National Alliance (NA) faction Members of Parliament (MPs) Hon Read more

Urgent Plenary Session About Landfill Scheduled For Friday With Minister Of Vromi

PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – An urgent Plenary Session of theHouse of Parliament that was scheduled for September 9 will take place on September 18.

Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) Hon. Claret Connor will be present for the public sitting of the House.

The public Plenary Session is set for Friday, at 10.30am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is the dumpsite (landfill) in Philipsburg and the plans for a waste to energy system for the country’s garbage problems.

This urgent plenary session of the House was initially requested by the National Alliance (NA) faction Members of Parliament (MPs) Hon Read more

MPs want Constitution Day on 2nd Monday in October

PHILIPSBURG--Members of Parliament (MPs) want Constitution Day to be observed annually on the second Monday of October instead of the actual day – October 10 – when the St. Maarten Constitution came into force.

The proposal to make October 10 a holiday and to have it replace Kingdom Day, December 15, by amending a number of laws, including the labour ordinance, was tabled by Education and Culture Minister Rita Bourne-Gumbs in a meeting of the Central Committee of Parliament on Tuesday afternoon.

The minister is slated to be back in Parliament for a vote on the law changes Thursday Read more

Richardson to Schram: Prove underworld claims or ‘shut up’

PHILIPSBURG--Justice Minister Dennis Richardson minced no words when he publicly called on Attorney-General Guus Schram to prove his claims about the mixing of the so-called underworld with civil society.

Richardson said in Monday's plenary session of Parliament that Schram should prove his claims or "shut the hell up."

Richardson was reacting to comments made by the Attorney-General on Friday at the swearing-in of a new judge for the Court of First Instance. Schram said, "The Friendly Island has lost its innocence."

He said another threat existed in St Read more

Urgent Parliament session on education today 3:00pm

PHILIPSBURG--Parliament meets in an urgent public plenary session today, Monday, at 3:00pm in Parliament House on the request of National Alliance (NA).

 The public session will address the pending and urgent challenges experienced by students and staff of the National Institute for Professional Advancement (NIPA), a status update and the action plan of government as pertains to students who have been placed (or not placed) in Secondary Public Schools, and have to date not started school as yet.

 Also on the agenda is complaints of students in the Netherlands and other countries who have not yet received their study financing funds and the status of Study Financing Ordinance.

 The meeting was requested by NA Members of Parliament Silveria Jacobs, William Marlin, and George Pantophlet via letter on September 10.

 The parliamentary session will be live on St Read more

Minister of Education could not make full discloser to Parliament on NIPA saga due to meeting she has scheduled with NIPA board.

style="text-align: center;">Ministry is at its last straw --- Wednesday meeting Government will give NIPA Board ultimatum, situation gotten worst.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Education Rita Bourne Gumbs told Members of Parliament on Monday afternoon that her hands are tied while her lips have to remain sealed until Wednesday since she has a meeting scheduled with the board members of NIPA. The National Alliance Faction of Parliament called the Minister of Education to Parliament in an urgent meeting to get further information on what is happening at NIPA.
Minister Bourne Gumbs told Parliament that it is not ethical for her to divulge information to the public prior to sharing the Ministry’s decision on how they intend to move forward with NIPA Read more

Achievements and lack thereof highlighted as MPs close year

PHILIPSBURG--The achievements or lack thereof in the first Parliamentary year of the second Parliament came into focus as Members of Parliament (MPs) closed off the 2014-2015 legislative year in Parliament House on Monday. The 2015-2016 year opens today, Tuesday, with much pomp and ceremony.

The call to work together was issued by fraction leaders representing the coalition partners while the two opposition fraction leaders MP William Marlin (National Alliance) and Sarah Wescot-Williams (Democratic Party) were straightforward with their criticism about lack of action by the United People’s (UP) party-led coalition.

Destiny impaired

UP fraction leader MP Franklin Meyers laid the blame for the country’s stagnated growth and development in the past year at the door of The Hague saying that government and Parliament have spent the past year battling instructions and financial constraints due to financial supervision Read more

style="text-align: center;">DP Faction plans to take back draft timeshare legislation and move forward with them in Parliament.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The leader of the Democratic Party and Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot Williams told reporters on Tuesday that she has several concerns with the current government, one being the status of the Waste to Management Plant Read more

Only National Alliance Votes Against Ordinance: Parliament Establishes Integrity Chamber

St. Maarten – After everything was said and done yesterday, only the opposition faction of the National Alliance voted against the establishment of the Integrity Chamber. The United People’s party faction, having voiced serious opposition against the Dutch pressure on St. Maarten, withdrew all of the amendments it proposed to the law in June, and went along with a strategic proposal from opposition MP Sarah Wescot-Williams to accept the proposal the government put on the table Read more

Mp Jacobs Expresses Concern But Welcomes New Opportunities Of New School Year

PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Former Minister of Education the Honorable MP Silveria Jacobs wished all a successful start to the new school year noting that the new school year means new opportunities for all.

She is however concerned about some of the noted deficiencies in the education system.

Among them the situation with Read more

Schools reopen today for new academic year

~Alliance, OSPP encourage students~

PHILIPSBURG--Thousands of students, teachers and school staffers will be returning to school today, Monday, for the start of the new 2015-2016 academic year.

The roads are expected to be busy. In a back-to-school message National Alliance (NA) Deputy Leader Silveria Jacobs urged students to make school their priority and to do their utmost to learn something new daily as well as build character and practice respect Read more

>PHILIPSBURG:--- NAGICO is helping The Your Voice Your Choice Foundation (YVYC) with the hosting of its second annual Fun Sports Day in efforts to give residents of various foster homes the opportunity to take part in a variety of fun games and sport activities. All participants will be awarded with a certificate for having taken part in the fun filled sports day.
On behalf of YVYC, Ms Read more

>Pond Island:---TelEm Group kicked off its Back-to-School annual promotion Tuesday with a donation to a Fun/Sports day for kids taking place at the Melford Hazel, sports complex, Sucker Garden, this Friday.

The Fun/Sports Day is the initiative of the “Your Voice Your Choice Foundation” and aims to provide kids in foster homes with a great day out, filled with fun activities.

Volunteer, Nichelle van der Mark, accepted a cash donation from TelEm Group, Manager Marketing & Sales, Mr Read more