Unbiased look at the Sint Maarten Elections
PHILIPSBURG:--- The four members of parliament from the National Alliance faction told reporters during a press briefing on Wednesday that they would like to know what the United Peoples Party was ready for when they campaigned in 2014 Parliamentary elections and won seven of the 15 parliamentary seats Read more
MPs urged to work with govt on law formulation
PHILIPSBURG--Parliament does not follow instructions on the procedure to write laws, Advisory Council Vice Chairwoman Mavis Brooks-Salmon said in a meeting of Parliament's Central Committee at which only eight of the fifteen Members of Parliament (MPs) were present on Tuesday morning.
The Advisory Council, a body outlined in the Constitution as a necessary organ of governance, has in the past told Parliament to "work with government's Legal Department" when crafting initiative laws. The Legal Department has the necessary expertise to assist with the proper way to formulate and present laws, though the department may be understaffed.
Brooks-Salmon pointed out to MPs that the Advisory Council "does not correct" draft legislation, but is capable of giving legislators guidance on where to seek pertinent information in the research and drafting process.
In response to "burning" questions from National Alliance (NA) MP Christophe Emmanuel about whether or not the five-member Council of Ministers was legal as the Constitution states the country should have seven ministers, Brooks-Salmon said while the Advisory Council will further look into the matter, it should be noted that the Constitution does not state the ministers should be seven different persons.
In the current situation, two ministers of the Marcel Gumbs Cabinet hold dual portfolios Read more
Worse than the previous
Dear Editor,
Despite the efforts of this new parliament of trying to convince the public that it has raised the bar to a very high standard, this proclamation continues to be such an uneasy truth. On the contrary, it is by far, worse than the previous. What has become common practice for some parliamentarians is to have speech competitions and to see who can outfox and demean the other. But the public is not interested in such devious minds and childish behaviours.
Elevated representation of the people coincides with the ability to think independently and then proceed expeditiously and consciously to the demands of society and the success of this island Read more
First Meeting Ad Hoc Committee Integrity:Â Code Of Conduct Suddenly AÂ Priority For Parliamentarians
St. Maarten – Thirteen years after former Lt. governor Franklyn Richards proposed it for the first time to the Island Council, the ad hoc committee Integrity of parliament met yesterday and named establishing a Code of Conduct for parliament a priority.
“I believe it is a priority for parliament to have a Code of Conduct,†committee-chairman Cornelius de Weever said.
The committee’s meeting was off to what felt like a reluctant start – the objective of this first meeting being to set the perimeters for the committee’s activities and responsibilities Read more
Philipsburg- Windward Islands Bank employees received their USM specialized certificate “Towards an Associate of Arts Degree in Business Management for St. Maarten Professionalsâ€.
Wib Middle Management Employees Move Closer To Obtaining Associate Of Arts Degree At Usm
PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Windward Islands Bank employees received their USM specialized certificate "Towards an Associate of Arts Degree in Business Management for St. Maarten Professionals".
The University of St. Martin (USM) collaborated with the Windward Islands Bank Ltd. (WIB) to offer its Middle Management employees a set of academic courses with the objective to update their skills in Business Administration, and offer them the opportunity to gain a USM's Associate of Arts degree.
The program for the WIB employees, which consisted of the components, Business and Marketing, Business Communication, Management and Human Resource Management, Accounting and Finance, was held at the training facility of the bank.
The USM instructors of the Hospitality and Business Divisions, Dr Read more
No quorum stalls housing meeting
PHILIPSBURG--The discussion in Parliament about developments at St. Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF) was stalled on Wednesday after insufficient Members of Parliament signed in for the meeting with ad interim Housing Minister Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs. The meeting will be reconvened at a later date.
Six of the seven United People's (UP) party MPs were not present for the meeting.
Only seven of the 15 MPs serving in the legislature signed in for the meeting Read more
Parliament’s integrity needs to be assessed by ad hoc committee
PHILIPSBURG--"I think some type of assessment document should be proposed in the committee on areas that need to be assessed to form an assessment, because if Parliament has to assess itself we have to decide upon what we will be assessing ourselves." That statement from National Alliance (NA) deputy leader Member of Parliament (MP) Silveria Jacobs summed up Tuesday's meeting of Parliament's Ad Hoc Committee on Integrity.
The ad hoc committee, chaired by independent MP Cornelius de Weever, is set to meet again in two weeks, at which time committee members are expected to table a proposal on the way forward and give comments on the establishment of a Code of Conduct for Parliament.
De Weever submitted a proposal for a code of conduct he had formulated with elements of similar codes in place in the United Kingdom and Trinidad and Tobago Read more
Scholar Julio Romney; “St. Maarten Is Not A Countryâ€
GREAT BAY – “Sint Maarten is not a country.†That statement from political scientist Julio Romney during the presentation of his book St. Maarten: Our Constituent State Constituent Framework resulted in a heated debate with Acting Governor Reynold Groeneveldt, who strongly disagreed. Romney however, stuck to his position: “For Pete’s sake, you cannot even determine your own budget,†he said, slightly exasperated.
Romney’s 128-page book about St. Maarten’s governing system dives deeper into what Romney calls incorrect political terms, like ‘Country Sint Maarten,’ ‘dualism’ and ‘separation of powers.’
According to Romney – a scholar of comparative government and politics – these terms are “conceptually taken out of context.†His explanation in the book: “St Read more
Romney’S Draft Electoral Ordinance Prohibits Going Independent
St. Maarten – Political analyst Julio Romney presented on Wednesday evening his proposal for electoral reform in the form of a draft electoral reconciliation ordinance. The draft contains two key differences with the current system. One is the way seats are distributed among the parties that contest the elections; the other is a ban for Members of Parliament to declare themselves independent.
Romney supports the D’Hondt system for seat distribution. In this system, the numbers of votes won by each party are divided by a series of increasing denominators – from 1 until as high as necessary to arrive at a result.
Using this method, the results of the 2014 elections would have been exactly the same in terms of seat distribution Read more
Mp Silveria Jacobs Still Has Questions After Harbour Presentation To Parliament
PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Member of Parliament Silveria Jacobs while expressing appreciation for the presentation of the multiannual strategic plan by the Harbour Group of Companies via its CEO Mark Mingo during the Committee meeting on Thursday had several questions and observations.
Several issues were raised by the MP pertaining to Government's Program and its subsequent strategic plan, which has not yet been presented to Parliament.
Is this strategic plan of the Harbour in line with Government's strategic plan and/or the country's National Development plan? In moving forward, there must be synchronization in setting strategic goals by Government and Government owned companies Read more
NIPA subsidy ‘ceased’ in Aug 2014, is now being corrected
PHILIPSBURG--The subsidy for National Institute for Professional Advancement (NIPA) had “ceased†in August last year, and is currently being corrected by authorities, Secretary-General of the Education Ministry Jorien Wuite told Members of Parliament (MPs) Friday.
Wuite said it had been discovered that there had been a “discrepancy†in what NIPA had received as subsidy, “which placed them in a sensitive†situation Read more
Minister Connor congratulates Zaandam as new SHTA Director
Minister Connor congratulated the SHTA on its selection of a young professional to the post Read more
Mp Silveria Jacobs Elected Chair Of Education Committee
St. Maarten –Â MP Silveria Jacobs has been elected as the Chair of the Committee for Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs (CECYSA) of Parliament and MP Tamara Leonard has been elected as Vice Chair.
The Committee for Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs (CECYSA) of Parliament met on Friday morning to elect a new chair and vice chair on the request of a majority of members.
The committee increased by an additional three members and now consists of eight Members of Parliament (MPs)—MP Silveria Jacobs, MP Sarah Wescott Williams, MP Tamara Leonard, MP Christopher Emmanuel, MP Maurice Lake, MP Leona Marlin-Romeo, MP Johan Leonard and MP Van Hugh de Weever.
MP Silveria Jacobs was re-elected as Chair, and MP Tamara Leonard was elected as Vice Chair both by unanimous vote by all seven members present Read more
Minister Connor Congratulates Zaandam As New Shta Director
PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - Minister of Tourism Claret Connor on Monday congratulated Anenda Zaandam on her appointment as Executive Director of the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association (SHTA).
The SHTA announced Zaandam's appointment to the post last week.
The committee increased by an additional three members and now consists of eight Members of Parliament (MPs) namely, MP Hon. Silveria Jacobs, MP Hon Read more
Permanent Committee Of Cecysa Appoints Mp Silveria Jacobs As Chair And Mp Tamara Leonard As Vice Chair
PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten – The Committee for Education, Culture, Youth and Sports Affairs (CECYSA) of Parliament met on Friday, February 13, 2015 at 9.30 am to elect a new chair and vice chair on the request of a majority of members.
The Shta Welcomes Anenda Zaandam As New Executive Director
PHILIPSBURG, St. Maarten - The St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA), the largest private business representative on the island, welcomes Ms. Anenda Zaandam as its new Executive Director.
The appointment of Ms. Zaandam follows the resignation of Ms. Karen Hana whose her hard work and grand efforts, during her time with the association, were greatly appreciated.
Anenda Zaandam, Certified Hospitality Educator of the American Hotel & Lodging Association Educational Institute, will be bringing her extensive knowledge of the Hospitality & Service Industry to the SHTA.
Ms Read more
Parliament establishes an ad hoc Integrity Committee
PHILIPSBURG--With integrity continuing to be the buzz word in St. Maarten, Parliament established its ad hoc committee on integrity Tuesday, but not without much discussion on the membership.
The establishment of the committee was recommended by Democratic Party (DP) leader Member of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams in a written proposal in January Read more
MPs to hear from Connor about harbour issues Tues
PHILIPSBURG--St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies and its operations will take centre stage at a Central Committee meeting of Parliament with Tourism and Economic Affairs Minister Claret Connor and Finance Minister Martin Hassink on Tuesday, February 10. The meeting, requested by the National Alliance (NA) and Democratic Party (DP) on February 10, starts at Parliament at 2:00pm in Parliament House.
The agenda for the meeting covers issues related to the harbour group, the past and future impacts of the company on the country, cruise passenger head tax, Dock Marteen (Deher) marina project; causeway Turn over Tax payment, cranes, dividend and payment for the Florida-Caribbean Cruise Association Conference (FCCA).
Members of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams (DP), Silveria Jacobs and George Pantophlet (NA) requested answers to be provided orally in the meeting by the ministers on the "outcome between the harbour and Bobby's Marina" and if government had given the harbour the exclusive right of development for the area that the company claims in its case against the Deher's development.
Also, the MPs want to know when Parliament will receive the harbour's 2013 financial report, whether government promised to contribute to the FCCA conference and what did government actually contribute Read more
Central Committee Meeting requested by DP and NA Factions about Port St. Maarten.