Articles

In a Letter to the Editor, published June 12th 2003 in the Daily Herald, I presented "A Basic Idea".
Here again is that Basic Idea, amended to our current Parliament.

My suggestion is that the members of Parliament should be elected based on preferential votes, but not based on party affiliations. By that I mean, the top 15 vote-getters, across the board, should be the ones elected to Parliament.
This, I base on the fact that there is no party ideology.
The main question is: do we want to be represented by someone who has no voter support but who was lucky enough to be on a particular list or by someone who actually has voter support?
These 'piggy-back selected persons' are more committed to the one(s) on whose back(s) they got selected than they are to the country.
Giving an individual an amount of votes, valid for 3 seats, must never mean that he/she can bring two 'selected persons' on board with him/her.

The highest vote-getter is then given the task to form a government with an 8 – 7 majority, but preferably a
9 – 6 majority. This means that he/she can very well take persons from another party or other parties to form a government. This would give us a broad-based government and that should mean better representation.
If he/she cannot get a government formed in the allotted time, then the second highest vote-getter would be assigned the task.

The possibility must exist for any other elected person to put a majority together to form a government and present that information to the Governor to speed up the process.
There will always be a possibility that the highest vote-getter(s) can be in the opposition benches. One Parliamentary seat must never be more important than another.

I hear two parties demanding a clear cut victory of 8 seats or more.
While I am no big supporter of coalition governments, as we know them now, they must respect the choice of the electorate. The electorate in its 'infinite wisdom' chooses 15 Members of Parliaments and those elected have an obligation/responsibility to represent the country.
The problem is that our elected officials don't seem to know what their responsibilities are and to whom.

The elected persons, who accept ministerial positions, will have to resign their seats in Parliament to the next highest vote-getter in their respective parties. Provisions must be made for them to regain their seats in Parliament, should they resign from their ministerial positions. Professionals could also become Ministers if they are presented by, at least, 3 Members of Parliament and approved by Parliamentary majority. The Members who present these professionals must explain to Parliament why they make the presentation and Parliament must be able to question the presenters and the candidates.

The Council of Ministers could present a plan of action and Parliament could approve/amend/disapprove that plan. Parliament could also "order" the Council of Ministers or an individual minister to carry out a task with specific guidelines and timeframe.
The Council of Ministers must report to Parliament on a monthly basis and present a progress report on what is being worked on.

I believe that each minister must go to Parliament to present his/her budget. That is where Parliament provides guidance to each ministry. Ministers must be limited to what commitments they can make on behalf of the country without approval by Parliament.

The role of the Finance Minister is only to control expenditures that have been approved by parliament.
If the Minister of Finance believes that a ministry is not performing within its budget, he has an obligation to notify that ministry and Parliament.

Government owned companies must also present their budgets and business plans to Parliament for perusal/approval. Parliament can make suggestions to the boards of these companies.

The possibility for a change of direction must always exist. If that means a shift in political vision/direction, then it must be debated in Parliament in an open session. In the case of a Minister being removed, this too must be clearly debated in Parliament. If Parliament no longer has confidence in a Minister, the reason(s) must be brought to Parliament in an open session and the Minister must be given ample opportunity to defend him/herself.

This is a basic idea. Now, the technocrats will have to formalize it.

Clifton R. Wilson

Dear Editor,

A trickle of suspects has started to depart the national prison facility in Pointe Blanche. The Prosecution Service announced last Friday that two suspects were sent home because of overcrowding. Due to the rebuilding of parts of the prison, there are 30 fewer detention places.

The suspects were detained for fire-arm possession and one suspected of human smuggling. The suspects are now allowed to await the remainder of the investigation into their cases at home. Three prisoners, who had nearly completed their sentences, were released in order to create space in the national prison. In addition, as a result of detention space, the Prosecution Service chose not to take into pre-trial detention two persons suspected of money laundering.

An urgent meeting has taken place between the Head Prosecutor, Chief of Police and Prison Director with respect to finding a solution and drafting an advice for the Minister of Justice.

Crime is one of the great challenges for democratic governance. The lack of prison space and detention holding areas is not only a Sint Maarten challenge, but also a regional one. Caribbean prison services have met to discuss this and many other issues related to the prison system. Prison reform is seen as essential in order to meet the challenges of corrections now and in the future.

Some regional countries are promoting the use of new and emerging technological advances in corrective services. The Bahamas for example has introduced an Electronic Monitoring Programme to reduce the prison population.

According to the report, "Prison: problems and challenges for the Americas," commissioned by the Organization of American States (OAS), the incarceration of millions of people in Latin America and the Caribbean is a major security problem that manifest itself into prison overcrowding among many other challenges including social rehabilitation and reintegration to prepare inmates to re-enter civilian life. The United States of America prison population is the largest in the world.

Prison overpopulation and overcrowding are problems that few countries manage to avoid. The next Parliament of country Sint Maarten will have to delve into the matter of our prison system and look at ways and means to fight crime and how our prison system will look 10 to 20-years from now.

The aforementioned report says the prison systems in Latin America and the Caribbean are in a profound crisis. The obvious deterioration of our prisons the report says is not just the fault of prison authorities; instead it is a function of the low priority attached to this issue in the public policies that states pursue.

"In almost every country of the hemisphere, prison problems are invisible to the public eye, mainly because the citizenry – and therefore policies – have focused more on punishing those who commit crime than on rehabilitating them. Where policies on crime are concerned, many factors and combinations of factors have conspired to cause this crisis."

The Cayman Islands in order to meet international prison and detention human rights standards is investing into building a modular custody/jail prefabricated facility to house persons. The structures are portable and have a life span of 20+years. The facility is semi-permanent and can be relocated to another site at minimal expense. The facility is custom designed and can withstand 150 mile per hour wind speeds – category 5 hurricane. The company that can supply these structures is Eagle Modular which has created similar structures for locations in Canada and the United States.

The aforementioned could be a temporary solution to current prison and detention housing challenges as well as having juvenile prisoners housed separately.

Roddy Heyliger

Dear Editor,

Country Sint Maarten is a dynamic country which has enjoyed economic growth for more than four decades. It has been said at the international level, that the level of overall health achieved is an indication of the success of a country.

A healthy nation is a productive nation. Good health allows people to enjoy a productive and meaningful life – quality of life. Good health contributes to the prosperity of the nation – health is wealth.

Prime Minister of Grenada Hon. Tillman Thomas once said, "The Caribbean is the Region of the Americas worst affected by the epidemic of chronic disease. The human and economic cost burden of these conditions is not sustainable and could undermine the development of these small, fragile countries."

The prime minister is indeed correct; Non-communicable Chronic Diseases (NCDs) are heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer and chronic lung disease. The risk factors coming out of these are raised blood sugar; raised blood pressure; overweight/obesity; and abnormal lung function.

The common risk factors are an unhealthy diet, tobacco and alcohol use, physical inactivity, air pollution and heredity (family history of a particular disease).

In 2002, the 26th Pan American Sanitary Conference recognized NCDs as the greatest cause of premature death and morbidity in Latin America and the Caribbean. According to the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO), Caribbean countries are at a critical juncture, and the evidence is clear and the time has come for comprehensive and integrated action to reverse this deadly epidemic.

According to PAHO chronic diseases have not received the priority in public health policies and programs commensurate with their disease burden in this Region. There are clear evidence and cost-effective interventions available to prevent premature deaths from chronic disease. The PAHO says it is time to act to prevent the further loss of millions of lives and damage to economies.

The economics of a country goes hand-in-hand with public health. Social inequalities such as unemployment, social isolation, poverty, low self-esteem, feeling powerlessness for women can lead to heart disease, stroke, diabetes, cancer, and chronic lung disease according to the Caribbean Public Health Agency.

Chronic diseases are the leading causes of death for both women and men throughout the world. Infectious diseases is what killed our ancestors, chronic non-communicable diseases are mainly behaviour related or lifestyle.

Every country needs a "Country Health Plan." Such a plan would include health services delivery, governance and financing, health awareness and healthy lifestyle and empowerment of the individual and community to be responsible for own health.

Efforts are underway to make country Sint Maarten's national health system responsive and providing quality health care, and ensuring universal coverage for health care needs of the people. Talks have been held about the expansion of the St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) which should start some time in 2014 along with further improvement in the quality of care.

As a country, our human resources is an asset, however health is a national asset and must be given the highest priority at all times. A healthy nation is not only the responsibility of the Government and the business community, health is a personal responsibility of every citizen. Addressing the challenges of becoming a healthier nation lies with citizens and Government. Government cannot do it alone. Progress in dealing with public health concerns is only possible if everyone commits to the same goals.

Small island nations like ours are facing major decisions on how to finance public health in the future based on the worrying trends. In order to finance the public health needs of a country, a strategic plan would be necessary. Such a plan should also take into consideration medical tourism and what benefits that would bring for the population of an island.

An analysis of our health care system would show strengths and weaknesses; it would show a growing epidemic in NDCs and the burden on health services; shifting needs, demands and expectations among the population; along with rising healthcare costs.

Country Sint Maarten will need to think outside of the box and explore new strategies for further improving the performance of the health system in order to ensure that the new challenges and demands of the population are met.

A pioneering feature is the involvement of all sectors in improving health care and a commitment for developing broad partnerships within and outside the health sector in order to truly address the health and well-being of the people of the nation.

Roddy Heyliger

Dear Editor,

The Cayman Islands Medical Tourism Facility known as "Health City Cayman Islands" officially opened on February 25. The opening of the $80 million dollar facility with 140-beds has been described as the most significant event in Cayman Islands business history since the first law firm was established 50-years ago leading to the island becoming a well-known international financial center.

The opening of the medical tourism facility is seen as the birth of a third pillar of the Cayman economy and a new model for global healthcare supplementing tourism and financial services. It has been said Cayman will be at the forefront of a technological revolution in healthcare.

The new facility complements the islands existing healthcare system which comprises of two other hospitals, namely Cayman Islands Hospital (124-bed principal healthcare facility of the island) and the Chrissie Tomlinson Memorial Hospital (18-bed private facility offering personalized high quality health care). Both facilities have visiting specialists coming in on a regular basis similar to our St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC). The co-existence of the current facilities and the medical tourism hospital in the Cayman Islands is not seen as a threat in any form or fashion but as a positive development, and complements each other in overall healthcare for the people of the islands.

The Cayman Islands has a total population of over 53.000 (est. July 2013) and receives annually over 1.7 million tourists (cruise passengers 1,375,872 and stay over 345,387 in 2013). In comparison to country Sint Maarten, both islands are similar in many ways. Country Sint Maarten has a population of over 55,000 (est. 2011) and received over 2.2 million tourists in 2013 (cruise and stay-over visitors).

Health City Cayman Islands is a partnership between Dr. Devi Shetty's India-based Narayana Hrudalaya (in Bangalore) and Ascension Health Alliance, the latter, the largest private non-profit health network in the United States of America.

The first patients are expected to come from the Caribbean as of March 10 and the facility expects to be cash flow positive within six months.

Now that this part of the project has been completed, work will start later this year on a hotel and residences for patients of the 140-bed medical tourism facility. Once again opportunities are being created for the construction sector later this year and when the aforementioned have been built additional employment positions will become available.

A 300-bed unit as part of the medical tourism facility will expand the hospital's specialties into neurology and oncology, and work is to begin in late 2015 or a year later once the hotel and residences have been completed.

Health City plans to offer world-class healthcare at lower prices based on the use of technology. 17 doctors from the India facility will initially lead the Health City medical team and consultant specialists and nurses from India will be available around the clock to patients in Cayman via remote technology – every bed will have an iPad creating an almost paperless facility, the first of its kind in the Western Hemisphere.

The process of bringing medical tourism to the Cayman Islands dates back to September 2009 when Dr. Devi Shetty visited the islands for the first time and met with government officials to discuss the possibility. In October of that same year a memorandum of understanding was signed between the government and Dr. Shetty. Overall the project took almost four and a half years from the interests shown to the opening of the facility just a few days ago.

A 2009 Grant Thornton economic impact study estimated indirect impact revenue to be in the tens of millions after just a few years.

Country Sint Maarten's move into the medical tourism field would lead to an economic impulse and opportunities. Why not a ground breaking of a "Health City Sint Maarten" medical tourism facility in 2014?

Roddy Heyliger

Le Premier ministre, Jean-Marc Ayrault, a appris avec une grande tristesse le décès, hier soir, de Michel Dinet, président du Conseil général de Meurthe-et-Moselle.

Engagé dans la vie politique depuis plus de quarante ans, Michel Dinet était un élu apprécié et reconnu pour ses positions humanistes et son combat pour la justice sociale, tant au niveau local qu'au niveau national. En tant que premier vice-président de l'Assemblée des départements de France et président de l'Observatoire national de l'action sociale décentralisée, il s'était résolument engagé en faveur d'une plus grande solidarité entre les territoires.

Proche des gens, en permanence à leur écoute, Michel Dinet faisait partie de ces élus dont la chaleur humaine qu'il mettait dans son engagement était d'abord le signe de sa volonté de servir les autres et l'intérêt général.

A sa famille, à ses proches et à ses amis, le Premier ministre adresse ses plus sincères condoléances.

Le samedi 29 mars 2014, de 20 heures 30 à 23 heures 30, une opération de lutte contre la délinquance était menée par la Gendarmerie sur le territoire de la Collectivité d'Outre-Mer de Saint-Martin. Plusieurs postes de contrôle étaient mis en place, dans le quartier de Grand Case dans un premier temps, puis sur l'axe routier entre Marigot et le quartier de Sandy-Ground dans un deuxième temps.
Au total, 29 véhicules et 35 personnes ont été contrôlés sur ce dispositif, qui a mobilisé 21 militaires de la Gendarmerie (escadron de gendarmerie mobile 12/5 de Sathonay-Camp, communauté de brigades et P.S.I.G de Saint-Martin).
Les infractions suivantes ont été relevées :

• 02 saisies de stupéfiants (35 grammes de cannabis pour la première, 1 gramme de cocaïne et
  5 grammes de cannabis pour la seconde) ;
• 01 refus d'obtempérer ayant nécessité l'usage de la herse ;
• 02 défauts permis de conduire ;
• 01 non présentation d'assurance ;
• 01 immobilisation de véhicule.

Cette opération de contrôle menée par la Gendarmerie, au delà du volet répressif, visait avant tout, dans une logique de prévention, à dissuader la commission de vols avec violence, notamment ceux commis sous la menace d'une arme. En effet, en raison de la recrudescence observée depuis le début de l'année 2014 de ce type de faits, la Gendarmerie, sous l'impulsion de Monsieur le Préfet délégué auprès de la représentante de l'État dans les Collectivités d'Outre-Mer de Saint-Barthélémy et de Saint-Martin, et aux côtés de ses partenaires en matière de sécurité publique (Police aux Frontière et Police Territoriale), poursuit sa démarche d'appropriation territoriale et d'occupation du terrain.

Le vendredi 28 mars 2014, la compagnie de gendarmerie de Saint-Martin et Saint-Barthélémy a fait procéder à la destruction de 31 deux-roues motorisés non conformes, appelés localement ''squelettes'', et pour lesquels une procédure de retrait de la circulation et de mise en fourrière avait été initiée.

Le Premier Ministre, Jean-Marc Ayrault, a appris avec tristesse le décès de Jean-Claude Colliard, un des grands constitutionnalistes français.

Après l'agrégation de droit et de science politique, il entame une brillante carrière universitaire, d'abord à Nantes dont il devient très jeune le doyen de la faculté de droit puis à l'Université de Paris-I dont il est le président de 2009 à 2012, puis, jusqu'à ces derniers jours, à la tête du PRES Hautes Etudes-Sorbonne-Arts et Métiers.

Cette carrière universitaire accomplie s'accompagne d'engagements politiques et citoyens forts qui lui valent des responsabilités de très haut niveau : directeur de cabinet du Président de la République François Mitterrand puis du Président de l'Assemblée Nationale Laurent Fabius, membre du Conseil Constitutionnel de 1998 à 2007.

Le Premier Ministre Jean-Marc Ayrault tient à saluer avec émotion, respect et amitié cette grande figure universitaire qui a su mettre ses grandes compétences, notamment dans le domaine du droit constitutionnel, au service de la vie publique. »

Le Premier ministre a signé deux décisions engageant la participation du programme d'investissements d'avenir (PIA), à hauteur de 21M€, dans deux projets significatifs pour la valorisation et la connaissance du milieu marin, tout particulièrement importants pour la Bretagne, réunissant au total près de 40M€ de financements publics et privés.

Sur proposition de Louis Gallois, commissaire général à l'investissement, le Premier ministre mobilise 13M€ pour moderniser le navire océanographique français Marion Dufresne opéré par l'Institut français Paul Emile Victor situé à Brest, et l'équiper notamment des dernières technologies de carottage pour qu'il préserve son leadership scientifique au niveau mondial. Il s'agit d'un des seuls navires au monde capables d'effectuer des campagnes pluridisciplinaires en mer à très grandeur profondeur. Son laboratoire à bord de très haute technologie permet de traiter en temps réel les données recueillies, qui servent à améliorer sans cesse notre connaissance des écosystèmes marins, du climat, des ressources du sous-sol, ou des risques naturels.

Le Premier ministre a par ailleurs décidé l'engagement de 8M€ issus du programme d'investissements d'avenir pour accompagner le développement d'une solution de raccordement électrique pour hydroliennes situées en mer, qui constitue une partie critique du bon fonctionnement de l'installation. La France s'est engagée dans un vaste plan de développement des énergies marines renouvelables, notamment avec des premières fermes-pilotes hydroliennes au large des côtes normandes et bretonnes : ce projet instruit par l'ADEME vise à assurer une maîtrise complète en France de l'ensemble de la chaîne de valeur de l'électricité produite par hydrolienne.

Grâce à l'action du Commissariat général à l'investissement et aux dix établissements publics de l'Etat chargés de l'instruction des projets, le programme d'investissements d'avenir poursuit l'engagement de ses fonds en garantissant un processus rigoureux de sélection de projets au service de la montée en gamme des territoires et des entreprises françaises, et donc de la croissance et de l'emploi.

Le Premier ministre a réuni ce matin, avec Geneviève Fioraso, Fleur Pellerin et Arnaud Montebourg, les vingt membres de la Commission « Innovation 2030 » présidée par Anne Lauvergeon pour dévoiler les 58 premiers projets qu'elle a proposée de retenir dans le cadre du Concours mondial d'innovation.

Lancé en présence du Président de la République le 2 décembre dernier, ce concours entend permettre à des entrepreneurs de transformer leur idée en réalité en accompagnant dans la durée chaque étape de leur développement : la maturation du projet, la phase de levée des risques, l'industrialisation pour mise sur le marché. A chaque étape, une sélection des meilleures projets sera réalisée, et le financement de l'Etat pourra être intensifié jusqu'à 10 fois par rapport à l'étape précédente. 300 M€ ont été réservés à cet effet sur le Programme d'investissements d'avenir, à travers Bpifrance, pour accompagner les projets lauréats.

Anne Lauvergeon a rappelé les sept thématiques dans lesquelles doivent s'inscrire ces projets : le stockage de l'énergie ; le recyclage des métaux rares ; la valorisation des richesses marines ; les protéines végétales et la chimie du végétal ; la médecine individualisée ; la silver économie ou l'innovation au service de la longévité ; la valorisation des données massives (Big Data). Ce sont autant de domaines d'activité correspondant à des attentes sociétales fortes et offrant des opportunités majeures pour l'économie française dans la prochaine décennie.

Le mode opératoire retenu par la Commission est innovant, simple, accessible, dématérialisé et ouvert à tous, y compris aux entrepreneurs internationaux dès lors qu'ils veulent s'implanter en France. Dans cette première vague de sélection, 626 projets avaient été présentés, 134 ont été auditionnés et 58 ont été retenus. Chacun d'eux bénéficiera d'un financement de l'Etat pouvant atteindre 200 000€. Une seconde vague de sélection est ouverte et la date limite de dépôt des dossiers a été portée au 15 mai 2014 pour permettre au plus grand nombre de participer (www.innovation2030.org).

Jean-Marc Ayrault a indiqué : « Créer son entreprise est un processus qui peut être long, soumis à des aléas, supposant une prise de risque importante, mais j'ai souhaité que l'Etat puisse être le partenaire durable de ces inventeurs, stimuler leur énergie créatrice et leur donner la chance de faire aboutir leur projet. »

Jean-Marc Ayrault, Premier ministre, a appris avec une profonde tristesse, ce 17 mars, le décès de Marc Blondel.

Militant syndicaliste depuis 1958, Marc Blondel a exercé les responsabilités de secrétaire général de la CGT-Force Ouvrière de 1989 à 2004.

Grande figure du monde syndical et social français, Marc Blondel a incarné pendant quinze ans la parole de son organisation.

Militant de la laïcité, Marc Blondel a porté de nombreux combats et restera une personnalité marquante de la vie sociale française.

Le Premier ministre a pu, à de très nombreuses reprises, et encore récemment, échanger avec cet homme chaleureux sur l'actualité et constater son attachement constant à défendre ses convictions progressistes et à la défense des droits du monde ouvrier.

A sa famille, à ses proches, aux militants de son organisation, Jean-Marc Ayrault adresse ses plus sincères condoléances.

Jean-Marc Ayrault, Premier ministre, adresse ses plus vives félicitations à Cécile Hernandez-Cervellon pour sa remarquable médaille d'argent à l'épreuve de snowboard cross à Sotchi.

La médaille de Cécile Hernandez-Cervellon représente une belle reconnaissance de son travail depuis sa dernière Coupe du monde. Elle consacre également la qualité de son encadrement technique.

Jean-Marc Ayrault, Premier ministre, adresse ses vœux de succès à l'ensemble des membres de l'équipe de France pour la suite des épreuves des Jeux paralympiques.

Jean-Marc Ayrault, Premier ministre, adresse ses vives félicitations à Vincent Gauthier-Manuel pour sa remarquable médaille d'argent à l'épreuve de slalom en catégorie debout à Sotchi.

Porte-drapeau de la délégation française, Vincent Gauthier-Manuel offre un beau témoignage de courage et de ténacité à notre pays et au sport français. Cette médaille d'argent est aussi une marque de reconnaissance à l'adresse de ses entraîneurs et proches qui le soutiennent.

Jean-Marc Ayrault, Premier ministre forme des vœux de réussite à l'équipe de France pour les prochaines épreuves.

Le mercredi 12 mars 2014 de 20 heures 30 à 23 heures 30, une opération de lutte contre la délinquance est menée sur la collectivité d'Outre-Mer de Saint-Martin. Plusieurs postes de contrôles sont mis en place sur les axes menant à Marigot, Sandy-Ground et Baie Nettlé.

Au total, 46 véhicules et 52 personnes sont contrôlés sur ce dispositif qui a mobilisé 23 militaires (EGM 12/5 Sathonay, Compagnie, COB et PSIG de Saint-Martin, le Groupement Tactique Gendarmerie ainsi que 4 fonctionnaires de la PAF de Saint-Martin).

Les infractions suivantes sont relevées :

• Infraction à la législation sur les stupéfiants (1) - détention graines de cannabis 2,5 grammes,
• Défaut de permis de conduire (3),
• Défaut d'assurance ou non présentation assurance (9),
• Défaut de contrôle technique (1),
• Défaut de mutation de carte grise (1),
• Faux et usage de faux (1) - acte de vente d'un véhicule falsifié,
• Refus obtempérer (1),
• Infraction à la législation sur les étrangers (1) – Procédure Police Aux Frontières.

En outre, il est procédé à 10 immobilisations ainsi qu'à la saisie de 2 deux-roues.

Jean-Marc Ayrault, Premier ministre, adresse ses plus vives félicitations à Solène Jambaqué pour sa remarquable médaille d'argent à l'épreuve de Super-G Féminin catégorie debout.

En participant à la réussite du parcours olympique de l'équipe de France paralympique, Solène Jambaqué délivre un message d'espoir et de persévérance au mouvement sportif français et à la nation.

Jean-Marc Ayrault adresse ses vœux de belle continuation à l'ensemble des membres de l'équipe de France paralympique.

Le Premier ministre a appris avec une grande tristesse le décès, ce matin, de Maurice Faure.

Militant de toujours de la cause européenne et ministre de la Quatrième République, il participa à la signature du Traité de Rome en 1957. L'Europe perd avec lui le dernier survivant de ses pères fondateurs.

Parlementaire du Lot pendant près de 40 ans, Garde des Sceaux puis ministre d'Etat de François Mitterrand, membre du Constitutionnel, il laisse à tous le souvenir d'un républicain humaniste et généreux, reconnu pour sa grande culture, son talent d'orateur et la sincérité de son engagement en faveur des valeurs de laïcité et de progrès.

A sa famille et à ses proches, Jean-Marc Ayrault adresse ses plus sincères condoléances.

En réponse à la lettre de saisine du Premier ministre du 19 décembre 2013, Mireille Elbaum, présidente du Haut conseil du financement de la protection sociale sur l'évolution du financement de protection sociale (HCFIPS), a remis au Premier ministre le 5 mars 2014 un point d'étape sur l'évolution du financement de protection sociale.

Conformément à la demande exprimée, le HCFIPS a travaillé à l'identification des différentes voies permettant une meilleure adéquation entre les logiques et le mode de financement des différents risques de protection sociale, ainsi qu'aux modalités de réduction des prélèvements sociaux pesant sur le coût et les revenus du travail.

La note d'étape résume les premières réflexions menées au sein du HCFIPS. Elle est accompagnée de la contribution des membres qui ont souhaité afficher une position ou une préférence sur les schémas envisageables d'évolution du financement.

La note contient également sept fiches d'éclairages sur les questions soulevées par la réforme du financement de la protection sociale.

Le Premier ministre souligne la très grande qualité de ce travail, effectué dans des délais très courts. La diversité des scenarii présentés dans la note et les éclairages sur les contraintes économiques, sociales, techniques et juridiques sont des points de repères précieux pour la réflexion et la décision.

La note d'étape nourrira la démarche engagée par le Président de la République et le gouvernement de préparation du Pacte de Responsabilité et du chantier de remise à plat de la fiscalité.

Le Haut conseil du financement de la protection sociale reprendra ses séances au mois d'avril 2014, en approfondissant certains aspects abordés dans la note d'étape.

Jean-Marc Ayrault, Premier ministre, a présidé le Comité interministériel de la jeunesse ce mardi 4 mars 2014, en présence de 18 ministres et 9 autres représentés.

Le Premier ministre a souhaité ainsi souligner à nouveau le caractère prioritaire de la jeunesse dans la politique du Gouvernement.

Ce Comité interministériel a pris connaissance du premier « État annuel de la jeunesse » dont le principe avait été retenu au CIJ 2013. Ce tableau rassemble notamment nombre d'indicateurs sociaux, économiques et culturels visant à mesurer l'efficacité des engagements gouvernementaux au regard de l'objectif que la jeunesse française vive mieux en 2017 qu'en 2012. Ce document a été élaboré par l'INJEP et a fait l'objet d'un travail de concertation approfondi avec les 19 organisations de jeunes regroupées dans le Forum français de la jeunesse.

Le Comité interministériel a par ailleurs pris acte de l'état d'avancement des 47 mesures prises lors du CIJ 2013. 27 d'entre elles peuvent être considérées comme mises en œuvre. Le CIJ a exprimé la volonté de poursuivre cette progression en 2014. Il a également décidé de nouvelles mesures pour 2014 dont plusieurs découlent des propositions des organisations de jeunes, notamment la « clause impact jeunesse » dans les textes législatifs et réglementaires dont le principe a été arrêté.

Le Comité interministériel de la jeunesse 2014 aura été ainsi marqué par un effort de dialogue sans précédent avec les mouvements de jeunesse, confirmant l'objectif du Premier ministre et du Gouvernement de construire une politique non seulement pour la jeunesse mais avec la jeunesse.

Téléchargez le rapport au Comité interministériel de la jeunesse : http://www.gouvernement.fr/presse/comite-interministeriel-de-la-jeunesse-0

Le Premier ministre a signé plusieurs décisions engageant la participation du Programme d'Investissements d'Avenir (PIA) à hauteur de 275M€, dans des projets innovants portés par des entreprises et des territoires. Il a également validé quatre nouveaux projets de déploiement du Très Haut Débit.

Grâce à 150M€ de soutien de l'Etat via le PIA, qui intervient dans les zones non denses et se situe en moyenne à 35% du financement total, des projets portés par les départements du Loiret, des Yvelines, de la Seine-et-Marne et de la Seine Maritime concernant près de 370 000 foyers et 11 000 bâtiments prioritaires ou maisons isolées bénéficieront d'un accès au Très Haut Débit, principalement grâce au déploiement de la fibre, mais également d'autres technologies (satellites par exemple). De plus, plus de 70 000 foyers verront rapidement leur débit sensiblement accru, avant le déploiement complet Très Haut Débit auprès de l'ensemble de la population. L'ensemble des projets en zone non dense actuellement validés dans le cadre du déploiement du Très Haut Débit porte actuellement sur 2,2 millions de foyers et un engagement financier de l'Etat d'environ 1Md€.

125M€ ont par ailleurs été engagés pour participer, notamment, au financement :

• de l'Académie Jules Verne (centre de formation en alternance qui accueillera 500 alternants et 1500 étudiants, dédié aux spécialités des métiers de l'aéronautique et du naval à Bouguenais en Loire-Atlantique),
• de l'aménagement de plateau de Saclay (futurs locaux de l'Ecole Centrale de Paris et réseau numérique unique de l'Université),
• de la ferme pilote Coriolis pour tester en conditions réelles l'éolienne off-shore Haliade 150,
• de technologies de stockage d'énergies développées par Areva en partenariat avec des PME,
• de techniques de propulsion maritime au GNL innovantes et sensiblement moins polluantes développées par STX, et
• d'une plateforme Ecotox de tests éco-toxicologiques très performants portée par le Conseil général de la Drôme

Le Premier ministre a enfin confirmé aux 21 collectivités locales participant au programme « Eco-Cité » (projets d'aménagement urbain exemplaires en matière de développement durable) l'élargissement de ce programme aux projets de rénovation thermique et l'engagement d'une seconde phase d'appels à projets. Une aide de 400 000€ a été accordée à chaque collectivité pour l'aider à concevoir de nouveaux projets pour cette seconde phase.

Grâce à l'action du Commissariat général à l'investissement et aux dix établissements publics de l'Etat chargés de l'instruction des projets, le programme d'investissements d'avenir poursuit l'engagement de ses fonds en garantissant un processus rigoureux de sélection de projets au service de la montée en gamme des territoires et des entreprises françaises, et donc de la croissance et de l'emploi. Environ 3Md€ seront ainsi décaissés cette année.

Sareena Carti de l'Avenir Sportif Club de Saint-Martin, s'est fait remarquer ce week end lors du match opposant la France à l'Allemagne et à l'Italie en battant le record de France du 400m catégorie cadette en 54''02.
Un résultat de bon augure à la veille des championnats de France Cadets-Juniors en salle qui se tiendront à Val de Rueil le 8 et le 9 mars 2014, durant lesquels Sareena défendra son titre de championne de France 2013.

Le 1er mars 2014 à 16h50 à Belle-Plaine, une moto-cross circulant à vive allure sur la roue arrière percute l'arrière d'une voiture circulant dans l'autre sens, et qui venait de tourner à gauche. Le pilote et le passager de la moto-cross, non-porteurs du casque de sécurité sont éjectés. Le pilote, grièvement touché, décède de ses blessures quelques instants après l'accident, malgré l'intervention rapide des pompiers et son transport à l'hôpital.
Il s'agit du troisième accident mortel de la circulation enregistré depuis le début de l'année 2014 à St Martin. Ces trois accidents impliquaient des deux roues circulant à vice allure, dont les conducteurs ne portaient pas réglementairement le casque de sécurité. Deux de ces trois accidents impliquaient des moto-cross non-homologuées pour circuler sur la voie publique, que les conducteurs utilisaient pour réaliser des « wheeling ».
La gendarmerie nationale rappelle que :

• Le fait de circuler sur la roue arrière constitue une contravention de 2ème classe punissable de 150 € d'amende et de l'immobilisation du véhicule. En outre, cette pratique dangereuse, en privant les conducteurs de la visibilité nécessaire pour  conduire en sécurité, et ne leur permet pas une maîtrise suffisante de leurs engins pour éviter l'accident. Les conducteurs se mettent ainsi en danger et mettent également en danger les autres usagers de la route.
• Le fait de circuler avec un engin non-homologué pour circuler sur la voie publique constitue une contravention de 5ème classe punissable de 1500 € d'amende et de la confiscation du véhicule. Il est rappelé, d'une part que les engins non-homologués ne présentent pas l'ensemble des dispositifs de sécurité nécessaires pour assurer la sécurité du conducteur de l'engin ou celle des autres usagers de la route ; et d'autre part que les assurances ne garantissent pas les dommages causés par des engins non-homologués, lorsque ceux-ci circulent sur la voie publique.
• Le fait de circuler sur un deux roues sans porter réglementairement un casque homologué constitue une contravention de la 4ème classe, punissable de 750 € d'amende et de l'immobilisation du véhicule. Cette peine est applicable en cas de non port du casque par le pilote comme pour le passager. Il est rappelé que tout choc sur la tête, même à faible vitesse, peut être une cause de décès ou d'infirmité permanente que seul le port d'un casque de sécurité homologué peut permettre d'éviter.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The President of Parliament Hon. Gracita Arrindell on Thursday received a visit from representatives of Transparency International.

President Arrindell said the discussion focused on the purpose of their visit and role they will be playing. The purpose of their visit was to introduce themselves to key people in the community prior to commencing their assignment in May.

"It was a very pleasant encounter, while discussing a serious research subject matter, which includes transparency in the decision-making process," President Arrindell said on Thursday.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Coach Franklyn Radjouki's annual tournament was a great success where the kids highlighted their talent for a few parents and attendees. Radjouki also thanked his His Excellency Governor Drs.Eugene Holiday for coming and showing his support which was unannounced.

The overall winner was Rory Pantophlet, second went to his younger brother Josiah Pantophlet and third to Raheem Meulens.

The other participants were thanked with a medal for partaking in this 27th edition of the tournament.

The board of St. Maarten Table Tennis Foundation (S.M.T.T.F) is currently in discussion for the next tournament hosted by one of the Rotary Mid Isle for April 12th. More information for participation will be released during the course of next week.

The Sport that old and young can high on.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Electoral Council was recently installed on St. Maarten to promote a transparent and democratic structure of political parties as well as to ensure good governance and proper financial administration by both political parties and the candidates.

All parties contesting the upcoming elections are required by law to submit an application in writing requesting for registration by the Electoral Council in accordance with the legal stipulations in the National Ordinance on Registration and Finances of Political Parties. Political parties must be established by notarized deed as an association with members who can cast their votes in a democratic and transparent manner on the policy of the party.

The Electoral Council will review whether the stipulations laid down in the National Ordinance on the articles of incorporation have been complied with and included in the Articles of Incorporation of the Political party.
The National Ordinance on Registration and Finances of Political Parties can be found in the Dutch and the English languages on the Sint Maarten Government website. Political parties and persons who intend to be candidates are advised to carefully review this Ordinance.

The Electoral Council will open its doors to the general public on April 1, 2014. The office is located on Back Street No. 145 B. The office hours are from 13:30 to 17:30 hours on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays and from 9:00 to 13:00 hours on Thursdays and Fridays. The office can be reached by telephone nos: 542 5088/542 5087. Currently, the Electoral Council website is under construction.

The Electoral council will be embarking on an information campaign to provide information to the general public and to existing and upcoming political parties and potential candidates on the tasks of the Electoral Council, the National Ordinance on Registration and Finance and the consequences in case of non-compliance with the law.

As part of the information campaign, the Electoral Council will be giving presentations to the Council of Ministers, to Parliament and to other agencies in the upcoming period.
In collaboration with the University of St. Martin the Electoral Council has scheduled its first information session to the general public on Wednesday, April 9, 2014 at the University of St. Martin. This information session will start at 7:00 p.m. sharp.

The Electoral Council is hereby inviting the general public, and in particular the political parties, potential candidates as well as the business community to come out to this very informative session to be informed of the electoral reforms that have taken place.

For more information, please contact the Electoral Council at 542 5088/542 5087 during its office hours.

President Arrindell calls on nation to vote

PHILIPSBURG:--- The President of Parliament Hon. Gracita Arrindell last week handed out to Members of Parliament (MP) registration forms for European Union (EU) Parliamentary elections.

The European parliamentary elections are considered the second biggest democratic exercise in the world, where 400 million people can cast their vote for a new European Parliament.

Elections are on May 22 for the 751 member chamber of the European Parliament. Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) represent 503.7 million people in the European Union.

The 751 MEPs will take their seats in July and will set the course of European policies for the next five years. They will also elect the leader of the EU's executive body, the European Commission President.

The registration forms will have to be turned over to the Office of Dutch Representation on Front Street #26 before April 10 in order for one to be able to participate in the May 22 elections of members to the EU parliament.

The registration forms are available at the Office of Dutch Representation, but can also be downloaded from www.stemmenvanuithetbuitenland.nl. As soon as the voting forms are available, the Representation will invite those who have registered by e-mail, in order to pick them up or have them sent to their home address. People can fill in their form and deliver it in a sealed envelope to the Representation's Office at the latest May 22nd, 2014 at 3 p.m.

President of Parliament Hon. Gracita Arrindell is calling on all inhabitants of Sint Maarten over 18 and holding the Dutch nationality, who wants to use their right to vote to register at the Office of Dutch Representation.

There are 13 European political parties namely: European People's Party, Party of European Socialists, Alliance of Liberals and Democrats for Europe, Greens, Alliance of European Conservatives and Reformists, The Party of the European Left, Movement for a Europe of Liberties and Democracy, European Democratic Party, European Free Alliance, European Alliance for Freedom, Alliance of European National Movements, European Christian Political Movement, and EU Democrats.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The police traffic department is presently investigating a serious traffic accident between a motorcycle and private car which took place on Sunday March 30th, 2014 at approximately 4:00pm on the crossing of L.B. Scot road and Gladiola road. According to witnesses, the motorcycle with the French license plate 331 was traveling on the L.B. Scot road at a high speed as it approached Gladiola road on which the private vehicle with license plate P-7601 was traveling. A collision between vehicles followed causing the rider to fall from the motorcycle. The paramedics arrived shortly on the scene and after giving the victim first aid they transported him in serious condition to the Sint Maarten Medical Center for further medical treatment.

KPSM Police Report

Dear Board Members of the SHTA,

After careful consideration, I have decided to tender my resignation as President of SHTA as well as my position on the board of the SHTA. I would suggest for this to take effect as of March 28, 2014 which will make an even 13 years (to the day) that I have been President of the SHTA.
We have been through good times and bad times. We have weathered storms together and participated in St Maarten's recovery. We have seen the growth of SHTA's reputation as a well respected and influential stakeholder in the community. As a valued and committed stakeholder, we have participated in countless meetings and structurally participate in permanent committees such as the labor tripartied, integrity committees, economic monitoring committee, SER, Economic Recovery fund committee and more. We have participated in the formation of the Tour Mapp or tourism master plan.
We have sponsored many worth causes, charities and events.
We have supported the marketing and promotion of St Maarten as a vacation destination.
As a stakeholder in SMART, we bring key tourism partners to St Maarten on an annual basis.
The Crystal Pineapple Awards has blossomed into a highly respected and anticipated community event.
We have supported our many Airline partners and participated closely in bringing in new airlift like Spirit airlines, Jet Blue and Copa to St Maarten.
We have helped to make integrity, accountability and transparency part of the day to day discussion in St Maarten.
In reality, the list of our many accomplishments goes on and on, however, despite our many positive accomplishments, I have a feeling that critical and fundamental changes remain elusive.
The cries from the private sector for structured public private partnership within the tourism industry have been for the most part ignored for 20 years, with the exception of the ERF committee. Over the years, I have seen the squandering of resources; poor planning, lack of policy, complicated bureaucracy and slow approvals for funding requests seriously handicap the performance of the Tourism industry. Despite the recognition that the STA or St Maarten Tourism Authority is a critical structure to propel our tourism industry forward, the STA is still not in place. It is amazing that we have dismantled the Netherland Antilles and formed Country St Maarten in less time. The only plausible reason for not implementing is a lack of political support and motivation.
It is widely recognized that the TOT is a destructive tax, incentivizing residents and businesses to purchase abroad thereby bypassing local businesses. Government acknowledges that tax compliance is estimated to be a mere 40%. Numerous studies have indicated the need to shift from direct to indirect taxation. Yet, conflicts of interest and possible corruption have left St Maarten with the Taxand debacle and criminal investigations but no structured movement to overhauling the tax system. The only plausible reason for not implementing is a lack of political support or motivation.
If we are to ever reduce our dependency on private vehicles, St Maarten needs a proper functioning public transportation system. The use of bus and taxi licenses as tools to purchase political support undermines the ability of government to create a proper public transportation system. Additionally, when the metrics for handing out licenses are about purchasing political support the original intention of providing local employment to those in need becomes a secondary or tertiary concern. The only plausible reason for not implementing is a lack of political support or motivation.
As a tourism driven destination, we should be gathering information from our visitors at ports of entry via a TSIS or Tourism Statistical Information System. Even though money was invested in the project via USONA, the program is DOA. (Dead on Arrival) The money has been spent with no results to show, no statistical information that our tourism sector can use to better allocate their limited marketing funds. The only plausible reason for not implementing is a lack of political support or motivation.
Fiscal discipline, timely and realistic budget formation, long term planning, control of government expenditures, transparency and focus on development of policies are all critical to the efficient functioning of government. However, I am skeptical that the political will and motivation are there for a truly open and efficient government.
In the words of a local politician, "if you believe changing things is so easy, why don't you put your name on a list?" While I don't believe change is so easy, I do believe that some changes are only possible by changing the political system. Together we have volunteered our time to try and improve the quality of life for everyone in St Maarten; however, I don't believe fundamental change is possible without fundamental changes to the way government operates. For 13 years, we have tried from the outside, perhaps it is time to try and change things from the inside.

Recently, I have been asked by several political parties to consider contesting for a position in the upcoming Parliamentary elections. While I haven't decided if I will participate or in what capacity, the discussions are of a nature and level of seriousness that I believe it will be increasingly difficult for me to maintain a non-political status. The non political nature of SHTA has always been a critical component in the SHTA's ability to work with government irrespective of who is in power at a particular moment. I believe it would be hypocritical to speak about integrity and transparency and have my actions demonstrate a different reality. Using SHTA has a platform to launch a political agenda would be hypocritical and even worse destructive to the SHTA. I believe that my deliberation about joining the political arena jeopardizes SHTA's non political status and therefore makes my continued presidency untenable.
As I have mentioned on numerous occasions, it has been my greatest pleasure to serve with such a talented and committed group of individuals. In all my experiences, I have yet to find a finer board of directors. I am delighted that Eveline Henriquez Dijkoffz will be assuming the role as President of SHTA. She is one of the hardest working, efficient and intelligent persons that I have had the privilege of knowing.
Thank you for the years of trust and confidence in me as your president. It is hard to imagine the wealth of experience and knowledge that I have developed during my tenure, I am extremely grateful for the opportunity, but most importantly, thank you for the many wonderful and fun moments we have shared together.

With the Fondest of Regards,

Emil Lee

PHILIPSBURG:--- The president of SMCU, Mr. L. Evers, received a formal warning from TelEm lawyer Judith De Weever of the law firm Duncan and Brandon regarding its position formulated in a letter sent to TelEm CFO Mrs. H. Etnel from the labor Inspectorate department to inform them that the gentlemen working in Telem from EU in the function of manager cannot perform work until his working permit has been issued by the labor department.
This is another act of the management of the Telem Group of Companies under the dictatorship of Mrs. H. Etnel that she doesn't want to adhere to recommendations given by the department of labor. Instead treats were made to the union president that if he executes the recommendation given by the labor department to management he will be held Mr. Evers personally liable.
The SMCU would like to inform you that this is not the first time that Telem management does not adhere with the laws of our land. In 2011, (example) the SMCU took Telem to court for the use of cameras with listening devices. Telem lost the case in the court of first instance. Telem was not happy with the verdict and appealed the case and lost in the court of appeal. To date management is still purchasing cameras with listening devices. Management tries to justify this action by saying the listening device is disabled and cannot be used.
The SMCU would like to make known that there is a dictatorship going on in TelEm by Mrs. H. Etnel. There will be repercussions for your person, if you do not do what she says. TelEm needs a CEO immediately. Employees cannot continue under this regime of Mrs. H. Etnel.

Click here to view the letter sent by TELEM to SMCU.

SMCU Press Release

PHILIPSBURG:--- NAGICO Insurances made a contribution to the Community Tutoring Foundation recently towards their new project 'Teach Parents how to teach their children Reading". The foundation approached NAGICO with its plans to equip parents with the knowledge and skills required to help their children be self efficient in reading.

"Struggling with reading has a great impact on students' education," Yadira Boston; president of the foundation said. "A surprising research from the American Educational Research; discovered that low reading skills cause more students to drop out of school before receiving a diploma than poverty."

NAGICO believes that education is of vital importance in building a strong nation and has been continuously donating to this cause over the past 30 years. NAGICO is pleased to be part of this project as targeting parents is the best way to affect change in their children.

NAGICO Press Release

Agenda Includes Election of a new Party Board

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Leader of the Democratic Party and Prime Minister of St. Maarten, the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams announced last Tuesday that the Democratic Party of St. Maarten will be holding a General Membership Meeting on Saturday, the 12th of April at the Belair Community Center in Cay Hill.

The membership meeting will start at five in the afternoon and the main purpose is the election of a new board by the voting delegates of the Party.

The leader of the Democratic Party again emphasized that the focus of the Democratic Party of St. Maarten in taking part in the 2014 Parliamentary election will be on quality representation rather than on quantity presentation. "Common goals and one vision, committed persons rather than boasting about numbers".

The leader of the DP can confidently make this statement as her entire tenure, better yet, her entire career has been built on this premise, namely putting service to country above self.

During a recent press conference, when asked, the Prime Minister reiterated this point: "Let me put it as clearly and as concisely as possible: the Democratic Party will not be 'breaking its neck' just to put forward a full a list of candidates, something which other parties are doing with individuals, some of whom, sad to say, place their own interest above that of the people.

The focus of the Democratic Party, going forward will be on persons who want to contribute to the process of seeking to be elected by the people for all of the right reasons. Stability, honesty, openness, integrity, knowledge and realistic hopefulness will be key themes going forward," stated Wescot-Williams.

The leader of the Democratic Party also reiterated that the Party is focused and resolute about moving away from the usual political rhetoric of campaign promises that cannot be fulfilled.

"Where we stand today as a political party and as a country is extremely important, and indeed 2014 is a pivotal year for both party and country. 2014 will mark 60 years of the existence of the Democratic Party of St. Maarten, twenty of which I have been at its helm.

2014 will also see the election for the second Parliament of the country of St. Maarten. The DP is poised to be the first one to move out of the "starting gates" with a clear vision, not only with regard to the election, but also with regard to how we should govern the country that we love dearly.

I want the Democratic Party to remain the party that is in tune with the people all of the time, not just at election time; one, which people will ask to be affiliated with. And for this to become a reality, a lot of serious work needs to be done," continued Sarah Wescot-Williams.

"We have also heard the passionate presentations from the Party's young people to address the issues which they find important. We will pick up the proposal of the young people and re-establish the Party's Political Youth Forum, to educate young people about politics and the political system, and also to encourage young people to vote in order to combat the global phenomenon of voters' apathy," concluded the DP Leader.

Prime Minister Wescot-Williams also stated that for the Democratic Party, partnerships should be about the people, not the person.

The DP will be holding various seminars on political topics including electoral reform, governance, as well as sustainable development and other topics geared towards especially the young guard of the party.

"Saying that you have young people on your list but not educating and informing them of the way forward in the interest of St. Maarten and its people will only result in seeing some of the same irresponsible actions that we have seen within and outside of political parties."

DP Press Release

PM: "There must be a certain understanding amongst political parties regarding the ensuring of fair, free and open elections."

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams Expressed her concerns over plans to use dummy ballots during the upcoming elections, which would essentially be election fraud; "I have been hearing rumors regarding alleged plans of persons circumventing the fact that if Government decided to remove the black curtains they would utilize a dummy ballot in order to get in their first ballot and then subsequently use their ballot in order to increase votes. I am very very concerned about this. The scariest part is that there are in fact people that may be thinking this way. That is why it is important that we should educate the people. If we address the black curtains issue we cannot have it too easy or persons to be unfair", stressed Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams.

The Prime Minister also stresses the need to address some of the issues that the Parliament of St. Maarten brought forward as far as electoral reform is concerned; "I indicated to Parliament that many issues that were brought forward by Parliament are based on the premise based on the constitutional obligations to make sure that elections are fair and free. As a result of our constitution you have a very important tool as far as elections are concerned and that is the electoral ordinance. I saw where the possibility existed to look at the matter of our electoral ordinance and make some amendments. However changing the ordinance will take some time and some of the proposals we have been thinking of have been sent to the Council of Advice. We have taken the proposals as I presented them to Parliament and asked the Council of Advice to respond on them. Regarding the Electoral Ordinance you also have some general decrees including how we should regulate the voting booth or the voting locality. Within this context we can regulate the black curtains for example. However, there must be a certain understanding amongst political parties to ensure fair, free and open elections and what is or what is not considered campaigning for example. Especially the campaigning issue is very important right now to ensure that there is some order created as far as elections are concerned.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Permanent Committee of Kingdom Affairs and Inter Parliamentary Relations of the House of Parliament is scheduled to meet on April 1st.

The public permanent committee meeting is set for Tuesday at 10:00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The main agenda point is to discuss the tentative agenda for the tri-partite meeting between the parliaments of the countries of Aruba, Curacao and Sint Maarten that is scheduled to be held from April 7 to 9.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com, and also via www.sxmparliament.org.

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao:--- Stable public finances are essential for the recovery of the economy. That is what the Board of financial supervision (College financieel toezicht - Cft) indicates in its annual report on 2013. After the restructuring of the public finances in Curaçao, economic recovery is expected in 2014, but it is too early to already speculate about cost reductions or new expenditures. In Sint Maarten the finances and the growth developed balanced during the past years. The aging population there will also increase and thus measures are necessary to keep the social security and care payable. On the public entities the financial situation has improved during the past years. The level of provisioning on the area of health care and education has increased, but loss of purchasing power and the poverty amongst parts of the population, remains an important task.

Annual report
In its annual report 2013 the Board identifies that in its five years of their existence important lessons were learned. The effectiveness of the financial supervision stands or falls with the commitment of the government and the elected representatives to the necessity of the budget discipline and timely reporting. Hereby it has turned out to be necessary to keep a close eye on the developments with regard to social security and in the government companies and foundations, with the focus on possible risks for the public finances. Furthermore, the liquidity position is of great interest. The financial management remains a point of concern that really has to improve in the coming period. In the annual report the Board describes how the crisis, which started in 2008-2009, came on top of a structurally weak situation in the Caribbean region. Extensive debts, deficits on the current account and a bad competitive position characterize the region. The government costs a lot, because of the fixed costs in the area of security, infrastructure, education and health care. Electricity and water are expensive. In the private sector, scale disadvantages in most cases lead to a strongly concentrated market, in which competition is limited. Access to the international financial market is limited as well. In Curaçao and Sint Maarten, all these challenges are visible, but the countries have a better chance to cope with them, compared to other countries in the region, because of the low government debt and the relatively high standard of living.

Curaçao
The package of measures, which the government implemented in 2013, has led to a delay in the recovery, but the shrinkage in 2013 remained limited and recovery is expected to kick in quickly in 2014. That does not mean that nothing has to happen anymore at this point in time. Not all the measures from the recovery package have been implemented as yet, and some measures still have to actually result in savings. So, at this moment it is too early to already conclude that costs can be reduced or that there is space for higher expenditures. However, an investment program maybe started, even though the Board warns that large scale (public) investments are expected to make only a modest contribution to the growth. Nevertheless a big part will leak out of the country, resulting in more pressure on the balance of payments. Curaçao will have to work on improving its competitive edge and improving the business climate in order for private investments in the import substitution and exporting sectors to set off.

Sint Maarten
Three years after obtaining the status of a country, Sint Maarten still does not have its institutions in order. Mainly the tax office and the financial management are lacking. The Board entitles Sint Martin the most Anglo-Saxon country of the Kingdom, with a small government and a high level of trust in private initiative. Nevertheless there are limits to this reality, and strengthening of the institutions is necessary to obtain a more sound economy and a secure and social community. The liquidity position and the tax incomes are worrisome.

The public entities
Mainly on the area of care and the education, a lot has been invested in the public entities. Because the inflation was high during the years 2010 – 2012, the purchasing power decreased. Meanwhile, the inflation is now better controlled. Combating poverty amongst parts of the population forms an important task for the coming period.

Click here to view the CFT 2013 Annual Report.

Cft Press Release

PM: "Having the Right to Vote is not one which should be taken lightly"

PHILIPSBURG:--- "Voting is a right not to be taken lightly", was the message of Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams during her address at the informative evening concerning the possibility of St. Maarten Citizens to vote during the elections for European Parliament held at the University of St. Maarten on Wednesday evening. The Prime Minister highlighted the importance of St. Maarten lending its voice to the running of European Parliament at the lecture organized by the University and the Office of the Dutch Representative; "I believe that having the opportunity to vote generally speaking is a right that we should not take lightly. It is a right to vote for representatives directly or indirectly in a country or organization that has some kind of effect in our lives. Specifically for European Elections the connection for St. Maarten has become quite close; the ability for St. Maarten to vote during European elections did not come natural. In fact it is just a couple of years ago that the peculiar status that we enjoy as European Dutch St. Maarteners was challenged and the request was put for us as a former Antillean Resident to be able to vote during elections. This was acknowledged and decided by the court that we should indeed be able to. This is an accomplishment in its own right.

"If we take the relationship with Europe and its countries that relationship has become much closer. It has become much closer because in attaining the status of country as we did per 10-10-10 there is no longer a buffer that used to be there when it came to relationships between St. Maarten and Europe and the rest of the international community for that matter, due to that being Kingdom responsibilities. St. Maarten has been now placed in a position that when we seek to make use of the possibilities that have been made available to us by the European Union as European Dutch St. Maarteners we need to be able to make use and defend ourselves in that context.

"Every relationship brings with it responsibilities, and no where was that as clear as when St. Maarten needed to represent itself during the discussions surrounding the 10th EDF funding. We needed to step up to the plate and defend our interests when it came to the EDF and for us receiving the funding which we required. Europe is looking at a much broader cooperation with those territories and countries that it has a particular relationship with. Currently a lot of effort is being put by the Governments of both sides of St. Maarten to come to joint programs which we would be then be able to get European Funding for. So we are involved in a very dynamic process in our relationship with the European Union.

"We must therefore realize that it is important for us to be part of the voting process for the European Parliament. Your vote will give you a say in the running of Parliament; we have this right and we should utilize that right to voice our opinion and issue our vote. We need to have a say in what we do as it relates to regulations, sanctions what have you that may have an effect on us that are taken by the European Union. The world is becoming smaller and we are fortunate to have our voice to part of the European Parliament and that is why I encourage everyone to vote in the European Elections. Our voice collectively will make a difference as far as the management of the European Commission is concerned," concluded Prime Minister Wescot-Williams.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

PHILIPSBURG:--- Based on ongoing dry and hot weather the island has been experiencing and based on water quality sampling conducted by the St. Maarten Nature Foundation it has been decided to issue an alert concerning the medium to high potential for a Tilapia fish die off in the Great Salt Pond.

The Nature Foundation has tested the water quality in the Great Salt Pond and has measured a decrease in oxygen levels and an increase in salinity due to the ongoing weather conditions. These factors coupled with the large amount of introduced and invasive tilapia in the Great Salt Pond have made conditions favorable for a tilapia die-off event.

The Nature Foundation has sent its recommendations to the necessary governmental departments and will continue to monitor the situation as it develops. As of Friday, March 28th there have been no dead or dying tilapia recorded. The Nature Foundation will issue updates as the situation develops.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Saturday March 8th, 2014 at a very impressive ceremony among their parents, friends and members of the St. Maarten Lions Club, Sint Maarten Leo Club welcomed no less than 22 (twenty-two) new Leo Club members to their fold. The Sint Maarten Leo Club now boasts of a total of 48 members.
The Induction Ceremony was conducted by Past District Governor Lion Wally Havertong, PMJF. Before taking the oath of membership these 22 new Leos were addressed by PDG Wally Havertong, who placed the emphasis on the fact of being privileged of joining this International Organization.
He stressed on the fact that their development as Leos will be three fold. First through their Logo LEADERSHIP EXPERIENCE OPPORTUNITY Leos first develop their own skills, moral values, their talents and in particular a sense of responsibility of designing the community based projects which should benefit the community at large and in particular their own peers, this will be their leadership role in the club.
Secondly they are to gain a great deal of experience in planning, working as a team and being responsible for the execution of community projects, fundraising projects and building a great self-esteem.
Thirdly membership gives them a great opportunity to develop their own future when tomorrow they go abroad to further their studies. They will have the necessary Leadership skills, have gain a certain amount of experience of standing on their own feet and an opportunity to pass these qualities on to others of their peers.
After the responsibilities of membership had been read to the prospect Leos, they jointly took the oath of membership.
All parents of the newly inducted Leos were then called forward to pin their son or daughter with their Leo Membership Pin and to dress them with the Leo Vest.
Leo President Leo Talia Schaminee gave quite an inspiring speech speaking in particular of how the Leo Club had developed her own skills of speaking in public and so many other skills she had gained during the years as a Leo.
Keynote speakers Leo Jasmine Grannum and Leo Brandon Celestine spoke of how they enjoy executing community projects in particular helping the elderly and the less fortunate in the community.
The Leo Pledge and Objectives form an integral part of Leo Club meetings and were eloquently read by 9 Leos and the newly inducted members.
Leo Club Advisor Lion Lisandra Havertong, MJF thanked all parents for entrusting their young children to her responsibility. All 48 youngsters she considers as being her own children with whom she continues to enjoy great fellowship and at the same time helping them to develop into responsible young people.

The St. Maarten Leo Club will meet on every 1st and 3rd Saturday of the month at the Lions Civic Center at 11.00am. Lion Lisandra Havertong is the current Leo club advisor.
Young people, age12 to 18 years who would like more information about the St. Maarten Leo Club can contact Lion Lisandra Havertong at 5548666.

Lions clubs sponsor approximately 5,800 Leo clubs in 140 countries. While helping others in their community, Leos develop leadership skills and experience teamwork in action. For more information about the Leo Club Program, visit the Youth Programs section of the Lions website at www.lionsclubs.org.

POND ISLAND:--- TelCell's Breakthrough 2013 youth talent show winners Jabari York (Rapping); Geniquah Thewet (Vocals); Cherianne Dangleben York (Instruments) and Bianca Dijkhofzz (dance) have launched their first CD in a blaze of excitement and eager anticipation for the future.

The talented youths collaborated on the CD project by writing the lyrics, doing the arrangements, doing the vocals and instrumentals and putting down the mix under the watchful guidance of music producer, Berteaux "Mr. Rude" Fleming, of Xtratight Entertainment.

The CD, entitled "TelCell Breakthrough – Life" is described as a musical fusion of Hip-Hop and reggae. It will be distributed locally to radio stations and nightclubs for airplay before being tested on the international market.

The Breakthrough 2013 winners were presented with the first printed copies of the CDs by TelEm Group's Chief Commercial officer (CCO) Mr. Brian Mingo, during a short presentation ceremony at the TelEm Group main building on Pond Island, Wednesday.

"We are very proud to have reached this stage with the Breakthrough winners and that we are delivering on our promise to assist them in realizing their dreams," said Mr. Mingo.

He said the talented youth are becoming celebrities amongst their peers, having appeared on several posters around school and sports premises, promoting positive messages to the island's youth.

They have also taken part in other company promotions since being named winners in their respective categories.

Mr. Mingo said the CD recording is of a very high quality and the track is especially notable because it is the collaborative work of three of the youngsters working together to produce a very pleasing rhythm.

Music producers, "Mr. Rude" said one of the four winners, Bianca Dijkhofzz, is a dance category winner and therefore does not perform on the CD like the other three winners, however, she will feature prominently in a music CD that the group are also producing and filming starting this week.

"I have been very impressed with the level of professionalism and seriousness that everyone has put into the making of the CD, now it's my turn to send it for some airplay, get some buzz going and the aim for the international market," said Mr. Rude.

He said because of the diverse talents involved, a way had to be found to allow each of the performers to showcase their art form while ensuring a pleasant sound from the final result.

"Jabari was able to do his thing with rap and since reggae is pretty close to R&B in rhythm, we were able to combine the reggae vocals of Geniquah and then add the pan solo from Cherianne in the mix," said the music producer.

"We used live instruments to create the professional sound and I am very, very pleased with the result," added "Mr. Rude."

Both Mr. Mingo and Mr. Rude thanked TelCell staffers, Angel Richardson, Cheryl Rismay and Marelva Jones-Felix for their continued support and encouragement of the Breakthrough 2013 winners.

"Thanks to their input, the youth of St. Maarten are really getting a chance to showcase their talents," said Mr. Mingo.

Telem Press Release

PHILIPSBURG:--- Miss Deveny Elferink, age 13, is a step closer to following her dream thanks to the Windward Islands Bank Ltd. WIB provided Deveney with a donation to assist with the costs associated with her attending the prestigious Parsons School of Design in New York this summer. Deveny has already gained much respect from her teachers at Parsons with the designs she has made. Her designs range from women's formal, casual and sportswear to handbags, bowties and accessories.

Deveny, who home schools, has also been dancing from the age of three. She has danced with dance schools such as Turning Point Curacao, Motiance Dance School, the Art Saves Lives Foundation and at the National Institute of Arts.

Deveny's ambition is be to professional designer and dancer.

The Windward Islands Bank is very pleased to provide the assistance and wishes Deveny all success this summer while attending the Parsons School of Design in New York.

The donation was made to Miss Deveny Elferink (left) by Mr. Derek Downes WIB's Managing Director.

WIB Press Release

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister, as Chair of the Steering Committee on HIV/Aids for the HIV Response for British and Dutch Territories, has been updated regarding the launching of the rapid assessment of the HIV Response in the British and Dutch Territories. The project "Strengthening the Integration of the British and Dutch OCTs in the regional response to HIV/AIDS through PANCAP" is in its final stage of implementation and plans are underway to support the implementation of the final project evaluation that is scheduled for mid-2014.

At the last Steering Committee Meeting in November 2013, it was agreed that the evaluation process would include a rapid assessment of the HIV Response in the British and Dutch Overseas Territories. This rapid assessment is to help to determine the manner in which the critical gaps and challenges identified in the national response for HIV have been addressed. Similarly, it will provide qualitative feedback on the overall impact, and key areas for continued strengthening to ensure on-going integration of the HIV response and sustainability following the project closure. On the basis of the rapid assessments, consultants will be asked to draw the final report for the project, as agreed at the time of the approval for the Addendum to the Financing Agreement in 2013.

The Prime Minister, as Chair of the HIV/Aids Committee, held a follow-up meeting with Sandra Jones, HIV/STI Technical Advisor for the Pan American Health Organization and the World Health Organization PAHO/WHO and principles of the HIV/AIDS project of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour on Monday. The meeting was held as a follow-up and update regarding the Contribution Agreement governing the implementation of the EC/OCT Project of the "Strengthening the Integration of the British and Dutch OCTs in the Regional Response to HIV/AIDS through the Pan Caribbean Partnership against HIV/AIDS", which was signed by PAHO/WHO and the European Community (EC) in October 2008. The overall objective of the project is to halt and reverse the spread of HIV within the British and Dutch OCTs.

Project implementation commenced in 2009 and has focused on the strengthening of the response in the OCTs, given their realities. The first two years emphasized the establishment and finalization of mechanisms and structures for project implementation, while strengthening the capacity of territories to scale-up its response in a strategic manner. During the period of implementation the project has strived to strengthen and expand services for HIV (based on the realities and needs of the territories), while emphasizing the human rights of all individuals. The project also utilizes different strategies and approaches to the development of outputs and outcomes so as to ensure a sustained impact after the closure of the project.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

PHILIPSBURG:--- Philipsburg Jubilee Library (PJL) in partnership with the National Development Plan organized an informative discussion evening on nation building on March 20, 2014. Among the invited guests were President of Parliament, Gracita Arrindell, Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams, and Understudy Secretary General for the Ministry of Education, Culture Sports and Youth Affairs, Jorien Wuite.
Prime Minister Wescot-Williams stressed the importance of a continued dialogue and discussion about St. Maarten's culture in the nation building process, in her opening address.
Keynote speaker Mirto Laclé explained that "in order for true nation building to occur it is imperative that all the cultures living on the island are included in this process. It is also important that social dialogue takes place extramurally, within the community, and intramural, with representatives of the different cultures." The linguist ended his presentation with the African proverb, He who climbs a grand tree, deserves a push. "In order for us to progress as a people, we have to be willing to share our knowledge and help each other along the way", stated Laclé.
Library Director Monique Alberts, in her welcome remarks shared that "Cultural heritage institutions are an integral part of nation building. We were honored to partner with NDP to bring this panel discussion to the public. We hope that this will be one of many discussions on Nation Building."
The MC for the evening was Co-Director of the National Institute of the Arts (NIA), Clara Reyes.
The program included a poetry recital of "Emerald of the Sea" by Andrew Peterson, a St. Dominic International Baccalaureate (IB) student.
Moderator for the panelists was cultural activist, Fabian Badejo. The panel was composed of archeologist Dr. Jay Haviser representing the St. Maarten Archaeological Center (SIMARC), Marcellia Henry, Secretary General of UNESCO St. Maarten, Drs. Okama Ekpe-Brook, NDP representative, and Drs. Monique Alberts, PJL Director. Among the topics discussed were the role of history and culture in the school curriculum, the identification of the continent Africa with slavery and the multicultural character of St. Maarten's society.
After the presentation, audience members engaged in a lively discussion and insisted that cultural institutions should be an integral part of discussions like these.
Library Director, Alberts and NDP Representative, Ekpe-Brook presented a gift of books to the keynote speaker and panelists, contributed by the 12th Annual St. Maarten Book Fair.
Dancers of NIA ended the evening with belly dancing to the delight of the audience.

Identity of the NDP Project Launched

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams launched both the NDP Identity Project and the Community Dialogue program as part of the development of the National Development Plan at the University of St. Maarten on Thursday evening. The Prime Minister urged the community to realize that the National Development Plan is about capturing the hopes and aspirations of the people of St. Maarten and channeling that into the development plan for the country; "It is through your help that we were able to establish the work group, it is through your help that we were able to train the NDP Champions and how we were able to establish the Steering Committee for the NDP. However, when we get started on Monday with going into the communities we will be entering a new phase regarding the development of our nation. We need to ask ourselves what it is that we are asking of the people of St. Maarten? This project is about developing, about building a nation and thus we need to ask ourselves how we can build a nation without involving the people; the people that pick up the nation. And so that process, the process of preparing, training and creating the interest is now behind us and those who have been equipped with the necessary tools to assist in this process of creating dialogue will now be starting their task. They will go into the communities to talk to the people rather than talking at the people; creating the dialogue so necessary for building our nation. This plan will include the ambitions and the aspirations of the people of St. Maarten.

"Again I want to thank those of you who will be a part of the process, the process of heading into the community in order to create the dialogue necessary to ensure the building of our nation, to ensure that the aspirations of the St. Maarten people are included in the plan. You will be challenged going forward as well; too often we like to see things to soon but this is a process we should be careful and steadfast in. This is not just another plan but one for the people and by the people. It is a pleasure knowing the challenges that we are facing but we know that we will get it right. We can celebrate what we have achieved and we should look forward to moving forward," commented Prime Minister Wescot-Williams.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

"I deliver"

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (Ministry of VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake, Yvette Halley from the Simpson Bay Community Council and Romelio Maduro, NV GEBE Director inaugurated 16 alley street lights at Peterson's Drive on Wednesday morning.

A request was made approximately 10-years ago by residents and another request was made in February. NV GEBE carried out an assessment of the six alleys and the lights were installed.

Yvette Halley stated on Wednesday that it was a special day for the Simpson Bay Village community. Halley said the area had transformed into a multi-cultural community where many people worked until the evening hours, and now they will have the security of the street lights when they return home.

Halley said she was grateful to NV GEBE and Minister Maurice Lake for their initiative and thanked them on behalf of the community.

"In my back to basics approach, working with the community councils that represent the districts is very important in learning about their concerns and wishes. Today is indeed a great day for the Simpson Bay Village.

"Government will continue to move forward in addressing the needs such as sidewalks and repairs to the cemetery. I would like to thank Maduro from GEBE as well as his management team for doing a fantastic job.

"I have working closely with President of the Simpson Bay Community Council Yvette Halley to address community concerns and issues and I look forward to this relationship continuing as we work to further improve the quality of life of our communities together," Minister Hon. Maurice Lake said on Wednesday.

Maduro said that NV GEBE made it a priority to install the lights in the street alleys of the village as it increases safety and security, adding that its GEBE's priority to make all districts livable.

Head of Infrastructure Management said the lights were installed in record time. Buncamper added that a walk-through the neighborhood was carried out, and pointed out that the lights enhances safety and is basically a back to basics requirement in adding to the community's livability.

The Centrale Bank van Curacao en Sint Maarten is planning to renovate its offices at the W.J. Nisbeth Road 25. The plans comprise primarily the makeover of the second and third floors. A new lobby section and the addition of an elevator as well as an emergency staircase also are included in the renovation. These plans involve building works, mechanical and electrical works, and interior finishes.
The Bank invites contractors and installation engineers interested in being selected as a contractor for all or part of the project to submit papers by which they can qualify to participate in a selection procedure.
Who is invited?

• Contractors with adequate experience coordinating multiple contractors working simultaneously on a site.
• Contractors specialized in construction work. Installation engineers in the electrical, mechanical, or air-conditioning field (chillers) with knowledge of the latest developments in their field.
• Contractors specialized and experienced in high-end interior finishes.

What conditions apply?

• Each applicant must state in their papers the category for which they wish to qualify.
• For each category mentioned in an application, it must be made clear that the applicant has ample experience in that specific field.
• Experience qualifies when it can be proven that within the last 7 years, the applicant has executed a job size of 800 square meters or more in a comparable office building in each specific category one wants to qualify for. These jobs must be clearly stated in the qualifying paper.
• Each applicant must submit a recent proof of registration with the St. Maarten Chamber of Commerce & Industry.

Applicants whose experience qualifies may proceed to the next phase of the selection procedure. They will receive a questionnaire asking for more detailed information about the company. A proof of good standing with the tax Department and Social Health and Sickness Insurances (SZV) will then also be part of the requested information. Financial matters about the company and chapters of a detailed bid will be addressed in the questionnaire. This part of the procedure will be competitive among applicants.

This procedure is intended to result in the selection of one applicant for all categories or one applicant for each category. The applicant(s) may join the design/construction team on a \ fixed construction budget. A waiver may be a pre-condition for participation in this team.
Application papers must be submitted to the Centrale Bank van Curacao en Sint Maarten at the W.J. Nisbeth Road 25 in a sealed envelope. The envelope is to be labeled: Qualifying Papers Renovation CBCS-SXM and has to be delivered at the office of the Bank ultimately on Thursday, April 17, 2014, at 14:00 hrs.

CENTRALE BANK VAN CURACAO EN SINT MAARTEN

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao:--- The Consulate of Colombia located in Willemstad, Curacao, announces that it is preparing another consular mission to St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius, to be realized in the second quarter of 2014.

Main purpose of the mission is to provide consular services to members of the Colombian communities residing in St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius.

Consular services offered would be those relating to passports, birth certificates of children of Colombian citizens born in those islands , identity cards issued to minors , certificates of citizenship, proof of being alive, authorization procedures to for minors to leave these islands, procedures related to the Colombian nationality, Colombian public documents , visas to visit Colombia, among others.

Colombia's Consul stationed in Curacao, Dr. Alfonso Vélez Rivas appeals to persons desirous of receiving consular assistance during the upcoming consul mission, to contact the Colombian consulate in Curacao beforehand to register and to acquire pertinent information. Persons are asked to do so by calling the consulate in Curacao at telephone numbers (+5999) 4650008 and (+5999)4614663. One can also e-mail the consulate at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Media One Corporation, the parent company of X104.3fm, Your Xtreme Party Station, announced this week that they will band together with non profits in the fight for public awareness.
"We want all nonprofit organizations to know that we are here for them "said Felix Brown of Media One Corporation. There are a lot of organizations on the island that have a positive message to convey to the public, but because of budget issues most cannot do so all year round. We want to change this by offering them affordable and budget friendly year round options to help spread their message more effectively.
We are sure that by providing such an amazing opportunity, organizations on St. Maarten, both on the Dutch and French side will have X-104.3 at the forefront when it comes to bringing forth awareness via radio and other options that we have available. We tend to look and think outside the box, not only in the aspect of radio but also in every aspect of community involvement.
Interested organizations may contact Media One Corporation Marketing department directly at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call 721-543-8104. Be sure to stay up to date with the latest developments by visiting and bookmarking www.x1043.com

POND ISLAND:--- TelEm Group is officially thanking Prime Minister, Mrs. Sarah Wescot-Williams, for taking time out of her busy Saturday morning calendar to join in a company-organized Zumba session promoting community fitness.

The event was staged in the Festival Village last Saturday morning at the start of the Lions Club's Rudy Hoeve Health & Wellness Fair, with TelEm Group as a main sponsor.

"Unfortunately, due to some technical difficulties the Zumba session got under way later than planned so we had to improvise with a Zumba workout without the usual musical accompaniment," said TelEm Group Public Relations Officer, Joe Dominique.

He said the Prime Minister was very patient and understanding and got into the spirit of the event by joining in the warm-up class with Zumba coach Patricia and a number of participants who turned out.

"On behalf of Management we wish to officially thank the Prime Minister for being such a good sport. This is the third year the Prime Minister has turned out for this event at our request, and even though she had another appointment to attend Saturday morning, she was patient and most gracious with her time," said Mr. Dominique.

Telem Press Release

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Fire Department is calling on the community to be very conscious of not throwing out lighted cigarettes or matches that could result in bush fires due to the dry spell that the island is currently experiencing.

Individuals, who would like to burn bush or garbage in a built up area or on a hillside for agricultural activities, are requested to refrain from doing so and contact the fire department for advice.

The inappropriate use of fire can endanger lives, property and the environment in these dry weather conditions.

Fires can get out of control. A person can help by reducing bush fire hazards by acting responsibly.

Those seeking information can contact the Fire Department at 542-1215, 542-1217, 542-6001 or emergency number 919.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Wednesday March 25th, 2014 at approximately 11:45am, a police patrol was directed to a home on the Sucker Garden road to intervene in a domestic dispute. After the intervention one of the persons involved in the dispute stated to the police that there was some illegal activities going on in the neighborhood and then took the police to an area at the back of the homes where they found 23 large potted marijuana plants. These plants were immediately confiscated for further investigation. No one has been arrested thus far for in this investigation.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG:--- The adjourned Tuesday plenary session of the House of Parliament regarding developments at the Princess Juliana International Airport which was to reconvene on March 28 is now postponed.

The public plenary meeting was set for Friday at 10:00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The request for postponement came from Minister of Aviation Affairs Hon. Ted Richardson who needs additional time in order to prepare the answers, information and documents that was requested in the Tuesday house sitting by Members of Parliament seeking information about the national airport.

The meeting was requested by Members of Parliament (MP) Hon. William Marlin, MP Hon. George Pantophlet, MP Hon. Hyacinth Richardson, and MP Hon. Louie Laveist.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Collective Prevention Services, Youth Health Care (YHC) invites parents and guardians to bring their child (ren) to their Vaccination Outreach on Saturday, March 29.

It's an opportunity for parents and guardians to come out on Saturday at the Baby Wellness Clinic from 10:00am to 4:00pm, to have their child (ren's) vaccination status checked. The Baby Wellness Clinic is located at A.J.C. Brouwers Rd. #6, behind the office the Guardian Group formerly Fatum and next to the Yogesh Building.

The vaccination outreach is in line with Minister of Public Health Hon. Cornelius de Weever 'Get Checked' campaign and therefore Minister De Weever is appealing to guardians and parents to get their children's vaccination status checked on March 29.

The objectives of the campaign are to stimulate parents to have their child(ren) vaccinated; to bring about awareness as it relates to vaccinations and to encourage parents and the community at large to take responsibility by ensuring updated vaccination records for the children in their care.

Parents and guardians will also obtain updates on what kind of vaccinations CPS offers in the national program. Parents/guardians are requested to bring along their child's (ren) vaccination book or record.

Immunization protects children from diphtheria, measles, pertussis (better known as whooping cough), pneumonia, polio, rubella, tetanus and others.

HARBOR VIEW:--- On Monday, March 24, 2014 The Social Economic Council (SER), hosted a delegation from Transparency International (TI), who were accompanied by head of the Department of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BAK), Marc Arnold.

SER Chairman Arthur Bute welcomed TI Regional director to the Americas Mr. Alejandro Salas, Regional coordinator Mr. Max Heywood, Communications expert Ms. Natalie Naharav and lead research consultant Ms. Cora de Wit.

The visit of TI served as a familiarization meeting with the SER. TI will be carrying out a National Integrity System assessment in St Maarten this year. The final report will evaluate the main anti-corruption institutions and sectors in the country.

According to TI: "the institution is not a research centre, but an advocacy for change. And in doing so, the local knowledge of people is very important in promoting transparency and fighting corruption. TI mostly works via dialogue, sharing information, experiences of their findings. In its assessments, TI looks at the present and advocates change for the future".

SER council members employers' representative Mrs. Eveline Henriquez-Dijkhoffz, labor representative William Reed and Vice-chairman, Mr. Dwight Williams all expressed their views on the integrity assessment study and look forward to the final report.

SER Chairman Arthur Bute pointed out that TI will be the fourth Integrity committee or institution assigned to carry out a study on corruption on Sint Maarten, the Chairman inquired as to where the focus of TI would lie compared to the other integrity committees. In answering the SER Chairman question, Marc Arnold expounded on the purpose of each committee and gave some examples of problem areas where corruption might be suspected.

In conclusion the SER agreed with TI, that the best way forward for Sint Maarten would be for all stakeholders to accept some measure of responsibility and to provide valued input to reflect an accurate picture of the current situation of our society.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prosecutor's Office is calling on persons that may have witnessed the shooting that took place in Dutch Quarter last week Tuesday that left 20 year old Deyanida Faneyte dead. Public Prosecutor Tineke Kamps told SMN News that the investigation being conducted both by the French and Dutch side is called Zucchini.

Prosecutor Kamps said that the French authorities conducted an autopsy on Tuesday and it determined that the young woman died from gunshot wounds. Kamps further explained that the Dutch side authorities opened an investigation last Wednesday because they know that the shooting took place in Dutch Quarter but the person who took the victim to the French side hospital for treatment where she died and who was heard as witness on the French side did not tell the investigators exactly where in Dutch Quarter the shooting took place. Therefore, the Prosecutor's Office is calling on persons who may have witnessed the shooting to contact the detective department or call 54-2222 or 911 the hotline and provide the information they may have.

SMN News reported last week that the young woman was taken to the Louis Constant Fleming Hospital by her boyfriend after she was shot by someone with whom he had an argument. A source told SMN News last week that the couple was sitting in a car when the shooting took place.

It should be noted that the boyfriend of the victim is a French citizen. Captain of the Gendarmerie Sylvain Jouault told SMN News that when they interviewed the witness who is the boyfriend of the victim he told them where the shooting took place in Dutch Quarter but they could not say whether or not the information the witness provided is truthful or not.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Members of the National Alliance Faction namely, its leader and Member of Parliament William Marlin, Louis Laveist, and George Pantophelt told members of the media at a press conference on Thursday that they have a number of concerns and they need government to tell them exactly what is going on.

Member of Parliament George Pantophlet said that several persons contacted him recently, mostly foreigners that were naturalized and told him that the census office is now asking them to provide them with a new authenticated birth certificate of their country of origin before they could renew their passports. Pantophlet said that he wants the Government of St. Maarten to tell them where in the law this is stipulated even though they are the legislators of St. Maarten. He further stated that he also got information from a St. Maarten person residing in the United States that informed him that they received correspondence from the census office informing them that if they are living the USA they can no longer be registered on St. Maarten and be on the voter's registration list. MP Pantophlet said here again he needs the Government of St. Maarten to tell him what law they are applying and if they are only targeting citizens of St. Maarten residing in the USA. He said there are voters on the French side of the island that are still allowed to hop across the border and vote while there are others that lives in the neighboring islands and they too could maintain their voting rights.

GEBE Should Use Subsidy to Give Residents of Cape Bay Relief.

Member of Parliament Louis Laviest told reporters that one of his concerns rests with GEBE and the Minister that is responsible for GEBE. MP Laviest said that residents of Cape Bay have been living for over five decades with noise and air pollution in their neighborhood caused by GEBE. He said this situation poses severe health risks for the people living in Cape Bay and they were promised years ago that GEBE would do something to reduce the noise and air pollution. Laviest said that since the BES islands no longer have to get subsidies from GEBE then he believes that the monies GEBE is saving could be used to provide the relevant relief for the residents of Cape Bay.

Another concern Laveist raised is the 100% increase in SZV premiums which he said is affecting a whole lot of people. Laviest said that there are persons going home with less than minimum wage and most of these people simply cannot pay these premiums. Therefore he calls on government to reverse the decision they took to increase the SZV premiums. When asked where government would get the monies from for SZV since their budget is so meager, Laveist said he made several proposals on the floor of parliament when this matter was discussed. He said the Government of St. Maarten could levy a one or two dollar head tax on all persons visiting the island to pay the SZV premiums. This he said can be added to passengers tickets because he paid those taxes in other countries already.
The Member of Parliament further stated that government has lots of leased land that is leased out for over a 100 years and they are collecting pittance from the lessees for it. Therefore, he is suggesting that government look for the long lease land that people has for years and revalue it and then sell it to the persons that are leasing it. He said that too would provide extra income. He said while he is giving suggestions as to how government could raise its revenues he wants to see the extra monies government gets go to the people and not be squandered.

Member of Parliament William Marlin and leader of the National Alliance spoke about the hoax ground breaking ceremony which took place in Belvedere to build affordable homes and other facilities, Marlin said that even though the ground breaking ceremony took place months ago, to date the construction has not started and based on information he received recently government does not even have the monies to build these homes.

Marlin said that ground breaking ceremonies are only held when government is ready to build whatever they chose to construct.

Another issue Marlin raised was the long awaited relief that was recently signed off for pensioners on their electricity bills. MP Marlin said he hopes that the agreement that was signed off is not a temporary one that will be used for political mileage.

PM Urges Community to Tune In

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten will be the featured guest on the popular morning radio talk show one on one with Billy D on 95.9 FM on Thursday morning starting at nine in the morning. The Prime Minister will be discussing various topics of interest to the population and urges the community to listen in order to get clear and concise information on many of the issues ongoing within the community; "I am honored to once again be on Billy D's popular Radio Program and I urge everyone to tune in in order to be informed of the developments on St. Maarten," commented the Prime Minister.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

PHILIPSBURG:--- Detectives are presently investigating a case involving a man who has severely beaten a lady he has a relationship with. This incident took place on March 22nd around 5:00 p.m. at his home in South Reward. The victim was taken by ambulance to the Sint Maarten Medical Centre for medical treatment for the wounds she suffered. The suspect in this case, a 20 year old man, was arrested and taken to the Philipsburg Police Station where he remains in custody for further investigation.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Federal Detectives (Landsrecherche) have started an investigation against a police officer from the Sint Maarten Police Force. A complaint was filed against the officer in question, regarding a case of severe abuse. In these procedures it's common that, during the investigation, the officer is denied all access to buildings in use by the police department and his/her service weapon is taken away from him/her.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Government of St. Maarten intends to submit a request to borrow some 88 million guilders in order to finance several projects. The announcement was made by Prime Minister Sarah Wescot Williams at the Council of Ministers' weekly press briefing on Wednesday. "We had to redo this process several times before we came down to the final figure. At first it stands at 200m." These monies will go under the capital expenditures of government. Wescot Williams made clear several times that they did not obtain any money as yet but they have decided on how much they will borrow. She said when the submission is made government has to itemize each project they intend to finance and how much it will cost. High on the list is the purchase of the Government Building that is located on Pond Island, it should be noted that the Government of St. Maarten does not own that building, they are leasing it from RGM. Another project the Government of St. Maarten has high on their agenda is the purchase of the Emilio Wilson Estate since a court verdict was rendered in that case. However, Wescot Williams did mention that the Government of St. Maarten had held talks about appealing the verdict but she was not able to say on Wednesday if the appeal was already submitted.

Another topic Wescot Williams touched on was the signed contract with the European Union on OCTs and environmental protection which was signed in 2007. She said the environmental protection played a key role on OAD "Overseas Association Decision."

Wescot Williams also announced that the request submitted by St. Maarten to Brussels to obtain financial assistance for projects was submitted in a timely manner and it met all the requirements established by law. The monies she said will be used for the upgrading of Dutch Quarter when it is allocated.

The Prime Minister also announced that St. Maarten was asked if they are in agreement with adding Peru to the "Colombian Emerade Visa Policy". Wescot Williams said the Government of St. Maarten did not object to the request but they also suggested that China, India and United Emerades be added to the "Colombia Emerades Visa Policy".

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Interim Mediator of St. Maarten Raphael Boasman and the assistant mediator Ms. Loblack presented the 2013 Mediator's Report to the Minister of Labor Cornelius de Weever on Wednesday. Mediator Raphael Boasman in his remarks said that there are a few recommendations he made in his report one of which is to detach the mediator department from the labor department so that St. Maarten could be on the same level as Curacao, Aruba and the BES Islands.

Minister of Labor de Weever also agreed that this should be done and St. Maarten should have more than one labor mediators just in case a conflict of interest arises. Boasman said that labor mediators do have a code of conduct that they have to follow and persons who own businesses or are employers can also become mediators.

Click here to read the 2013 Mediator's Report.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Health Cornelius de Weever announced at the Council of Ministers' weekly press briefing on Wednesday that the French and Dutch side authorities will soon sign an agreement on how to exchange information on the chikungunya and dengue fever. Minister de Weever said right now there are 224 cases of chikungunya that have been identified on the island and there is an urgent need for the two sides to come together to combat the virus.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament Romaine Laville along with the blessings of Minister of TEATT Ted Richardson unleashed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) he has negotiated between St. Maarten and Dominica.

Laville told members of the media at a press conference on Wednesday that he held several discussions with the Prime Minister of Dominica Roosevelt Skerrit on several issues which he believes will benefit St. Maarten and its people. During the discussions the Prime Minister of Dominica agreed to grant five scholarships to students that are willing to pursue their education at the Dominica State University. The scholarships will include 1 student for the two year nursing program who will then move on to either Cuba or Venezuela to continue their studies, 2 students for business and 2 students for agriculture. All of the programs will last for period of two years after which the students can then transfer to any of the accredited affiliates of Dominica State University such as Monroe College or UWI. Laville said that the Dominica State University can accommodate 1,800 students.

MP Laville said the MOU he negotiated with Dominica will allow students from St. Maarten to pursue their education at the instate rate which is 2000 EC. Laville explained that the largest budget the Government of St. Maarten has is the Education budget and he believes that if some of the students can study in the neighboring Caribbean islands for the first two years it will cost the Government of St. Maarten much less. When asked by SMN News if students of St. Maarten/St. Martin cannot do the same programs at the USM and if his MOU and vision will not compete with USM, Laville said he does not believe that agreement he has in place will affect USM because not all students that receive scholarships go to USM, Holland, or the USA.

Laville further explained that he had discussions with the ambassador of Venezuela who agreed to extend the Petro Caribe agreement they have with Dominica to include St. Maarten. He said that the reason he did this is because he wants to lower the price for LPG fuel on St. Maarten which he said will allow families on St. Maarten to put a hot meal on their tables every day.

MP Laville is also looking into facilitating Dominica vendors who would bring fresh ground food and vegetables to the island while Dominica will offer St. Maarten students agricultural programs. His vision for the sale of fresh products from Dominica he said is to get one central location on the Dutch side where these vendors (both those from Dominica and St. Maarten) can sell their fresh produce.

Laville further stated in return Dominica wants a booth at PJAIE where they can promote their island as the next island to visit. He said Dominica also wants to have the statistics of the amount of visitors St. Maarten attracts to its shores.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- On Thursday afternoon, March 27 Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labour will be closed to the general public.

The closure is from 12:00pm to 5:00pm and is in connection with a staff meeting.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The adjourned Tuesday plenary session of the House of Parliament regarding developments at the Princess Juliana International Airport is to reconvene on March 28.

The public plenary meeting is set for Friday at 10:00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is related to developments at the national airport. Minister of Aviation Affairs Hon. Ted Richardson will be present for the meeting.

The meeting was requested by Members of Parliament (MP) Hon. William Marlin, MP Hon. George Pantophlet, MP Hon. Hyacinth Richardson, and MP Hon. Louie Laveist.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com, and also via www.sxmparliament.org.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Golf Association (SMGA) has announced it will host its 22nd St. Maarten Open on April 26-27, 2014.

This year's open expects more than 80 players in attendance hailing from St. Maarten/St. Martin and other Caribbean islands such as Anguilla, Antigua, Aruba, Curacao, Guadeloupe, St. Kitts and the U.S. Virgin Islands as well as Europe and the U.S.

The open is held to aid the local St. Maarten community with the majority of the proceeds donated to local organizations. Previous beneficiaries include Art Saves Lives Foundation, Belvedere Community Association, Generation New Status STM Band, I Can Foundation, Imbali Center, Key to Freedom, L.C. Fleming Hospital, Mental Health Foundation, No Kidding with Our Kids Foundation, St. Maarten Medical Center and Repair of Broken Walls Community.

The St. Maarten Open also assists in funding the SMGA Junior Golf program which teaches children the basics of the game in an after-school program. Qualified junior golfers can also enhance their skills through professional instruction.

The 22nd St. Maarten Open is currently sponsored by Platinum Sponsors Coca Cola, Anderson Fabrics, Bank of Nova Scotia and Electec NV. There are multiple sponsorship opportunities available. For more information, contact Ricardo Perez at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (721) 543-6040 ext. 3801.

For more information on St. Maarten, visit the official site of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau at www.VacationStMaarten.com.

CUL DE SAC:--- Pensioners attending the APS Pension Awareness Conference 2014 being held next month should come prepared to be informed on a number of important issues, which would be of importance to them.

The one-day conference, being organized by St. Maarten's General Pension Fund administrator, APS, will be held on April 11, 2014 with the slogan 'Securing your pension makes cents'.

The conference will be divided in two sessions on that day. The first part of the day from 7:30am until 11:30 am is solely dedicated to the APS pensioners. The program during this first part of the day is intended to inform the pensioners on subjects such as the details of their pay slips, their rights as pensioners and other developments pertaining to their pensions.

The APS pensioners are asked to come on time and register, prior to the opening of the conference where they will get the opportunity to ask questions on all the topics covered during the morning session. APS will provide pastries and refreshments during this conference session.

PHILIPSBURG:--- A Central Committee meeting of the House of Parliament that was scheduled for March 26th regarding the Emilio Wilson Estate was cancelled at the request of the National Alliance faction in parliament.

The public central committee meeting was set for Wednesday at 2:00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point was for Members of Parliament (MPs) to be informed about the decision to purchase the Emilio Wilson Estate.

The meeting was requested by MP Hon. Frans Richardson, MP George Pantophlet, and MP Louie Laveist.

POND ISLAND:--- TelEm Group technicians will be carry out important cable repairs in the Pelican area in Simpson Bay, Thursday. As a result. customers in the area of Welfare Road from Pineapple Pete's to the entrance Pelican Key and Bill Folly, can expect interruptions in landline and DSL internet services.
The repair work is being carried out to improve line quality in the area and will result in cleaner lines for voice and better performing internet service.
Work is scheduled to begin at 6:00 am until completed during the early afternoon.
TelEm Group meantime apologizes to customers in the Pelican and surrounding areas for the interruption in service during this important cable repair and for any inconvenience caused.

Telem Press Release

PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Wescot-Williams met with Head of the Department of Interior and Kingdom Relations Marc Arnold and Principles of Transparency International (TI) at her Cabinet on Tuesday ahead of the Integrity Assessment that the institution will carry out in the coming weeks. Prime Minister met with TI Regional Director to the Americas Alejandro Salas, TI Program Coordinator for the Americas Max Heywood, TI Communications Expert Natalie Naharav and TI Representative Cora De Wit in order to discuss the pending National Integrity Assessment.

"A National Integrity System assessment evaluates the principal institutions and actors that form a state, including all branches of government, the media, the public and private sectors, and civil society. The purpose of such a study is to identify the risk factors in a given country that foster corruption as well as medium and long-term solutions to help reduce those risks.

No matter how overt and obvious its consequences are for society, corruption is a crime that prefers to remain covert and concealed. It can take root in many areas of a society, whether in government or law enforcement, or among other actors like the media, business, political parties and so on.

Transparency International developed the National Integrity System approach as a comprehensive means of assessing a country's anti-corruption efficacy sector by sector. It allows a nuanced analysis of national efforts to stamp out corruption.

PILLARS OF NATIONAL INTEGRITY

The National Integrity System evaluates key 'pillars' in a country's governance system, both in terms of their internal corruption risks and their contribution to fighting corruption in society at large.

When all the pillars in a National Integrity System are functioning well, corruption remains in check. If some or all of the pillars wobble, these weaknesses can allow corruption to thrive and damage a society.

The pillars analyzed in a National Integrity System assessment typically include: the legislative branch of government, the executive branch of government, the Judiciary, the Public sector, Law enforcement, Electoral management body, the Ombudsman, the Audit institution, Anti-corruption agencies, Political parties, the Media, Civil society, and Business.

NATIONAL INTEGRITY SYSTEM ASSESSMENTS

A National Integrity System assessment examines both the formal framework of each pillar and the actual institutional practice. The analysis highlights discrepancies between the formal provisions and reality on the ground, making it clear where there is room for improvement.

The analysis is undertaken via a consultative approach, involving the key anti-corruption agents in government, civil society, the business community and other sectors.

Conclusions are drawn together in a comprehensive national report to build momentum, political will and civic pressure for relevant reform initiatives.

According to TI the program will ultimately result in a strengthening the National Integrity System promotes better governance across all aspects of a society and contributes to a more just society overall.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

Providing Visitors Luxury Apparel with Duty-Free Prices

CUPECOY, St. Maarten (March 25, 2014) - Paul & Shark, an Italian sportswear brand, officially opened its largest store in the Caribbean at the ultra-modern Blue Mall in St. Maarten (www.VacationStMaarten.com) on March 12, 2014. The brand's new location provides discerning travelers with an envious selection of luxury lifestyle men's clothing.
The St. Maarten Paul & Shark location carries more than 1,200 authentic items from the company's current yachting collection with items including: fine cotton long- and short-sleeved shirts, polos and t-shirts in an assortment of colors; long and short pants; jackets; sweaters; vests; hats; caps; belts; socks; swimming trunks; footwear (shoes and slippers); bags (duffel bags and backpacks); towels; and accessories including trendy iPad cases.
The store opened its doors last July to serve customers and recently held its official grand opening ceremony to celebrate the Dutch St. Maarten location as the largest in the Caribbean. Guests attending the festive official opening were entertained by a live DJ and Flamenco dancers and were treated to wine, hors d'oeuvres and a free Paul & Shark gift.
The Blue Mall location features Paul & Shark's new concept design with shining mahogany wood and an optical contrast of whitened oak floor and lights, conveying a special brightness and welcoming environment. International Paul & Shark officials flew in to St. Maarten to personally outfit the store.
The Paul & Shark sportswear trademark was founded in 1921 in Masnago, Italy. In its initial years the company was a knitting mill, producing and trading under its own name. In 1977 a new division was created for the development of sportswear for men and has since grown with collections for ladies and children.
Blue Mall St. Maarten features a wide variety of shops, five spacious levels of commercial and business spaces and three levels containing 37 luxurious one-, two- and three-bedroom residential suites. Located at 162 Rhine Road, Cupecoy, Blue Mall opens Monday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Saturdays and Sundays from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m.
The official opening of Paul & Shark adds credence to St. Maarten's standing as the fashion and duty-free capital of the Caribbean.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Iris Deppe, Illustrator of, "We Hebben er een Geitje Bij" by Marjet Huiberts, presented a copy to the Philipsburg Jubilee Library Director, Monique Alberts on March 10, 2013. The book chronicles little Mik's first trip to the children's farm, where he meets all the animals.

Urges Community to Participate in National Development Plan: "This is about the Development of your country"

PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Wescot-Williams introduced the NDP Steering Committee at the AC Wathey Legislative Hall on Tuesday. The Prime Minister welcomed the participants and thanked them for attending the introductory meeting: "Welcome and thanks for accepting the invitation for the first meeting for the National Development Plan. I want to thank you for accepting the invitation to be part of the steering group. I know that I am sure that you will recognize that for the discussions and decisions which would eventually have to take place regarding the National development Plan the steering Committee is one of the most important parts before the plan and the recommendations which are gathered throughout the country are brought before the political establishments; the Council of Ministers and Parliament. A lot is being placed on your shoulders when it comes to that point of looking at the National development Plan, seeing what all the community has given to be included in that plan and to make sure that it comes to the Council of Ministers and then to the Parliament of St. Maarten. I want to reiterate our appreciation to accept the position and I look forward to working together in building the country," commented Prime Minister Wescot-Williams.

The steering committee is comprised of a public private partnership with members representing Labor Unions, NGO's, and Civil Society Organizations representing the Environment, Economy and Culture. Representatives from Youth Parliament will also be represented on the Steering Committee. The NDP will seek to develop ST. Maarten along the lines of Sustainable Development through a participatory approach incorporating the vision of all twenty neighborhoods of St. Maarten.

Prime Minister Wescot-Williams has said earlier that she will be counting on the population for their input and participation in implementing the plan: "We will be putting considerable focus on the National Development Plan. In order to launch and implement the NDP we will need the involvement of all, of each and every St. Maartener whether you were born here or whether you belong here, to craft a vision for St. Maarten. We need the input from all to be able to implement the vision which we have in making this island one of the leaders of sound democratic and people oriented governance in the region. We need the input from all sectors of society to plot the course for our economic, social, cultural and environmental development. The development for a Country which we call home, one which we all should love and cherish."

On Thursday the NDP Identity Project will be launched and the members of the steering committee will be introduced.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

PHILIPSBURG:--- In a small ceremony on Friday, March 21, the Social Economic Council (SER) bid farewell to its first chairman René Adrien Richardson. Mr. Richardson was at the helm of the SER during the first three years of the institution. As the SER ordinance stipulates a maximum age of 70, Richardson had to step down as a member and chairman of the SER upon reaching that age.
René Richardson was lauded by his successor Arthur Bute for his remarkable contribution to the establishment phase of the SER. The SER was one of the new institutions established after 10-10-10 as a result of Sint Maarten attaining country status within the Kingdom. As such, the SER plays a crucial role in our new constitutional structure, a role that was shaped and given direction by its first chairman, René Richardson. Chairman Bute referred to Richardson's hawkish eye for detail, his decisiveness, but also to the way in which he always left sufficient space for all participants in the sometimes lively and animated discussions within the SER council. The production of the SER during Chairman Richardson's tenure is impressive; 14 advices finalized covering most major socio-economic areas, sometimes making headlines all the way to Curaçao or evoking discussion in the Dutch parliament.
For René Richardson, the chairmanship of the SER was the crown on a vast career spanning decades as a union leader, a politician, and in many other roles in society, weathering the storms of the 1990s and always energetically contributing to the public cause.
In his farewell speech Mr. Richardson thanked fellow members, staff, the cabinet of the Prime Minister, government departments, and funding agency USONA for their invaluable contributions to the sometimes challenging buildup process of the SER. He considered it gratifying that the success of the Sint Maarten SER has drawn the attention of our Kingdom partners in Europe as well as the Caribbean.
Under the aegis of Chairman Richardson, in less than three years the SER developed into a council not only advising government when called upon, but pro-actively engaging in, and often leading the public debate in many socio-economic areas.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Communications and Technology Company Infotrans Caribbean N.V., made an impressive showing at its first annual ICT Seminar on March 21st at the Divi Little Bay Beach resort.
The seminar was organized to inform and educate the St. Maarten business community and policy makers on efficient and smart ways to lower the total cost of ownership and create competitive advantages.
In depth sessions were held by leading companies in the global ICT industry such as Cisco, Microsoft, Avaya and NetApp, and some of the participants were Government, Telecommunication Companies, banks, ICT companies and St. Maarten hospitality industry.
Director of Infotrans St. Maarten, Mr. Shurhensly Thielman, was very pleased with the large turnout. "Directors, ICT managers and policy makers participated actively and I was impressed with the level of presentations and discussions that took place during the seminar. Our objective was to give St. Maarten professionals the right building blocks to make 'IT' come together, and we definitely succeeded."
For those who were not able to attend; all information and presentations are available at: www.shopinfotrans.cw

"Gracita applauds the police department for doing the right thing to ensure that the victim is safe, while the perpetrator is taken off the streets, while investigations are taking place."

PHILIPSBURG:--- Gracita R. Arrindell, Founder of the Peridot Foundation stated that "regrettably many incidents of domestic violence and violence in general continues to plague our community. Relational violence permeate all classes, ethnicities of our multicultural society as well as all levels of government and private sector work environment. Our authorities among others, police, justice department, need to let it be known in no uncertain terms, that domestic violence against women, children regardless of the position of the abuser, remains unacceptable in our society.

'Regrettably, this latest case, just a couple of months apart from another unrelated incident where another police officer allegedly abused his partner., This is unacceptable, especially if it pertains a police officer, who has taken the oath to 'Serve and to Protect'.

Gracita continues: "It all ways takes a lot of courage on the part of the victim to come forward and make a complaint to authorities. In this case the threshold to lodge a complaint to the police on abuse from one of their own, can be even higher and more difficult to do. Trust in the organization, that it will be unbiased under these circumstances is critically important for the credibility of both the victim as well as the police organization.

Gracita says; "As recent as March 12th Peridot joined forces with the Ministry of Justice to honor women in the uniformed division, including the police on the occasion of International Women's day March 8th 2014. At that event, I also applauded the police top for taking the issue of domestic violence serious by organizing a 4 day work shop last April, as well as the years before in joint workshops organized with government departments. In the well attended workshop, the men and women in blue and plainclothes, brought up issues they are faced with on a daily basis related to relational violence by third parties as well as within their own household, or workplace.

It is a great step in the right direction. I am convinced that this recent case will be dealt with in an unbiased and professional manner. I also look forward to hearing to what extend the police organization is taking measures to ensure that measures are in place to assist police officers who have family or emotional problems. Our country need and depend on our women and men in blue. We need them to be safe for their families and for themselves."

In closing Gracita states: "While the month of March is internationally regarded as the Month honoring women, Peridot Foundation encourages everyone not to let our guard down, but seek and support peace full solutions in conflicts. Remember: Guarding Loved Ones You May Lose.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The plenary public session of the House of Parliament related to the Rules of Order is scheduled for March 27th.

The public plenary meeting is reconvened for Thursday at 2:00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The only agenda point is the Rules of Order of the House.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com, and also via www.sxmparliament.org.

PM: "Significant Development with Regards to Visa Policies of St. Maarten"

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Cabinet of the Prime Minister announced on Monday that through the work of the Department of Foreign Relations new visa regulations in line with international and Dutch Kingdom standards will soon be in effect for St. Maarten. These new regulations will benefit the economy of the island and in particular the tourism sector. St. Maarten is positioned within the Caribbean region with a more American and Canadian influence rather than European and the visa policy should be in line with the International Tourism of the United States. During a joint meeting on Visa Policy and Border Control on the eighth of January it was decided to extend the "Colombian regeling", for which persons who have a multi visa entry to the US, Canada and Schengen Countries are exempt from needing a visa to visit St. Maarten. Nationals from China, India and the United Emirates visiting the island are also exempt from having a visa requirement.

During recent talks with the Consul General of China for St. Maarten the possibility was discussed for cooperation on bringing tourists from China who may be in transit to United States. China is predicted to be the top tourist market for the United States of America by 2018 with over 1 million visitors to the USA last year, spending an average of US$7000, - each.

Similarly, a large part of St. Maarten's tourist and business industry is in the hands of Dutch nationals with an Indian origin and visa exemption would facilitate business and family trips to St. Maarten. The United Arab Emirates who use St. Maarten as hub and who often visit on private airplanes and luxury yachts during the tourism high season and bringing much needed revenue into the country are also exempt.

During the consultative meeting St. Maarten had no objection to the proposal from Aruba to exempt Peru and Colombia from requiring a visa, although for Colombia there needed to be an investigation into the effects of possibly border criminality.

Immigration and border control also proposed to extend an exemption to nationals of countries who already posses multiple-entry visas to countries from the Schengen Area, particularly for nationals from the UAE, Bahrain, Belarus, China, India, Kuwait, Ukraine, Oman, Qatar, Russia and South Africa.

According to Prime Minister Wescot-Williams it is essential that Country St. Maarten, has very clear directives relating to visas and immigration and border control; "As Minister of General Affairs in charge of Foreign Relations I would like to make it clear that it is necessary that we have everything in place relating to the visa regulations for the Country. Government, in the form of the Ministry of Justice and the Department of Foreign Relations, is working diligently to ensure that all visa requirements are clearly stipulated and enforced," commented Prime Minister Wescot-Williams. There will be a conference discussing various Visa Related matters within the Dutch Kingdom planned to be held in St. Maarten in May of 2014.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

Johan Cruijff Court, Belvedere

7+U age category:

Learning Unlimited Hotshots versus Sr. Magda Greenboys final result: 6 – 0 (1st half 4/ 2nd half 2)
Top scorer LU Hotshots was Sergio Vasseur with 4 goals

Sr. Regina vs Learning Unlimited Strikers final result: 4 – 2
Top scorer Sr. Regina was Ronil Garcia with 3 goals.
Goal scorer for LU Strikers was Ghassan Yousef.

11+U age category: second round

Sr. Magda FC versus Sr. Borgia final result: 18 – 0
Top scorers Sr. Magda FC were Jeahru Richardson with 5 goals and 4 assists, Quincy Wijngaarde with 4 goals and 6 assists and Paul Speetjens with 3 goals.

Leonald Connor versus Charles Leopold Bell final result: 9 – 1
Top scorers Leonald Connor were Durvane Soloman with 3 goals and Hemproy Williams with 2 goals.
Lone goal scorer Charles Leopold Bell was Abijah Adamson.

Sr. Magda United Stars versus Sr. Regina final result: 13 – 2
Top scorers Sr. Magda United Stars were Curtis Moniz with 6 goals, Jolian Peterson with 3 goals and 1 assist and Dante Simmonds with 2 goals and 1 assist.
Goal scorers Sr. Regina were Richard Day Day and Brunelio Bandin both with 1 goal.

13+U age category: second round

Leonald Connor versus St. Dominic High School final result: 7 – 4
Top scorers Leonald Connor were Isael Medina with 3 goals, Austel Richardson with 2 goals and 1 assist and Frisner Faustin with 2 goals.
Top scorer for St. Dominic High School was Bhagesh Atmaramani with 3 goals.

Sr. Regina versus M.P.C. final result: 0 – 6 (1st half one/ 2nd half five: strong resistance first time for MPC)
Top scorers M.P.C. were Jose Cortes with 3 goals and 1 assist and Aleandrjo Collins with 2 goals and 1 assist.

Combine C.I.A./Montessori versus Sr. Marie Laurence final result: 8 – 0
Top scorers Combine were Tommy Taylor with 4 goals, Nikhil Budhraini with 2 goals and Ignacio Osorio with 2 goals.

Sr. Magda versus Dr. M.L. King jr. final result: 5 – 2 (1st half 0 – 1/ 2nd half 5 – 2)
Top scorer Sr. Magda was Lennie Modeste with 3 goals.
Goal scorers Dr. M.L. King jr were Brandon Milton and St. Claire Pouchaun both with 1 goal.

13+U Girls category:

Leonald Connor versus Sr. Regina final result: 1 – 10 (1st half 1 – 5 / 2nd half 1 – 10)
Top scorers Sr. Regina were Aichelle Peters with 3 goals and 1 assists, Lucciana Peters with 2 goals and Jiarah Drijvers with 2 goals and 1 assists.
Lone goal scorer Leonald Connor was Karoline de los Santos with an assist by Dorothy James.

18+U Girls category:

Soualiga FC White versus SVOBE (M.P.C.) final result: 5 – 5 (1st half 2 – 3 / 2nd half 5 – 5)
Top scorer Soualiga FC White was Kandace Franklin with 4 goals and additional goal by Wideke Vijverberg.
Top scorer SVOBE (M.P.C.) was Odessa Solomon with 3 goals and additional goals by Rishendra Carty and Nuralia Singodikromo.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams attended the Rudy Hoeve Lions Club Health Fair at the Festival Village on Saturday. The Prime Minister and members of her Cabinet underwent various medical testing activities that were available at the fair and the Prime Minister also attended the Telem Zumba Session. Prime Minister Wescot-Williams emphasized the importance of a healthy lifestyle and stressed the necessity to undergo regular health check-ups. The PM also commended the Lions Club for organizing the event.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

Director of Cabinet Perry Geerlings Graduates from Prestigious Clingendael Academy in International Diplomacy and Foreign Relations, EU Project Management and Public Administration

THE HAGUE, Netherlands:--- The Director of the Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary Mr. Perry Geerlings has strengthened the capacities of the Cabinet through completing various courses as it pertains to St. Maarten's interests in the European Union, foreign relations and international diplomacy and public administration. Now Geerlings, as Director of the Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary, has certifications in Project Management and EU Funding received from the European Academy for Taxes, Economics and Law in Berlin; EU Representation in Multilateral Organizations from the Clingendael Institute in collaboration with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Netherlands; Public Administration from the Netherlands Bestuursacademie and finally he recently graduated from a Post Masters Course in International Diplomacy and Foreign Relations also from the prestigious Clingendael Institute in The Hague.

Through the qualified expertise of Geerlings the Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary is strengthened in its capacity to represent St. Maarten in the Netherlands and beyond in various aspects including International Diplomacy and European Union Project Management. "With the support of the Government of St. Maarten we were able to broaden the capacity of the Office of the Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary for which I am very grateful," Geerlings said; "In my capacity of Director of the Cabinet I now have a more in-depth insight into many aspects of diplomacy, project management and public administration law which will further enhance St. Maarten's representation in Holland, the EU and beyond," continued Geerlings.

"These acquired skills are most necessary since St. Maarten, through the Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary, is part of a variety of discussions and decision making processes and forums here in The Hague but also in Brussels at the EU; discussion for instance regarding sanctions imposed on other countries or matters pertaining to security of The Kingdom and its allies as well as issues directly affecting St. Maarten and its people, such as the proposed Bosman Law or the issues affecting the direct relationship between St. Maarten and The Netherlands or St. Maarten, Saint Martin and France. These are just a view of the activities in which we are involved in and which emphasizes that St. Maarten is an active member of the international community. We should take our place in this community and come to the table well prepared.

"It is therefore important that we as a nation continue to strengthen our people and institutions. We at the Cabinet of the Minister Plenipotentiary will definitely continue to do so, resources permitted of course. That is why it is with pride that we can also announce that other members of the Cabinet have invested in their knowhow capacity and that of the Cabinet and country St. Maarten.

"Miss Carol Voges, head of the Economic Department at the Cabinet, who is our local representative in European Union affairs was recently elected as Treasurer of the Executive Committee of the Association of the Overseas Countries of the European Union ("OCTA"). Miss Voges, in order to enhance her performance in that forum, is presently finalizing a Masters course in EU Project Management at the earlier mentioned European Academy for Taxes, Economics and Law in Berlin.

The Minister Plenipotentiary of country St. Maarten is the representative of the St. Maarten Government in the Council of Ministers of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Council of Ministers of the Kingdom consists of the Ministers Plenipotentiary of the autonomous countries Aruba, Curacao, St. Maarten and the Ministers of the Dutch government. Meetings of said Council of Ministers are convened every month or whenever it is necessary.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake on Monday received a visit from Champion Cyclists Jayson Rousseau (19) to show the minister his trophy that he won on Sunday during the NAGICO Grand Prix Cycle Race.

Minister Lake is a former cyclists and an avid cycling fan, and also hails from a family of champion cyclists. Lake appreciated very much the visit and congratulated Jayson Rousseau on this great accomplishment is his cycling career.

"I am a big fan of cycling. My Uncle Sylvere Dulorme was the champion of St. Maarten and Guadeloupe. My eldest brother Francois Lake was a great cyclist who taught my other brother Etienne and myself on how to compete on an international level.

"I am very proud of our own Velo Club De Grand Case (VCG) and the champion Jayson Rousseau for their outstanding performance over the past two days of the NAGICO race.

"I had seen him riding in a race the week before and had admired his cycling capabilities. I encouraged him to continue to stay focused and to be the best that he can be so that he can continue to put St. Maarten/St. Martin's name on the map in the field of cycling," Minister Hon. Maurice Lake said on Monday.

Jayson Rousseau stated that his success was due to his team VCG. Rousseau will be competing in a race in France next week.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Rotaract Club of St. Maarten Sunrise recognized Word Water Day on March 21st 2014 by presenting cases of bottled water to the 1st graders in all 21 primary schools on the island of St. Maarten. International World Water Day is recognized annually on March 22nd as a means of focusing on the importance of freshwater and advocating for the sustainable management of freshwater resources. Rotaract Sunrise presented the cases of water to management, 1st grade teachers and students at the primary schools between the hours of 7:30am-12:00 noon. The members presenting the water spoke about the importance of clean water, drinking water and encouraged the students to spread the word of its importance to their family and friends.

The primary schools that received cases of water were; Charles Leopold-Bell, Leonard Connor, Montessori, Caribbean International Academy, Seven Day Adventist, Sister Regina, Learning Unlimited, Asha Stevens Hillside Christian, Oranje, Sister Borgia, St. Joseph, Marie Genevieve de Weever, Marie Laurence, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., Helmich Snijders Hillside Christian, St. Dominic, Sister Magda, Prins Wilhem Alexander, Ruby Labega, MAC-John A. Gumbs Campus, and MAC Browlia F. Maillard Campus.

Clayton Felix become Competent Communicator

CUL-DE-SAC:--- The Disciples Toastmasters Club is an every growing club, not just in numbers but also in personal development. On Sunday, March 23, 2014, the club gained an additional four new toastmasters, TM Fredelson Felius, TM Souad Meskini, TM Marya Morrison-McRae and TM Glenda Lambert. Moreover, the club saw the growth of one of its newest members TM Clayton Felix who became a Competent Communicator on that day.
The four new members joined the Disciples Toastmasters Club seeking to improve their communication skills and the toastmasters stand readily available to help them learn and achieve their goals. Becoming a competent communicator is the first goal in the club's educational program.
Membership in the Disciples Toastmaster Club is a privilege that brings people together to accomplish their advancement of communication and leadership skills together with others who share similar objectives.
Newly Competent Communicator Clayton Felix is a man of integrity. His speech topics usually appeals to the ethos that should represent respectful citizens such as humility, success and integrity.
TM Clayton attest to the supportive environment the club offers, thanking the toastmasters who evaluated and encouraged him along the way, including the late TM Claudine Bide who evaluated three of his ten speeches. He has received strong support from his wife, TM Kim Lucas-Felix, who is the Vice President Education of the club; she has been his role model from day one.
In his final speech, "My Motivation to Succeed" he stressed the importance of having a goal and determination. He has seen success in his career and has endeavored to succeed in other areas of his life, especially as a toastmaster.
Clayton's motivation to succeed as a toastmaster stems from his belief that every intelligent person should be able to use his mother tongue correctly in thought and oral presentation. He will forge ahead as a Competent Communicator to wherever the Toastmaster journey leads him.
For the newly inducted, the journey has just begun. TM Glenda believes in lifelong learning and thus the club gives an opportunity for her to develop her skills continuously. Like most new members, public speaking is a challenge for TM Fredelson who wants to overcome this and become a leader. Apart from being a leader, since as a French teacher she leads out in her classroom, TM Souad looks forward to gaining more self-confidence outside of the classroom.
Soon after the new members received their pins and certificates, three of the four did their icebreaker speeches, which were followed by positive and rewarding evaluations. With just a few months left in the toastmaster year, the club looks forward to promising outcomes as these members embark on a fulfilling experience. In fact, after her first speech, TM Marya, who also has a fear of public speaking says, "I'm getting there."
Competent Communicator Clayton Felix rephrased the famous adage saying, "The journey of a thousand steps begins with a first." The Disciples Toastmasters Club congratulates him on this important step as a Toastmaster. The club will continue to serve as a guide along his, and others, journey of self-development.
To find out more information about the Disciples Toastmaster Club, visit their website at http://1036731.toastmastersclubs.org/ or call 553-6622. Club meetings at the St. Maarten Academy every 2nd and 4th Sunday at 4:45pm are open to everyone.

POND ISLAND:--- School children from the Methodist Agogic Center (MAC) Academy visited TelEm Group during the past week to learn all about communication technology and the people behind it.

The students of Grade 1 visited the company's Main Offices on Pond Island last Friday, ( March 12th) with a second visit on Monday, March 24th to complete a school project on different types of communication.
The youngsters and their teachers were given a tour of the company's various departments and the equipment that the company uses to provide mobile voice and data, broadband and internet services to the St. Maarten community.
The visit was organized by TelEm Group's Human Resources & Development Department (HR&D), in collaboration with the Technical Department's Network Engineer, Mr. Jed Carty.
"The children seemed to be impressed with what they saw and some of them were not afraid to ask questions," said visit coordinator, Carmita Brooks of the HR&D Department.
"We hosted 26children on the first visit and another 30 on Monday and all left with a small token of their visit to TelEm," said Carmita.
She thanked Mr. Carty for his enthusiasm in acting as a tour guide for the visitors and management in the various departments for taking time out of their busy agendas to meet with and answer the questions of the school children.
Carmita also thanked the students and teachers for their "Thank You" cards at the end of the visits.

Telem Press Release

Communications campaign to also commence

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The National Development Program (NDP) of country Sint Maarten continues to move forward with the official kick-off of the Community Based Dialogues (CBD) to the general public on Thursday evening.

This part of the NDP trajectory will be presented by the Prime Minister Hon. Sarah Wescot-Williams on Thursday, March 27 at the University of St. Martin (USM) starting at 6:45pm.

In addition, the official communications campaign will also commence which is a collaborative effort of public relations/marketing firm IMBRACE and the NDP Work Group. The Ministry of General Affairs, Department of Interior and Kingdom Relations (BAK) are providing key support for the NDP process along with the United Nations Development Program (UNDP).

There will be 20 community based dialogues; five focused group dialogues, and four thematic dialogues and one validation conference.

The first five dialogues are scheduled as follows: Simpson Bay, March 31; Cole Bay, April 1; Guana Bay, April 2; St. Peter, April 3; and Dutch Quarter, April 4. The venues and times will be announced in the Government Information Page (GIP) during the course of the week.

During the Thursday evening kick-off, the 'look and feel' of the NDP process will be introduced to the community along with a handbook that will be handed over to the NDP Work Group.

The handbook offers guidance and direction when the dialogue champions start to engage society in the format of community dialogues.

The handbook provides the basis for public debate with respect to the core concepts of the Sint Maarten nation building process. Dr. Francio Guadeloupe, Dean at USM contributed to the NDP program and is author of the booklet.

Dialogue Champions are people who have enthusiastically accepted the challenge of working collectively and together in planning, convening, organizing and writing the country's NDP.

The Dialogue Champions come from different professional backgrounds in civil society, government departments and private sector organizations.

The NDP is facilitated under the auspices of the project, "Building a Nation: Sint Maarten National Development Plan & Institutional Strengthening."

For further information please refer to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and/ or call 542-0897.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (Ministry of VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake says he would like to inform the community with some factual information regarding remuneration of NV GEBE Supervisory Board members.

Minister Lake said that it has been brought to his attention that there was something published on the internet about the aforementioned which is not correct and borders on gossip.

"Even though we respect freedom of speech, individuals must be aware that it also comes with a responsibility to respect others and not to slander and instigate hate. These are punishable by law," Minister Hon. Maurice Lake pointed out on Monday.

Minister Lake added that the majority of Sint Maarten's people get their news from mainstream media who report news and do their due diligence when they publish a story in line with proper media principles and procedures.

In line with transparency, accountability and openness, Minister responsible for Energy Affairs provided the following information with respect to remuneration of supervisory board members.

The remuneration of members of NV GEBE Supervisory Board is based on an April 15, 2009 decision of the Island Territory of St. Maarten which also applies to other large government owned companies.

The overall remuneration for a chairman is Naf.3.750 per month before taxes and for members of the supervisory board, Naf.2750 per month before taxes.

NV GEBE Supervisory Board Laptop/Phone Issuance Policy, article 1, adoption of policy: This policy statement was adopted by the Managing Board of NV GEBE as of January 1st, 2013, and must be complied with by all members of the Supervisory Board of NV GEBE who wish to obtain a laptop and, or phone from NV GEBE.

NV GEBE offers these tools for board members to utilize in connection with their function related duties. It is the philosophy of NV GEBE that these tools can be used to enhance the productivity of the board members and further the efficient accomplishment of tasks that benefit the business and prospects of the NV GEBE.

Article II, 2.0 Laptop: All board members will be issued a Company laptop for use in connection with the business on behalf of NV GEBE.

Article III, 3.0 Cellular Telephone: All board members will be issued a Company cellular telephone for use in connection with the business on behalf of the Company.

"It is very unfortunate that there are people out there who want to create an image of a banana republic, not bearing in mind that they are hurting all the people with their gossip writing. Get your facts straight, and write in an un-bias manner and without an agenda. You are doing damage to the country and its people. I am open and transparent and I can't do the people's business on hearsay and a responsible journalist and media house doesn't right based on hearsay," Minister Hon. Maurice Lake said on Monday.

All five of the Supervisory Board of Directors was appointed with the approval of the Corporate Governance Council. The Council specifically praised the proven capabilities and knowledge of Veronica Jansen with regards to GEBE matters in their letter of approval.

Even though Veronica Jansen sits on the board of NV GEBE and is Chief of the Cabinet of Minister VROMI, from the onset her responsibilities related to GEBE within the Cabinet were taken over by senior policy advisor Joe Richardson, therefore putting to rest any semblance of a conflict of interest.

POINTE BLANCHE:--- The St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies has carried out an assessment with respect to Fort Amsterdam, one of the country's historical icons regarding the disrepair of the monument.

Port representatives along with representatives from the Monument Council namely Marla Chemont and Alphonso Blijden visited Fort Amsterdam to assess the erosion of the national monument.

The Port of St. Maarten firstly is interested in finding a temporary solution to stop the erosion which is threatening the very existence of the Fort. Once the aforementioned has been resolved, the annual maintenance of the Fort has to be secured to make sure that the national monument does not fall into disrepair.

Prime Minister Hon. Sarah Wescot-Williams recently stated that she was in favour of the Harbour Group of Companies getting involved in providing some form of assistance with respect to the national monument.

The Port is also interested in acquiring the fort where it can be restored to its natural heritage setting as part of the country's history.

Thirdly, the Harbour Group would like to see the fort restored allowing for its sustainable use by school children, residents and tourists to tour and sample the heritage experience of the country.

The acquisition falls into the draft ports master plan for the Greater Great Bay area. Funding for the temporary repairs will come from a shifting of funds from the preparations for the Florida Caribbean Cruise Conference to be held here later this year as well as funds designated for the East-West Causeway infrastructure.

Harbor Group Chief Executive Officer Mark Mingo said on Monday that St. Maarten as a premiere cruise destination must offer authentic sites that have a meaning or is part and parcel of who we are as a people.

"Fort Amsterdam is a monument, is an authentic site, and is part of our country's heritage and we need to continue to educate others about that rich heritage.

"From school children, to the people that live here and visitors to our island, everybody should have the opportunity to visit the Fort and it should be in a safe environment and in a sustainable manner.

"Besides being known as the 'friendly island,' we also have a lot of interesting history, and it starts right at Fort Amsterdam," CEO Mark Mingo added on Monday.

St. Maarten ranked 18 out of 21 destinations in tours; and when cruise passengers were asked how satisfied they were when they purchased a tour, the destination scored 8.0 out of 10.

When the cruise passenger was asked how satisfied were you with the variety of things to see and do in the destination, St. Maarten ranked 7 with a score of 7.2.

The St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies takes note that even though the Caribbean is still the largest market for cruises in the world; the market share has been challenged during the past few years by new emerging markets.

Cruise executives have been warning the Caribbean that it must continually work to create new experiences to keep the destination's experiences fresh. A study completed by McKinney Rogers International for the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) stated, "For many of the islands, the ground product has changed little since the 1990s."

At the 2013, Cruise Shipping Miami Conference, cruise executives said that well-traveled destinations like the Caribbean, where cruise passengers have visited multiple times, must do much more to refresh the shore side experience and activity options for guests.

All cruise executives agree that the best new experiences in the Caribbean should be authentic.

PHILIPSBURG:--- A Central Committee meeting of the House of Parliament is scheduled for March 26th regarding the Emilio Wilson Estate.

The public central committee meeting is set for Wednesday at 2:00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is for Members of Parliament (MPs) to be informed about the decision to purchase the Emilio Wilson Estate.

The meeting was requested by MP Hon. Frans Richardson, MP George Pantophlet, and MP Louie Laveist.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com, and also via www.sxmparliament.org.

MARIGOT:--- On Friday, March 21st the Collectivite of Saint Martin held its sports award evening to honor its athletes and various persons for their performance in the sports year 2012-2013. Calvin Bryan, the coach and founder of the Speedy Plus Club was proud as, Leona Marlin-Romeo was nominated the manager/leader of the year for Track and Field. Sofi Carti received the award for Trainer of the year in Track and Field. Derisha Jeffers topped the evening and exemplified what being the best really is by winning the 2013 Athlete of the year, and the Best athlete in Track and Field. Derisha Jeffers is the champion de France 100m, 4x100 Champion de France , 4x100 Champion de France Espoir and the 4x100 champion de France Elite. The Speedy Plus member Tiffany Shepherd was also nominated as her performance did not go unnoticed as Champion de France Junior 200m. The Speedy Plus Club continues to produce top athletes and promotes excellence in sports athletics. Speedy Plus is open and willing to train all from both Dutch and French Saint Martin. Sint Maarten/Saint Martin has talent and this talent should be exposed locally, regionally and internationally.

Calls for a Strengthening of Local Companies to Ensure Jobs of St. Maarteners

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams over the weekend commented on unfounded rumors in the community regarding the merger between UTS and Telem. The Prime Minister stressed, as shareholder representative for Telem, that negotiations regarding any merger is still ongoing and that due diligence regarding the process should be followed: "At no time did the shareholder rep of Telem in my person make any statement regarding a final decision having been taken for Telem to partner with UTS or anyone else for that matter. Yes, UTS is and has been a prominent prospect in this regard. This shareholder representative has ensured that no politics intervened in this process and a negotiating team has been carrying out the negotiations thus far. Naturally with the recommendations in our hands, a decision will be taken by the government of St. Maarten. The stage this process is currently at requires confidentiality by all concerned in the negotiations," stressed the Prime Minister.

The PM also emphasized that the families of the shareholder representatives should be taken into consideration and that cooperation across various institutions has been the vision and the focus; "Remember, UTS too has St. Maarten employees who need to be considered by the government of St. Maarten. These employees have families as well. The shareholder rep. of Telem has fought for Telem and GEBE to work together, resulting in an MOU between the two companies more than a year ago. This was done ahead of considerations to be given to the proposals that are on the table for a "super" holding of all government-owned companies. Again, this is an idea that needs to be studied as to its effects for the companies and the government. It is no secret that the Democratic Party is a proponent of government-owned companies aligning themselves with government's vision for the country and not the other way around," stated Prime Minister Wescot-Williams.

The Prime Minister also stressed that the Government of St. Maarten is considering the fact that it still has minority shares in the former Government owned companies of the Netherlands Antilles and Discussions are ongoing regarding what to do with those shares; "Thirdly and separately, the Government of St. Maarten is considering what is in the best interest of the government and the people as far as its shareholdings in the former Antillean government companies are concerned, such as UTS. In all of these companies, St. Maarten has a minority share. In the case of UTS, this company has physical assets on St. Maarten. Hence consideration is being given to a "swap" in exchange for the shares owned by St. Maarten. Naturally this too must be subjected to an analysis to determine the feasibility and the bottom line always should be: 'What's in it for St. Maarten?' Our local telecommunications companies must be strengthened to withstand any threat of being gobbled up by deep-pocketed private telecom companies. The telecom market is a cutthroat one and if we want to protect the St. Maarten workers at Telem and UTS, we better had start to strengthen our own local companies first. And not 'clear the ground for monkey to run on' as the old saying goes." Emphasized Wescot-Williams.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams met with New York based Accounting Firm Pricewaterhouse Coopers, the company commissioned by His Excellency Governor Holiday to conduct the Integrity Inquiry.

The Integrity Investigation is based on the Kingdom Decree of September 30, 2013 in which Governor Holiday was instructed to carry out an integrity investigation. Prime Minister Wescot-Williams has previously designated a central contact person to facilitate the PWC Integrity Inquiry Team's access to persons and relevant information necessary to conduct the inquiry. Tuesday's meeting with the firm was part of an introductory consultation and the Prime Minister's Cabinet will continue to provide the necessary information in light of the investigation.

A release from the Governor' Cabinet has previously stated that PWC will issue an interim progress report within three months and the final inquiry report of its findings and recommendations within six months of the start of its inquiry works to the Governor with the final report being delivered to the Kingdom Council of Ministers by Governor Holiday.

Prime Minister Wescot-Williams has stressed that she has pledged an open and transparent cooperation with the multiple Integrity Investigations currently ongoing on St. Maarten.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Ombudsman applauds the initiative shown by the Civil Registry Department to organize Community Outreach Information Sessions. The Ombudsman emphasizes the duty of public bodies to inform the citizen. Organizing the Community Outreach Information sessions is a step in the right direction to inform the public about the processes and services provided by the Department. The Ombudsman commends the Civil Registry Department in its initiatives and looks forward to this type of information sessions being organized by all departments as well as by other entities charged with public authority.
The Ombudsman encourages the public in general to attend these sessions.
These sessions are in keeping with the vision and mission of the Ombudsman to promote good governance, which entails among others informing the citizens of the procedures of government services. Important is that government and related bodies must be aware of the needs of the citizens and treat the citizens with respect and handle their requests efficiently.
Part of the improvement of the relationship with the citizens is that the services rendered by the Department are executed efficiently and effectively. The Ombudsman notes improvements in the services provided by this Department.
As protector of the citizens and guardian of the Constitution, the Ombudsman investigates the actions or non-actions of government and the citizens; the citizens must be assured that their basic human rights and freedoms are safeguarded/ upheld by government.

Stresses that the financing of political parties and candidates are responsibility of political parties

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams emphasized the function of the electoral council and the laws regulating elections during her One on One with the Prime Minister Radio Program on Friday. The Prime Minister stressed that the electoral council is in place and functioning and that numerous considerations need to be taken into account prior to the upcoming elections: The electoral council is one of the important bodies that has been created by law as part of the entire electoral process. The electoral council, which is chaired by attorney Bert Hoffman is the body to which political parties submit their request for registration. Over the last couple of weeks on our sister island of Curacao there have also been issues with regards to political parties registering etc. On St. Maarten political parties need to be an association and this is not yet the case on Curacao. A political party on Curacao is suggesting now that political parties need to be an association so in that respect St. Maarten is a step ahead.

"It is with this law in mind that I have been stressing over the last months the need for us to look more closely at political parties vis a vis candidates who run on political lists. According to the law the entire finances of political parties need to take limitations into account and this also extends to candidates. More so than in the past where individual candidates have been doing there own thing so to speak political parties and their candidates need to act according to the law with the political parties having the overall responsibility," stressed Prime Minister Wescot-Williams.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

PHILIPSBURG:--- Representatives of The St. Maarten/St. Martin Alliance For Equality (SAFE) Foundation profiled the organization's presence at the annual Lions Health Fair on Saturday.
The organization, which was incorporated on December 10, 2013, (International Human Rights Day) set up a table under a tent, engaged in conversation with passersby, distributed pamphlets about the organization and about the lives of LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual and transgender) people and general raised awareness about the organization's presence in the community.
The representatives said that for the most part feedback from the community was extremely positive, with only one or two dissenting voices.
"There really is still the perception amongst a vocal minority that same-sex desire is a choice and unnatural, so that led to some frank discuss early in the morning and then later in the day, with us pointing out that first homosexuality is no more chosen than heterosexuality and secondly homosexuality is completely natural and can be seen in other species of nature as well. At least two people made reference to the Bible and to the fact that God does not condone homosexuality; we simply told them that while there are many interpretations of the Bible on that subject, we respect their opinions and the only thing we ask from them is that they also respect us as human beings," SAFE treasurer Nadjesca Gumbs said.
One representative pointed out that for many LGBT persons the loss of emotional support, and in the case of LGBT youth also financial support, from family members can lead to psychological breakdowns and depression, and make LGBT persons extremely vulnerable. She said that it is important for families to embrace their LGBT relatives and to not put additional pressures on them, noting that in some cases society already does.
The table was open throughout the entire day, thus from 9am-4pm and saw quite a few persons passing through requesting information either for themselves or a relative.
"We are here to raise awareness about LGBT people in the community and to assist with information where and when necessary, so we were happy to be able to give information to the public. The five representatives who manned our table throughout the day did a great job and we look forward to move opportunities in the future where the community can interact with us," Lysanne Charles, SAFE president, said.
Charles also said that there were numerous ways in which people looking for information about LGBT persons or LGBT issues in general could contact the organization, namely through the SAFE SXM Facebook account https://www.facebook.com/safe.sxm, their website www.safesxm.com, through Google mail at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and of course also on G+.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Creative Writing and Performance workshops held over the weekend in honor of World Poetry Day was deemed by organizers to be very informative and a success.
The workshops which were organized by Foundation 5 Square Miles St. Martin, Conscious Agricultural Awakening Foundation (CAAF) and the St. Maarten National Commission of UNESCO were conducted at the University of St. Martin and had about 20 participants.
The first workshop, held in the morning, concerned the creative writing process and was facilitated by Fabian Badejo. Badejo stressed the importance of reading and writing for would-be and developing writers. Badejo had the participants practice and share their creative prose writing skills.
Badejo stated that while it was indeed World Poetry Day and there was the need to honor the island's poets, veteran and up-and-coming, it was also important to encourage the writing of prose and in particular novels on the island.
His exercises often led to heated discussions about use of mother language, terminologies concerning the northern and southern sides of the island and national identity. Badejo said that it important that a writer is comfortable with these issues in order for them to translate these authentically to their readers.
"If you make it real to you, then you will write it as if it is real and it will be authentic," Badejo stressed.
The second workshop was held in the afternoon hours and was conducted by Clara Reyes, co-Director of National Institute of the Arts. Reyes started with movement exercises, getting participants warmed up and ready to performance. She had the performers focus on warming up all parts of their bodies and get in tune with the space around them. She next moved on to breathing exercises and then vocal warm-ups. Finally all poets who were willing to read had their delivery assessed and received pointers from Reyes on how to present their poems in a stronger manner.
"In the arts you are vulnerable, you are naked, you want people to enjoy your work so that leaves you open to critiques, from your audience, from yourself, but you have to go through the process and remember that you were given an amazing gift. The life of an artist is not easy, first of all people often just don't get you, secondly they often don't get what you are doing and thirdly they often really think you are just having too much fun and don't understand the hard work behind it. Create anyway and give yourself permission to be your most creative, most amazingly awesome selves. Arts give you wings, use them," Reyes said.
The organizers of the event said that they were pleased with the way in which both workshops were conducted, but would have liked to see more participants show up.
"We had planned for between 30-40 participants, so we were like 5 off our lowest expectations, so in the future we are going to shoot for that 40 participant mark, because we know that St. Maarten has so much talent, especially concerning poetry and yes, even concerning prose" Lysanne Charles, founder and president of Foundation 5 Square Miles St. Martin said.
Charles said that her foundation in collaboration with CAAF had a few more activities planned for the year and encouraged young people to come out to the Soualigan Fyah: Youth Poetry & Spoken Word Sessions at the Philipsburg Jubilee Library, held every last Friday of the month. The next session is scheduled for Friday, May 25.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Everythingstmaarten.com, owned and operated by JMB Communications of Plymouth, Massachusetts, has launched a giveaway of nine St. Maarten/St. Martin vacations to celebrate the site surpassing four million visits, which will happen later this year.
Founded in 1993 in Plymouth by PR executive Jeff Berger, Everythingstmaarten.com is the oldest and largest St. Maarten/St. Martin website. "You only surpass a number like four million once," comments Berger, JMB Communications' CEO. Berger is completing a winter visit to the island. "To celebrate we can think of nothing more appropriate than to give away vacations and other prizes from the island, so that's exactly what we're doing."
Most of the giveaway vacations are 8 days and 7 nights. Among vacations the site will give away are the all-new Baker's Suites, Simpson Bay; La Vista Resort / La Vista Beach, Pelican Key; Mary's Boon Beach Hotel, Simpson Bay Beach; the Princess Heights luxury condominium resort hotel in Oyster Pond; Summit Resort, Cupecoy Beach; villa Vista Royale in Monte Vista; a beautiful townhouse at Coral Beach Club; Oyster Bay Beach Resort, Oyster Pond; and naturist resort Club Fantastico, overlooking Orient Bay on the French Side.
Everythingstmaarten.com is also giving away many other prizes, including: dinner for two at Dino Jagtiani's award-winning Temptation Restaurant in Cupecoy Beach; dinner for two at Spiga Restaurant, Grand Case; dinner for two at iZi Ristorante Italiano, Simpson Bay; a dinner for two at the all-new Vesna Taverna in Simpson Bay; dinner for two at Daniel's by the
Sea in Oyster Pond; dinner for two at Sushiitto Japanese Restaurant in Port de Plaisance; dinner for two at Pineapple Pete Restaurant, Simpson Bay; a one-week car rental from Tropical Car Rental; a trip for two on the wackily wonderful St. Maarten Party Bus; a big gift card from Caribbean Gems; a prize from Zhaveri Jewelers; a full day cruise for one to Tintamarre aboard the Celine catamaran or the Celine II motor yacht; and a full one-hour massage from Tricia Altenau of AIA Massage at Le Domaine Resort Hotel in Anse Marcel, French Side.
Everythingstmaarten.com also publishes St. Maarten and St. Martin Weekly News, a tourist-oriented global email newsletter that now has a worldwide readership of over 200,000. Weekly News will publish news of additional prizes as they are added. "We welcome entries from everywhere," Berger said. Entries can be completed online from Berger's everythingstmaarten.com website – no mailing is required. The drawing will be held live on island92 radio 91.9FM in St. Maarten (www.island92.com) later this year, after the site has surpassed four million visits.

SIMPSON BAY:--- Recognition awards for excellence keep pouring in for the Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM), the latest being the Award for Excellence for Outstanding Managerial Leadership, Strategy Development, Customer Orientation, and Strategy Implementation granted last week by JMB Communications. JMB owns the well-known website, www.everythingsxm.com.
Jeff Berger, CEO of JMB Communications, surprised Regina LaBega, Managing Director of SXM Airport with the award during an interview at her office for his newsletter SXM Weekly News.
"This was completely unexpected," said LaBega, who noted that according to Berger, the award has never been granted to an airport. "We are humbled by this recognition, which gives us further encouragement to work even harder to continue to make SXM Airport a leader in Caribbean aviation, while improving the passenger experience," she added.
Berger said he was "highly impressed by SXM Airport operations in all respects." He described SXM as "fast, positive, and comfortable all around."
"This is the second year we are giving out Everythingsxm.com Awards of Excellence," he explained. "We look at a spectrum of businesses whose focus is largely tourists. Where we feel a business is doing an exceptional job, we recognize that level of accomplishment. We look at strategy development, execution, (and) management where the main focus of the business is on providing a customer experience that consistently surpasses expectations."
Berger explained that SXM Airport was chosen because it now "delivers an outstanding passenger experience and is working very hard to make it even better."
"We give out several awards each year, usually in February or March to businesses primarily oriented to tourists. We will present others within the next week or so. There is no preset list. Our eyes are wide open all the time looking for the best businesses," Berger added.
His website, www.everythingstmaarten.com, is the largest, most complete guide to Everything St. Maarten/St. Martin, while his newsletter, SXM Weekly News is focused on the needs of tourists with a readership that is close to 200,000.
In the last couple of years alone, SXM Airport has received several international awards, including the "International Transport Award" granted by the Global Trade Leaders' Club last year for the "quality of its services."

Constitution stipulates that Parliaments govern for four years

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams emphasized during a radio interview over the weekend that the proposed election date during the beginning of September is something which was regulated by law and one which political parties agreed to prior to 10-10-10; "Elections, regularly speaking, would have to take place at the time so that Parliament can complete its term of four years based on the constitutional article. When the decision was taken for Parliament to start on 10-10-10 automatically the consequence of that was that the new parliament will take its seat on 10-10-14 which would mean, taking the necessary terms into consideration, that elections would have to take place in September. There are many steps that need to be taken into account with regards to elections, starting with establishing who can vote on St. Maarten. There is also a period of time if you are not taken up in the voting register of St. Maarten where you can request that your vote be taken up. Based on the voters register persons will receive their voting cards and all of this is tied in to a specific period of time. If we want to have a discussion on the date of elections you need to revisit the date of the tenth of October. It cannot be so that every election year a discussion is gong to come up regarding the date of elections. Every month we can find reasons in favor of or against; in September it is Hurricane Season, in July Vacation, in June Exams etc.," commented Prime Minister Wescot-Williams.

The Prime Minister also discussed the issue of dissolving Parliament which would result in so-called unstable or snap elections; "There has also been a lot of discussions regarding the dissolving of Parliament by National Decree. The instrument of dissolving Parliament is only to be used when the Governing of a country is no longer possible. If there is an impasse with no solution then Government can dissolve Parliament when the matter of elections takes on a different form. The article states that on the date that that decree is taken three months from that date a new Parliament needs to sit. If the Minister of General Affairs decides there is a serious impasse and if I recognize the case I can decide that there is no other choice but to dissolve Parliament.

"So-called snap elections can only take place if Parliament is dissolved. In the case of 10-10-14 the new Parliament needs to count back and take all of the steps into consideration. For example the fact that eighty to ninety days are necessary to be calculated for the first week in September. The constitution stipulates that Parliaments govern for four years unless they are dissolved. When 10-10-10 was being considered for the date of a country I had my reservations which I expressed at that time but this had nothing to do with Hurricanes but with the technicalities involved. My wish at the time was that the new election year starts in January. The DP was in opposition so the majority then decided on 10-10-10 with all of the subsequent consequences. The fact remains that now the DP is a part of Government and I am responsible for an election date and I need to ensure that the work is done."

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams Emphasized that it is the role and responsibility of politicians to ensure that elections are fair and open and that the cloud of suspicion surrounding elections be removed. The Prime Minister stated that it is important to regulate items related to the electoral process to ensure that it remains open, fair and democratic; "Last year the Parliament of St. Maarten expressed in a motion some of its sentiments related to elections. I prepared two position papers with regards to Parliament centered on changes to the electoral process. I requested parliament to have a deliberation because it is they that needs to bring the issues to the fore that they think should change. That discussion came down to some matters that can be amended before elections but will take more time. Our constitution establishes certain matters that give form and direction to elections. I don't think that any changes in that respects can happen before 2014. There are at least two other ordinances that are important for elections. There is an electoral law in which several execution regulations were established. There is an electoral resolution that is determined by Government. For example the matter of the so-called black curtains; Parliaments feeling was that, given a lot of allegations of what can happen behind black curtains, parliamentarians had reservations on. This can happen through the resolution. Voting must be secret; you should not have the fear that someone can see if you are voting," emphasized Prime Minister Wescot-Williams.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

CONCORDIA, Marigot:--- Roy Cotton Jr. the host of a successful seven year-old radio show, Love and Inspiration and a three year show, The Vibes on YR 92.5 FM states, "I would like to thank all listeners and well-wishers for all their support and commitment towards both my radio shows, The Vibes and Love & Inspiration since their premiere in August 2011 to date. It has been my pleasure in presenting to you only top quality radio shows during the past three years."
Both the Vibes and Love & Inspiration radio shows have been receiving great reviews and extensive exposure; with local, regional and international listenership.
February 11th 2014, The Love & Inspiration Show celebrated its 7th anniversary since it premiered on February 11th 2007 on the student radio station at University of Hertfordshire in England.
The Love & Inspiration Show airs on Sunday afternoons from 2:00pm-4:00pm on Youth Radio 92.5FM. Love & Inspiration focuses on various topics of interest and in particular topics which enable the listener to experience more meaningful relationships in their lives; friendships, family, love and work relationships. Devoted listeners hear music of excellence; are inspired through exclusive interviews with VIP guests; listen to inspiring love & life changing stories; ask questions on relationship matters; win awesome prizes such as spa treatments; various gift certificates; dinners and more.
The Vibes radio show airs on Saturday afternoons from 2:00pm-3:00pm on Youth Radio 92.5FM
The Vibes radio show covers the coolest music mix; awesome prizes such as free haircuts, gift certificates and more; enhances the listener's general knowledge; shares information on what is happening around St. Maarten and abroad; covers exclusive interviews with VIP guests and more!
Both radio shows have a listenership as far as Russia, the UK and Mauritius. Host Roy Cotton, Jr. states, "My listeners also hail from: Barbados, St. Kitts, USA, India, Nigeria, Hong Kong, Holland, France, and Canada. Their demographics include: persons aged 20 to over 65 who range from bargain hunters to serious investors; the adventurous to the tranquility seekers."
Roy Cotton Jr. believes that both his radio shows The Vibes and Love & Inspiration have the capacity to increase the visibility of businesses to many potential customers locally, regionally, and internationally whilst giving his committed and new listeners only high quality radio programs.
Therefore Roy Cotton Jr. is all geared up to take both his radio shows to another dimension.
Therefore he is in the final stage of revamping both radio shows to return to the airwaves on Youth Radio 92.5FM, at their respective times with The Vibes on Saturdays from 2:00pm-3:00pm and Love & Inspiration on Sundays from 2:00pm-4:00pm, sounding even sweeter and better.
The Vibes radio show will be introducing short new segments such as Hot Property to Go; a short segment on the show that features special property offers; Fun Adventures, also a short segment on the show that highlights features, special excursions, day trips and more.
Love & Inspiration will also be introducing short new segments such as Fine Dining a short segment on the show that highlights the uniqueness of our restaurants; features their special offers; delicious cuisines and special amenities especially for those couples who are seeking the ideal restaurant to have a romantic dinner.
The show will also continue to focus on various topics of interest and in particular topics which will enable the listener to experience more meaningful relationships.
All in all, Roy Cotton Jr. believes that both radio shows will return to the airwaves in the month of April on a renewed level delivering cutting edge content to listeners locally, regionally, and internationally.
Be sure to tune into these awesome radio shows hosted by Roy Cotton Jr. For more information contact Roy Cotton, Jr. at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. ; on Facebook: The Vibes Show; Love & Inspiration Show and Studio Tel: +11(590) 590 52 22 31.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Thursday, PwC handed over its new publication "Fiscale Wetgeving 2014" to the Governor of St. Maarten, Mr. Eugene Holiday. The Governor received the book from the hands of Steve Vanenburg, Partner Tax of PwC Dutch Caribbean and Paul van Vliet, Director PwC Sint Maarten.

Every year PwC publishes an up-to-date overview with the applicable and relevant tax laws of Aruba, Curacao, St. Maarten and the BES islands. "Tax law is an increasingly important part of a country's legislation. Having knowledge of tax law is therefore very important, especially since it changes regularly. The publication "Fiscale Wetgeving 2014" is a complete compilation of current legislation which is of relevance to the tax practice and education", according to Vanenburg.

The new bundle of PwC provides a complete and up-to-date overview of direct taxes and social security law, as applied by January 1, 2014 in Aruba, Curaçao, St. Maarten and the BES islands. Finally, the book also includes the growing number of treaties between the countries within the Kingdom of the Netherlands and at international level.

Meanwhile, this is the 7th edition of the law bundle that PwC issues. Vanenburg indicates that one of the policy spearheads within PwC is to share information with its customers and society. In addition to the paperback edition, an interactive digital version of "Fiscale Wetgeving 2014" is also available. This document can be downloaded for free from PwC's website (www.pwc.com/dutch-caribbean).

The paperback edition of the law book can be obtained through the PwC offices in St. Maarten, Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire. For more information or orders please call +1-721 542 2379.

PwC in the Dutch Caribbean dates back over 75 years. More than 170 people work together out of our offices in St. Maarten, Curaçao, Aruba and Bonaire.

PWC Dutch Caribbean Press Release

POND ISLAND:--- TelCell-sponsored Night of the Hitmakers event will be making history on the 45th anniversary of St. Maarten's premier carnival event April 25.

According to president of the St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) Michael Granger, for the first time in recent history, promoters, Xtratight Entertainment, will be permitted to keep live performances and a public dance going all the way to the early hours of Jouvert morning when the first revelers leave for the traditional Jouvert jump-up.

"Before now revelers would have to leave the Festival Village after the shows and go home or head elsewhere before gathering again for the Jouvert Jump-up hours later," said the SCDF President during a press conference at the Festival Village yesterday to introduce the main sponsors of the TelCell Night of the Hitmakers carnival opening event.

"This year Xtratight has the green light to keep the party going at the Festival Village up until the trucks and revelers are ready to leave for Jouvert," continue Mr. Granger.

"It's historic. It's something carnival revelers have been asking for for many years and since this is a special 45th anniversary we have decided to give it a try," he said.

Mr. Granger also announced that Xtratight Entertainment has also been granted permission to repeat last year's hugely successful "largest dancefloor in the Caribbean" theme when the entire Festival Village will be transformed into a massive dance stage for carnival party-goers.

"Others have requested permission to open up the Festival Village for their dance parties, but this year we're only allowing this for Xtratight Entertainment," said Mr. Granger while congratulating the promotion company's owner, Berteax "Mr Rude" Fleming and wife Chaska.

Thursday's press conference introduced the event's main sponsor TelCell, represented by Chief Commercial officer (CCO) Brian Mingo, and co-sponsors, Fun Miles, represented by Agnetha Huitinga; Insel Air, represented by Sharon Vassell and SEL Maduro, represented by Natasha Ortega. Other sponsors include: Heineken, Captain Morgan rum, Oyster Bay Resort and Seaboard Marine.

Mr. Mingo said the promoters of this year's event are providing a line up of world class hitmakers including: Cache Royal, Claudius Phillips, Krosfyah, the Band Control, Shadowman and for the old school music fans, the return to St. Maarten of the Dragonaires.

"Mr. Rude" said, coming out of the recent Aruba Carnival, there is a big buzz about the performance of Aruba's 2014 Caiso King, Shaun Phillips and Road March King, Claudius Philips, during the TelCell Night of the Hitmakers event.

"This is a must-see performance of "Cheezy"," said "Mr. Rude".

TelCell Night of the Hit Makers will be staged on April 25, 2014 at the Festival Village. Tickets are $30 in advance and $40 on the day of the show.

Telem Press Release

PHILIPSBURG:--- So far the major research findings from the Elderly Research Report has highlighted the findings on the needs of our elderly community as well as the various improvements recommended for the elderly services currently available and those services which are lacking. The final research question which the study explored was: "Which organizations are involved in providing services for the elderly and are they equipped for the aging population?"
As the needs of the elderly continue to increase, the service providers are essential to the overall well-being of our aging population. "It is vital that efforts are synchronized to ensure social protection and provision for the elderly community. Given the limited human and financial capacity at many of the elderly service providers I am urging the community to become more active and volunteer for these organizations," said Minister Cornelius de Weever.
The strengths and the weaknesses of the NGOs and government services providers that cater to the needs of the elderly were assessed in a face-to-face interview. In total 21 representatives from the various service providers (NGOs) and 4 representatives of Governmental entities (see appendix 2) were approached. Of the 25 stakeholders the following nine are specifically catering to the elderly with their services:

• The White and Yellow Cross Elderly Care Home
• The White and Yellow Cross Psycho-Geriatric Daycare Center
• Elderly Foundation Hope Estate
• Sint Maarten Seniors and Pensioners Association
• The Helping Hands Foundation
• Sint Maarten Senior Citizens Recreational Foundation
• Golden Men and Women Foundation
• Meals on Wheels
• Home Away from Home

Major finding indicate that fifteen of the twenty-one service providers feel that they do not have sufficient capacity to cover the needs of the elderly. Ten of them have plans to expand their services. However, the most common obstacle is the lack of sufficient financial means to either execute the current activities or to realize expansion plans. Other obstacles are the lack of staffing or volunteers and the lack of proper transportation to conduct services. Most important conclusion is that financial investments are needed in order to boost the capacity of the service providers. Strengthening these organization will be essential in order to ensure that the elderly in our community are well taken care of.

~ Hotel hosted teaching artists for the weeklong intensive ~

PHILIPSBURG:--- Local Award winning dancer Nicole C. De Weever, founder of Art Saves Lives foundation personally expressed her gratitude to Mr. Paul Boetekes, Ms. Diana Gumbs and Mr. Marc van Iersel of Holland House for the hospitality shown to the artists of the workshops held last June. Ms. De Weever applauded the management and staff of the hotel for their excellent service and was especially appreciative of the exceptional assistance provided by Ms. Diana Gumbs who arranged the reservations.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Department of Statistics (STAT) says 60 percent of known addresses have been visited and there is four weeks left to complete the household listing fieldwork.

STAT interviewed Keith Franca recently who stated the following: "My participation in the survey was important for all us living here to benefit from improved public services.

"The interview was fast and lasted less than eight minutes. The interviewer asked very basic information, and not even my name. In any country, statistics are crucially important to services and policy," Keith Franca pointed out.

The Department of STAT is experiencing great difficulties to access households residing in some privately-owned and gated apartment and condo complexes.

In some cases, STAT is being told about a privacy clause whereby owners and tenants have an obligation to have their privacy protected.

STAT is emphasizing that the legal base for the household listing survey is the national Statistics Ordinance (AB 2013, GT no.450). This ordinance makes no provision for such privacy clauses within management company contracts, and therefore no distinction between residents will be made.

Article seven of the ordinance says that if individuals do not comply by cooperating with the interviewers of STAT who are acting according to the ordinance, this would be considered a derelict of duty punishable by up to one year imprisonment or a fine of up to Naf. 5,000.

All residents of Dutch Sint Maarten are obliged to cooperate with providing the data to STAT for the Household Listing Survey, in order for population related statistics to be produced.

The questionnaire is not invasive, but is rather short and only takes less than 10-minutes. Data collected are basic demographic information from each household member.

The questionnaire consists of a short list of questions, related to the age, gender, country-of-birth and nationality of each member of the household.

Persons will also be asked to verify their address, and number of units on each property as well as if they are registered at the Civil Registry Department.

STAT interviewers are approaching homes up to 8:00pm each day and on weekends.

STAT falls under the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunication.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Early on Tuesday morning the Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams attended a Special Church Service commemorating Aruba Day at the Methodist Church in Front Street. During the service Prime Minister Wescot-Williams expressed her congratulations on the 'Aruba Dia Di Himno y Bandera 2014'. "I would like to congratulate the Aruba population and in a very special way the Arubans who make up part of the St. Maarten community. Many of us from St. Maarten, myself included, have spent many years in Aruba whether it is for work, education and family ties and with that in mind I would like to wish all a very happy Aruba day," commented the Prime Minister.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

1,200 expected to attend conference

POINTE BLANCHE:--- The Organizing Committee for the 2014 Florida Caribbean Cruise Conference (FCCA) to be hosted by St. Maarten is in place, and work is underway to prepare for the conference that is expected to bring in approximately 1,200 conference attendees.

The main conference hotel has been selected which is the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino.

The Port of St. Maarten has already received confirmation from several delegates that they will also be traveling with their families for a pre and post conference stay on the island.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Mark Mingo said that this is a great opportunity for St. Maarten to showcase itself to the conference attendees. Tour operators and interested sponsors should contact the port for their participation in the FCCA Conference.

GREAT BAY:--- Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius De Weever is encouraging the community of St. Maarten to go out to the Lion Rudy Hoeve Health & Wellness Fair on Saturday, March 22 to "Get Checked."
"Take advantage of this opportunity and get the necessary information and screenings done for your cholesterol, blood pressure and more free of charge," said Minister De Weever.
The Department of Collective Preventive Services (CPS) will be on hand at booth number eight and American University of the Caribbean (AUC) will be in booth number nine. The AUC in conjunction with CPS will be carrying out the Seroconversion study, which is research on the dengue fever and chikungunya. The purpose of this study is to determine the prevalence of Dengue Fever and Chikungunya on the island. The initial screening requires that a small amount of blood is drawn.
CPS will also give out information on chikungunya, dengue, vector control and other health promotion and prevention. In addition, the department will be promoting the signature drive on cervical cancer, which will be placed high on the agenda for attention.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Friday March 21, 2014, the Investigation Judge decided that the arrest and detention of R.G.K. with regard to the Extradition Request of the United States (US) was legal. R.G.K. was arrested last Monday, March 17, on Sint Maarten, based on a request made by the US authorities to Sint Maarten in September 2013. This request was executed now because R.G.K. was not in Sint Maarten at the moment of the request.
As soon as the documents pertaining to the request are be completed and received from the US, the request will be sent to the Common Court as this is the authority that advises the Governor in these cases. The law stipulates that these documents have to be received by Dutch authorities within 60 days counting from the date of the arrest.

Press Release from the Public Prosecutor's Office

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Head of the Civil Registry Department Leona Romeo-Marlin announced on Friday that her staff recently participated in a fire safety drill after completing fire safety training.

Eight staff members received their certification as emergency response officers, namely Rosemary Lejuez, Kathy Snijders, Willem van Asselt, Keishann Huggins, Christina Marlin, Miranda Seabrookes and Shamira Ortega-Ras.

Four employees received in addition certification in AED/CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) from WIEMS, namely Ebony James, Anna Marlin, Keishann Huggins and Monique Hughes.

Management is of the opinion that fire drills are a necessity in all offices, adding that they are more than just for fires.

It is important for each employee to know and have an evacuation plan for their building in case there is an earthquake, or any other emergency situation that can occur in the building.

Employees need to be able to quickly exit the building and know who the emergency response officers are and where is the designated meeting area.

It is essential that they are familiar with the processes to avoid panicking in an emergency, Department Head Leona Romeo-Marlin explained.

The CPR training is also an essential training that management thought would be an asset to have for the department. Having four staff trained means should a cardiac arrest occur in the building where many customers visit during the workweek, staff can immediately assist until the ambulance arrives. With the skills taught the survival chances are much greater, Head of the Civil Registry Department Leona Romeo-Marlin said on Friday.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Tuesday March 11th 2014, members of the police force arrested a 23 year old man with the initials H.F.M., born in Curacao. This arrest was made in the investigation of the violent robbery that took place in the vicinity of Tamarind Hotel in Pointe Blanche on December 2nd, 2013.
After this robbery the 46 year old security guard of the hotel was found unconscious on the parking lot by guests of the hotel. He suffered severe brain damage and was taken to the hospital immediately where he stayed for several weeks to recover from his injuries. The detective department of the Sint Maarten Police Force immediately started their investigation. As a result of that investigation this 23 year old man, who was probably involved in this robbery case, has been arrested.
In this case also came forward that a blue 2006 Suzuki Hayabusa motorbike was stolen from the parking lot near Tamarind Hotel.
In spite of the arrest made on March 11th, the detectives are still continuing their investigation. The police force is still on the lookout for the stolen motorbike. The possibility that more arrests will be made in this case is not ruled out. If you have any information about this cruel deed or the stolen motorbike, the detective department kindly asks you to get in touch with them.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Ombudsman and the entire staff of Bureau Ombudsman are presently undergoing a public relations and media training in preparation for its Public Information Campaign 2014, which will be launched in April at the Bureau.
In keeping with its Strategic Plan 2011 – 2021 the Ombudsman embarked on a training at the Bureau to equip the entire staff to improve communication with the public, in particular the media. The training is being conducted by the well-known and experienced journalist, Mr. Fabian Badejo. The course will cover a period of four months of preparing the team at Bureau Ombudsman to effectively communicate with the public.
The Ombudsman considers communication with the public to be key in executing its task of promoting good leadership for the country, with a government and related bodies characterized by good governance, and responsive to the needs of the people.
The Ombudsman as protector of the citizens and guardian of the Constitution of Sint Maarten provides a system of checks and balances, which guarantees good governance and accountability of the government, where basic human rights and freedoms are safeguarded.
The Bureau investigates how government treats its citizens upon complaints files by the citizens with the Bureau, or upon the initiative of the Ombudsman.
The training is financed by the Dutch Funding Agency USONA as part of the project to establish the High Councils of State.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Local cyclists and cyclists from across the region will be competing this weekend in the second edition of the NAGICO to NAGICO Cycling Race. With the success of last year's event NAGICO Insurances (title sponsor of event) and Velo Club de Grand Case has decided to expand the race by including new stages to get more riders both local and regional involved.
This 3 day event consists of 4 stages starting with its first stage this Friday, March 21st at 8:00pm on the Causeway; this stage will be a 2km dash starting from the Cole Bay side of the bridge and heading across the Causeway to the airport side and back.
On Saturday, March 22nd at 8:15 am the second stage will be an 82km race starting at Angel's Insurance in French Quarter. Cyclists will have to complete 8 laps of an obstacle course that takes them around Oyster Pond and French Quarter area. Later in the afternoon at 2:15 pm the third stage will consist of a 5km time trial that starts at the Post office in Grand Case and ends at NAGICO Insurances office in Marigot.
These series of events will lead up to the final stage on Sunday, March 23rd at 8:15 am starting at NAGICO Insurances head office on Cannegieter Street. For this final stage cyclist will take part in an intense 128km obstacle course around the island and finish the race at NAGICO Insurances office in Marigot. Once the race the event will end with a junior race will take place for your cyclist to compete.

NAGICO Press Release

POND ISLAND:--- TelEm Group is taking its corporate citizenship in the direction for community health by becoming the main sponsor for Saturday's annual Lions Health & Wellness Fair.

The company is sponsoring T-shirts for participants along with a cash donation to support the event - which Lion's president Mr. Claudio Buncamper says is continuing to grow each year.

During a short presentation and information session at TelEm Group's main building on Pond Island, Tuesday, members of the Lion's Club officially thanked TelEm Group for the company's support of such an important community project.

According to the Lions President, the service club has approached several companies for corporate sponsorship of a number of important ongoing projects of the magnitude of the annual Health & Wellness Fair.

"TelEm Group has contributed towards the Health & Wellness Fair for many years. We are very pleased that the company has come on board with us in this way and we do hope they will continue to support health awareness in the coming years," said Mr. Buncamper.

TelEm Group's Chief Commercial Officer (CCO), Mr. Brian Mingo, said TelEm Group is happy to take the extra step in its corporate responsibility by supporting a project from which everyone in the St. Maarten community can benefit.

"The tests are completely free and we would encourage staff and everyone in the community to make use of the various experts who will be available to attend to them," said Mr. Mingo.

The Lions Health and Wellness Fair, is this year being re-named the Rudy Hoeve Health & Wellness Fair as a tribute to the late Lion member and former Chairman of the TelEm Group Supervisory Board of Directors, Mr. Rudy Hoeve.

"The event continues to grow each year with a record number of 38 booths and participants registered for Saturday," said Health & Wellness Fair project coordinator, Wally Havertong. He said last year there were 24 booths registered.

This year, the event will be welcoming a number of new participants along with the annual regulars who come out to monitor and report on the nation's health.

Listed amongst the new participants are: A company that monitors seniors living alone; a Holistic therapist; A new Heart & Stork Foundation; A Cervical Cancer awareness foundation; a footcare specialist and a natural health alkaline center.

"The SZV will be back and this year they will be talking all about pensions and new regulations that are being passed concerning pensions for residents," said the popular lion member.

"There is something for everyone, including the senior citizens, the youth, women and men, who we are especially encouraging to come out and check on their health," continued Mr. Havertong.

Special considerations are being made this year to accommodate seniors in a specially set up tent so that they do not have to wait in long lines, and also a supervised play area for children who can have some fun while their parents or guardians are taking any of the number of tests available.

"Once again we are very pleased to announce that all the tests and visits on the day will be completely FREE of charge. The only thing visitors to the Health & Wellness Fair will have to be pay for is any of the delicious food they may wish to partake in on the day," continued Mr. Havertong.

He said by all accounts, and based on the media promotion leading up to Saturday's event, organizers are expecting another record turnout to the Rudy Hoeve Health & Wellness Fair.

The event gets under way at 9:00 am in the morning and will continue all day until 4:00 pm.

The Lions and participants at the upcoming Health & Wellness Fair will be meeting for the final time before Saturday's event at the Festival Village starting at 2:00 pm Wednesday for the final countdown.

Telem Press Release

PHILIPSBURG:--- The office of the Representative of the Netherlands in Sint Maarten cannot longer be missed. Besides the Dutch flag, the office in Front Street is also beautified with banners stating: Europese verkiezingen.

The elections for the European Parliament will take place on May 22nd, 2014. The Representation wants to draw attention for the elections and for the fact that citizens of St. Maarten have the right to vote. It is stressed that all inhabitants of Sint Maarten over eighteen, holding Dutch nationality, can claim that right by registering at the Dutch Representation.

Those who want to vote in Sint Maarten can do so by registering at the Office of the Representation, Front Street 26, before April 10th, 2014. The registration forms are available at the Office, but can also be downloaded from www.stemmenvanuithetbuitenland.nl. As soon as the voting forms are available, the Representation will invite by e-mail those who have registered, to pick up the forms or have them sent to their home address. People can fill in their voting form and deliver it in a sealed envelope to the Representation's Office at the latest May 22nd, 2014 at 3 p.m.

Europese Verkiezingen. Registreer nu!

PHILIPSBURG:--- During her weekly radio program One on One with the Prime Minister, the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams will be informing the public on he questions within the community concerning the merger of TELEM/UTS and the Electoral Council today, Friday March 21st, 2014.

"There are many questions regarding the discussions in the community regarding a possible merger between TELEM and UTS and I will be giving more information in this regard during this Friday's Radio Program. Similarly I will be explaining various aspects with regards to the Electoral Council and how it relates to the upcoming general elections. I urge the community to listen and call in with their feedback and questions and comments. This program is all about dialogue between myself and the community," urged Prime Minister Wescot-Williams.

The Prime Minister's Radio Program One on One with the Prime Minister broadcasts live on 98.1 Pearl FM from nine to ten in the morning. Listeners are urged to interact with the Prime Minister through calling in on 5430462 or via sending an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

PHILIPSBURG:--- Big news for Fun Miles cardholders: they can now save Fun Miles with their regional and international shipments, for example when ordering items online from the USA. This has become possible thanks to a new partnership between Fun Miles and two of the region's finest shipping companies: Interline Connections, which can handle all shipments from the USA, and Saga Maritime Transport Services, which provides shipments to and from Statia and other Caribbean destinations. Fun Miles cardholders can also redeem their saved miles at these shippers. As the icing on the cake, Saga and Interline offer Fun Miles cardholders double miles until April 10th.

HOW DOES IT WORK?
Saga Maritime Transport Services, which is also the agent for Interline Connections, welcomes clients at its offices at the JP Craane Cruise Terminal Building in Pointe Blanche. Since Saga and Interline offer a broad range of convenient services, from shipping a tiny package to a full container load, interested parties are invited to visit sagatransport.com or call 543-0444 to find out how these shippers can accommodate their exact needs.

Three Days of Competition, Concerts, Events Provided 'Serious Fun'

PHILIPSBURG:--- Sailors and boating enthusiasts from around the world gathered in St. Maarten (www.VacationStMaarten.com) by the thousands to participate in celebrations and races during the 34th Annual St. Maarten Heineken Regatta, which took place March 6 - 9, 2014. A remarkable 211 registered boats in 21 classes took part in the event, while visitors and residents enjoyed lively parties each night with energetic performances by LMFAO, Kes and Orange Grove.

In one of the closest and most dramatic concluding days in the long history of the Caribbean's biggest annual boating event, 20 division winners in a fleet of 211 boats were crowned on March 9 to wrap up this year's Regatta.

At the outset of this third and final day of competition, the end results, and potential victors, in nearly a dozen individual classes were too close to call. With just a few points separating the top boats in nearly all nine of the CSA classes, in two of the Bareboat divisions and in a Lottery class, everything was riding on the last race of the series from Marigot to Simpson Bay.

The Regatta's top prize for the "Most Worthy Performance Overall" went to Rich Wesslund's J/122, El Ocaso, the winner of the event's biggest division, the 18-boat CSA4 class. El Ocaso's crew received their prize from St. Maarten's Hon. Prime Minister Ms. Sarah Wescot-Williams, who was gracious in her remarks honoring Wesslund and his team, while also recognizing the hundreds of international sailors who had descended on the island for the event. It was the second time Wesslund's Florida-based squad earned this high honor.

Organizers for the 34th Annual St. Maarten Heineken Regatta worked tirelessly to create the perfect formula for three nights of island fun, with a performance by the Caribbean pop group Kes The Band during the Caribbean Jam night on March 8. The event headliners LMFAO, the world-renowned group famous for their hit songs "Party Rock" and "Sexy And I Know It," performed during the Legendary Party on Sunday, March 9, 2014 along with St. Maarten's own Orange Grove.

A number of local musicians and entertainers were also on hand during the Regatta's celebrations to keep the crowds dancing including: the Soualiga Brass Band, Koolberry Jam, Percy Rankin' & The Bonfire Band, Fred York, DJ Etienne The Kid, Partydude Jason, Mighty Dow and Christine Gordon.

For over three decades, the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta has showcased the top boats and sailing - and has become equally famous for its world-class slate of parties and musical entertainment - in the Caribbean. Each year, the annual competition, which consists of round-the-buoys contests and point-to-point destination races against the backdrop of St. Maarten's breathtaking coastal views, lives up to its worthy motto: Serious Fun.

For more information on St. Maarten, visit the official site of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau at www.VacationStMaarten.com.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), hereby announces that the Causeway will be closed to motorized traffic on Friday evening for two hours.

The Causeway will be closed to vehicular traffic on Friday evening from 8:00pm until 10:00pm. The Airport and Cole Bay round a bout will be open to regular traffic flow, but the causeway won't be accessible during the aforementioned hours.

The temporary closure is in connection with International Time Trails for bicycles being held on the Causeway by various international participants.

Ministry VROMI apologizes for any inconvenience that the road works activities may cause.

POND ISLAND:--- TelEm Group launched their pre-carnival warm up campaign at Sheika's, Backstreet, Friday, with members of the St. Maarten Carnival Development Foundation (SCDF) present - along with a host of carnival revelers and supporters.

The warm up is TelCell's 2nd Annual Road to Carnival event, which will be followed by a host of other fun events and activities leading up to the official opening of carnival.

SCDF President, Michael Granger, is once again happy that TelCell is taking the initiative to promote the island's premier tourist event in the lead up to carnival.

"Anything we can do to promote Carnival, especially on our 45th anniversary is most welcome," said the SCDF President.

Road to Carnival 2 Project Leader, Suraj Ramdas, said carnival followers can once again look forward to some great promotions by their favourite mobile provider with lots of giveaways, and most of all – "carnival-themed fun."

He said the schedule of upcoming events includes: a celebration at the Roof Top Bar & Grill, Illidge Road, on March 21, A Causeway Jump Up after party by Soggy Dollar on March 28, A TelEm Backyard Bashment on April 4, and the Road to Carnival grand finale event, a Mega Road Block jam on Sucker Garden Road between Monchies and Steven's Bar.

"We are looking forward to the participation of the public to all our upcoming events and promotions," said Suraj.

Last Friday's event coordinator, David Evans, said the Shieka's opening went off very well with several prizes-winners during the course of the evening among them Erissa Cozier.

Telem Press Release

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (Ministry of VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake was invited by residents of Nazareth road, Dutch Quarter to discuss issues of concern within their neighbourhood.

The residents pointed out their main concerns which were the upgrading of the Nazareth road (main), Christopher Maccow, Monrovia road, Amsterdam road, John Philips road and Felix Marlin roads, better street lighting in the neighbourhood, and a better structure where it concerns the pick-up of garbage in the area by the designated waste hauler.

This week milled asphalt will be applied to the three streets that were of a concern to residents.

"I have instructed my ministry to draft a plan of action. In my back to basics approach, and the people have come to know this over the past nine months, I meet with the people or community council to hear their issues of concern and from there I have my ministry draft a plan of action. After that you start addressing the concerns of the people.

"It's not rocket science, but basic small problems that can be addressed as soon as possible. These problems impact the lives of the people on a daily basis. People today want action right away and I am here to deliver via my back to basics approach.

"My ministry will also follow-up with NV GEBE with respect to the concerns of lack of proper street lights. When you have this type of thing, people fear for their safety, and we all as stakeholders have a responsibility to create a safe environment for our people leading to a better quality of life for all," Minister Hon. Maurice Lake said on Monday.

Staff from Ministry VROMI was also present for the meeting.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On March 13, 2014 the management of Telem Group and the St. Maarten Communication Union (SMCU) had a meeting to discuss several matters. The main topic in the four hour long meeting held was the merger of Telem Group and UTS.
Questions were posed about the press release in the local media of February 3, 2014 sent out by the Prime Minister and as well as the press release of March 13, 2014 sent out by the Minister of Telecommunications.
Telem Group CFO, Mrs. Helma Etnel, claimed not to have any involvement or any knowledge on the two above mentioned press releases.
Executive management sent out an internal release urging personnel not to be confused by articles based on rumors in the local newspapers, as it 'gives the incorrect impression'. However, in the same meeting of March 13, 2014 Mrs. Etnel mentioned that she received a mandate from the board of directors to continue negotiations with UTS, because UTS was selected as the primary company to merge with.
The SMCU questioned Mrs. Etnel as to how she could send out an internal release informing the staff that the articles in the local newspapers are rumors while saying that she received a mandate. The SMCU then informed Mrs. Etnel that she was misleading the staff of Telem Group with her statements.
SMCU informed Mrs. Etnel that the last time there was any discussion about a possible merger was since the year 2011. Since then she never informed the union or the staff about merging with any company, and that it seems that there are "secrets" in this whole merger.
After the meeting SMCU wrote a letter to the Prime Minister and the Minister of Telecommunication requesting a meeting with both of them in order to discuss the matter at hand, because Mrs. Etnel is saying that the newspaper articles are rumors.
The SMCU is not in agreement with the merger of TELEM and UTS for the following reasons:

1. UTS recently restructured, which resulted in over 100 employees being sent home.
2. UTS wants to do another restructuring after the last one.
3. UTS appears to be having financial difficulties and not generating enough revenues in Suriname, St. Kitts, and Nevis.
4. Government of Curacao recently requested SOAB to do conduct an audit in UTS.

How can it be that the Government of St. Maarten would select UTS as the best company for Telem Group to merge with?
The SMCU is aware of a letter of intent signed between GEBE and TELEM where the two companies have agreed to work with each other and to share projects and costs.
The SMCU finds that if there is any merger going to take place it should be GEBE and TELEM because if these companies merge there will be synergy and job security.
The SMCU was called by Member of Parliament, Mr. Theo Heyliger, who is the only MP that showed concern about the articles in the newspapers about the merging of UTS and Telem. Based on these articles, he requested to meet with the union to discuss the articles that he saw in the local media. On Monday March 17, 2014 the SMCU met with the MP Mr. Theo Heyliger. The union informed him about their concerns regarding the merger between TELEM and UTS.
During a lengthy discussion, the SMCU informed the MP Mr. Heyliger that a merger with GEBE would be more welcomed by the union and its members.
Mr. Heyliger clearly stated that he is also in total disagreement with any UTS-Telem merger. He strongly believes that the three companies which are Telem, GEBE and PSS should merge. This type of merger will guarantee job security for our people and will make the companies stronger and able to take on any competitor.
The MP indicated that he understands why the union does not believe that UTS -Telem merger is in the best interest of its members and does not want to see more of its members without a job. We went through a painful restructuring in the year 2012, and do not see it necessary to repeat such an event again.
He said that a merger between UTS and TELEM would call for another restructuring and this will put more St. Maarten people on the streets without a job, and the economy of our country cannot handle an increase in unemployment.
Mr. Heyliger further stated that he supports and agrees that the best strategic partner to merge with is GEBE. Also, we need to help our sister company PSS. This would mean that all the companies would fall under one umbrella. Doing this will give the government and the island of St. Maarten one strong group of companies with long term viability.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The One St. Maarten People Party (OSPP) is celebrating its' first anniversary this March, 2014 and has organized a convention with the theme "A Change Must Come". The party was legally organized in March 2013 with the main objectives to promote in the widest sense of the word the economic, cultural, agricultural and political development of the people of Sint Maarten. The constitution of the party also calls for the promoting, supporting and campaigning for persons interested in elected offices in St. Maarten and to uphold the constitution of Sint Maarten. "As a political party we have been keeping the general public informed and we have been putting some serious proposals forward that would improve the quality of life of the people, says Lenny Priest.
The OSPP has organized a convention (congress) for Sunday, March 30, 2014 at the John Larmonie Center on Long Wall, Philipsburg. This is in keeping with the OSPP constitution and our plans to organize activities throughout the year in the various districts. During this convention the board and the Interim Leader will give a full report to the delegates (members) for the first year of the OSPP existence. The delegates will also have the opportunity to make proposals to the organization and to elect a new board and the leader of the party. For more information regarding the OSPP convention you may contact the One St. Maarten People Party, 526-7880; Mr. Lloyd Beaton at 550-4348 526-7880, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit our Facebook page One St. Maarten People Party. You may also pick up an application at our party headquarters on Pointe Blanche Road in front the Sol Gas Station. The convention will be held from 2:00pm until 6:00pm on Sunday, March 30, 2014 and much information will be shared with the delegates.
The OSPP is very critical of the government for not having announced a date for the election as yet. Many people are planning their vacations and other activities that may require them to be off island, but cannot planned properly because they don't know when the election is going to take place and they want their vote to count. They want to plan their activities around the election date and this government is punishing them by not announcing the election date. Some plans cannot change overnight without having some serious financial consequences and the government should be taken this into consideration and not have their people gamble with planned dates. It behooves this UP/DP government to announce the election date now and allow the playing field to be level for all the parties that will be taken part in election 2014.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Foundation 5 Square Miles St. Martin, Conscious Agricultural Awakening Foundation, The Sint Maarten National Commission for UNESCO, and the Philipsburg Jubilee Library (PJL) have joined forces this year to celebrate World Poetry Day.
This day, which is observed annually on March 21, was first announced by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) in 1999 and is, according to the UNESCO website, meant to "promote linguistic diversity through poetic expression, encourage a return to the oral tradition of poetry recitals, promote the teaching of poetry, restore a dialogue between poetry and the other arts such as theatre, dance, music and painting, to support small publishers and create an attractive image of poetry in the media, so that the art of poetry will no longer be considered an outdated form of art, but one which enables society as a whole to regain and assert its identity."
The local commemoration of the day will start with a series of school visits from some of the islands poets during the morning hours of Friday, March 21, 2014. Later that day they will be an evening of poetry in the Philipsburg Jubilee Library's hall, under the theme "Cross-Generations: A Gathering of Soualiga's Poets". Audience members will be treated to original pieces of poetry from a mix of the young, up-and-coming poets of Soualigan Fyah including; Andrew Peterson, seasoned poets such as; Sumaiyah Tha Poet, Lucinda Audian, and Doran Joseph, as well as some of the elders of poetry including; Viviene Roberts, and Raymond Helligar. An open mic segment will be open to poets from the public from 7:30pm – 8:00pm.
"St. Maarten/St. Martin has a long history of poets and in the last 30 years or so published poets. Cross-Generations celebrates the vibrancy of this and pays homage to the older poets and our publishing outlet House of Nehesi Publishers by incorporating some poets published in its latest venture, the anthology 'Where I See The Sun.' At least one poet who will be presenting, Andrew Peterson, has a history of poetry in his family, with his father and grandfather writing poems in their days. It is important that we acknowledge the word of the written and spoken word on the island and the ability it has to transform things," Lysanne Charles, President of Foundation 5 Square Miles St. Martin and coordinator of the event, said.
On Saturday, March 22 a free Creative Writing and Performance Workshop will be held at the University of St. Martin from 9:00am – 12:00pm and 1:00pm – 4:00pm. Facilitators for these workshops are former Minister of Education, Dr. Rhoda Arrindell, author and cultural activist, Fabian Badejo, and Clara Reyes, Co-Creative Director of the National Institute of the Arts (NIA). Members of the public wishing to participate in these free workshops are encouraged to sign up at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or to come out to the University of St. Martin, by no later than 9:00am.
Sponsors for these events include the Philipsburg Jubilee Library and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports & Youth Affairs.
The public is encouraged to come out and show their support for the island's poets and their poetry and spoken word.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Last week the first article from a series of articles was released regarding the major research findings from the Elderly Research report carried out by the Social Development Department. Today the research findings pertaining to "Which services are currently being provided to the elderly and what is lacking?" are presented.
"As a responsible government we need to synchronize the efforts of the organizations because we understand the lack of human as well as financial resources available", said Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labour, Cornelius de Weever. He further explains that the findings from this aspect of the report will be used to guide Governments efforts to improve the services currently being offered and explore opportunities for including the services that are currently lacking.
Presently, there are 25 organizations that provide services to the elderly of which 9 provide services specifically to the elderly. The following findings are based on interviews with representatives from the 25 organizations well as input from the 366 participants.

Provided Services
The various services available to the elderly include:

• Nursing Home & Nursing care at home
• Emergency services
• Social and recreational activities
• Social housing
• Union services
• Church services
• Community Assistant through Councils and Help Desks
• Home visits and excursions
• Transportation
• Food supply

Improvements to be made

• Increase the amount of pension being received.
• Special lines or better attention by the different service providers (church, commercial, medical)
• Increase in the amount of social workers and/or volunteers with special training to help elderly
• Expand existing services to accommodate the needs of the elderly. This includes community centers, churches services, medical services and commercial services.
• Improve accessibility of buildings in the sense of adjustments for elderly (elevators, ramps, special bathrooms and senior booths) needs to be addressed.
• Bring the services and activities more into the neighborhoods. By doing so the accessibility is better and the services and activities can be more tailor-made to the social needs in that specific neighborhood.
• Assistance when it comes to applying for financial and medical aid from Government
• Increase communication about their services, opening hours and locations are mentioned.
• Strengthen the capacity of institutions such as the Mental Health Foundation and the White & Yellow Cross Care Foundation
• Strengthen Community councils and centers to have more special activities for the elderly.

Lacking Services
Recommendations were made to provide the following services:

• Financial Assistance: Have special rates/discount for elderly, particularly at grocery stores and GEBE.
• Commercial and medical home services e.g. collect payments for bills at home, family doctor or laboratory staff do home visits, at home delivery of medication, etc.
• Home Care Services: Helping in and around the house such as cleaning, cooking, company etc.
• Recreational services in the area of social activities, sports, arts and craft
• Educational programs such as health, computer, and reading
• Improved transportation system. These can be specific to have transportation to pay bills, to go to GEBE, UTS, Telem, Government and Banks, to go to medical services or into town/grocery shopping. Other participants want bus services in their area, or bus stops closer to their home, special services for elderly in the bus or special fares.
• Work possibilities for the elderly

Overall, a limited amount of the elderly indicated that the services could be improved. Most were satisfied with the quality of services currently being provided, but expressed the need for other services which are lacking. Stay tuned for part 3 and 4 to come, which will provide details on which organizations are involved in providing services for the elderly and are they equipped for the aging population?" as well as what is Government currently doing in 2014 to cater to the needs of the elderly.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor Cornelius de Weever called on the President of WIFOL Theophilus Thompson to provide some kind of proof of the agreement he said the Sonesta Maho Group has with the Government of St. Maarten regarding an exchange program with Sandals Resort. Minister de Weever said the authority to issue employment permits rests with him and he took note of Mr. Thompson's statements in the media, and he is again saddened by his choice to bring non-factual matters to the forefront.

"In order to get this matter rectified, I am publicly requesting that Mr. Thompson provide the Council of Ministers with a copy of the agreement to which he is referring to that was made between this Government and the Sonesta Group of Companies, as it regards the so-called 'exchange program between Sandals Resorts in Jamaica and Maho/Great Bay'.

This Ministry is not only responsible for issuing employment permits, but is also responsible for the full compliance through the auspices of the Inspectorate.

Mr. Thompson also refers to the lack of training for persons on the Labor Market- and I must therefore also note, that this Ministry has spent thousands of guilders, payable to CIFSEF for the training of unemployed persons. We commend Mr. Thompson for his work with CIFSEF, and continue to encourage him to partner with other educational institutes to boost the quality of training being offered at CIFSEF as well.

"I believe in transparency and in principles of good governance – questions should be asked, and answers should be readily provided. However, one should not ask questions tainted with misperceptions garnered from personal experiences.

The Ministry has made it a mission to provide protection for all persons, in all categories, within all segments of our society. And we hold dearly the role each party needs to play in maintaining the balance, ensuring that well-being is sustained for all.

In this breath, I would like to present the 'Rights and Responsibilities' for Employees/Laborers. As a Country we recognize the need to address our Rights, ensuring that they are duly protected, but we must also recognize our Responsibilities – and in this respect to our employers."

Rights of Workers Brochure now available --- Workers must Know their Rights.

The Minister of Labour and his staff presented a brochure on Wednesday which is geared at informing workers of their rights. The brochure was put together by the department's policy advisor on the orders of the Minister of Labour.

Head of the Department of Labor and Social Affairs Peggy Ann Dros told reporters that while there are workers who simply do not know their rights, she also has to commend the employers who have been doing the right thing by maintaining the labor laws on St. Maarten.

BERLIN, Germany:--- Transparency International (TI) is a global movement sharing one vision: a world in which government, business, civil society and the daily lives of people are free of corruption. Through close to 100 national chapters worldwide and an international secretariat in Berlin, TI brings people from all sectors of society together to put effective measures in place to tackle corruption and promote transparency, accountability and integrity.
TI defines corruption as the abuse of entrusted power for private gain. It impacts societies in a multitude of ways. In the worst cases, it costs lives. Short of this, it costs people their freedom, health, or money. Corruption thrives where temptation meets
permissiveness: where institutional checks on power are missing, where decision making is opaque, where civil society is dis-empowered. It is therefore important to establish control mechanisms and systemic hurdles to prevent people from abusing their power.

Corruption is rarely an isolated phenomenon found only within a specific institution, sector or group of actors. It is usually of a systemic nature, and fighting it requires a holistic and systemic strategy. This is why TI developed the concept of National Integrity System (NIS) assessments in 2001. Since then, NIS studies have been completed in more than 100 countries around the world. In addition to the St. Maarten study, TI is currently working on over twenty NIS assessments.
An NIS assessment evaluates the anti-corruption efficacy of all principal institutions and actors that form a state. These include all branches of government, the media, the public and private sectors, and civil society (see graph opposite). Through a nuanced analysis of national efforts to stamp out corruption, it provides a framework which organizations and citizens can use to analyze both the vulnerabilities of a given country to corruption as well as the effectiveness of national anti-corruption efforts.

The purpose of an NIS study is to highlight corruption risks and produce recommendations on how to mitigate those in the future. Once an NIS assessment is complete, it is used to help different actors advocate for the strengthening of areas that
are prone to corruption. Depending on the results of an assessment in a specific country, this may include better access to information laws, citizen participation, whistle-blower protection or adherence to international conventions.

Transparency International Press Release

PHILIPSBURG:--- Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), hereby announces a five minute road closure at the SXM Airport Round-a-bout on Friday, March 21 at 11:20am.

Interruption to the traffic flow is in connection with a special ceremony being hosted by Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM Airport) for the unveiling and handover of the SXM Airport round-a-bout.

Motorists are requested to be vigilant and observant for the brief traffic disruption at the aforementioned round-a-bout.

Ministry VROMI apologizes for any inconvenience that the road works activities may cause.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The National Alliance has expressed astonishment with the misleading statements made by United Peoples Party member Franklin Meyers, who heavily criticized NA on a recent radio program for its decision to request a meeting of Parliament to discuss developments at Princess Juliana International Airport.
On the radio program on 95.9fm Meyers, a former Minister of Tourism unfoundedly suggested that Alliance only requested the PJIA meeting because the airport was being run by a local. He suggested that if the airport was being run by "a certain van this or van that" the NA would not have wanted a meeting.
Meyers' assertion is not just ludicrous; it also exposes the hypocrisy of the United Peoples party and concocted stories UP continues to plant in the community.
NA Leader William Marlin said it is Meyers and his party leader Theo Heyliger who have built a track record of side lining and politically assaulting locals in St. Maarten.
Marlin said the UP Party member seems to forget that it was he who set out to put two locals on the breadline while serving as the country's first Minister of Tourism. As soon as Meyers assumed the position of Minister of Tourism he launched a political assault on two locals when he signed a letter in November 2010 to suspend St. Maarteners Regina Labega and Edward Dest from the S. Maarten Tourist Bureau.
Meyers not only suspended Labega and Dest, but also barred them from entering their offices and accused them of embezzlement.
It was only after Labega and Dest fought back and obtained lawyers to write government, that they were allowed to return to their offices, but Meyers never dropped the charges against these local St. Maarteners.
It was the same Meyers and his party leader Theo Heyliger who were then commissioners with the Democratic Party in the former Island Territory, who waged a public assault on another local - Christina Labega (Regina Labega's sister) and drove her out of her top executive position at the Harbour Group of Companies.
It is clear that the UP party members have a history of stifling and side lining locals. Former Minister Meyers seems to believe that he can fool the people of St. Maarten all of the time, but the people of St. Maarten do not forget these things.
Throwing up smoke screens and making up false and misleading stories to accuse the National Alliance of going after locals will not fool the people of St. Maarten.
For the record, the National Alliance has a right to request meetings of Parliament and it has nothing to do with the made-up stories that Meyers is suggesting.
Are the people of St. Maarten to believe that only the UP has the right to call meetings to ask questions? If the UP locks a civil servant out of office and files a complaint with the Public Prosecutor's Office that is good, but if another party requests a meeting to discuss developments at government owned companies, then that party is against locals. UP has again exposed its hypocrisy.
The meeting requested by the National Alliance is to discuss developments at the Princess Juliana International Airport. The National Alliance has not accused anyone of embezzlement nor did the National Alliance call to lock anyone out of their office and send them home on suspension.
While Frankie Meyers and his party leader Theo Heyliger may want to hope and believe that the people of St. Maarten have short memories and you can continue to fool them as you go along, they are UP for a big surprise come election time. Because you can fool some of the people some of the time, but you definitely cannot fool all of the people all of the time!

National Alliance Press Release

PHILIPSBURG:--- The members of the supervisory board of GEBE dispatched a letter on March 10th, 2014 informing government and the company that they want to have the latest iPhones on the market while they also want Sony brand computers.

Minister of VROMI Maurice Lake placed three members on the board since he took office, they are Zylena Barry, Veronica Webster Jensen, and Kenneth Bloyden. According to reliable information reaching SMN News, Minister Lake increased the compensation for the board members since they were appointed. Well placed sources state that in the past the chairman of the board would receive $2,500 per month but that amount has now been increased to $4,000.00. Members of the former board were given $1,500 monthly but Minister Lake increased the board member's compensation to $2,000.00. While the Minister has been making the increases for the supervisory board members, GEBE consumers are still awaiting the cut they were promised in their electricity bills.

SMN News learned that GEBE's policy for phones for their board members is the same as their policy for managers who each got either a BBZ-10 or BBQ-10. The current board members requested three iPhones, one Samsung Galaxy Note 3 and one Samsung Galaxy S4. The computer policy (laptops) for GEBE managers is a standard HP, however, at least one of the board members requested a Sony laptop which is by far more expensive.

Another concern raised by some of the workers of GEBE is that the Minister of VROMI Maurice Lake appointed Veronica Webster Jensen to the supervisory board of the government owned company while Jensen is currently working in the Minister's cabinet as his policy advisor. They said the current board is working in a micro-management style or better yet micro-supervision since they meet almost on a daily basis with the managers and give them directives on the day to day operation of the company.

According to one source, the three supervisory board members that were appointed by Minister Lake recently walked out of the opening ceremony of the water-plant because their presence were mistakenly not acknowledged. Another source said that whenever, the new chairman Kenneth Bloyden is congratulated for his appointment as chairman of the supervisory board he would react by saying that he signed his "death warrant" and instead the workers should begin extending condolences to him.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot Williams told members of the media on Wednesday at the Council of Ministers' weekly press briefing that the parliamentary elections for 2014 will likely be held on September 5th, 2014 (anniversary of Hurricane Luis) if the current government runs for the full term. Wescot Williams also laid out some of the things that have to take place prior to the elections. Elections she said have to be held between 80 to 90 days prior to the end of this parliamentary term which ends on 10/10/14. Another key factor is that candidates have to postulate 48 days before election date while voting cards have to be sent out to all voters eight days before elections. Persons that are not on the voter's registration list can approach the court to get on the list, this she said also has to be done within a specific time frame.

When asked if she considered the date for elections since it is scheduled during the peak season of the hurricanes, Wescot Williams said that from the inception when the status change was granted everyone knew when elections had to be held. Furthermore, she said that even if the Parliament of St. Maarten is dissolved on April 1st (example) elections will be held during the first week of July which is also part of the hurricane season. The Prime Minister said no one can determine the weather conditions at no time of the year and if it turns out that there are weather conditions when the election is scheduled then political parties have to use less political paraphernalia alongside the public roads.

PM to Meet with Residents of Nazareth --- Promised to touch base with Minister of VROMI.

Wescot Williams also announced on Wednesday that she received a letter from the residents of Nazareth Dutch Quarter asking her to meet with them to discuss the road conditions of that area. Wescot Williams said that the residents who invited her to meet with them also attached list with a number of signatures therefore she will meet with them. She said that she will consult with the Minister of VROMI Maurice Lake who met with the residents some time ago to unleash the road development plan for that area.

Fort Amsterdam in Deplorable Conditions --- Government asked Harbour Holding Companies to Chip in with Repairs.

Wescot Williams also announced on Wednesday that the government was informed that Fort Amsterdam is in deplorable conditions and that the Ministry of VROMI will be conducting some emergency repairs. She said because the Fort is eroding the Government of St. Maarten requested that the Harbour Group of Companies assist with the repairs which could be more solid.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Infotrans Caribbean N.V., a full service Infrastructure, Communications and Technology Company, is organizing its first annual ICT Seminar on March 21st at the Divi little Beach Resort, on using ICT in the most efficient and smartest way to lower the total cost of ownership and create competitive advantages for businesses.
During this seminar in-depth sessions will be given by captains of the ICT industry such as; Cisco, Microsoft, Avaya and NetApp. They will cover topics as: IT installation, Switching, World Class ICT Infrastructure, Storage solutions & cloud computing, PBX, VOIP, IP office phone systems & Microsoft Office 365. The sessions will be interactive whereby the industry experts will offer professional assistance and guidance to policymakers and the St. Maarten ICT community to help them get "IT" together.
Joost Giebels, (Commercial Director of Infotrans Caribbean N.V.) & Shurhensley Thielman (Director of Infotrans St. Maarten), are confident that the St. Maarten ICT community will truly benefit from this event as they will get the unique opportunity to have in-depth discussion with global market leaders. "In the ICT industry, the possibilities are endless but the complexity often makes it difficult to implement. So what we are trying to achieve, is to give St. Maarten professionals the right building blocks to make 'IT' all come together".
Government Policymakers and ICT-ers are all invited to attend this seminar. It's free of charge but registration is required and limited seats are available. RSVP at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit: www.shopinfotrans.cw for more information.

GREAT BAY:--- The Philipsburg Jubilee Library (PJL) in partnership with the National Development Plan (NDP) will be hosting a panel discussion set for Thursday, March 20, at 7:00 PM, at the Library.
This panel discussion will be themed "Building the Nation of St. Maarten: The Role of Cultural Heritage Institutions".
"Our main purpose for this event is to explore ways in which cultural heritage institutions, like our library, can contribute to the Nation building process by learning from the experiences of the National Library of Aruba", stated Library Director, Monique Alberts.
The keynote address will be delivered by researcher and educator, Drs. Mirto Laclé from Aruba. Laclé holds two master's degrees in Hispanic and Latin American Literature and Linguistics. His expertise are in Creole languages, specifically Papiamentu. The retired lecturer of the Instituto Pedagogico Arubano currently coordinates special projects at the National Library of Aruba.
Panelists for the event will include archeologist Dr. Jay Haviser representing the St. Maarten Archaeological Center (SIMARC), Marcellia Henry, Secretary General of UNESCO St. Maarten, Drs. Okama Ekpe-Brook, NDP representative, and Drs. Monique Alberts, PJL Director. Moderator for the panelists will be author, senior journalist, and cultural activist, Fabian Badejo.
"We want to encourage young people to use the library for research on tangible and intangible cultural heritage, ancestral lineage, monuments, etc. We also want to encourage the love of reading as a way to improve literacy and a knowledge based economy", said Okama Ekpe-Brook.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Monday March 17th, 2014, the Police Department sent out a missing persons report in the name of Steve Gerard Raynald MACHY. All the information along with a picture of the missing person was sent out to the media and also posted on the Facebook page of the Sint Maarten Police Force. Fortunately on Tuesday March 18th, 2014, the Police Department received message from the friends of S. MACHY that he was located in Caravanserai in the vicinity of Dunes Casino. Mister MACHY was found in good health, after persons recognized him from his photo that was posted in the newspapers and on Facebook. The authorities and his friends were immediately notified. Steve MACHY was transported by a Simpson Bay police patrol to the Philipsburg Police Station where he gave a statement to detectives and his family in France was notified. After brief contact, the decision was made and an airline ticket back to France was immediately purchased by his family. He was escorted by the police and friends to the Princes Juliana International Airport where he boarded his flight back to France. The Police Department wants to thank all those persons who shared their Facebook post and assisted in locating Steven MACHY.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Wednesday March 12th, 2014, the Police Department started to control drivers of motor vehicles who had not paid their road tax for the year 2014. These controls were held during the day and also at night at different locations on the Dutch Side of the island. As of Wednesday March 12th until Sunday March 16th a total 164 motor vehicles were towed and a total of 229 fines were given to those drivers that were driving their vehicle on the public road without having their road tax paid. These traffic controls will continue and the numbers of vehicles towed and fines given are likely to increase.

KPSM Police Report

Still Awaiting Response on DP Tabled Motion on General Utility Bill Relief for the Public

PHILIPSBURG:--- The DP Faction of Parliament and Prime Minister Wescot-Williams applaud the pending signing of the GEBE relief for Seniors, the MOU of which will be signed on Monday. A Press Release coming from the DP Faction and the Prime Minister's Cabinet stated that any relief to the seniors of the country is a good sign and hopefully relief to the general population as per the motion table by DP Parliamentarian Roy Marlin recently will follow. Although we would have liked to see the relief extended to all residential consumers, our elderly will greatly benefit from this initiative. Throughout its governing, the DP has put the plight of the elderly high on the national agenda.
Nevertheless we are still awaiting the proposal as adopted by parliament in the Budget meeting on the 15th of January, whereby parliament indicated that the subsidy which was granted to Saba and St. Eustatius in the past be allocated to residential consumers," read the DP statement. "We remain firm on this issue, because GEBE thus far has not contested the premise that with the "cut-off" of Saba and St. Eustatius, reduction in the consumer price on St. Maarten is possible."
The Prime Minister also applauded the initiative and referred to her letter sent to the Managing Board of GEBE back in 2011, in which she stated the urgency of pensioners receiving relief on their utility bills and asked of GEBE that something be done.
It is not about tooting our own horn, but it has taken a long time, and we are all too aware that many of our senior citizens are primarily dependent on their monthly pension to make ends meet. With the increasing cost of fuel, it is extremely challenging for pensioners to survive on this small income, having to take care of their daily needs and at the same time pay exorbitant electricity bills.
In fact, the 2011 letter from the DP leader and Prime Minister to GEBE read in part: "I am of the opinion that after proper research, all pensioners who are solely dependent on their pension should qualify for the same "relief". These pensioners should be self-reliant and should not be living with relatives or a partner/spouse who have an income. A survey of the elderly in our community is presently being conducted and in the meantime I have requested that Social Affairs assess the position of the Belvedere Red Cross Apartments Senior residents".
The Democratic Party faction has recently sent a letter to Parliament President, Mrs. Gracita Arrindell calling for GEBE Shareholder Representative Minister Maurice Lake to give an update on the GEBE motion passed by Parliament on January 15. The DP also wants Lake to provide a timeline within which the motion will be executed.
In the motion, which was unanimously approved, DP Member of Parliament Roy Marlin sought to request GEBE Shareholder Representative to ensure that the operational subsidy formerly paid by GEBE for its operations in Saba and St. Eustatius go directly towards decreasing the fixed cost charged by GEBE to residential consumers. The MP wants the NAf. 5 to NAf. 7 million guilders that GEBE will now save annually, to benefit consumers; "While the Democratic Party faction in Parliament applauds the recent initiatives by GEBE to introduce alternative energy such as solar power, and reduce electricity rates for our senior citizens, the Democratic Party believes that the motion accepted by Parliament gives the basis for an immediate initial relief on GEBE's direct electricity cost towards the consumers, especially taking into consideration the hard economic times that many residents find themselves in. Any relief given to the consumer at this point and time will signify an expansion of the spending power of the consumer and will assist the neediest in our community."

Click here to view the letter sent by PM Wescot Williams to the Managing Board of GEBE concerning Utility Bill Relief for Seniors.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

PHILIPSBURG:--- Air service to the cosmopolitan island of St. Maarten continues to increase with the news of Seaborne Airlines, the fastest growing airline in the Caribbean, launching daily non-stop service between Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico and Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten, which commenced March 3, 2014.

Fares between San Juan and St. Maarten begin as low as $88 one way, taxes and fees included. Flights can be reserved through local travel agencies or via SeaborneAirlines.com, Expedia and Travelocity.

"This new service will add additional flight options for North American visitors traveling to St. Maarten," said Edward Dest, interim director of tourism for the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau. "With direct flights roughly an hour long each way, it also makes it easier for Puerto Ricans to visit St. Maarten on a whim for a quick shopping trip in our duty-free paradise," he added.

Seaborne Airlines' new non-stop daily flights between St. Maarten and Puerto Rico are as follows:

• San Juan, PR (SJU) Departure Time 6:45pm
• St. Maarten (SXM) Arrival Time 7:45pm
• St. Maarten (SXM) Departure Time 8:00am
• San Juan, PR (SJU) Arrival Time 9:10am

For more information on St. Maarten, visit the official site of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau at www.VacationStMaarten.com.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Wednesday March 5th – 11th, 2014, the Minister of Justice the Honorable Dennis Richardson made his way to the Dominican Republic with the intention to strengthening the lines of communication and the working relations between the two countries.

The Minister met with the Minister of Justice of the Dominican Republic the Honorable Francisco D. Brito. The discussion was considered fruitful as both Ministers indicated the willingness to strengthen and broaden cooperation between the countries in the Caribbean to combat international organized crime and its threats to the governments and communities of the Caribbean. The possibility of prisoners exchange was also explored.

During the trip the Minister then paid a courtesy visit to the Dutch Consul Mrs. Marijke A. Van Drunen-Little. The consul ensures that she is aware of Sint Maarten's willingness to work together for the benefit of all involved. The Dutch Consul assured that she was very pleased with the visit and confirmed that she is also ready and willing to work with Sint Maarten as she already has established working relations with other islands such as Curacao and Aruba; she reaffirmed her commitment by stating that she will be visiting Sint Maarten very soon. The difficulties in contacting the embassy were addressed. Several changes for improving service are causing temporary problems. Clients are hereby informed to submit their visa request by email if the usual connections prove difficult.

PHILIPSBURG:--- President of the Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU) Claire Elshot has issued a public call to the board of the St. Maarten Academy to reimburse teachers the 4.2% they deducted from all teachers salaries beginning since January 2014 for family sickness insurance.

Elshot said the union sent a letter to the board informing them that teachers are not supposed to pay the 4.2% which applies to the private sector workers. She further explained that teachers have a special insurance they pay for themselves and family members. "Actually teachers and civil servants pay two insurances in order to get to the 90% and the 4.2% does not apply to them even though they are working for a government subsidized school. Due to this deduction, teachers of St. Maarten Academy are paying triple for the same package. I called on all my members to ensure that they are registered for the pension plan because even though the pension deductions are made does not mean it is paid into the pension fund." Elshot further explained that one of the administrative staff provided a pay slip that showed some NAF. 800.00 was deducted from her salary in January for the family insurance. She said the worker wrote the school board and to date they have not received a response. Elshot further explained that the teachers of both sections wrote a collective letter along with the letter sent by the union and the board did not respond to any of the letters sent to them.

WICSU/PSU lost Court Case on COLA --- Discussions underway for COLA payments to be placed in a CLA.

Elshot also indicated that the court case initiated by the WICSU/PSU to obtain the remaining 50% of the COLA was not in favor of the union. She said that while the WICSU/PSU took the decision to go to court alone and the outcome is unfavorable, no one should rejoice because if there was a favorable decision then everyone would have been rejoicing today. "I know the decision rendered by the court is applicable to everyone. However, if the decision was favorable everybody would have been rejoicing." Elshot further explained that while the court case was initiated government had established a committee to work with the GOA to find a feasible solution for the COLA payments. She said that during the last meeting she attended they tabled a motion to have the annual indexation be placed in a Collective Labor Agreement (CLA) which would avoid the unions from fighting for this indexation annually.

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GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- The Monument Council is holding an informative meeting for property owners.

The property owners in question are those who have properties that were designated as monuments.

The meeting will take place on Thursday, March 20 from 6:30pm to 8:30pm at the A.C. Wathey Hall, Government Administration Building.

Designated monuments from 2005

1. Fort Amsterdam, 2. Union Farm, 3. Vineyard Estate, 4. Methodist Church, 5. Methodist Manse, 6. Brick Building, 7. Guavaberry Emporium, 8. Pasanggrahan Royal Guest House

Designated monuments from 2008

1. Courthouse, 2. Emilio Wilson Estate, 3. Verkavelingen Zoutpanned Great Bay Salt Pond en dijk (noth/east of Great Salt Pond), 4. Zoutfabriek Foga, 5. Madame Estate (At Illidge Rd.), 6. Mary's Fancy Planation, 7. Belvedere Planation, 8. Bishop Hill, Planation, 9. Dutch Reformed Cemetery Cul De Sac, 10. L. B. Scott Road 105, 11. St. Joseph Convent, 12. Front Street #26, 13. Front Street #113, 14. Front Street #134, 15. The White House, 16. Back Street #28, 17. Doillsion House, 18. Back Street #93, 19. Back Street # 152, 20. Back Street # 153, 21. Back Street # 171

Designated monuments from 2009

1. Fort Willem I, 2. St. Peter's Battery, 3. Ebenezer Planation, 4. Bethlehem Planation, 5. Rink House, 6. Roman Catholic Church, (Front Street), 7. Front Street #56, 8. Front Street #57, 9. Front Street # 59, 10. L'Escargot, 11. Oranje School, 12. De Weever House, 13. Back Street # 44, 14. Sweet Repose/Sister Borgia School, 15. St. Joseph School, 16. Hendriksteeg #4, 17. Zoutpakhuis, 18. Van Putten House, 19. Simpson Bay Rd. # 11

20. Simpson Bay Rd. #44, 21. Simpson Bay Government Cistern / Simpson Bay Rd., 22. Simpson Bay Old Bridge (Behind Atrium), 23. St. Petus Gonzales Chapel.

PHILIPSBURG:--- A Central Committee meeting of the House of Parliament is scheduled for March 19th with a seven point agenda.

The public central committee meeting is set for Wednesday at 2:00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

Agenda point one are preparations for Parlatino meetings of May 22 and 23; agenda two, advice regarding the installation of an Ad Hoc Committee New Parliament Building; agenda three advice regarding the 'Annual President of Parliament Award.'

The fourth agenda point is a Kingdom Law protocol and treaty related to Beijing, China with respect to aviation; fifth agenda point is related to fishing zones, and sea boundaries of the Kingdom; sixth agenda point is related to an international treaty concerning economic, social and cultural rights; and agenda point seven, proposal to change Kingdom law related to the Dutch nationality.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com, and also via www.sxmparliament.org.

PHILIPSBURG:--- President of the Windward Islands Civil Servants Union and the Private Sector Union (WICSU/PSU) Deri Leonard told SMN News in a telephone interview that she will be questioning the Minister of Health Dr. Cornelius de Weever and the Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot Williams about a new policy that was implemented by SZV. Leonard said on Tuesday morning one of her members called her while at the doctor's office to inform her that SZV sent all doctors on St. Maarten an email informing them that they are only allowed to see patients for 20 minutes. Leonard said the person is a civil servant, therefore the Prime Minister and Minister of Health must have some knowledge of this new policy which was implemented by SZV without informing the workers and the unions.

Leonard questioned what can a doctor do in 20 minutes, she said that it appears as though doctors are not supposed to properly examine and diagnose patients prior to writing prescriptions.

SMN News contacted head of SZV Reginald Willemsberg to verify the information Leonard provided to SMN News. Willemsberg said he has no knowledge of the new policy and he for sure did not send out such emails to doctors on the island. He further stated that if any of SZV's workers had done that they would have informed him. WIllemsberg promised to further investigate the matter.

PHILIPSBURG:--- President of the Workers Institute for Organized Labor (WIFOL) Theophilus Thompson confirmed on Tuesday during the Windward Islands Chamber of Labour Unions' weekly press briefing that the Government of St. Maarten and Sonesta Group of Companies entered into an agreement where they bring in people working for Sandals Resort to take up management positions on St. Maarten. Thompson said the union is concerned about this move because he believes that workers on St. Maarten lack training and even though the island has a record of 60 years in the Tourism Industry there is still no training center for workers that are in the hospitality field. Thompson further explained that he is the representative for the workers at Sonesta Great Bay while the WICSU/PSU represents the workers of Sonesta Maho. The unionist said at Sonesta Great Bay there are at least five persons that came from Sandals Resort and are holding top positions at Sonesta.

Last week during the Council of Ministers' weekly press briefing, SMN News asked the Minister of Labor Cornelius de Weever if he was aware of this agreement and if the workers mainly from Jamaica have working permits. Minister de Weever denied having any knowledge of such and an agreement.
Thompson said all the workers that were brought in from Sandals are in possession of working and residency permits because this was an agreement the company made with government. He further explained that top managerial positions for the Sonesta Group of Companies were always held by foreigners. He said at the moment the food and beverage manager is one of the persons that was brought in due to the agreement government has with the company.

The President of WIFOL said that the only union that saw it fit to train workers is the WIFOL through CIFSEF. "Because of the training CIFSEF provides, there are workers that work at Great Bay Sonesta and other resorts and hold management position because they took the courses CIFSEF offers and became certified.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Leader of the Democratic Party Sarah Wescot Williams surrounded by Board Members of the DP told members of the media on Tuesday that the DP was registered as an association for years but they had to amend their articles of incorporation in order to contest the 2014 elections. Party leader Wescot Williams gave an outline as to what the new articles of incorporation entails which she said is to promote the betterment and good for St. Maarten. She said the new articles of incorporation also establishes the rights and principles of members of the party.

Wescot Williams said that this is an election year and the people of St. Maarten has a right to know where the DP is heading. She further explained that she feels that the DP has the right to inform the people of their position on items and issues that are affecting the people of St. Maarten. Wescot Williams further stated that this is the time for politicians to put their monies where their mouth is when it comes to dealing with the social ills of the country. One of the things the DP board and its leader said needs to happen is that political parties cannot be allowed to do the things they did over the years to gather votes.

Member of Parliament Petrus Leroy de Weever also announced that he will not be contesting the 2014 elections. However, he called on his nephew Minister of Health and Labor Cornelius de Weever to take up the mantle this election year and run on the DP slate. MP de Weever said that his nephew has to speak up when he needs to speak out and he also has to follow the footsteps of his aunt and uncles who aligned themselves with the Democratic Party. MP de Weever said that he will remain in the background to guide and advise his nephew but he also made clear that if his nephew chose to go with another party he will not be receiving the support of his family. Minister de Weever confirmed that he was thought to listen to his elders and to also stick together as a family. Party leader Sarah Wescot Williams also confirmed that the matter was discussed and that is how MP de Weever made the announcement. The announcement on Tuesday has put to rest the rumors of the Minister's political ambition.

The slogan for the DP this election year is "Make it Right", Wescot Williams told members of the media on Tuesday. She said the tentative date for a new DP board is slated for April 6th, 2013 while parliamentary elections should take place in September 2014.

President of the Board of the Democratic Party Michael Ferrier confirmed that the former VP of the DP refused to sign the new articles of incorporation. Ferrier said that Johnson was asked to sign the document several times for it to be registered at the Chamber of Commerce but each time he had an excuse.
Leader of the Democratic Party Sarah Wescot Williams said she confirmed receipt of Johnson's resignation and she has no intention to mudsling or throw him under the bus because everyone has a right to do what they want to do in life. She said Johnson was the youngest person to be the vice president of a political party board and in her view the party did what they had to do to uplift the younger generation.
When asked by SMN News if Johnson or other members of the DP endorsed the new logo and team song, Wescot Williams said that people should not try to find excuses for the decisions they took. "What has been a rumor for weeks has now become a reality," Wescot Williams said.

MP Roy Marlin also announced on Tuesday that he will be contesting the 2014 elections. The board and leader of the Democratic Party stated that this election will bring a lot of surprises to many people. MP de Weever said the business people on St. Maarten have been sharing their concerns as to why certain people went into politics and when election day comes many will be surprised to see what the voters will do.

Click here to view the new articles of incorporation of the Democratic Party.

MARIGOT/PHILIPSBURG:--- Gendarmes and Detectives from KPSM are busy investigating the shooting death of a 20 year old woman who died around midday at the Louis Constant Fleming Hospital on Tuesday. Captain of the Gendarmerie Sylvain Jouault said that the investigators have no clue as to where exactly the shooting took place. Jouault said that at the moment all they know is that the 20 year old was taken to the Louis Constant Fleming Hospital with gunshot wounds and she later died.
Public Prosecutor Tineke Kamps and Police Spokesman Ricardo Henson said they were informed by the French authorities about the death of the young woman and they are now trying to investigate.
SMN News learnt that the young woman who was identified as Deyanida Faneyte better known as Clarrisa from the Dominican Republic and resident of Dutch Quarter was shot multiple times while she was sitting in a car. A source who knows the victim said the assailants were firing shots at the young woman's boyfriend. It is understood that the young man had some kind of dispute with another man who began firing shots at the couple who was seated in a car. The source further stated that the shooting took place in the Dutch Quarter area but for some reason the boyfriend decided to take her to the French side hospital for treatment.
SMN News further learnt that the victim's boyfriend was not injured however his girlfriend received multiple gunshot wounds. The source said that the gendarmes already questioned the boyfriend as a witness in the fatal shooting.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Friday March 14th, 2014, the Minister of Justice the Honorable Dennis Richardson met with a high profile dignitary namely the French Préfet Mr. Gilles Leclair.
The focus of the discussion was Law Enforcement cooperation between Saint-Martin and Sint Maarten. Préfet Leclair has been sent on a special mission on behalf of the French Minister of Interior Affairs and the French Minister of Justice. The French government is extremely concerned about the rising crime rates in Guadeloupe, Martinique and Saint-Martin and asked Mr. Leclair to write a report on this very pressing issue. Préfet Leclair has a background in law enforcement and was amongst other things Deputy Director of Europol in The Hague.

Préfet Leclair and Minister Richardson spoke about the situation on both sides of the island, the present cooperation and how it could be improved in near future. They concluded that on a practical level the cooperation is currently productive; however there is always room for improvement on a strategic level. Both delegations agreed that a permanent working group, in which all stakeholders would be represented, could give the cooperation a new strategic approach.

Such a working group could discuss the placement of liaison officers in each other's services, which facilitates the possibilities for the coordination of joint traffic controls, combined border patrols and so on. All this could be done based on the principles of equality and reciprocity.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The University of St. Martin commemorates the Treaty of Concordia, March 23rd, 2014 will be the 366th Anniversary of the signing of the Treaty of Concordia.
The University of St. Martin (USM) chooses to commemorate the signing of the treaty not only because it is the foundation of the island's history, but also because the date is often overlooked.
This reality is very unfortunate especially of the fact that the content of the treaty affects the current relationship between Saint Martin and Sint Maarten.
USM's Dean of Academics, Mr. Francio Guadeloupe expresses the fact that many residents are not well informed on the current cross border relationship between the two sides of the island. In his opinion there are particular points that need to be addressed such as:

• How was the signing of the Treaty of Concordia unintentionally subversive of the way the colonial overlords in the Hague and Paris divided Soualiga into Sint Maarten and Saint Martin.
• How is the treaty of Concordia a lesson from an Outermost Region (Saint Martin) and an Overseas Country & Territory (Sint Maarten) to France and the Netherlands (main players of the EU) on a multicultural conviviality that works.
• How do the islanders make the Treaty of Concordia a living document in creating a more economically, socially, and environmentally sustainable island.

The Commemoration lecture will be held at the University of St. Martin on Thursday March 20th 2014 at 7:00 – 8:30pm.
The lecturer for the evening is USM's Caribbean Studies lecturer, Mr. Alex Richards. The general public is invited to attend.

Receives Update on Various Matters SOAB Involved In

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams held an informative meeting with the Foundation Government Accountant's Bureau SOAB last week. The PM received updates on the various activities conducted by SOAB and discussed matters related to their mandate.

The SOAB is a body which carries out audits for the Governments of both Countries St. Maarten and Curacao. The Foundation provides audits and recommendations at the request of these governments. The SOAB is further also active in the fields financial auditing, operational auditing, IT auditing, organizational management, special investigations, due diligence, process analysis, fraud investigations, interim management and grant reviews.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

Country's Constitution and Democracy well and alive

PHILIPSBURG:--- The President of Parliament Hon. Gracita Arrindell says she has upheld the rules of the House of Parliament and applied them according to the rules of order of the House.

With respect to an urgent meeting that was called by the National Alliance (NA) faction in parliament in a letter dated February 25, 2014, based on article 27, paragraph 1 and 3 of the Rules of Order, a meeting has to be held within 14-days.

Convocation was sent out to all members of the House on February 27, 2014 for the meeting about the Princess Juliana International Airport to be held on March 7, 2014 at 10:00am, which is within the 14-day period.

On March 7, 2014, at 10:30am, due to a lack of quorum, the Chair opened the gathering and had the names of the members called off to ascertain that the number of members required to be present for deliberations and decision-making was not complete.

Based on article 29, paragraph 2, of the Rules of Order, in such a case the meeting should be called again within 4x24 hours.

On March 10, 2014, the Members of Parliament were notified by letter that this meeting will take place on March 25, 2014 at 2:00pm, which is again well within the 4x24 hours period as stipulated by article 29, paragraph 2, of the rules of order.

"I would like to let the people know that article 29, paragraph 2, of the rules of order only stipulates that the meeting should be called within 4x24 hours.

"This article does not make mention that the meeting should also be held within 4x24 hours, and therefore I as the chairlady of Parliament acted in full accordance with the rules of order of the House.

"The Constitution and democracy is well and alive on Sint Maarten," President of Parliament Hon. Gracita Arrindell said on Monday.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (Ministry of VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake says that he will be seeking a meeting with the Simpson Bay Community Council board regarding the current zoning and development plan process.

Minister Lake would like to reiterate that prior to the February 25, 2014 zoning public hearing in Simpson Bay, two town hall meetings were held in Simpson Bay related to possible development options for the Simpson Bay area. The meetings were held in March 2012 and September 2012.

The draft preliminary development plans Simpson Bay of March 2012 and September 2012 are currently available on the Government website since then for download.

"Urban planners draft plans for community discussion. That is their role with respect to drafting preliminary plans on what is possible for the respective areas. The proposed pier at the entrance to the Simpson Bay Bridge and the proposed boardwalk along the Simpson Bay Lagoon are possibilities that have been in the urban preliminary plans since March 2012 when they were presented for discussion in the town hall meeting.

"I fully and totally believe in transparency and openness, and community engagement. This is my back to basics approach, from the ground up. The draft Simpson Bay development plans are what it is, a draft, and changes can still be made.

"I know it is an election year and different parties and personalities are vying for the public's attention and to score points. I listen to the people and work for the people. I did it with the Cape Bay Community Council and I will continue on the same approach with the Simpson Bay Community Council board.

"I like when community councils engage and are outspoken on matters and voice their opinion about the draft preliminary development plans.

"I became Minister of VROMI in June 2013, and the preliminary plans I met there, and were there more than a year before I came into the picture, however I do welcome the discussion and the great interests shown by the residents of Simpson Bay and of the surrounding areas with respect to the plans. This is what democracy is all about, having your voice heard, presenting your position on what you don't want and what you want loud and clear. I do hear you, I hear your cry and I welcome your voice of how you feel about your community!

"I remind residents you have a period of time, 30-days to present their written objections addressed to the Minister of VROMI once an official notification has been made with respect to this. I think that it's very important to listen to the people's concerns. Nothing is being forced down anybody's throat and the people have the choice of saying yes or no.

"Therefore, I would like to meet with the Simpson Bay Community Council board to discuss the current state of affairs after the public hearing of February 25," Minister Hon. Maurice Lake said on Sunday.

Stresses historically close ties between Aruba and St. Maarten

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams expressed her congratulations and well wishes to the all Arubans living in Aruba, on St. Maarten and elsewhere a very happy and joyous Aruba Flag and Hymn Day 2014. I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone from Aruba and with Aruba roots or Aruba connections a very happy 'Dia di Himno y Bandera 2014. Aside from the fact that we are all connected through our common history, St. Maarten and Aruba have always enjoyed a special relationship between our two Countries. Many of us from St. Maarten, myself included, have spent many years in Aruba whether it is for work, education and family ties and with that in mind I would like to wish Aruba and Arubans a very happy Aruba day and you should be proud in the achievements which you have made as a country," commented the Prime Minister.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Rotaract Club of St. Maarten Sunrise held their second induction for the term 2013-2014 during Rotaract Week celebration on Friday March 14, 2014 at Carl and Sons Café on the Pondfill. 5 new members were welcomed into the Rotaract family. The new members joining the club are Kimberley Duzong, Lerissa Rey, Shudeska Leonard, Katherine Richardson and Nicole Peters.

President Anatol congratulated the 5 new members and encouraged them to be the best they can be and remember to put service above self in anything you think say or do.

The Rotaract Club of St. Maarten is a service club where four types of activities take place in varying degrees: professional development, leadership development, service projects and social activities. Together, these four areas ensure a balance program and provide important experience and opportunities for the personal development of each Rotaractor.

The Club encourages persons between the age of 18-30 to become a member of the organization and give back to your community. The Rotaract Club of St. Maarten Sunrise meets every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month at 7pm at the Holland House Conference Room. The club's next general meeting is scheduled for Saturday 22nd March 2014 and young persons are invited to attend. For more information about the club you can visit our Facebook page: "RotaractSunrise St Maarten" or send an email to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

PHILIPSBURG:--- The cosmopolitan island of St. Maarten/St. Martin (www.vacationstmaarten.com) has been named in the Top 10 Most Popular Destinations Worldwide in 2013 among American travelers, according to Fodor's Travel. St. Maarten/St. Martin is the only Caribbean island to appear in the top 10 on the Fodor's list.

Of the 7,500 destinations Fodors.com covers around the world, the leading travel publisher identified the top 50 worldwide travel locales in 2013 based on destination-guide page views from natural searches by American visitors to Fodors.com, which receives more than 4.5 million unique visitors each month.

The idyllic island was named the seventh most popular worldwide destination in 2013, keeping company in the Top 10 with such alluring destinations as Paris, New York City and Maui, HI.

"We are honored to be featured among the top destinations worldwide by Fodor's Travel as the tribute reflects the satisfaction that visitors have felt from their trips to our island," said Edward Dest, interim director of tourism for the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau.

The undisputed gastronomical capital of the Caribbean, St. Maarten/St. Martin is home to 37 square miles of breathtaking beaches and boasts numerous historical and family-oriented attractions.

During the day, watersport enthusiasts can take full advantage of the island's scuba diving and snorkeling facilities, while the capital of Philipsburg offers duty-free shopping with a bustling city atmosphere.

By night, travelers can visit one of fourteen world-class, Vegas-style casinos or dance the night away to the beats and rhythms of the world's trendiest DJs at a variety of nightclubs, providing non-stop entertainment.

With the widest variety of dining experiences compared to any other island in the world, Dutch and French St. Maarten offer a wide range of international and local cuisines with more than 365 restaurants. It is also the only Caribbean island with more than one establishment ranked on TripAdvisor's Travelers' Favorite Fine Dining Restaurants - Caribbean 2013 list, defining the destination as a stand-out culinary experience for visitors and reinforcing its reputation as the gastronomic capital of the Caribbean.

For more information on St. Maarten, visit the official site of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau at www.VacationStMaarten.com.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Lawyers Jeroen Veen and Willem Nelissen from Lexwell Attorneys at Law successfully argued that all EU citizens − currently 28 nationalities − have to be treated no different from Dutch citizens when applying for residency in Sint Maarten. The Court of First Instance agrees.
Friday (14 March 2014) the Court of First Instance handed down a land-mark decision in the case of a Slovakian plaintiff against the Minister of Justice. The Court agrees with lawyers Jeroen Veen and Willem Nelissen that based on European legislation as well as the Dutch-American Friendship Treaty, all European Citizens should be admitted by law to reside on Sint Maarten, in the exact same way as European Dutch citizens are.
The Judge held: "From the treaties cited by the plaintiff, it is unmistakably clear that in Sint Maarten the principle of non-discrimination applies to nationals of all EU Member States, including Slovakia, when compared to Dutch Citizens and that no less favorable treatment than that of third country nationals, including Americans, is the norm." [Translation]
According to lawyers Jeroen Veen and Willem Nelissen, this decision will have far reaching consequences for Sint Maarten's immigration policy. Similarly, the immigration policies of the other former Netherlands Antilles islands, Curacao and Aruba, could be affected. Their respective Immigration Ordinances ("LTU"'s) are similar to that of Sint Maarten and they too have OCT-status with the European Union.

Press Release from Lexwell Attorneys at Law

SIMPSON BAY:--- Although it has over 200 stores around the world, most of them in Europe, Blanc du Nil, which opened its first airport store at SXM in 2012, moved into a bigger unit at the Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) on Monday, March 17, 2014.
The company had participated in the new commercial strategy of the airport and the unit it open on Monday is a result of its winning the bid for that landside location.
"We're happy to launch our new store at the airport. It is the first store we have at an airport, so it's a new challenge," said managing director Gilles de Sola, who has been in St. Maarten for 16 years. Blanc du Nil also has stores in Philipsburg and Maho.
"We're planning to target all the airports," Mr. De Sola continued, adding that there are extensive plans to expand primarily in the US. "St. Maarten is important for the Blanc du Nil headquarters because we're going to use the experience at the Princess Juliana International Airport when we open at other airports."
Blanc du Nil specializes in white cotton clothing for men, women and children. "All of them are timeless and easy to maintain," according to Mr. De Sola. "Nicer things are coming," he revealed as the store moves from the airside to the much larger unit downstairs.
"We're happy that Blanc du Nil has made SXM the first airport where this well-known brand would operate," said SXM Airport managing director, Regina LaBega. "We wish them the best of luck as we continue to partner for a win-win situation for all."

PHILIPSBURG:--- Police on St. Maarten arrested a man identified as Rogelio Gregory Koeiman who is wanted in the United States of America in a drug investigation. Press prosecutor Tineke Kamps confirmed to SMN News on Monday that the suspect identified as R.G.K, (46) born in Aruba  was arrested on the request of the US authorities. Prosecutor Kamps said the suspect is in custody pending extradition.
Kamps did not release the full name of the suspect when she was asked by SMN News, she said I cannot confirm or deny if its same person. Koeiman was arrested on Monday afternoon after American authorities submitted their request to St. Maarten. Koeiman and two other suspects were arrested in Curacao for exporting drugs to the USA. They were suspected of committing the crimes in 2012 and 2013. The drugs were shipped from St. Maarten and Curacao according to statements made by the DEA to authorities in Curacao. However, the three suspects were released on February 6th, 2014 by the courts in Curacao. Below is the story published when the courts in Curacao ordered their immediate release.

KOEIMAN, RIATWIJK AND FELICIA RELEASED --- US REQUEST FOR EXTRADITION REFUSED.

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao:--- The three suspects that were arrested based on a request from the DEA of New York to extradite three Curacaoleneans that they believed were involved in two huge shipments of drugs were released on Thursday, confirmed spokesman for the Attorney General of Curacao Norman Serphos.
In an interview with SMN News, Serphos said that the three suspects were arrested on October 3rd, 2013 after the DEA of New York requested that they be extradited to answer to charges related to the trafficking of drugs. The suspects are Ronchie Riatwijk (48), Gilbertico Felcia (35), and Rogelio Gregory Koeiman (45). The latter was the bodyguard of St. Maarten's Member of Parliament Romain Laville.
According to the decision rendered on Thursday, the panel consisting of three judges decided to release the suspects because the DEA infiltrated, investigated, observed, and used methods to find the suspects without informing Curacao's Prosecutor's Office or Attorney General. The second point the judges made in their decision is that after the arrests, the suspects were visited by agents of the DEA who offered them a plea bargain and that too Curacao's Prosecutor's Office had no knowledge about. The third reason for the immediate release of the suspects is that what was discussed with the suspects was not presented in a process verbal (PV) as required by Dutch law.
The judges ruled that since the three suspects are citizens of Curacao they should have been afforded more protection therefore they ordered the immediate release of the suspects wanted in the United States for shipping drugs to the USA, one of the shipments the DEA stated left from St. Maarten.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Democratic Party (DP) Vice President Stuart Johnson has tendered his resignation from the Democratic Party (DP) with immediate effect as vice president and party member, citing as his reason DP's "lack of cohesion" and the practice of a "top down leadership approach with no regard for the general membership. Johnson is a former candidate, DP youth wing president and one of the founding members of the Chapter for Professional Young People (CPYP).

Johnson, strong supporter of DP and an active member since age 14, wrote in his letter to DP long-time leader, Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams that the main reason for distancing himself the party is that DP has "failed to embrace its candidates who undoubtedly can positively contribute to our country."

Johnson is confident his former party leader Wescot-Williams understands first-hand the need for change, after all she did leave the PDP to join DP some twenty years ago. "Politically, our paths will cross again as our country needs leaders who can make nonpartisan decisions for the betterment of our young country," he said.

After several discussions with his family, friends and his support team, Johnson has decided not be a candidate on any party slate in the upcoming general election on any political slate.

Johnson thanked the DP leadership, board, members and supporters for embracing him and for seeing him once again as candidate material with the quality it seeks.

St. Maarten as a young country "desperately needs" more strong community oriented people who can continue to contribute genuinely without having to seek political office, said Johnson. "Evaluating the past four years of country, I have closely observed the progress and lack thereof in some cases. There is more work to be done. Our education system, quality health care, affordable housing for our people and our road network should be the focus of the upcoming governing term."

Johnson asked, "But the question we should ask ourselves is, who is the next visionary leader of St. Maarten? How do we have the aspiration and inspire us to reach our highest level? We need a stable one party Government with a mandate of the people that guides us and know how to do so without any hesitation."

Click here to view the resignation letter sent by Stuart Johnson to DP Leader Sarah Wescot Williams.

President of DP Board Reacts to Johnson's Resignation.

Dear Stuart,

Thanks for verbally informing me today, March 17, 2014 that effective immediately you are resigning from both the Board and the General Membership of the Democratic Party of St. Maarten. We look forward to your written confirmation today of same, addressed to our Party Leader, Mrs. Sarah Wescot-Williams.

While we regret your decision, especially now that the Democratic Party has been re-energized on many levels, we certainly respect same.

Best regards and know that just like for the many that have returned to our fold in the past months and specifically in the past weeks, there will always be room for you in the DP,should your expectations not pan out with the "other guys".

Respectfully,

Michael J Ferrier
President of the Democratic Party of St. Maarten

Johnson Reacts to Statements made by DP President.

Hello members of the press,

I have taken note of the message of DP president since my resignation. I hereby publicly challenge the DP president to prove an ultimatum was given to me. Over the weekend Mr. Ferrier made several attempts to contact me which was to no avail due to my busy weekend schedule.

I can imagine the party president is shocked of this development but I'm confident ifs the party was in touch with its membership, it would have noticed such before.

Regards,

Stuart Johnson

The United Volleyball Club is inviting interested youngsters to register for the United Academy Open House at the St. Maarten Academy PSVE campus as follows:
Tuesday, March 18, 6:00 – 7:30: girls 12 – 19 years
Wednesday, March 19, 6:00 – 7:30: boys 12 – 19 years
Saturday, March 22, 1:00 – 2:30: boys and girls 6 – 12 years
All youngsters should wear sneakers and be prepared to participate in sports activities.
For further information, call Keishan at 550-3435, Stephanie at 527-8146, or Rhoda at 520-1136.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Nature Foundation is urging all sea-going public and the community in general to start recording their sighting of the dangerous and invasive lionfish online at www.lionfishcontrol.org and help monitor and control this dangerous and invasive species. A new web-based and mobile-device-friendly application developed by the Dutch Caribbean Nature Alliance has recently been updated and expanded to St. Maarten after piloting on Bonaire where over 10,000 records have been entered in an effort to improve control efforts in controlling lionfish.

Lionfish hunters and ocean-going public can record their observations and lionfish captures in an easy-to-understand and informative way. In combination with additional research, the information provided by these "citizen scientists" gives unprecedented insight into lionfish distribution and success of removal efforts.

Since the early 90's, the rapid spread of the invasive lionfish has been an increasing problem for the Caribbean region, as the exotic and voracious predator eats its way through native fish communities. On a number of Caribbean islands, lionfish control programs were set in motion, often with a volunteer (fishing) component.

Over the last several years the St. Maarten Nature Foundation has been systematically researching and controlling the lionfish population on St. Maarten. Research has shown that through the efforts of the sea-going community the Nature Foundation was able to implement successful control measures limiting the impact of lionfish in the territorial waters of St. Maarten. Recently sharks have also been playing a large role in the control of the species. Through efforts spearheaded by the Nature Foundation sharks are protected on St. Maarten and have now started to prey on the invasive lionfish.

The St. Maarten Nature Foundation urges all who encounter lionfish to use the new online and mobile application at www.lionfishcontrol.org.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams received a courtesy visit from newly appointed Attorney General for the Dutch Caribbean Guus Schram. Mr. Schram is the new head of the Prosecutor's Offices of St. Maarten, Aruba, and Curaçao as well as that of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba.

Schram, who replaces Dick Piar, met with the Prime Minister at her Cabinet where his credentials were presented. The Prime Minister and the new Attorney General also discussed matters related to the security and law enforcement aspects of St. Maarten specifically and the Dutch Caribbean in General. Prime Minister Wescot-Williams welcomed Schram and wished him much success in his new role as Attorney General for the wider Dutch Caribbean.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

SIMPSON BAY:--- The St. Maarten Nature Foundation has over the past week been conducting research into an algal bloom within sections of the Simpson Bay Lagoon. Boaters in the area have also been complaining to the Nature Foundation of algae clogging the intake valves of their vessels. During two research dives it was established that the probable identity of the algae was related to a Cyanobacteria which can be naturally occurring or which can occur due to man-made influences.

The algae was found to be of a gelatinous nature and clumped to seagrasses below the surface and when disturbed broke free and floated within the water column. A sample of the algae was taken and analyzed in order to determine species and possible cause. Samples were also sent abroad for confirmation of species. Preliminary results show species being a cyanobacteria.

Based on the probable identification of the species water quality was tested in order to determine the possible cause of the algal bloom and a correlation to water quality. Water quality tests at six sites were conducted with results showing an acceptable level of water quality at all locations. Special attention was focused on the sites with the largest concentration of the algae in the vicinity of the eastern section of the Simpson Bay Causeway and in areas close to Little Key with no results showing decreased water quality. Samples of the algae were sent to an algae specialist for further consultation and identification. The Nature Foundation is monitoring the developments of the bloom which shows some sign of dissipating.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Head of the Civil Registry Department Leona Romeo-Marlin says her office has started community outreach information sessions in order to bring the department closer to the people by expanding on what services it provides and what are the requirements of residents.

The Civil Registry Department is working in collaboration with Community Councils. The first information session was held on March 10 in Cape Bay. It was organized in collaboration with the Cape Bay Community Council and catered to the residents of the area.

Cape Bay residents were very pleased to have gotten the opportunity to obtain information about the processes and services of the department. They were also able to get clarification on personal and general matters that would facilitate their visit and services rendered once they make use of the Civil Registry Department on Pond Island.

The next information session is planned for the month of April and these engagements with the community will continue throughout the remainder of the year.

Management at the department are adamant in ensuring that the Sint Maarten community is well informed before visiting the department to utilize one of the many services that it provides.

The meeting was supported by Department Head Leona Romeo-Marlin, Kathy Snijders, Section Head, Denise Williams-Warner, Section Head in training along with six staff members.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams joined the community of St. Maarten in expressing her condolences to the family, friends, and colleagues of the former managing director Julius Lambert who passed away on Saturday.

It is always with much sadness that we learn of the passing of anyone within the community and especially regarding a stalwart and dedicated individual such as Mr. Lambert. In his more than thirty years in being involved with GEBE Mr. Lambert has contributed significantly to the development of St. Maarten. He will be very missed within the community and again I wish his family and friends much strength," stated the Prime Minister.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams stated during her weekly call-in radio program that Parliament missed the opportunity to have a fruitful discussion regarding the Emilio Wilson Estate; "Generally speaking the Parliament of St. Maarten missed an opportunity to have a good discussion regarding the future of the Emilio Wilson Estate. Considering that there are politicians in Parliament you would expect some politicking. However you would also expect some good and fundamental discussion. If you look at the players they all in some point have been involved in the decision making process concerning the Emilio Wilson Estate. When certain matters pertaining to the development of the land did not materialize new proposals were made. In 2013 it was decided that Government purchase the land through the instrument of a bond. However, this option expired due to the late handling of the Budget and for 2014 it must be clear that there is a ceiling under which Government can borrow money. It is up to Government under that ceiling to decide what we can borrow money for. If the decision is finalized that the Government will buy the land then Government will have to make the necessary adjustment to purchase the property. The Court has made clear that no matter what the changes in Government are the owners of the Emilio Wilson Estate could have shown correspondence from one or more members of Government that should be complied with," commented the Prime Minister.

"When Government purchases that property we need to look at creating the balance of maintaining as much of the Estate in its current state and what type of development we can have that would benefit the majority of St. Maarten's people with the least amount of damage to the Estate. We need to again focus on having sustainable development on such a valuable piece of property on St. Maarten. How can we restore the damage any development would bring along with it? I have told members of Parliament that decisions will be taken in the context of good governance for this country for which I am responsible. It is unfortunate where we have seen individual Ministers go outside of their portfolios and make decisions that affect the country disregarding the rules and laws of this land," commented the Prime Minister.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

Is Personally Against the Development of a Tourist Pier in Simpson Bay

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams commended and urged the Simpson Bay Community and all communities on St. Maarten to ask the relevant questions and participate in the development of the country over the weekend. The Prime Minister also stated Government Owned Companies should hold closer dialogue with the shareholder representatives from Government: Government Owned Companies also need to be responsible for the integrity and openness to their shareholder who in turn brings this to the Council of Ministers. I believe that Government Owned Companies are not yet fully on board with this. What you see now is that when matters come out regarding the plans of Government Owned Companies the population looks at Government regarding things that are happening. People are looking at Government asking is going. You have been seeing the situation unfold in Simpson Bay for example where the people of Simpson Bay were presented with development plans. In the case of Simpson Bay where you have, for example, a pier planned outside of the channel of Simpson Bay I can say that this proposal did not come from Government. The people of Simpson Bay and Pelican were in their right to voice their opinion on the plan. I asked myself if the plans are being done in the right sequence. Every plan needs to come to the Council of Ministers and then to Parliament. I personally do not think any pier should come there and that is my personal opinion. We should not look at establishing anything or developing anything without hearing what the people have to say about this. Things have a strange way of coming back to haunt us and that is why we should be very careful what we are presenting to the future development of St. Maarten. I can assure you that this is not a plan from my Government and I encourage all of those who have objections to the development to voice their opinions so that we can take this into considerations. We need to have these discussions in a very open and transparent way as it relates to the development of our country," commented the Prime Minister.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake would like to express his condolences to the family, friends, colleagues and the NV GEBE family on the passing of the former managing director Julius Lambert.

Lambert's last position was chairman of the supervisory board of directors of NV GEBE until January 8, 2014.

Lambert joined NV GEBE in 1981 as a regular employee. In 1994 he was appointed Managing Director and in 2008 as chairman of the board of supervisory directors.

"Lambert dedicated 30+ years of his life to the island's utility company. He was part and parcel of the growth of the company during that time. May his soul rest in piece," Minister of Energy Affairs Hon. Maurice Lake said on Sunday.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The adjourned plenary public session of the House of Parliament is scheduled for March 17th regarding developments at the Inspectorate of Taxes as well as the Rules of Order will start at a new time.

The public plenary meeting is reconvened for Monday at 3:00pm instead of 2:00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg. This meeting was initially held on March 10 and was adjourned according to article 29 of the House Rules of Order.

The first agenda point is developments at the Inspectorate of Taxes. Minister of Finance Hon. Martin Hassink will be present for the meeting.

The second agenda point is the Rules of Order of the House.

The meeting with respect to agenda point one was requested by Members of Parliament (MP) Hon. William Marlin, MP Hon. George Pantophlet, MP Hon. Hyacinth Richardson, and MP Hon. Louie Laveist.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com, and also via www.sxmparliament.org.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Department of Statistics (STAT) and its 25 interviewers after six months in the field for the household listing survey have visited 52 per cent of known addresses (approximately 9,300) in the country. The survey will continue through mid-April.

The biggest challenge according to STAT remains cooperation and participation within affluent neighbourhoods.

STAT would like to re-emphasize that all residents across the island are legally required to participate in the household listing survey, and all information provided to the STAT interviewer will be held in strict confidence.

Residents not yet approached will have the opportunity to provide their data to a STAT interviewer within the upcoming last four weeks of the survey.

The questionnaire is not invasive, but is rather short and only takes less than 10-minutes. Data collected are basic demographic information from each household member.

The key purpose of the survey is to acquire an updated population size and to compare how many of the registered country population is also resident on the island.

It is of utmost importance for STAT to get a realistic picture as possible, where it concerns the population number and composition of the population who are residing in the country.

The questionnaire consists of a short list of questions, related to the age, gender, country-of-birth and nationality of each member of the household.

Persons will also be asked to verify their address, and number of units on each property as well as if they are registered at the Civil Registry Department.

STAT interviewers are approaching homes up to 8:00pm each day and on weekends. Where persons are not found at home, an appointment card is left behind. STAT is urging residents to make use of the appointment cards and contact the department at its general telephone number 549-0235, to have a convenient date and time set for your household to complete the survey.

STAT asks that household members inform one another once an interview has taken place for the Household Listing Survey, in order that everyone in the home is aware and can pass on this information to STAT staff.

STAT falls under the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunication.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Status of Women Committee of the Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU) is inviting all educators in St. Maarten to an educational and informative Tea Party being hosted in collaboration with the St. Maarten Tzu Chi Foundation this Sunday, March 16, 2014 at the Philipsburg Cultural and Community Center in Philipsburg from 2:30pm to 5:00pm.

An entertaining and educational programme has been put together for educators. The event will end with the serving of delicacies for attendees prepared by the loving hands of St. Maarten Tzu Chi Foundation volunteers.

The objective of this event is in celebration of International Women's Day and to further enlighten educators about the importance and health benefits in a warm and friendly atmosphere. Elshot believes that this is very important at this stage as quite a number of teachers are becoming ill to preventable conditions.

The St. Maarten Tzu Chi Foundation volunteers will be on hand to assist with aspects of the programme.

All educators are invited to come out in numbers for a relaxing and enlightening afternoon.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Department of Statistics (STAT) would like to invite the residents of Pelican and Billy Folly to an interview drive in connection with the Household Listing Survey currently on-going.

The interview drive is from 10:00am to 4:00pm at the Simpson Bay Community Center in Simpson Bay next to the basketball court in the vicinity of the cemetery.

Interviewers will be on-hand to collect basic information which only takes less than 10 minutes. The questionnaire consists of a short list of questions, related to the age, gender, country-of-birth and nationality of each member of the household.

Persons will also be asked to verify their address, and number of units on each property as well as if they are registered at the Civil Registry Department.

A special appeal is being made to the residents of the Pelican and Billy Folly to visit the interview drive on Saturday as it has proven difficult to reach households in the aforementioned areas.

Many persons were not at home during the work hours of the survey which runs up to 8:00pm.

The invite notice was published in the Government Information Page a couple of times this week and this article serves as a reminder.

Since the start of the survey at the beginning of February STAT interviewers have experienced good cooperation from households, in terms of willingness to participate in this survey.

STAT continues to highlight the fact that the data being asked and gathered from the population will be used for statistical purposes only.

The objectives of the survey are not to share information with tax or immigration departments for their line of work, and as such no exchange of this kind will take place.

STAT is urging residents to make use of the appointment cards and contact the department at its general telephone number 549-0235, to have a convenient date and time set for your household to complete the survey.

STAT falls under the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunication.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Public Prosecution Service has decided not to prosecute the tourists involved in the death of a burglar.
On January 29, 2014, three Swedish/American tourists caught three burglars in their rental villa in Oyster Pond. Two burglars escaped and a third one was held around the neck (chokehold) by one of the tourists, pending the arrival of the warned police. The burglar opposed forcefully and died.
The public prosecutor ordered the investigation of the cause of death of the deceased burglar. An autopsy took place. The pathologist also examined the neck (larynx and trachea) microscopic.
The Public Prosecution Service received all the information and studied the results. Although the autopsy revealed that the intruder died because of suffocation, little evidence of external violence was found. The public prosecutor has reviewed the case as a "tragic accident". Also in view of Article 43 of the Criminal Code the Public Prosecution Service considers prosecution not feasible or desirable.
Article 43 of the Criminal Code reads that a person who commits a crime during the necessary defense of person(s) or property is not punishable (self-defense). The necessarity of the (self-)defense is presumed if the assailant is unlawfully in another person's home.

Press Release from Public Prosecutor's Office

PHILIPSBURG:--- Last week, the Public Prosecution Service had to send home two suspects as a consequence of overcrowding in the prison Point Blanche in Sint Maarten. The prison is currently being renovated (from wing to wing) and 30 detention cells are not available. The suspects who were send home are D.R. (suspect of fire arm possession) and M.H.K. (suspect of human smuggling).
At the request of the Public Prosecution Service, the Minister of Justice sent three prisoners home as well, in order to create space in the prison. It involves three prisoners who nearly completed their punishments. In addition as a result of the lack of detention space, the Public Prosecution Service chose not to take in to pre-trial detention two suspects of money laundering.
An urgent meeting took place between the Head Prosecutor, the Police Chief and the Prison Manager. They agree this is a highly undesirable situation and a solution must be found soon. An advice on this matter will be presented to the Minister of Justice.

Press Release from the Public Prosecutor's Office

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Rotaract Club of St. Maarten Sunrise is celebrating World Rotaract Week with various activities which started on Sunday March 9, 2014 to March 16, 2014. On Tuesday March 11, 2014 the Rotaract Club of St. Maarten Sunrise chaired their "Mother Club" Rotary Sunrise breakfast meeting at Air Lekkerbek. The members of the Rotaract club discussed their upcoming activities for their Rotaract week celebration and also their upcoming events and fundraisers for the remaining of the year 2014. Members of the Rotary Sunrise club were very pleased to welcome the rotaractors to their meeting and encouraged them to keep up the good work on the island and in their community.
Rotaract is an international organization for young men and women between the age group of 18-30 who believe they can make a difference. Rotaract clubs provide an opportunity to young adults to enhance the knowledge and skills that will assist them in personal development, address the physical and social needs of their communities and to promote better relations between all people worldwide through a framework of friendship and service.
If you are interested in joining this dynamic club, you are welcome to attend their general meetings every 2nd and 4th Saturday of the month at Holland House Conference Room at 7pm or contact the club via email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao:--- International legal publisher Chambers & Partners has launched the 2014 edition of Chambers Global; its annual worldwide ranking of law firms and individual lawyers. These rankings are based on credentials and provide insight for potential buyers of legal services. In the 2014 edition, six Curacao law firms are honored with a ranking. Like last year, VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne and Spigt Dutch Caribbean lead the pack with a Band 1 ranking.

On Spigt Dutch Caribbean, Chambers says that this firm maintains its position at the forefront of the market in Curaçao, and that its tax and corporate litigation teams are regarded as amongst the best in the country. On VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne it is noted that the firm offers superb expertise in banking and finance and corporate matters, and that it is clearly deserving of its reputation as one of the island's top firms.

Chambers & Partners also ranks individuals. This year sixteen lawyers were included as specialists for the region, of which eleven are based on Curacao. Four are partner at VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne and two are partners of Spigt Dutch Caribbean. The other individuals work at other firms, including three firms outside the Dutch Caribbean that provide experts in Caribbean law.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Detective Department is presently investigating a shooting incident which took place on Wednesday March 12th, 2014 at approximately 8:00pm at a bar located on the Juancho Yrausquin Boulevard opposite the Sol Gas Station in Pointe Blanche. According to the victim, he was standing in front of the bar when a man, who he knows and with whom he had problems in the past, drove up in a car and fired two shots at him. The second shot hit him in upper leg which started to bleed quite heavily. After committing this act, the suspect drove away. The victim further stated that he immediately stepped into his car and drove to his home from where police and paramedics were notified. The victim was treated by the paramedics and then transported to the Sint Maarten Medical Center for further medical treatment. The Forensic Department was on the scene taking pictures and collecting evidence to piece together how this shooting took place. The suspect in this case turned himself in on March 13th at approximately 1:00pm. He was arrested at the Philipsburg Police Head quarters and will remain in custody pending further investigation.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Thursday March 13th, 2014, the police department continued the controls on unpaid road tax. The controls started at 7:00am at several locations and continued until 12:00pm. During the controls a total of 40 vehicles were towed and 65 fines were issued. A stern warning goes out to drivers who have not yet paid their road tax for the year 2014, there will be no more warnings or chances. Not adhering to this warning will have as consequence that your vehicle be towed and you will be given a fine.

KPSM Police Report

POND ISLAND:--- Minister of Health and Social Affairs, the Hon. Dr. Cornelius de Weever, and VROMI Minister, the Hon. Mr. Maurice Lake, have both praised TelEm Group for supporting a stroll through Philipsburg for St. Maarten's senior citizens.

Speaking to a group of Senior citizens outside the Government Administration Building, at the end of a morning walk up Front Street, down Back Street, Minister de Weever recognized TelEm Group for providing volunteers to assist the seniors during the walk and also for providing the walkers with t-shirts and parasols to protect them from the blazing morning heat.

Similar sentiments were expressed by Minister, VROMI, the Hon. Mr. Maurice Lake, who thanked TelEm and other companies who had come forward when asked to make the day a special one for the seniors who had built the foundation that is now enjoyed by everyone.

TelEm Group was also personally thanked by the organizer of the event, Ms. Patsy Flanders of the Golden Age Foundation, for also providing refreshments for the seniors and their helpers along the route.

TelEm Group's coordinators for the morning were, Carrier Relations Officer, Angel Richardson, Marketing Officer Marelva Jones-Felix and Marketing & Sales Officer, Cheryl Rismay.

According to Ms. Richardson, the morning's event went very well and company personnel were grateful for the words of thanks by the government Ministers and the representatives of the Golden Age Foundation.

"The seniors told us they had a great time and we could see it for ourselves when they were greeted so lovingly by the children from the Oranje School and the St. Joseph Schools on Front Street," continued Ms. Richardson.

The TelEm Group representative also had much praise for the team of volunteers and helpers who were well turned out and did a "fantastic job."

TelEm Group management has meantime sent a message of congratulations to all the seniors on St. Maarten who braved the walk, wishing them good health and continued strength, and a promise to continue to support their future efforts.

TELEM Press Release

GREAT BAY:--- Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius De Weever the DP appointed minister marked his three year tenure and reflected on the changes and improvements with the Ambulance Department. Courses have been followed and much needed equipment and ambulances have been bought over his three years.
"The community needs to know and have faith in our Ambulance Department. Rest assured much has been done to improve the quality of service being offered by the department to its clients and continuous training, upgrading, monitoring and evaluations will continue"
During the three year period, many information campaigns highlighting the Emergency number 912 have been initiated as a means of educating the community on how to activate the number and what sort of information is required to pass on to the ambulance dispatcher, when necessary care is needed. Within the three year period, much needed equipment was purchased for the department. Some of the equipment was: four portable suction machines, two auto pulse chest compression support pumps, two EZ-glide stair chairs to aid the ambulance team for transport of patients, an alphanumeric paging system and a trauma van for transporting of medical teams and equipment in the event of a large scale accident or disaster. Most recently the voice logging system was also acquired for better recording and quality management of the ambulance department.
Within the three year time span the Ambulance Department participated in an ISPS Code training/exercise on a large scale evacuation drill at AC Wathey Cruise & Cargo facility together with Norwegian Epic Cruise, Port of St. Maarten and the Police Department. The objective of this exercise was to complete ship to shore evacuation exercise, give port authorities and ship experience of shore evacuation, build a better understanding of available resources, exercise medical teams on ship and on shore, understand priorities and the authority of each agency.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The adjourned plenary public session of the House of Parliament is scheduled for March 17th regarding developments at the Inspectorate of Taxes as well as the Rules of Order.

The public plenary meeting is reconvened for Monday at 2:00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg. This meeting was initially held on March 10 and was adjourned according to article 29 of the House Rules of Order.

The first agenda point is developments at the Inspectorate of Taxes. Minister of Finance Hon. Martin Hassink will be present for the meeting.

The second agenda point is the Rules of Order of the House.

The meeting with respect to agenda point one was requested by Members of Parliament (MP) Hon. William Marlin, MP Hon. George Pantophlet, MP Hon. Hyacinth Richardson, and MP Hon. Louie Laveist.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com, and also via www.sxmparliament.org.

CEO Mingo a Panelist representing Caribbean Showcases Destination and Port in Maximizing Benefits of Cruise Tourism

POINTE BLANCHE:--- Cruise Shipping Miami 2014, the 30th anniversary edition of the cruise industry's premier annual event, comes to an end on Friday at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies said on Thursday that Royal Caribbean Cruise Line's Michael Ronan, Vice President of Government Relations, Caribbean, Latin America and Asia, said that cruise destination St. Maarten was one of the few destinations that listened to cruise industry executives and applied the advice into practice.

Ronan also highlighted destination stakeholders such as the Dutch Taxi Association that attends cruise conferences and keep pace with cruise industry trends and developments in order to be better able to provide service to cruise passengers.

CEO Mingo upon invitation took part in a panel discussion that included top cruise executives on Monday morning about, "How Can Destinations and Ports Maximize the Benefit of Cruise Tourism?"

In 2013 Cruise Shipping Miami attracted 93 new exhibitors; over 40 per cent of exhibitors closed business during the show; 11,000 attendees walked the show floor; over 900 exhibitors from 123 countries participated;

The speakers who took part in the panel discussion were Arnold Donald, Director of Carnival Corporation since 2001, and was named President and CEO of Carnival Corp. & plc in June 2013.

Richard Fain, has been Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. since 1988. The global cruise company owns six brands: Celebrity, Royal Caribbean International, Pullmantur, Azamara Club Cruises, CDF Croisieres de France, and the joint venture TUI Cruises.

Kevin Sheehan, has served as the CEO and president of Norwegian Cruise Line since 2008.

Pierfrancesco Vago, served as CEO of MSC Cruises overseeing the company's operations from its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, from 2004 until he was named executive chairman in September 2013.

POND ISLAND:--- TelEm Group assisted the Period Foundation in collaboration with Minister of Justice, Mr. Dennis Richardson, in their joint hosting of a luncheon in honor of female staff members of the uniform division of the Ministry of Justice.

TelEm Group on Wednesday donated two telecommunication devices for the event so that they could be presented to two of the nine (9) deserving honorees during the luncheon at Port-de-Plaisance Wednesday.

The event is a belated celebration of International Women's Day which was officially marked around the world Saturday, March 8.

Upon accepting the gifts from TelEm Group's Senior Financial Administrator, Accounts Receivable & Preventions Department Xionara Vicario, Wednesday, Ms. Arrindell thanked TelEm Group and Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Mrs. Helma Etnel for the kind donation and the company's support to deserving women on St. Maarten.

TELEM Press Release

PHILIPSBURG:--- In an effort to improve the in-service/professional development plans throughout Foundation Based Education (FBE) schools, the Department for Educational Innovations (DEI), with funding support from USONA, convened a series of workshops focused on in-service and professional development in FBE and PSVE schools. This was spawned as a result of the 2009 SOAB Audit report, which indicated that "the School Boards and School Managers were found to be in the need of support in teacher training and upgrading."
These workshops, which were facilitated through IMBRACE by Jacqueline Louis, CEO and Dr. Velda James, were held over a three-week period from February 11-27. Specific days were focused on a workshop program designed beyond the emphasis on "training" to a broader focus on the "professional development" process from the distinct perspectives and roles of School Boards, and School Managers. Topics of discussion included: Issues & Opportunities of In-Service Training; Strengths, Weaknesses Opportunities and Threats (SWOT), the Importance & Difference of Training & Development; the Roles and Responsibilities of Teachers, School Managers and School boards, and the need for an efficient school team flow of communications, planning and program initiatives in an ongoing Professional Development process.
"These workshops are only the beginning of what should be a continual process to grow the expertise, skills and teaching and learning didactics employed throughout the schools," shares Jacqueline Louis, Workshop Facilitator. "The participants were fully engaged as they recognized the importance of the workshops with the goal of providing the framework, stimulus and guidance for their respective Professional Development initiatives. In the end it is our students who ultimately stand the benefit the most from improved teaching practices and communities of learning throughout the schools."
A template was also provided for participants as a guide to create Professional Development Plans for each school, with guidance on 10 Key Principles to design the Plan, namely formulating strategies, short term, midterm, and long term goals, as well as a 7-Step Implementation process, among other guidelines. The participating school Boards and School Managers are now tasked with creating policies completing their plans, forming professional networks/associations and communities of learning, and creating viable partnerships to work together and pursue community-wide campaigns and fundraising initiatives. Building upon the quote: "it takes a village to raise a child," discussions were held to organize an "Adopt-A-School" campaign to encourage businesses and community organizations to sponsor these types of school initiatives. Overall participants indicated a need for ongoing assistance, as well as periodic trainings and workshops for School Board and Managers.
"We recognize the importance of these types of workshops, and will continue to assist with the ongoing professional development of our school communities, with the proper support from our government," says Oralie Boirard, Acting Head DEI Division.
DEI wishes to thank USONA for their continued support, the management and school boards of the FBE and PSVE schools for their active participation and the entire IMBRACE team for a job well done.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament George Pantophlet said he will be requesting the President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell to schedule the reconvening of the meeting on developments at the inspectorate of taxes as soon as possible the latest next week. The president of parliament has to set a date in accordance with article 30 of the rules of order which gives the president the authority to do so. The actions taken by some employees at the inspectorate of taxes specifically in the audit department is a clear indication that something is amiss and it should not be allowed to continue. The Member of Parliament said that he would not be surprised if the majority of the staff feels the same way. It would be irresponsible of the president to insist on postponing this meeting indefinitely. We are talking about the most important revenue generating department on St. Maarten. There are persons who have worked there for over 20 years and they expressed never in their experience has it been like this. The Minister of Finance Mr. Martin Hassink is in the possession of a report or quick scan that was done by Mr. Frederick. According to this quick scan, interviews were done with staff and it is proven that indeed the present manager does not possess the skills to properly supervise the department and something he himself agrees with. The Minister of Finance met with the staff and said he did not want to air their dirty laundry so he wanted to resolve the problem internally and not air the dirty laundry. Well minister the stench is strong. He promised to get back to them in 3 weeks' time. Six weeks have gone by and still no action has been taken by the Minister of Finance. The director according to information himself does not possess the skills and knowledge to manage the department but is being paid handsomely while his contract expired some time last year. Are we going to receive a performance report? We are talking about a salary in the range of some 170 thousand guilders monthly excluding housing allowance and so on. We cannot have disgruntled employees working anywhere in government especially in such an important department. President do the honorable thing and call the meeting.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Over the last 10 years the elderly population (60+ and over) on St. Maarten has doubled. Being able to provide for an aging population has become more prevalent as the number of elderly persons within St. Maarten begins to increase. Such a dramatic change has had consequences on the consumption of services in the medical field and social areas. In the past, Sint Maarten had a system in which (extended family) family and friends would take care of the elderly. Even though for a large part this system is still in place the economic situation makes it necessary that people have to work, meaning that the elderly are less looked after. In addition, the immigrant population might have a less extensive supporting network.

Recognizing the need to ensure social protection and social provisions for the elderly, the Department of Social Development at the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development and Labor (VSA) embarked upon an extensive research project into the needs of the elderly. In 2013, the Ministry of VSA finalized the report. The main research objectives were to provide answers to the following questions:

• What are the needs of the elderly?
• Which services are currently being provided to the elderly and what is lacking?
• Which organizations are involved in providing services for the elderly and are they equipped for the ageing population?

The Ministry of VSA will use the research findings to guide policy development and implementation to remedy some of the various issues facing the elderly population of St. Maarten. The research was carried out by For a Change NV., who conducted a stakeholder analysis with all key organizations and a needs assessment of the elderly (60+yrs) and the aging population (50-59yrs). The sample size of the aging population is not representative of the aging population on St. Maarten, therefore these findings were only used to get an impression of how the needs of the 50-59 years old persons may evolve.
Part one of this series of articles will first present the major research finding about the needs of our elderly population.

Elderly Needs Assessment
An elderly person within this research study was defined as those above the pension age, which is 60 years and older on St. Maarten. In total the Civil Registry (Jan 2012) has 6,320 elderly persons registered. A total of 366 elderly persons and 25 organizations that provide services to the elderly participated in this research.

Social & Emotional Needs
Most of the social and emotional support that the elderly receive is from their family, from the existing NGOs and the church. Even though social service providers are doing a good job some elderly are still living in total isolation and are not reached by existing services. On an average 4.1% of the participants have no social support at all. About 25% of the participants experience a lack of companionship some of the time, feelings of being left out and isolated. Cases of poverty, lack of support from family and/or neighbors, lack of community spirit, lack of respect, lack of safety, doubt about help in case of emergency, and risk of physical and mentally abuse were reported. Almost 25% of the participants feel lonely. With limited financial means, the feeling of being unsafe in their neighborhood and the lack of transportation all have a negative influence on their loneliness.

Environmental needs
There were several indications within the report that many of the participants felt that their house is too small, not suitable anymore; too expensive; limits their mobility, and/or needs maintenance. Transportation, shops (grocery), commercial services (GEBE etc.), social services and elderly organizations are often too far away; they are unsafe in their own house; they feel unsafe in their neighborhood. Generally speaking the elderly population are also concerned about the road conditions; running sewage water on the roads; loud music; lack of proper transportation; lack of street lights; nuisance of drug addicts and homeless people; and lack of police control at night.

Health Needs
Of the 366 participants 257 (70.2%) reported that they suffer from one or more chronic illnesses. However, on an average 82.3% of the participants feel positive about their general well-being. About two thirds of the participants (67.5%) indicate that their health is good, very good or excellent. While 29.2% responded that their health is fair and 3.0% considers their health poor. Most of the persons who suffer from a chronic illness have one (50.2%), two (22.2% or three (15.6%) at the same time. Out of the 62 internationally recognized chronic illnesses, 37 where mentioned by the participants. Although many remained positive about their health condition, it was evident that the physical health of the participants limits them from performing in various activities.

More than 70% of the participants are totally independent; they need no help at all to do their regular activities. The other remaining percentage are elderly persons who are co-dependent on the help from family, friends, neighbors, or a professional care taker. Those that are dependent on others need assistance with taking care of their feet, going up and down the stairs, walking outdoors, washing and drying their body, dressing themselves, standing up form a sitting position, getting around the house, getting in and out of bed, going to the restroom, as well as eating and drinking. Majority of assistance needed in their daily activities are to assist with the cleaning of feet and toenails as well as the need for help to go up and down stairs.
Presently 12.3% of the elderly lack medical insurance. Compared with the general health situation of the elderly, especially when it comes to the prevalence of chronic diseases, this situation is alarming. A complicating aspect is that not all health needs (such as diets and household aids) are covered by medical insurance and tend to become an extra burden on the already low incomes.

Financial Needs
More than sixty percent have a household income of ANG 1,500 or lower and twelve percent even have an income lower than ANG 500 a month. About 6% of the elderly use financial assistance, whereas the others receive financial assistance from friends or family.

Based on the research findings several recommendations were given, and the Ministry of VSA is looking into how the priorities of 2014 are reflect in these findings and how can 2015 be planned with the results from this report. The priorities for 2014 will be presented in the upcoming articles. Minister Cornelius de Weever states he is glad this research report is complete. "The information in the report provides the baseline and the data in order for us to continue to review and update policies and legislation. We have already drafted legislation and are awaiting the final signature for implementation."

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Wednesday March 11, 2014, the representative of the Netherlands in Sint Maarten, Mr. Gert Versluis, handed over a bundle of registration forms for the EU elections to drs. Gracita R. Arrindell, president of the Parliament of Sint Maarten.
According to Mrs. Arrindell and Mr. Versluis, many people seem not to be aware of their right to vote for the upcoming European Parliament elections. Therefore it is stressed that all inhabitants of Sint Maarten over eighteen, holding Dutch nationality, can claim that right by registering at the Dutch Representation in Front Street 26. Mrs. Arrindell, being one of the first citizens to register, wants to actively draw attention of the Members of Parliament and all other potential voters, who are eligible to vote in these elections.
The elections in Europe will be held on May 22nd, 2014. Those who want to vote in Sint Maarten can do so by registering at the Office of the Representation before April 10th, 2014. The registration forms are available at the Office, but can also be downloaded from www.stemmenvanuithetbuitenland.nl. As soon as the voting forms are available, the Representation will invite by e-mail those who have registered, to pick up the forms or have them sent to their home address. People can fill in their voting form and deliver it in a sealed envelope to the Representation's Office at the latest May 22nd, 2014 at 3 p.m.
Mrs. Arrindell said: "I have always made use of my right to vote, while being a student-resident of the Netherlands. I certainly make use of my duty to vote as a citizen of Country Sint Maarten. I take this opportunity to remind the eligible voting population in general to remember the struggles and frustration of countries, in the past and present, where people cannot or are not allowed to exercise the right to cast a secret ballot.
Let us not take this democratic exercise for granted."

PHILIPSBURG:--- Leader of the National Alliance and Member of Parliament, William Marlin, on Wednesday afternoon strongly refuted the latest allegations of Minister Maurice Lake in reference to a bag of documents he found in the office last year June.
This again confirms that Minister Lake is nothing else but a pathological liar William Marlin reiterated on Wednesday. Every time Minister Lake is exposed with one lie, he changes the subject and tries to direct the focus away from him and on to something different.
Why would I leave a bag with documents in the office and tag them to be burnt? And how can the Minister explain, that only now, after being in office for the past 9 months he is disclosing to the public that he found a bag containing documents that I wanted burnt. That makes absolutely no sense, but only serves to show that Minister Lake continues to misuse his immunity as Minister to drum up lies in a feeble attempt to make himself look good.
Shortly after taking office, Minister Lake announced that he had ordered an investigation into asphalt that had been illegally removed from the premises of the airport. Minister Lake never exposed the results of his so called investigation.
Shortly after that, Minister Lake was ordering an investigation into the illegal removal of sand from the Ring Road in the Foga area. Again, after slandering innocent people's name, Minister Lake never informed the public on his findings following another so called investigation.
Minister Maurice Lake had also issued false information about the former Minister signing off on a contract in the Foga area. Minister Lake ordered the work to be halted and publicly announced that the contractor had to close the trench close to the home of former Commissioner Miss. Patricia Flanders. Failure by the contractor to do so by a particular Sunday afternoon by 6 pm would result in Minister Maurice Lake having the trench closed by a third party at the expense of the contractor.
When the contractor had their lawyer write Minister Lake a letter, he quickly shut up about closing the trench and agreed to let the contractor complete that section of the works. Again, the Minister was not man enough to come back to the same public, who he promised that he would see to it that the trench was closed by the Sunday afternoon 2 pm.
Minister Lake believes that by constantly running to the media and issuing press releases he will be able to convince them that he is doing a good job. But he is dead wrong. The people of St. Maarten have realized now that Minister Lake is nothing less than a pathological liar.
A Minister who repeatedly lies to the Parliament of Sint Maarten is not deserving of the respect of the people.

Press Release from Member of Parliament William Marlin

PHILIPSBURG:--- Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), hereby announces detour sign locations in connection with road works on Bush Road starting from March 13 to 16.

Motorists need to pay attention to the following detour sign locations: Prins Bernhard Bridge; Bush Road/Zagers Gut road junction; Zagers Gut road/Coralita road; L.B. Scot road/Gladiola road; Zagers Gut road/A.Th. Illidge road; Fort Willem road/Prins Bernhard Bridge.

Interruption to the traffic flow will be in the vicinity of Cost U Less and Kentucky Fried Chicken; motorists need to keep this in mind when making their commute during the evening hours of Thursday and Friday, and during the day on Saturday and Sunday.

A detour will be instituted via Daisy Road (next to Cost U Less) through Isis Road onto the Bush Road for those coming out of Cul de Sac. Motorists on their commute from the Philipsburg area may also use this detour.

On Thursday evening March 13, road work activities will be taking place from 8:00pm to 12:00am; Friday, March 14, from 9:00pm to 12:00am; Saturday, March 15, from 7:00am to 7:00pm; and Sunday, March 16 from 7:00am to 7:00pm.

The traffic interruption on the aforementioned days and times is in connection with water drainage challenges in that particular area and putting in place the necessary infrastructure in place to resolve the issue.

Motorists are requested to be vigilant and observant for the traffic directional signs indicating what works are underway in the respective areas.

Motorists and pedestrians are also advised that it is against the law for tampering or removing a traffic barricade or any other piece of government property that is being used to make motorists and pedestrians aware of road work activities, and it is punishable by law.

Ministry VROMI apologizes for any inconvenience that the road works activities may cause.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The 6th Annual "Lion Rudy Hoeve Health & Wellness Fair" of the St. Maarten Lions Club will be held on Saturday March 22nd, 2014 at the Festival Village.

This year's Fair will be sponsored by TELEM as the Lions Corporate Sponsor for health events. Besides sponsoring the event, TELEM will also be in charge of the ZUMBA exercises and they are inviting young and old to take part as this exercise is also a way of keeping healthy.

The interest for this Health Fair has grown throughout the years and besides the usual participants, this year's fair will feature quite some new persons, health foundations, organizations who will be bringing interesting information and give out lots of reading material to the public.

The Diabetes Foundation will be doing blood sugar, hypertension and cholesterol tests. AIDS Foundation will try to break their record and looks forward to testing over 300 persons at the Fair. The Love of Kids Foundation will share information from some dyslexia specialists and Dr. Kurt Vreeland who is a holistic physician specializing in naturopathic medicine and has wonderful programs for children.

Positive Foundation will give info on it's Breast Cancer awareness programs and the White Yellow Cross will give information on vaccination and child care.
Alpha Health Store will be showing their health care accessories, health stores Fountain of Health and Nature's Discount has lots of products to show to the public and Divico N.V. a constant participant will also be part of this year's event. Newcomer Enable Holistic Occupational Therapy is something totally new for
Sint Maarten and the Holistic Occupational Therapist is eager to acquaint the public with this new type of health care.

Newcomer St. Maarten Heart & Stroke Foundation will have lots of information on how to prevent stroke and heart disease, Alzheimer Foundation will do tests as well and have information on how to deal with people who have Alzheimer or suffer from depression.
The Island Government's Health Department will have lots of information on healthy living while the Sint Maarten Medical Center will deal with critical care and the SZV will have information on old age pension.

Agros will give details about healthy food and newcomer Kelaha Projects will have lots of information on Ovarian and Cervical Cancer and is inviting especially young people to come and get information on this deadly cancer. Newcomer 1 & 1 Fitness Gym will be working together with the Diabetes Foundation to give the public instruction on proper exercise for diabetics. Les Brown who has been a regular at the Fair for many years will be present with healthy sports games for the kids.

Each year St. Maarten Optical has been part of the Health Fair and this year is no different. They will be carrying out FREE eye testing at their location in the Marcus Building on the Walter Nisbeth Road as part of the Lions Health & Wellness Fair.
Those interested in having their eyes tested can go directly to St. Maarten Optical for this test. The Sint Maarten Lions Club are also providing an interesting Kiddies Corner with all sorts of gadgets and games, so while the adults are having their various tests the kids can have great fun.

All tests, information, brochures and assistance are totally FREE. Only food and drinks will be on sale.

The Sint. Maarten Lions Club and TELEM are encouraging the entire public to come out on Saturday March 22nd 2014 to the 6th "Annual Lion Rudy Hoeve Health & Wellness Fair Sponsored by TELEM" at the Festival Village from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

PHILIPSBURG:--- SMN News has taken note of the amount of press releases that are being sent to all media houses by the Minister of VROMI Maurice Lake. While it is good that the Minister is trying his best to be transparent and making sure that his face is in the newspapers on a daily basis, the Minister does not attend the weekly press briefing where members of the media could pose questions to him on all the brewing issues that involve his Ministry.

The Minister has stated on several occasions in press releases that he will have an investigation conducted but the Minister does not update the media on the status or outcome of these investigations.

Last week, a meeting was held in Parliament regarding the purchase of the Emilio Wilson Estate and the Minister told Parliament that the letter of intent signed by former Minister of VROMI William Marlin was not booked in. Marlin in a press briefing on Monday told reporters that the leader of the UPP Theodore Heyliger had a copy of the letter that was booked in showing it to certain members of the media in the press room of parliament. Marlin further stated that the Members of Parliament from the UPP faction got copies of the letter but the members of the National Alliance faction in parliament did not get copies because the griffier told them that he did not get a copy of the letter from the Minister of VROMI to distribute to the Members of Parliament.

On Tuesday, Minister Lake sent out a press release with a photograph where he is holding a ruffled white paper bag containing documents which he said was left to be burnt.

SMN News wanted to ask Minister Lake when he found this envelope and why he did not send out a release prior to Marlin's press conference. However, these and several other questions pertaining to GEBE and the Ministry of VROMI could not be answered because Minister Lake never shows up for press briefings. On several occasions he would give DCOMM his phone number telling them to announce it so that members of the media could reach him since he has prior engagements on Wednesdays but whenever SMN News calls Minister Lake's phone number there is never a response.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Labor, Health, and Social Affairs Cornelius de Weever in response to a question posed by SMN News during the Council of Ministers' live press briefing on Wednesday said he has no knowledge about the work exchange agreement between Sandals Resort and Maho Group of Companies.

SMN News has been reliably informed that the management of Maho Group of Companies sought permission from the Ministry of Justice and got residency papers for Jamaican nationals to work for Maho Group. The source said that most of these foreign workers are placed in top positions while locals that are working for the company for more than 25 years cannot get their promotions.

Some two weeks ago, inspectors from the labor and health department visited Sonesta Great Bay Resort where they checked documents for all workers at the establishment. SMN News understands that this raid was conducted because a local employee went to the inspectorate to report one of the Jamaicans that are giving local workers a hard time on the job. One of the inspectors told SMN News that they were conducting a general control but the raid was geared towards the Jamaicans. Minister de Weever said that the only discussion he had with Maho Group was to encourage them to train local students during the slow season in order for them to get experience. He said there are a number of students in the hospitality trade in Sundial and other schools that need to get training at the local hotels and this was one thing he personally discussed with the management of Maho Group. The Minister further explained that the inspectors have their jobs to do and if they get tipped off of illegalities they have to carry out their duties.

During that same control one of the inspectors was overheard telling some workers that persons that are of French Nationality cannot work on the Dutch side claiming that the law has changed.

When SMN News contacted the inspectorate back then they confirmed that certain laws have changed but the inspectors do not have the right to stop French citizens from working on the Dutch side as yet since the Government of St. Maarten still has to work on its own legislation and consult with stakeholders.

When asked about this, Minister de Weever confirmed that his Ministry is busy reviewing the legislation and they are also in consultation with their French counterparts. Minister de Weever said years ago when the "work book" for French citizens was implemented the situation was much different. "Back then it was only for native St. Martiners but today you have people that are naturalized and those coming from Europe that are working on the Dutch side. We have to review this policy and also see if we would still issue those workbooks and at the same time increase the fees for them because when it was implemented years ago and the fee was very low."

Another topic the Minister was questioned about is the taxation for brothel workers that are working on the island. Minister de Weever said that his Ministry is in touch with owners of the brothels and are in discussion on how to tax brothel workers that come to St. Maarten to work for a period of six months.

When asked what the Ministry is doing to ensure these brothel workers (dancers) leave the island when their time is up, Minister de Weever said that the owners of the brothels have to show proof that the workers that had to leave left the island before they are given entry and work permits for new ones to come to St. Maarten. Currently several dancers and brothel workers are leaving the establishment that brought them in and are hooking up with businessmen, lawyers, and top civil servants in order to stay on St. Maarten/St. Martin. Several of these dancers even got married to prominent people in St. Maarten.

Government to host Luncheon for Social Workers.

Minister de Weever also announced during the weekly press briefing that his Ministry stands committed to assisting social workers on St. Maarten. He said the Government of St. Maarten will be hosting all social workers at a luncheon in recognition of social workers worldwide. The Minister had with him a bag with certain goodies he planned to distribute to all Members of the Council of Ministers in recognition of social workers. However, the Minister could not execute his plan because he was the only Minister that attended the Council of Ministers' press briefing on Wednesday.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The adjourned plenary session of the House of Parliament regarding developments at the Princess Juliana International Airport is now scheduled for March 25.

The public plenary meeting is set for Tuesday at 2:00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The first agenda point is incoming documents followed by the second one related to developments at the national airport. Minister of Aviation Affairs Hon. Ted Richardson will be present for the meeting.

Minister Hon. Ted Richardson could not be present for an earlier meeting due to previous engagements.

The meeting was requested by Members of Parliament (MP) Hon. William Marlin, MP Hon. George Pantophlet, MP Hon. Hyacinth Richardson, and MP Hon. Louie Laveist.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com, and also via www.sxmparliament.org.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Drs. Gracita R. Arrindell, President of Parliament and President of the Peridot Foundation on Wednesday is hosting a lunch with the Minister of Justice Hon. Dennis Richardson for the female uniform division of the Ministry of Justice.

The luncheon by the foundation will take place at Port de Plaisance from 12:00pm to 2:00pm.

The luncheon has been organized in connection with International Women's Day that was celebrated over the weekend, Saturday, March 8.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams celebrated the role women play on St. Maarten and organized various activities highlighting International Women's Day. The Prime Minister recognized a number of outstanding women for their contribution to St. Maarten's society and for building the country at the annual International Women's Day luncheon held at Sheer Restaurant. The Prime Minister applauded the invitees for their contributions and was greeted by tears and laughter from the crowd of grateful ladies: "Thank you for accepting the invitation to be here and to celebrate this lunch with us on International Women's Day 2014. This afternoon it is about you, and I want you to understand that women contribute so much to the developing of this nation. You represent all of the women out there and the successes and failures that they face and it is therefore that I took the initiative to honor your contribution to our society. The two traditional names for St. Maarten are Oualichi, the Land of Strong Women and Soualiga, Land of Salt. I believe that that is exactly what we are; strong women that are the salt of the land. What I see in you and what others see in you shows the passion in the things that you do. You and your pairs make me extremely proud," commented the Prime Minister.

The PM also encouraged movement and health at the International Women's Day Sport Event which featured healthy activities including Yoga Classes, Basketball and Bodybuilding Exhibitions centered on encouraging women to stay healthy and focus on a clean and healthy lifestyle. "Every day we should stand still and reflect on the things that could obstruct us from being all that we can be. Our health is one of the most important determinants of our overall well-being. Many chronic diseases affecting women in these times can be prevented and managed through lifestyle changes, but we need to want to make those changes for ourselves and for our families," emphasized the PM.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (Ministry of VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake on Monday secured transitional housing for Turning Point Foundation clients.

The transitional housing unit that would comprise of 12 units in one building will be part of the FOGA Housing Project to be constructed in the vicinity of the Melford Hazel Sports Complex in Sucker Garden.

On Monday afternoon Minister Lake met with Turning Point Director Member of Parliament Hon. Dr. Lloyd Richardson, Peggy Ann Richardson, Henry Lynch, Director of the Sint Maarten Housing Development Foundation (SMHDF), Telson Bell, SMHDF Project Manager, and Veronica Jansen-Webster, Chef de Cabinet of Minister VROMI.

Housing is a critical area for the country and people of Sint Maarten.

"The identification of social housing is part and parcel of the Sint Maarten Housing Vision 2012-2020 Building Book that was presented by KAW Architects and Consultants back in December.

"Housing is a basic human right anchored down into international treaties. In my going back to basics approach, social housing is one of the areas that have to be developed especially for such country institutions as Turning Point which assists challenged members of our community who work to turn around their life.

"I am very pleased with the outcome of the meeting on Monday. A significant step has been made. Now the different entities have to go back to their boards to formalize with what has been decided as part of the process of open and transparent government and according to rules and regulations of the country," Minister Hon. Maurice Lake said on Monday.

The project commissioned by the Government of Sint Maarten and financed by USONA entailed a review of legislation relating to housing, and a review of the housing policy. The project objective is to increase the quality of life and living conditions of residents with low and middle incomes through policies and legislation relating to adequate and social housing.

The Building Book outlines what needs to be built; where to build; a definition of the different types of locations and (im)possibilities for realizing social housing; how to realize social housing; legislation, process per land ownership, role of government and finances; when, planning and prioritization.

Prof. Calderaro: "Caribbean Literature needs to help build a larger reading public at home"

GREAT BAY:--- This year the English Literature course at the University of Trieste, Italy, is focusing on "Caribbean Short Stories: Language, Politics, Family, Myths," said Dr. Michela A. Calderaro, professor of English at the Department of Humanities.

"In the last few years I have been focusing on Caribbean Literature, teaching prose and poetry; this year it was short stories, and I thought that a writer such as Lasana Sekou deserved to be introduced to Italian students," said Prof. Calderaro.

"Since I began the course talking about the Middle Passage, I thought it was fitting to first discuss 'A Salting' from Brotherhood of The Spurs. Water is always a fascinating subject, and we closed with 'New Year's Eve Birth' from Love Songs Make You Cry," said Prof. Calderaro. Both books of St. Martin short fictions are by Sekou. The first semester of the 2013-2014 academic year ran from September to December 2013.

Prof. Calderaro said in an interview last week that, "What the students noticed most was the way society was described, how 'social' life was impossible to be separated from 'private' life, and the importance, in the stories, of political themes."

"Further, the discussion of Caribbean political themes roused the students' curiosity to learn more about the current situation of other islands besides St. Martin. Students also enjoyed the richness of language and the use of figures of speech and

metaphors," which Sekou is known for in his poetry, said Prof. Calderaro.

The professor recalled one of her students recently discussing his term paper with her. "He said that he was struck by Sekou's language, a language so powerful that it drew him into the story, making it easy to identify with the characters and understand their plight, though they seem so different from him and live far away, on an island on the other side of the world," said Dr. Calderaro.

The encounter of students with Caribbean Literature at the University of Trieste is probably right in line with the institution's high learning drive. The mid-size university is known for its intensive academics, high-level research activity and international connections, and has ranked as 'the best Italian university" by Times Higher Education World University Rankings (2010).

Calderaro is herself a critical scholar and has written extensive papers on English Literature, Caribbean Studies, Literature and Philosophy, and on writers such as Lord Byron and Lorna Goodison. "To me, the major challenge for Caribbean Literature today is twofold: on the one hand it needs to go beyond the borders of the Caribbean and be better known worldwide, without losing its local roots; on the other hand, it needs to help build a larger reading public at home."

University of Trieste and the University of the West Indies (Trinidad) are both teaching Brotherhood of the Spurs for the 2013-2014 academic year, said Jacqueline Sample, president of House of Nehesi (HNP), the book's publisher.

BELVEDERE:--- The Division for Educational Innovations in collaboration with Sifma St. Maarten has started their Parental Support Information workshops at the Belvedere Community Center for the month of March 2014.

The sessions at the Belvedere Community Center are for parents with children attending the Day Care Centers and Pre-schools from the areas of the A.Th. Illidge road, Dutch Quarter, Middle Region and Belvedere. There are (9) nine registered Day Care Centers and Pre-schools covered in these areas.

On Thursday March 6th, 2014 the first information session was organized.
The session "The Importance of Play" was presented by Ms. Cyriara van Broekhoven,
an intern from the University of Utrecht who is presently stationed at the Division of Education.

Parents received information on the stages of development of their young children from 0 – 4 and also on the various forms of play. They were encouraged to play games, read and tell stories and sing songs with their children.
The session was very interactive and provided lots of opportunities for parents/ guardians to actively participate
At the end the participants gave the presenter a round of applause and commented that the information was well received.

A pre-registration list along with the schedule for the workshops have been placed at all the Day Care Centers and Pre-schools where parents can pre-register for the sessions.

These sessions are not only for the parents/ guardians but the Care-givers and the Managers of the centers are also welcome to attend.

We thank the parents who attended the first information session that was held last week Thursday and encourage them as well as other parents and guardians to participate in the other sessions.

The schedule for the sessions at Belvedere Community Center

CHRISTIANSTED, St. Croix:--- Seaborne Airlines, the fastest growing airline in the Caribbean, announced today that an interline agreement facilitating connections at Luis Munoz Marin Airport in San Juan, PR. (SJU) to and from all Delta Air Lines flights at SJU has launched. With the agreement, baggage can bechecked at either Delta or Seaborne and bags will be transferred without having to be rechecked. Additionally, Seaborne Airlines tickets will be sold on Delta.com and both Delta and Seaborne will be able to issue each others boarding passes in the coming weeks.

Seaborne has shown dramatic growth during the past months. Just recently, Seaborne began service to St. Maarten, March 1st and announced service to its 18th airport, Las Américas International Airport in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (SDQ) with non-stop service from Luis Munoz Marin International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico (SJU) effective April 15, 2014. Santo Domingo will be Seaborne's fourth destination within the Dominican Republic, the others being La Romana, started in December, 2013; Punta Cana beginning February 14, 2014 and Santiago beginning March 15th, 2014. For more information please visit seaborneairlines.com or follow us in social media networks: facebook/seaborne and @flyseaborne.

Seaborne recently announced the relocation of its headquarters to San Juan, Puerto Rico to be effective in March, 2014.

POND ISLAND:--- TelEm Group is continuing its support for inter-scholastic youth soccer with a generous donation to the St. Maarten Soccer and Education Foundation (SMSEF).

The donation was made by Chief Commercial Officer (CCO) Mr. Brian Mingo, to President of SMSEF, Mr. David Forsythe, at the Johan Cruyff sports field, Belvedere, Saturday, during a break in play.

According to Mr. Mingo, TelEm Group is happy to sponsor the program and give positive encouragement to the close to 40 teams that are participating in the inter-schools tournament throughout the school term.

"It's clear the organizers of the program need as much assistance as possible to realize their goal of getting all the schools on St. Maarten to have an active soccer program and we strongly encourage other companies to help in any way they can," continued Mr. Mingo.

President of the St. Maarten Soccer Education Foundation, Mr. David Forsythe, said the donation from TelEm Group, and mobile provider TelCell, will make trophies and medals available for players taking part in the tournament.

"With the medals taken care of, we can fully concentrate of raising funds for another important part of the program which helps us to make cash donations to various schools so that they can inject that into their own school soccer programs," said Mr. Forsythe.

The SMSEF President thanked Mr. Mingo and TelEm Group for the generous donation and for lending its support to the program for a second year running.

"Our youth are the most grateful," said Mr. Forsythe.

TELEM Press Release

FOR PENSIONERS, ACTIVE PARTICIPANTS

CUL DE SAC:--- St. Maarten's general pension fund administrator, APS, is busy preparing for an important conference to be held on April 11, at the Maho Convention Center. The one day conference will be divided into two separate program segments, one for pensioners and the other one for active participants.
With this conference, APS aims to raise awareness and to disseminate pertinent information regarding pensions in general, and aspects of the pension system, in particular. The conference theme will be 'Securing your pension makes cents'.
Charged with administering the pension of civil servants, teachers and employees of other government-related organizations in St. Maarten, ever since the island became a country, APS is convinced that the conference comes at a time when it is essential that it takes the initiative in an effort to inform and educate those concerned.
APS hopes to trigger exchange of ideas and dialogue on issues of pension, thus promoting transparency and open communication as basic principles of the APS operations.
APS maintains its premise of providing peace of mind to active participants as well as to those who formerly participated in the fund but are no longer employed. For retirees already enjoying pension benefits, it is important that this group is confident that they will continue to receive such in a timely manner.
To facilitate as many active participants as possible to attend the conference, APS is approaching employers with a request to give participants time off on the day of the conference.

APS Press Release

Vote Now to Make the Island's Princess Juliana International Airport #1 for the Second Straight Year

PHILIPSBURG:--- St. Maarten's Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) has again been chosen by a panel of high-profile travel industry experts in this year's PrivateFly.com list of the most stunning airport approaches in the world. After earning the top spot in 2013, fans are encouraged to help ensure a repeat victory by voting St. Maarten #1 for the second year in a row at http://www.privatefly.com/airport-poll/PrivateFlyAirportPoll.html. Polls close at the end of March.
"We are very proud of our airport in St. Maarten and the recognition it received in last year's PrivateFly.com poll," said Edward Dest, interim director of tourism for the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau. "Maho Beach, located next to the airport, is one of the most popular attractions on our island, not only due to the mesmerizing water and shoreline but also because of the stunning views of incoming planes that people flock to from around the world to witness."
PrivateFly.com, the leading online booking platform for private aviation charters, has put together a shortlist of airports worldwide, including SXM, that offer a range of truly inspirational views during approaches, including world-famous cityscapes, stunning coastlines and beautiful mountain views.
SXM airport, located on the scenic shores of Maho Beach, offers passengers on incoming flights breathtaking views of turquoise waters and white sandy beaches, while spectators looking to get a unique view of low-flying incoming planes frequent the famous beach daily.
For additional information on St. Maarten, visit the official site of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau at www.VacationStMaarten.com.

GREAT BAY:--- Based on the ordinance regulating the practice of dentistry (Landsverordening regelende de uitoefening van de tandheelkunst) A.B. 2013, GT no. 797, a dentist is only qualified to practice dentistry on St. Maarten if he/she avails of either a Dutch dental degree-in case of a foreign dental degree- a declaration of competence issued by a dental examination board. A letter was sent to all established dentists on St. Maarten requesting their nomination.
The Ministry of Public Health Social Development & Labor has recently established the Dentistry Examination Board, comprising of two locally established dentists along with the Inspector General of Public Health, Social Development &Labor as the chairperson.
"This is a great step in the right direction as we now have this board established to check the qualifications of those wishing to practice dentistry here on the island; moreover we want to ensure that there is not only an adequate amount of dentists on the island, but also that those who are allowed to practice dentistry are adequately trained and work in accordance with professional standards," said Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius De Weever.
Minister De Weever further stated that the responsibility of the board is to assess the competence of dentists not qualified to practice according to the ordinance regulating the practice of dentistry.

"White Paper Bag left to be burnt with Emilio Wilson Estate documents."

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake has taken note of press statements made by the former Minister of VROMI William Marlin that were published on Tuesday.

"Firstly, I have been empowered by Council of Ministers to sign on behalf of the Council the draft Emilio Wilson Estate agreement in compliance with the court decision and this was done on Tuesday," Minister Hon. Maurice Lake disclosed.

Minister Lake added that he wants a full investigation by the Foundation Governments Accountants Bureau (SOAB) into the Emilio Wilson Estate saga, adding that he is sure the Integrity Committee would also be interested in looking at the process that has been followed with respect to the purchasing of the estate.

"I have nothing to hide or to brush under the mat. In my back to basics approach I have been open and transparent from day one. Just before going to the House of Parliament to answer questions from Members of Parliament about the Emilio Wilson Estate on Thursday, March 6, the so-called letter of agreement regarding the Government's decision to purchase the estate could not be found at the Documents/Records Information Management (DIV), Ministry of General Affairs.

"At DIV all official government correspondence is booked in and registered so you have a paper trail on the procedures and processes that were followed as part of the good governance process. All of a sudden the letter surfaces on Monday, March 10 and the former Minister of VROMI William Marlin presents it to the media. The question has to be asked, where was the letter all the time?

"I am not into playing any games where it concerns the people's business. My mother always said, be a leader and not a follower. Tell the truth and do not be a puppet for anybody. Advice and strength I derive from the man above, the Almighty. The former minister can continue to blow hot air, but the people have the right to know and I am not into playing petty politics like he is.

"There are three sides to this matter, William Marlin side, Maurice Lake side and the truth. Well, I am open and willing for an SOAB investigation so they can follow the paper trail regarding this matter and let the truth come out on what transpired and if proper procedures were followed," Minister Hon. Maurice Lake said on Tuesday.

Minister Lake on Tuesday showed a 25+ pound 'white paper bag' that was found in the Government building when he became Minster with a paper on top of it written, 'to be burnt.' Minister Lake says the bag contained a host of documents about the Emilio Wilson Estate among other documents about other matters.

"I don't have any butter on my head, and I want the people of this country to know the truth. When I became Minister, we came across this white paper bag full of copies of government documents and many about the Emilio Wilson Estate. From the documents found in this bag we were able to derive some information with respect to the estate which sent up some red flags.

"The letter of agreement on the Prime Ministers letterhead which all of a sudden surfaces on Monday, did not reflect the previous Council of Ministers decision as noted in the minutes, and therefore it wasn't approved by the Council of Ministers (COM).

"The COM decision was to purchase 360,000 square meters at US$45 per square meter for a sum of US$16.2 million. The letter of agreement that surfaced on Monday
made mention of an area of 370,000 square meters which is 10,000 square meters extra for the sum of US$17 million. We have to question on whose authority did the former Minister of VROMI William Marlin act with respect to the additional 10,000 square meters? That means an additional US$800,000 to be paid and where would this money go?

"This is nothing about me seeing the former Minister and Leader of the National Alliance as a threat. It's all about the people's business, openness and transparency, procedures and doing things by the book. In order to bring clarity to the Emilio Wilson Estate saga, an independent investigation is warranted and is in the interests of integrity and good governance," Minister Hon. Maurice Lake pointed out.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Reliable information reaching SMN News states that three armed gun men entered the home of Dr. Dennaoui on Monday night. The source said the armed bandits mistreated the well-known doctor who operates his clinic in Simpson Bay. According to the information provided to SMN News, the bandits did not leave the home until they found monies and valuables. While the police has not released any information on this latest robbery. Chief Commissioner of Police Peter de Witte confirmed that the doctor was robbed at his home Monday night. De Witte said that the doctor was not injured but his wife was slightly injured by the gunmen. KPSM is busy with the investigation.

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Monday March 10th, 2014 at approximately 11:00am, a police patrol was directed to Sol Gas Station on the Juancho Yrausquin Boulevard to investigate an attempted armed robbery. On the scene the patrol spoke to the victim who stated that he was attacked by a man with a knife who tried to rob him of his bag. After resisting quite heavily, the robber did not succeed in taking the bag and fled the scene on foot towards Green House. The patrol immediately started a search in the area and located the suspect hiding at an apartment building in the vicinity of Bobby's Marina. The male suspect with the initials P.D.M. (40) from Jamaica was arrested on the spot and taken to the Philipsburg Police Station where he remains in custody pending further investigation by the Special Robbery Unit.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Sint Maarten Police Force wants to congratulate the organizers, the participants and most of all the entire public for a very successful Heineken Regatta 2014. There were minor incidents that took place during the events held on the Dutch Side that were related to the Heineken Regatta. These incidents lead to three persons being arrested. One person was arrested for obstruction and two others for public intoxication.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Police Department is informing the general public that traffic controls will commence on Wednesday March 12th, 2014. These controls will be very intense general controls and all drivers should have all necessary documents to operate a motor vehicle on the public roads. These documents include a valid driver's license, valid inspection card for the vehicle he/she is operating, valid vehicle insurance and receipt for paid road tax for the year 2014. All drivers are hereby cautioned, to avoid unnecessary inconvenience, not to operate any motor vehicle without having all required documents in order. Not adhering to this caution will lead to your vehicle being towed and stored by a towing company at your expense. Your vehicle will not be returned to you until: All documentation is in order, the towing and storing charges and the hefty fine has been paid. These traffic controls will cause some traffic back-up and the police is asking all drivers for their cooperation to help alleviate the traffic situation.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Monday March 10th, 2014 at approximately 2:30pm, a Philipsburg Police Patrol was directed to the Civil Registry on the Soualiga Boulevard to investigate a case involving a female who arrived at this government institution with false documents in order to present them as original. The civil servant handling them noticed that the documents were false and immediately informed the police. The suspect, a 51 year old female from the Dominican Republic, was arrested on the scene and taken to the Philipsburg Police Station for further investigation.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Tourism and Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunications (MinTEATT) Hon. Ted Richardson, left the country on Monday to attend the 30th Annual Cruise Shipping Miami conference that is being held at the Miami Beach Convention Center and runs through March 13.

The three-day exhibition and four-day conference is expected to attract more than 11,000 attendees and feature 140 new exhibitors for a total of 900 exhibiting companies from 127 countries.

"Cruise Convention Miami is a very important conference and considered the industry's premier annual event. There will be conference sessions such as the state of the global cruise industry, emerging products zone and cruise trends theatre.

"The information derived from the conference on how developments will shape the cruise industry of now and of the future is also very relevant for Sint Maarten as a cruise destination," Minister Hon. Ted Richardson said on Monday.

New for 2014 are three additional State of the Global Cruise Industry panel discussions led by cruise line chief executives addressing trends and developments in the world's major cruise regions such as the Americas, Europe and Asia-Pacific.

The exhibition opens on Tuesday at 9:00am and covers all four halls at the Miami Beach Convention Center and closes on Thursday at 4:00pm.

Represented at the trade show will be the world's largest shipbuilders, 400 destinations, cutting-edge information technology providers, ship equipment suppliers and entertainment companies.

Since 1985 Cruise Shipping Miami has been the premier annual event of the worldwide cruise industry. From a small gathering of 150 cruise industry executives in New York City, Cruise Shipping Miami has grown into what it is today, the cruise industry's annual marketplace of ideas, products and services.

Cruise Shipping Miami is exclusively supported by Cruise Lines International Association and Florida Caribbean Cruise Association.

GREAT BAY:--- Minister of Public Health Social Development & Labor, Cornelius De Weever on Monday, March 10, 2014 has served three years in office, and has seen much improvement during this time within the ministry. In this news item we will highlight the progress made at the Department of Social Services over that three year period.
"Our aim with this ministry in the past three years and beyond has been and will continue to be putting people first," said Minister Cornelius De Weever. "As I reflect on the years that have passed, I must say that we have come a long way, we still have some kinks to iron out, because the more we do the more we see the more we see that we have to do ."
The Department of Social Services has seen a decrease in complaints at the Ombudsman drop from 17 to 2 in 2013. This can be attributed to the many changes made at the department, such as the improved efficiency in processing Financial Aid, Medical Aid and Legal Aid with the strict adherence to the legal timeframe amongst other changes. In order to handle the many requests the department was receiving the human resource capacity was strengthened with the hiring of Case Workers and the acquisition of Social Workers to boost the Immaterial Aid, which includes counseling and home assessments. In addition, case management training was given to build capability for proper assessments.
Minister De Weever during his time period also established the Appeal Advisory Committee for Financial Aid, Medical Aid and Legal Aid, a body whereby those individuals who received a negative advice on their request could appeal the decision and be heard by an objective body that could overturn the decision of the original advice.
In addition, the Crisis Care Policy was approved and introduced under the authority of the department, and partnerships were forged with the Red Cross and other NGO's for the care of people. Minister De Weever in this light and seeing the nature of the services offered by his ministry launched "Putting People First." Collaborative efforts continued with the Court of Guardianship, Safe Haven, Women's Desk, Red Cross, Sister Basilia Center, and Mental Health Foundation.
As a means of continuously boosting the service to the community, the department has staff at the Community Help Desks located in St. Peters, Dutch Quarter and Hope Estate. Staff has also been deployed to the Public Service Center located in Simpson Bay.
"It is no longer necessary for persons in Cole Bay to make the trip to Philipsburg in order to conduct business with the department, the same services are located in your community, and I am encouraging you all to take advantage of this," said Minister De Weever.
The Department of Social Services is also working closely with the Department of Labor Affairs mainly with the SEI Employability Through Training Project whereby steady referrals are given to the Job Placement and Job Coach who will then focus to improve the employability for unemployed Financial Aid recipients.

St. Maarten/St. Martin Remains Safe for Travelers

PHILIPSBURG:--- St. Maarten welcomes travelers to the island, with over a quarter million cruise passengers visiting in January and air arrivals at 58,623 travelers for the month, as it continues its preventive measures against the mosquito virus that has been reported in the destination. A number of public awareness campaigns for both residents and visitors have been undertaken, including posting flyers and banners and public service announcements as well as vector control fogging activities.

"Visitors can rest assured that St. Maarten remains a safe destination for travelers," said Hon. Ted Richardson, Minister of Tourism and Transportation.

"Officials on both sides of the island are working closely to manage the situation. While on island, visitors can help protect themselves by using mosquito repellent on hands, face, feet (parts of the body that are exposed), and wear long sleeve shirts and pants/skirts, especially during dawn and dusk - the peak periods of mosquito activity," he added.

Government officials (on both the French & Dutch sides) have increased island-wide awareness campaigns, particularly in the heavily dense areas. Regular site inspections and awareness efforts will continue in the densely affected areas.

All partners on island, including hotels, ports of entry, restaurants, taxis, etc., are aware and involved in the public awareness campaigns, and are also taking preventative measures.

This matter has the full attention of the Hon. Minister of Health, the Hon. Minister of Tourism and the Hon. Minister of Education who are ensuring that these flyers and posters containing preventative information are distributed to the general public at large. Most recently, the Hon. Minister of Public Works came on board to assist and support with the island wide clean-up campaign.

Upon arrival, passengers are reminded to use the preventive measures to stop mosquitoes from feeding. Princess Juliana International Airport officials are sharing the preventative tips on the airport's monitors, while The Wathey Cruise Facility is also distributing mosquito repellents to their partners at the port, namely at the information desk and to the taxi drivers, tour buses, stores, restaurants and water taxi operators as part of the preventive actions.

Chikungunya is transmitted by the Aedes Aegypti mosquito through mosquito bites. The most common symptoms of Chikungunya are fever and joint pain. Other symptoms may include headache, muscle pain, joint swelling or rash.

"We want to let our valued guests know that we are taking all of the precautionary measures possible to ensure their safety while on island. We welcome you to our friendly shores," said Richardson.

Johan Cruijff Court, Belvedere

7+U age category:
Learning Unlimited Hotshots vs Learning Unlimited Strikers final result: 10 – 0
Top scorers Hotshots: Marshall Leone with 4 goals and Frans Richardson with 3 goals.

9+U age category:
Sr. Borgia vs Learning Unlimited final result: 0 – 10
Top scorers Learning Unlimited: Oliver Hobgood with 6 goals and Darsh Nankani with 3 goals.

Sr. Regina vs Sr. Magda Athletics final result: 8 – 4
Top scorers Sr. Regina: William Mulder 4 goals and Jaydon Gumbs and Reshawn Estase both with 2 goals.
Top scorer Sr. Magda Athletics: Ajoni Rumnit with 4 goals.

11+U age category: group A
Sr. Magda FC vs Genevieve de Weever final result: 10 – 4
Top scorers Sr. Magda FC: Quincy Wijngaarde 5 goals and 1 assist and Jeahru Richardson 3 goals and 2 assists.

Leonald Connor vs Sr. Magda United Stars final result: 1 – 6
Top scorer Sr. Magda United Stars: Curtis Moniz 3 goals and 1 assist.
Lone goal scorer Leonald Connor: Gamy Charles.

11+U age category: group B
Sr. Regina vs Charles Leopold Bell final result: 5 – 5
Top scorer Sr. Regina: Christian Foeken 3 goals.
Top scorer Charles Leopold Bell: Raul Gilbert 5 goals.

13+U age category: group A
Sr. Magda vs Combine C.I.A./Montessori final result: 9 – 4
Top scorers Sr. Magda: Devon Peters and Demani Mussington both with 3 goals, Gabriel de Vries 2 goals and 1 assist.

13+U age category: group B
M.P.C. vs Dr. M.L. King jr. final result: 10 – 2
Top scorers M.P.C.: Jaylen Constance 4 goals and 2 assists, Diaro Forsythe 3 goals, Jose Cortes 2 goals.
Top scorer Dr. M.L. King jr.: Brandon Milton 2 goals

15+U age category:
M.P.C. vs Learning Unlimited final result: 16 – 0
Top scorers M.P.C.: Kael Richards 6 goals and 3 assists, Jaeremi Drijvers 6 goals and 2 assists.

St. Dominic High School vs C.I.A. final result: 0 – 2
Top scorer C.I.A.: Matthew Dookie 1 goal and 1 assist.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake who is a steadfast supporter of the development of agriculture, animal husbandry and fisheries, on Sunday visited the 7th Annual Agriculture Fair held at the Culture Garden in Bellevue.

"Agriculture, encourage it, do not discourage it. I fully agree agriculture is an area to be developed further. I was very impressed with what I saw at the fair on Sunday. I commend the organizers for a job well done. Perhaps something to pursue is a joint agriculture association comprising of different agriculturists and others with an affinity for the field coming together to collectively develop agriculture for the long-term," Minister Lake said on Monday.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament William Marlin described Minister of VROMI Maurice Lake as a pathological liar at a press conference he called on Monday. Marlin said the Minister went to Parliament and unleashed a number of lies regarding the purchase of the Emilio Wilson Estate. The leader of the National Alliance said that the Minister and the UP faction told Parliament that the letter of intent was not booked in, while the Minister refused to give the griffier a copy of the letter to distribute to all Members of Parliament. Marlin gave members of the media copies of the letter which has the Prime Minister's letter head on it. He said the only reason he signed that letter was because the Prime Minister of St. Maarten Sarah Wescot Williams was off island and he was the Deputy Prime Minister and he had to sign the letter.
Marlin said that when the SWW-2 cabinet fell, there was an agreement in place to purchase the Emilio Wilson Estate and when the SWW-3 government took office they decided to change the agreement to purchase more land in order to peddle it off to Rain Forest Adventures.

Member of Parliament William Marlin further explained that ever since Minister Maurice Lake took office he has been lying constantly and plagiarizing the work he (Marlin) did while in office for one year. Marlin gave several examples of lies that he said Minister Lake told, one is about the FOGA project he stopped. He said the Minister told Parliament that because of "the former Minister Marlin" government is saddled with at least four court cases and when he was asked to name those court cases he could only name two.

Marlin further stated that Minister Lake has been accusing people of stealing and promised to do investigations and he never comes back to the people to tell them the outcome of the investigations he did. He said Minister Lake accused Leroy Lapaix of stealing sand from the landfill and dropping it off at Guana Bay. "The Minister said he would have investigated and to date he never came back to tell the people of St. Maarten that three persons were contracted to remove the sand and that Lapaix was not stealing any sand." He said the same thing happened when Minister Lake accused Lapaix of stealing milled (used) asphalt from PJIAE. "While I was in office, the head of VROMI and I agreed to give some people the used asphalt to pave their roads, those persons had to pay to transport the used asphalt." Marlin said because this decision was taken during his last days in office, the head of VROMI and him were unable to finalize the documentation for the decision they took. He said when he wrote a letter to Government explaining the situation and even questioned who gave a senior civil servant permission to take asphalt from VROMI to pave a road in French Quarter the matter went dead.

When asked if the Minister could be sanctioned for the lies he told Parliament, Marlin said that in St. Maarten any and everything is allowed. He said MPs and Ministers lie everyday on the floor of parliament and they hide behind the immunity they have on the floor of parliament.

Marlin went on to say that when he took office he said if he could he would have stopped the causeway project. He said later he came back to the people and informed them that he could not stop the causeway project because agreements were already signed and monies were paid down. Marlin said he gave his opinion on the causeway which he believes is not serving its true purpose. "Right now, the people of the French side are benefiting from the causeway and some people from Cole Bay."

Apart from setting the record straight regarding statements the current Minister of VROMI is making, Marlin in response to a question posed by SMN News regarding the financial situation at PJIAE said the NA faction requested a meeting and when it was called they did not have a quorum. He said the chairlady of parliament is not respecting the rules of order because she has to follow certain procedures to set meetings and that is not done. "The meeting should be called on Friday and one thing I can say is that the present coalition could run but they certainly cannot hide." When asked if his faction has any other recourse to take since Parliament is not functioning the way it ought to and if they intend to file a criminal complaint, Marlin said he does not want to jump the gun but he will wait on the meeting and after that he will decide what other steps he has to take.

Click here to view the Letter of Intent on the Purchase of the Emilio Wilson Estate.

PHILIPSBURG:--- This first quarter of 2014 Benjamin & Parker Corporation has promoted online Tax Management and Efficiency Auditing courses in Sint Maarten. Students who registered for the online courses got the opportunity to study the courseware and to attend certification sessions. These sessions were held at PCMI above Office World in Philipsburg, which cooperated with Benjamin & Parker to realize the certification of more than 20 students.

Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean Mr Terence Jandroep (Certified Risk Auditor) came twice this year to provide the Sint Maarten students the opportunity to ask questions, to get more detailed explanation and to be tested for certification. Benjamin and Parker is proud to announce that from 20 students they have certified 18 Tax Administrators, 10 in January and 8 in March.

"The Sint Maarten community can now hire the services of the Certified Tax Administrators. With the back up from Benjamin & Parker Corporation, these CTA's can assist businesses and individuals to recover cash for necessary investments or job creation. Those that were already complying by filing and paying taxes in time can also make use of these certified tax administrators to avoid having to pay to much for taxes and to prevent visits from the Marshalls of the Receiver's Office. Those that were not yet complying (more than 50% of tax payers in Sint Maarten is not complying according to CFT) can now ask for professional assistance from these qualified tax administrators in their dealings with the tax office and prevent assessments that will put you out of business. This is a win-win for the taxpayers in Sint Maarten, but is also for the government of Sint Maarten, as this will also generate more revenue to increase the social pensions and the social allowances for the poor and the needy", said Regional Marketing Associate from Benjamin & Parker drs Raymond Jessurun at the certification ceremony.

Businesses or individuals that want more information on the services and online courses from Benjamin & Parker Corporation and its associated Certified Tax Administrators and Efficiency Auditors in Sint Maarten, can visit the company's website at www.b-parker.com.

The next opportunity for Sint Maarten students to participate in certification sessions in Sint Maarten is March 31-April 8 to become Certified Efficiency Auditor and from April 10-April 15 for those that want to become Certified Tax Administrators. Persons interested to register for the online courses and certification sessions can still contact Mr Raymond Jessurun via email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., via Skype: jessurunraj or look up Raymond Jessurun on Facebook and send your message.

CEO Mingo a Panelist on Destinations and Ports Maximizing Benefits of Cruise Tourism

POINTE BLANCHE:--- Port of St. Maarten is attending Cruise Shipping Miami 2014, the 30th anniversary edition of the cruise industry's premier annual event, set for March 10-13 at the Miami Beach Convention Center.

Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies has been invited to be a panelist on Monday morning for the session, "How Can Destinations and Ports Maximize the Benefit of Cruise Tourism?"

Mingo says the conference is very important for destinations such as St. Maarten, and the port will be looking keenly at the "State of the Global Cruise Industry," a panel that will feature the chief executives of the world's four largest cruise corporations.

In 2013 Cruise Shipping Miami attracted 93 new exhibitors; over 40 per cent of exhibitors closed business during the show; 11,000 attendees walked the show floor; over 900 exhibitors from 123 countries participated;

"The four executives will inform the Port of St. Maarten and others who will be attending the conference about the current state and future of the business.

"At the moment you have a crisis between Ukraine and Russia and this could impact cruise operations in the Black Sea that is serviced by Costa, MSC, Azamara and Crystal cruise lines. We may hear about how this will impact cruising in that part of the world, and will it result in those vessels being deployed elsewhere to other parts of the world due to the instability in that area.

"All in all, we are able to plan accordingly and in a strategic manner. The Port of St. Maarten does not sit by on its laurels. The Supervisory board, Management and staff are always thinking ahead so we can remain at the top as a premier cruise destination. This reflects positively on our economy and maintains and creates jobs," CEO Mark Mingo said on Sunday.

One of the key speakers at the panel discussion will be Arnold Donald, Director of Carnival Corporation since 2001, and was named President and CEO of Carnival Corp. & plc in June 2013.

Richard Fain, has been Chairman and CEO of Royal Caribbean Cruises Ltd. since 1988. The global cruise company owns six brands: Celebrity, Royal Caribbean International, Pullmantur, Azamara Club Cruises, CDF Croisieres de France, and the joint venture TUI Cruises.

Kevin Sheehan, has served as the CEO and president of Norwegian Cruise Line since 2008.

Pierfrancesco Vago, served as CEO of MSC Cruises overseeing the company's operations from its headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, from 2004 until he was named executive chairman in September 2013.

SIMPSON BAY:--- Most of the airlines servicing the Princess Juliana International Airport expressed optimism about their performance based on the results posted last year.
At meetings held with the St. Maarten delegation to the recently concluded Routes Latin America in El Salvador, which was led by the Hon. Ted Richardson, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications, Delta Airlines, for example, revealed that it was satisfied with its load factor and revealed that bookings for the next three to four months already show over 50%, which is "pretty good."
Minister Richardson however emphasized that it is government's desire to stretch the season and become a year round destination. He invited the airlines to a partnership that would create demand. "We can no longer afford to be a seasonal destination only," he said.
Delta Airlines, which at the beginning of this year, increased the frequency of its flights from JFK, New York to a daily service, said it especially welcomes the recently established Air Service Development Committee and its objectives and suggested that it creates more awareness among carriers.
Air Transat revealed that its average load factor for 2013 was 54% and thus far, year to date (YTD) 2014 its average load factor is at 72%. In addition, the airline disclosed that it would reinstate its YYZ service for the winter 2014 season using an Airbus A310.
For its part, Jet Blue said it is very pleased with the market, which has shown an overall strong performance. The company's focus is currently on the expansion of its slots at Washington Reagan International Airport (DCA), hence the noticeable limited growth in the region and at SXM.
Nevertheless, Jet Blue said it will further look into the request to consider a possible RON (Remain Over Night) flight on the SJU-SXM route. SXM can serve as a second hub for Jet Blue in the Caribbean, with a focus on the Northeastern part. "We will work towards this diligently," said Regina LaBega, SXM Airport's managing director.
The good news for St. Maarten continued with the revelation that SXM is "on the radar" for when Southwest Airlines extends its wings to the Caribbean starting July 1, 2014. The airline, with a fleet of 700 aircraft, is expanding its international operations as part of its merger with Air Tran, which it acquired in 2011. New service for the Summer 2015 season will be announced in the next four to five months and according to John Kirby, International Business Manager for Southwest Airlines, "SXM is highly favored."
With a load factor of between 75 - 80%, COPA Airlines has been doing very well and performing strongly. The yield is good and feedback has been very positive, the carrier disclosed. It said it has identified the St. Maarten market to be high end. Therefore, depending on the profitability, the airline will most likely consider the possibility of increasing the frequency of its flights. The carrier indicated that the top five markets to SXM are Panama, Sao Paolo, Bogota, Buenos Aires and Rio de Janeiro. COPA's current schedule offers connectivity primarily to South America.
Similarly, Insel Air intends to expand its operations to and from Aruba and is considering the establishment of an Insel Air SXM in the same way it has Insel Air Aruba. The company plans to acquire additional Fokker 70 aircraft with a seating capacity of 80, especially in view of new markets coming on line like Boa Vista c - Manaus- Porto Velho (Brazil), Georgetown (Guyana), Baranquilla - Cali - Bucaramanga (Colombia), Quito (Chile) and Paramaribo (Suriname).
Finally, the effects of the recent merger between US Airways and American Airlines on the St. Maarten market are not yet known. According to a representative of the airline, it would take some time before plans are finalized and thus we will continue to operate "as is." While AA's Miami flight is doing very well, same could not be said of its JFK service, which operates at a below 80% load factor. However, 2013 was a very good year for US Airways on its CLT service which had a 91% load factor and on the PHL flight with a 86% load factor.
"With our partners in the Air Service Development Committee, we will continue to work hard to ensure sustainable service to SXM and to attract new carriers as well," said LaBega.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Officers of KPSM assisted by officers from IND searched a small private plane around 7pm Sunday night and arrested three persons. SMN News understands that a substantial amount of monies were confiscated when the search was conducted. Police confiscated the cash and the aircraft. It is understood that KPSM is treating the case as a case of human smuggling while IND will decide what they will do with the three persons they detained.
Police also arrested 19 Haitians when a boat brought them in at the Great Bay harbor. The captain of the boat was also arrested. It is believed that the captain used the Heineken Regatta as a diversion to transship the Haitians to St. Maarten but he did not realize that customs and the coast guards are very active during this season. Further details on both investigations are not forthcoming as police are very tightlipped. SMN News will bring you more information on these cases when it becomes available.

Police conduct raid.

On Sunday March 9th, 2014, the detectives and Arrest-Team conducted a raid at the Princess Juliana International Airport. During this raid three persons were arrested. A large sum of cash and an airplane were confiscated for further investigation. The investigation will continue and no further information or details concerning this case will be given at this time.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake says the former Minister of VROMI William Marlin is making false statements, referring to a press release that the latter sent out on Friday to the media.

Minister Lake said he will be meeting with his legal team on Monday to review the steps to be taken in order to comply with the court decision and also to avoid any extra claims on the people of the country. Government has to also look at the other six hectares of the estate, the people's patrimony that was part of the former Minister's deal to be developed by a developer.

"I would like to address the some points of the former Minister in order to set the record straight. I am in full support of purchasing the people's patrimony. It is a historical site and part of our heritage and has to be protected for generations to enjoy in a sustainable manner. I can assure the people of this country that the Emilio Wilson Estate will be purchased for the people.

"The National Alliance (NA) Leader William Marlin is throwing up smoke screens in order to hide his irresponsible decision-making which at the moment has the country in limbo because Government does not have the money – Naf. 30 million - to purchase the Emilio Wilson Estate, but has a court decision that says we have to comply with the draft agreement signed by the former Minister of VROMI William Marlin.

"William Marlin left a Naf. 30 million debt of mess and now we have to clean it up. I am not surprised by the NAs tactics to try and fool the people of this country with old petty politics with a lot of lies to the people. The Emilio Wilson Estate is the people's patrimony indeed. It is part of our heritage, but the former Minister agreed that six hectares of the estate would be given out of the people's patrimony to a developer to build houses.

"The people are fed up with this way of politicking and games. The people expect those appointed at the Council of Ministers level to follow proper procedures as part of good governance. During the parliamentary debate last Thursday I spoke from the heart and presented the facts as they are, in an open and transparent manner, in the peoples House.

"My primary focus is now handling the people's business and moving forward based on the procedures and processes that are in place. Back to basics approach, if you don't follow the laws of the land then you will end up saddling the people of this country with huge debts, and who will then bail us out?" Minister Hon. Maurice Lake said on Sunday.

Minister Lake said his focus is now complying with the court's decision on signing the Emilio Wilson Estate draft agreement keeping the interests of the people and country in mind.

"As the responsible Minister of VROMI I am now responsible for pulling the country up out of this Naf. 30 million debt of mess left behind by the former Minister. With respect to the Secretary General of Ministry VROMI, the latter is currently off island on vacation and could not be present for the parliamentary House sitting; however the Acting Secretary General Sandro Garcia was present.

"I had a competent Cabinet staff and representatives from the Ministry VROMI present in the House to address whatever questions were asked. The former Minister should not try to belittle competent people due to the mess he left behind. I fully agree with the Judge when he said in his judgment that Government should hold Ministers liable for any irresponsible decisions that they take leaving the people of this country, the tax payer holding the bag of debt.

"The former Minister of VROMI should be apologizing to the people of the country for his bad decision-making, instead of throwing up a smoke screen to hide his inadequacies in his leadership and decision-making. The former Minister should have been open and transparent with his former coalition partners in the NA-led Government because they were left in the dark.

"Government also already has two other court cases against the former Minister of VROMI and prior to that the milled asphalt, the sand issue and the land issue and now the Emilio Wilson Estate as well as some other cases still pending," Minister Hon. Maurice Lake pointed out.

• Saturday March 15, 2014 from 10:00am to 4:00pm:
  At the entrance of Le Grand Marche Supermarket will be the annual sale on all kinds of items from Aruba. Come and get your car flags, scarfs, hats, etc from Aruba.
• Sunday March 16, 2014:
  3:00pm: Chuchubi Foundation Annual Bike & Motorcade parade commencing at 3:30pm – SHARP. Assembling time is at 3:00pm. The motorcade route is as follows: Starting Point: Air Lekker Bek, Walter Nisbeth Road, Long Wall Road, Front Street, Buncamper Road, Sucker Garden Road, Arch Road, A. Th. Illidge Road, Zakersgut Road, Bush Road, L.B. Scott Road, Brouwers Road, Union Road, over the Cause Way Bridge, Simpson Bay Boulevard, Welfare Road, Cole Bay Hill, Brouwers Road, L.B. Scott Road, Marigot Hill Road, St. Peters,L. B. Scott Road, ending at Emilio Wilson Park.
  Drivers are encouraged to decorate their vehicles from home, as there will be a "Prize" for the best decorated car.
  
  5:00pm: Join Chuchubi Foundation at their Award Ceremony, Speeches, Raffles and Musical Entertainment at the Emilio Wilson Park.

GREAT BAY:--- Minister Cornelius De Weever, responsible for production and distribution of water received on Friday last the good news from Air-Fin/Seven Seas Water, that construction and testing of the new Reverse Osmosis Water Production Plant in Pointe Blanche was completed. As of March 10, 2014 the Plant will be producing drinking water at full capacity the day that Minister De Weever has three years in office.

"Today is a historic day for me as it marks my three years in office as minister of Public Health, Social Development and Labor. The timing of this major accomplishment could not have been planned any better. The vision and provisions already built and included for the second plant symbolizes the joint effort and labor involved in this project to avoid the water shortage that our country encountered before. This vision illustrates the need to set priorities in government and accomplish them in a timely manner.
I am eternally grateful for each person for their contribution," said Minister De Weever.
Minister De Weever further stated that it is all about putting people first with this ministry.
Sint Maarten is making an important step forward with the Pointe Blanche improvements in the water supply infrastructure with the commissioning of the new seawater intake, the new reverse osmosis drinking water plant, the drinking water pump station and the new storage tank in Pointe Blanche, all situated at a very strategic location, and this is only the first phase.
A second phase is included in the addendum to the Water Supply Agreement with Seven Seas Water, signed by Minister De Weever in 2012 after successfully completing negotiations. The construction of a second new reverse osmosis unit, also of 3700 m3 per day, will start this year and is projected in the same Yellow Building in which the first plant is built.
Over the last two months, Seven Seas Water, GEBE have worked intensively on the completion of the technical installations, GEBE on the installations to provide electrical power and the hydraulic installations to take in the water produced and Seven Seas Water on the seawater intake station and the reverse osmosis production plant.
With flushing, tweaking, chlorinating, testing of the water quality and other start up procedures completed, Seven Seas Water is ready to take the plant into a twenty four hour and seven days operation mode, producing 3700 m3 per day. To compare: One typical household consumes 0.5 m3 (cubic meter) per day.
GEBE receives the produced drinking water from Seven Seas Water and transports it via a new water line to the Point Blanche storage tank (3000 m3), built last year at an elevation of 60 meters above the new RO-production plant. From this reservoir, GEBE will distribute drinking water through its network to consumers.
The new plant will increase the guaranteed capacity (supply) with 26% and safeguards compliance with the present consumption. The new plant also makes it possible to take other units in Cay Bay and Cupecoy out of service for necessary maintenance. With the new production capacity, all tanks can be kept continuously at around one hundred percent full, therefore further increasing reliability in supply to consumers.
The construction of the second tank in Pointe Blanche has already started; contractor ERP is executing excavation and foundation work. The two Pointe Blanche storage tanks are delivered and built, as part of the scope of supply of the Water Supply Agreement, between Government and Seven Seas Water.
The official inauguration of the new water plant is projected later in March this year. This week the completion will be celebrated at site with all entities that have contributed to the actual construction.
Congratulations, sincere appreciation goes out to Seven Seas Water, GEBE, their staff, contractors MNO, ERP, sub-contractors, suppliers and all persons who have contributed in one or another. A special word of appreciation goes out to the Managing Directors of Seven Seas Water, Mr. Franklyn Richards and the Chief Operations Officer of GEBE Mr. Romelio Maduro.

POINTE BLANCHE:--- The St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies fully supports the purchasing of the Emilio Wilson Estate as well as its sustainable development, Group Chief Executive Officer Mark Mingo said on Thursday.

The port became involved in the discussions related to the Emilio Wilson Estate during the last quarter of 2013. The harbour group is well aware of the various advices including the one from the Financial Supervisory Committee CFT.

The harbour has the financial capacity to purchase the property that would become a monument for the people, but at the same time establish a marquee tour which is essential for the further development of the tourism product and visitor experience, and which would also be enjoyable for the people of the country.

The marquee tour would not inhibit the natural environment in anyway or form or disturb the monumental preservation of the estate. The key would be sustainable development which is recognized all over the world with respect to the sustainable usage of heritage and historical resources of a country.

The harbour group of companies has reviewed the sales proposal for the Emilio Wilson Estate and made a feasibility study with Accountants firm KPMG. The group also commissioned two independent firms to review the appraisal and provide an advice.

St. Maarten ranked 18 out of 21 destinations in tours; and when cruise passengers were asked how satisfied they were when they purchased a tour, the destination scored 8.0 out of 10.

When the cruise passenger was asked how satisfied were you with the variety of things to see and do in the destination, St. Maarten ranked 7 with a score of 7.2.

The St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies takes note that even though the Caribbean is still the largest market for cruises in the world; the market share has been challenged during the past few years by new emerging markets.

Cruise executives have been warning the Caribbean that it must continually work to create new experiences to keep the destination's experiences fresh. A study completed by McKinney Rogers International for the Florida Caribbean Cruise Association (FCCA) stated, "For many of the islands, the ground product has changed little since the 1990s."

At the 2013, Cruise Shipping Miami Conference, cruise executives said that well-traveled destinations like the Caribbean, where cruise passengers have visited multiple times, must do much more to refresh the shore side experience and activity options for guests.

All cruise executives agree that the best new experiences in the Caribbean should be authentic.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Chippie and RiddimBox Entertainment announce their strategic marketing alliance in presenting an international carnival show on the premiere night of the 2014 carnival season. The show will again be dubbed The Main Event powered by Chippie and is presented by RiddimBox and strategic partner Chippie. The international show, scheduled at the Festival Village on Saturday, April 26 will feature a host of high-profile international performers, ranging from Reggae to Soca to Hip-Hop. Reggae stalwart Luiciano will be representing the Reggae portion of the evening, bringing an extensive collection of hits to entertain the reggae lovers. The Soca representation for the evening will be none other than Soca verterans Bunji and Fay-Ann, both seasoned performers whom have a string of high energy soca hits to their credit. Their performances will be complemented by Soca sensation Mr. Killa of the 2014 hit 'Rolly Polly'. Headlining the show will be international Hip-Hop super-star, Real Husbands of Hollywood star Nelly. The multitalented hip hop performer is guaranteed to deliver a performance that is just as fast-paced and action-packed as his lyrics. "We are thrilled to be working with RiddimBox again says UTS Marketing and Communications Officer, Ivy Lambert. "We have worked together on a string of projects in the past, with the biggest collaboration being The Main Event, powered by Chippie during Carnival 2013. This event proved to be the biggest show of the 2013 carnival season and we have full confidence that the RiddimBox team will push the envelope again for carnival 2014. We look forward to working with this team of professionals again whom have shown us they have what it takes to put together a premium night of entertainment. We will also be doing our part in making it easier for the general public to attend The Main Event by offering a number of ways to obtain tickets. The first of which will be an early bird special which will be exclusively available at the Chippie booth during the Heineken Regatta this weekend. We encourage everyone to get their tickets early for this power-house of a show" Lambert continues. RiddimBox representative Randy Piper states: ""As our slogan says, Entertainment Elevated, we always try to push the boundaries of what we can do given our limitations on this small island. And being that it is 45 years, we really felt the need to continue to 'bring it' for 2014. The Main Event is scheduled for Saturday, April 26th in the Festival Village. Early birds tickets are exclusively available this weekend for $25 at the Chippie booth at the Heineken Regatta Parties. Chippie will also be offering $25 Early bird tickets for the Where The Flex 'Fully Loaded' Reggae night on May 2.

UTS Press Release

PHILIPSBURG:--- Philipsburg Jubilee Library (PJL) launched the "Alice and Lionel Romney African Diaspora Memorial Collection" on February 27, 2014, before invited guests, including Minister of Education Patricia Lourens-Philip.
Author and collection presenter Mary Romney, said that her parents, "Alice and Lionel Romney, shared a St. Maarten heritage. They shared with me their profound love of St. Maarten, books, learning and education. I thought that through this collection I could give my parents a presence in St. Maarten that would honor their memory." The collection contains over 500 DVDs and books.
According to library director Monique Alberts, "In the past two years Mary Romney worked meticulously and with great dedication on the collection of books and DVDs. This collection is a welcome addition to our current collection. Black History books should be studied throughout the year and be an integral part of each school and curriculum. I think this collection will certainly contribute to this ideal."
In his address, Dr. Francio Guadeloupe, dean of the University of St. Martin, spoke about the "Black Atlantic Cultures" as "a moral compass in our current Babel."
The evening was moderated by educator Dr. Maria Cijntje-van Enckevort and started off with the singing of the "St. Martin Song" by Morenika Charles-Arrindell, public relations and activities manager at PJL.
The evening program included a poetry recital of "History Lesson" and "Equation Explanation" by Andrew Peterson, a St. Dominic high school student.
After the presentation, guests were invited to view the unveiling of the "Alice & Lionel Romney Memorial African Diaspora Collection" by Minister Lourens-Philip, Mary Romney, and Monique Alberts.
The Mighty Dow and Ebony Steel orchestra ended the evening with a medley of songs to the delight of the audience.

PJL Press Release

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao:--- The Board of financial supervision Curaçao and Sint Maarten (College financieel toezicht Curaçao en Sint Maarten - Cft) informed the Kingdom Council of Ministers (Rijksministerraad - RMR) on March 7th that Curaçao complies with all the components of the instructions, so declares Cft Chairman Mr. Age Bakker. The RMR gave the government of Curaçao an instruction in July 2012 with the goal to bring the budget in line with the Kingdom Charter on financial supervision Curaçao and Sint Maarten (Rijkswet financieel toezicht Curaçao en Sint Maarten - Rft). Curaçao has fully complied with all components of the instruction, resulting in more stable government finances.

Components instruction
In April last year Curaçao already met four of the six components of the instruction. These four components concerned taking measures to cover the rising deficits, downward adjustments of the (long term) estimates within the 2012 budget, strengthening of the monitoring of the budget implementation and the prohibition to borrow money. On the two other parts of the instruction, the vacancy freeze and the compensation of deficits from previous years, the evaluation of Cft remained in place. Since the beginning of April last year it was already possible to loan again.

Vacancy stop
The intention of the government to make the government smaller and more efficient, while it was not clear yet at the moment whether this would actually happen, was up till early 2013 reason to keep up the vacancy stop. It is now clear that the personnel costs remained within budget. This prompts the Cft to stop checking in on the vacancy stop. The government is preparing a wide range of measures to make the government smaller and more agile. These measures are not only directed towards the number of officials, but also on the secondary work benefits and the pension arrangement. It is up to Curaçao itself to structurally continue to exercise control and avoid the administrative costs to increase again with the expiry of the vacancy stop.

Deficit compensation
Late 2013, the Cft and the government reached an agreement on the height of the deficits from previous years that needed to be compensated. In the second budget amendment of 2013, which was adopted in February by the Curaçao Parliament, this was correctly processed. This action fulfills this component of the instruction. The Cft will monitor through the annual statements if the budgeted surpluses are actually realized.

Loans
Although Curaçao was able to make loans since April last year, the instruction included an additional condition regarding the financing of the new hospital. There were measures that needed to be taken to make a responsible exploitation of the hospital possible. Upon its evaluation the Cft indicated in its advice on the adopted budget 2014 to have sufficient confidence in a solid business case. In principle, Curaçao can take a loan for the new hospital. This means that the concrete loan for the hospital is awaited. Naturally, upon entering into the loan, the (regular) conditions of the Cft need to be fulfilled.

Cft Chairman Age Bakker: "With the fulfillment of the instruction, Curaçao is taking an important step towards consolidation of the public finances. The challenge is to maintain the good momentum during the coming years, so that the government can provide the required provision level in an effective manner on Curaçao. In addition, a precarious financial situation of a number of government agencies will still require a lot of attention."

CFT Press Release

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Tax Administration, div: Receiver's office, hereby informs the general public that in cooperation with Police Dept. (KPSM), controls on payment for Motor Vehicle Taxes 2014 will commence as of Tuesday, March 11th, 2014 at 4:00PM. During this time, all vehicles must carry the 2014 lilac colored plates and must be visible to the police. This means, plates covered with tinted acrylic that are not legible are not allowed and the driver can be fined. In accordance with art. 25 of the Motor Vehicle Tax Ordinance, drivers/owners of vehicles who are non-compliant with the above-mentioned will be fined Naf. 300.00. In addition to the fine, drivers will have to endure the inconvenience of having their vehicles towed.

What to do in the event your vehicle is towed?
In the event your vehicle is towed, you must go to the Receiver's Office with valid insurance and inspection card and pay the motor vehicle taxes for the vehicle.
The tariffs for the Motor Vehicle Taxes 2014 are as follows:

After making payment to the Receiver, you proceed with your motor vehicle tax receipt to the Police Department. The Police Dept. will provide you with a release form, with which you will go to the towing company specified on the release form in order to retrieve your vehicle.

How much will this cost?
In order to retrieve your vehicle, you will first have to pay to the towing company up to $ 85.00 towing charges and $ 15.00 per day storage fee.
Based on art. 25 of the Motor Vehicle Tax Ordinance, you will also have to pay the fine of Naf 300.00, issued by the police. This must be done at the Receiver's Office.

Press Release from Receiver's Office

National and Lagoon Authority Flags also part of regatta celebration

POINTE BLANCHE:--- The Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority Corporation is celebrating the Heineken Regatta with national and lagoon authority flags on the causeway by day and green lights by night. The aforementioned were put in place on Thursday and will be in place up until March 10.

The Lagoon Authority is also in the process of completing the road lights from the Airport Causeway round-a-bout heading in the direction of Simpson Bay Village.

The Lagoon Authority on behalf of the St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies wishes the sailors, captains and visitors who came for the Heineken Regatta a safe and happy four days of world class racing and some serious fun.

The Simpson Bay Causeway falls under the Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority Corporation.

The Swing Bridge on the Causeway is 220 feet long and weighs 450 tons. The Causeway has a total length of 2493 feet and features a two-lane motorway, a bicycle track, footpaths and two round-a-bouts at the Airport Road near the end of the runway and at Union Road near the border.

National Institute of Arts looking to develop strong relationships with community sponsors

PHILIPSBURG:--- The National Institute of Arts received a new Windows 8 laptop on March 5, 2014 donated by Blue Point. Co-director of the NIA, Arlene Halley received the laptop from the gracious Blue Point Staff, who assisted in setting up and reviewing the laptop. "Blue Point focuses on supporting the youth and works with organizations that can have a positive impact on young lives in our community," stated Nash Vashwani, Managing Director of Blue Point.

The National Institute of Arts brings the Arts to over 1200 students on St. Maarten, helping them discover their inner creativity and passion. Engaging the youth in the Arts helps to improve academic results and workforce opportunities, as well as community engagement. The Arts is also an essential part of passing on cultural traditions to the next generations. "The laptop is part of our ongoing effort to implement technology in managing the Arts", stated NIA Co-director Arlene Halley. At the NIA, technology is used to bring multimedia of the Arts into the classroom, viewing demonstrations of other works of art or following courses online. The National Institute of Arts is actively seeking sponsors or donors to assist in their technology quest upgrade. "There is so much to do done to really involve the youth in the Arts. We hope to develop more relationships in the community to help us to achieve this," stated Clara Reyes, Co-Director of the NIA. If you are interested in supporting the Arts, please contact the NIA today on how we can work together to achieving an avant-garde and innovative environment for the Arts on St. Maarten.

For more Information about the National Institute of Arts, please visit our Facebook page www.facebook.com/NationalInstituteOfArts.

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao:--- The Board of financial supervision Curaçao and Sint Maarten (College financieel toezicht Curaçao en Sint Maarten - Cft) concludes in its semiannual report on the second half of 2013 that the financial management of both Curaçao and Sint Maarten is not in order yet. The coming period will be completely dedicated to the improvement of the financial management. Cft Chairman Age Bakker: "The adopted budgets of 2014 of both countries meet the standards. It is now time to take the next step and actually get in control."

Fact is that major steps have been taken with regard to bringing the budget into balance. Curaçao especially showed great commitment with the introduction of various measures to balance the multiannual budget, based on which loans for investments are allowed again. Sint Maarten also took a huge step with realistic budgeting for 2014.

The Curaçao budget was adopted on time, while Sint Maarten's had a couple of weeks of delay. Nevertheless, this is also a big step forward for Sint Maarten this year, as the budget of the previous year was adopted until September. Although Cft takes notice of these improvements regarding the determination of the budget of 2014, the supervisor puts immediate attention to a second important attention area: the financial management that is still not in order.

Financial management
The Ministry of Finance of Curaçao is currently working hard on initiatives to really improve the financial management. Cft is hoping that this effort will bear fruit in a short term. Everything should be aimed at adopting the budget amendments and the financial statements in time, and eventually get a declaration of approval from the auditor. Sint Maarten focused during these last month's especially on getting the budget adopted. The problems that the country had to face when balancing the budget had also to do with the shortcomings of the Tax Service.

Financial statements
Rendering accountability by means of the financial statements is still a point of attention for both countries. The financial statements are produced with delay and they get, without exception, adverse audit opinions. That means that the financial statements are not sufficiently reliable to allow for a correct assessment of how and what recourses have been spent. As a result the financial statements lose most of their value as a controlling instrument. Timely and correct financial statements will eventually also contribute to making the budget process go smoother. This applies as well to the financial statements of the governmental corporations. The Cft indicates that the risks with regard to the governmental corporations are still great, particularly for Curaçao, so transparency and timely rendering of accountability of these entities is of great importance.

CFT Press Release

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- At last we are all here to witness the reopening or inauguration of Phase 1 the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex, the beautiful sports field before us. It is a pleasure for me to be here this afternoon because we, in our ministry are convinced that Sport is a very important area for development of any country. Sport also plays an integral role in the life of those who participate in the different areas of sporting activities. Sports provide structure and discipline for those who participate in it and goes a long way in deflecting anti- social behaviour. We also strongly believe that our young generation must have the sports resources available to them in order to excel in whatever sports area of interest they have.

Our young athletes over the years have done very well in various sports disciplines. Our young athletes will now have a beautiful sports field to shine even brighter.

This upgraded sports complex has all the opportunities and possibilities to provide for different sports. As said earlier, this is the completion of phase 1. Phase 2 includes upgrading of the bleachers and other existing buildings. Government has financial challenges at this point in time, but the upgrading will continue as financial resources become available.

All that you see here today did not happen on its own and so I want to acknowledge and applaud the input of our two former Ministers of Sports and our former Ministers of infrastructure as well as our present Minister of infrastructure. I want to also acknowledge and applaud the work and diligence of the officials of VROMI who have been with this project from the very beginning and also the work of MNO Vervat and the members of the sports department.

I must say that the new renovated RISC brings a level of enhancement to the district of Cay Hill and Belair and fits in with the "newness and beauty" of the surrounding buildings. I will also like to encourage the residents to make the right arrangements with the management group of the Upkeep foundation when they will like to make use of the facilities.

I therefore congratulate all that have contributed to us being able to open the complex today and I call on all users to be mindful of the fact that even as you enjoy using the facilities that this complex offers, that you also take care of this sports field and to use it in a responsible manner.

Thank you

Minister Hon. Patricia Lourens Philip
Minister of Education, Culture, Youth and Sports

PHILIPSBURG:--- The President of Parliament Hon. Gracita Arrindell would like to congratulate the country's women on the occasion of International Women's Day, Saturday, March 8.

"Equality for women is progress for all. I fully agree with the theme. We must celebrate acts of courage and determination by ordinary women who have played an extraordinary role in the history of our country.

"As the first President and first female President of Parliament, our highest legislative government institution, I'm both honoured and humbled to be able to serve my country.

"Grateful as a woman to serve firmly and steadfast in a field where equality for women is taken for granted, it is a fact that more women are in formerly male dominated professions such as Police Force, Coast Guard, Army, Military, and professional car racing.

"In spite of these great strides, internationally, locally more women should aspire to be part of the political decision-making process. Most women in Sint Maarten receive equal pay for equal work. An achievement fought for by courageous women in the 20th century.

"Regrettably, the numbers represented in both Parliament as well as in Government (Council of Ministers), is vastly under represented. I'm convinced that more women represented in the political decision process, will improve the quality of life of the community we represent.

"We must play homage and honour those who have fought for the rights that we enjoy today as women. Leveling the playing field between genders is and should remain on the social agenda of our community.

"I therefore take this opportunity to wish all Sint Maarten women across the spectrum a happy and joyful International Women's Day," President of Parliament Hon. Gracita Arrindell said on Friday.

This year's theme, "Equality for women is progress for all," emphasizes how gender equality, empowerment of women, women's full enjoyment of human rights and the eradication of poverty are essential to economic and social development.

It also stresses the vital role of women as agents of development.

On the eve of International Women's Day, the United Nations has launched the "He for She" campaign urging men to stand up for their rights of their mothers, sisters and daughters, while top UN officials stressed that human rights for girls and women are not a dream but a duty of all.

"I fully support this campaign launched today at the UN Headquarters in New York City, and I call on our men in our communities to indeed stand up for the rights of all women.

"Women's rights are human rights, and women's progress is human progress, and as a great woman, the former United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton once said and I quote, 'human rights are women's rights and women's rights are human rights, once and for all.'

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Minister of Education, Culture, Youth Affairs and Sports Hon. Patricia Lourens-Philip on the occasion of International Women's Day, Saturday, March 8, would like to wish all the women of the country a Happy International Women's Day.

The theme is "Inspiring Change." The theme is to continue to encourage for women's advancement everywhere and in every way. It calls for challenging the status quo for women's equality and vigilance inspiring positive change.

"On the occasion of International Women's Day, let us reflect on the progress that Sint Maarten women have made. Sint Maarten women today hold very high political positions.

"We have a woman as Prime Minister of the country. We have a woman who is President of the House of Parliament. We have a woman as a Member of Parliament. We have women who run departments. We have women who own and operate businesses in the private sector and we have women who run Non-Governmental Organizations.

"Sint Maarten women have come a long way leading in all kinds of positions in our society. I wish you all a Happy International Women's Day," Minister of Education, Culture, Youth & Sports Hon. Patricia Lourens-Philip said on the eve of International Women's Day.

The vast array of communication channels, supportive spokespeople, equality research, campaigns and corporate responsibility initiatives means everyone can be an advocate inspiring change for women's advancement.

Each year International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8. The first day was recognized in 1911.

Thousands of events occur to mark the economic, political and social achievements of women. Organizations, governments, charities, educational institutions, women's groups, companies and the media celebrate the day.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Annually International Women's Day is celebrated on March 8th, this day is observed in many forms and fashion. It is a time spent acknowledging, reminiscing, honouring and celebrating an array of accomplishments and achievements of women. It is also a time of deep reflection, introspection, and evaluation with respect to what is yet to be done in moving the rights of women forward. Locally we boast of the countless improvements that has been made; nevertheless there is much more work to be done. For example in many organizations women can be seen at helm and holding very influential and managerial positions, as example, the first Prime Minister of Sint Maarten and the First Ombudsman are women. Progress is visible in the education system whereby females are given the opportunity to access higher education and possess high level degrees. Notwithstanding all of that, on the flip side of the coin women still outnumber their male counterpart as being the poorest gender and are unequally compensated for equally performed work. The struggle continues and all efforts must be made to bound together and pull all available resources to strengthen the position of women in the community of Sint Maarten.

In observance of International Women's Day 2014 as we at Women's Desk reflect on the theme "inspiring change", what comes to mind are the "grassroots" the "forgotten women" of our community, the grandmas, aunties, neighbours, community and spiritual mothers and the like, that we come in contact with on a daily basis. Those women, who looked out for, scold, taught, fed, who was always there but was never recognized for the tremendous efforts and contribution they had and would have made in inspiring change by shaping the lives of others and keeping the community together through that true community spirit they possessed and practiced. They really understood the concept of "it took a village to raise a child", putting the people first, and "Ubuntu". Those were the women who had limited resources, yet they fed communities. They had limited education but send children to college. These women in most instances did not darken the halls of a college but they were visionaries, skillful, creative financial planners and managers, community activists, and the adhesive that kept the communities connected. We are convinced if many of us stop for a moment and really reflect - who really inspired change in our lives, made that significant impact and difference in our lives- at the end of it, it would be one of these women that too often than not, we overlook or take for granted. Today we at the Women's Desk say THANK YOU for making that difference, THANK YOU for believing in the good of all, THANK YOU for the inspiration that brought about change in the lives of many. THANK YOU for sharing those values that we are yearning for today. It took a big heart...to care in so many ways. There is much that we learnt and will continuously learn from our "grassroots women".

Yes, we have made significant strides, but as we do so, let us not throw out the baby with the bath water, by being caught up with the prevailing culture of individualism, materialism and consumerism, leaving very little time to care for others even those we have been entrusted with. In inspiring change in 2014 we need to allow these women, those forgotten women to speak to us from there various places and spaces, from the elders homes, from their dementia state, from their wheel chairs, even from the grave. We need to allow values, such as loving our neighbor as self, doing unto others as you would have them do to you, to really be the change agent and that catalyst of change, to be the inspiration that will challenge the popular culture of "self-regard" that wants to take over our land.

It is time for us to listen; listen to those still voices and sometimes stern and firm voices to inform the way we should care and the way we can truly inspire change.

Inspiring change is about caring for others in an unconditional way.

Congratulations to all Women on this International Women's Day.

Women's Desk 'Strengthening the position of women in our society'

REWARD:--- The St. Dominic High School will have an information evening on the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme on Thursday, March 20 at 7 p.m. Interested students and their parents are invited to learn more about this internationally recognized pre-university programme. Information will be available explaining the subject prerequisites and the application process. During this session, prospective applicants will also have the opportunity to sign up to shadow an IB student for a day at St. Dominic High School. St. Dominic High is one of 1,871 schools around the world offering this curriculum, as well as, the first government subsidized school in the Caribbean authorized by the International Baccalaureate Organization (IBO) to offer the Diploma Programme for students aged 16 to 19. The IBO collaborates with schools, governments and international organizations in 146 countries to develop and offer challenging programmes of international education and rigorous assessment in order to achieve its mission of developing inquiring, knowledgeable and caring young people who help to create a better and more peaceful world through intercultural understanding and respect. Students who are interested in the journey associated with learning, want to create opportunities for themselves, are driven to be successful and desire a more challenging curriculum that encourages them to think critically, to become internationally-minded, to reflect on their learning, and to develop research skills are welcome to attend this information evening on Thursday, March 20 at 7 p.m. in the school's auditorium.

POND ISLAND:--- Three competitive dance couples will be contesting the finals of TelCell's Sabor Latino Salsa Dance off. This is scheduled to take place at the Sabor Latino II show slated for April 29th at the Festival Village.

Dance couples Robert & Grecey, Nicholas & Isabel and Davey & Astrid were judged to be the best performers on a packed night at Port-de-Plaisance, March 1st , when three dance elimination rounds, comprising of bachata, merengue and salsa were held to recruit the best finalists.

The event was hosted by TelEm Group's mobile provider, TelCell, in collaboration with promotions company, Montage.

Organizers said if the enthusiasm of the crowd of supporters for the elimination round is anything to go by, the final dance-off of the Sabor Latina II will be a runaway success when the event is staged in April in the height of Carnival celebrations.

"The crowd was very much into providing the noise and support for a very enjoyable evening," said co-host, Angel Richardson of TelCell.

She thanked other TelCell/TelEm Group volunteers and Port-de-Plaisance management and staff for also playing their part to ensure the success of the night.

Angel says the three contestants will be dancing for bragging rights to the title of "Best Latin Dance Couple" and also will be hoping to take home top prizes of $3,000 cash; two TelCell Smartphones and two Winair airline tickets.

TELEM Press Release

WILLEMSTAD, Curacao:--- Law firm VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne launches a specialized team in Governance, Risk & Compliance. The firm engages drs. ing. Robbert Kroon (The Galan Group) as Counsel for this purpose. Together with prof. dr. Frank Kunneman, Kroon will be the face of the new practice group. Kunneman and Kroon have advised, published and lectured on corporate governance, risk, and compliance for years.
Robbert Kroon says about his move: "As a manager and partner with several consultancy firms, I often worked closely together with the legal profession in this area. This combined expertise gives clients an understanding of all essential aspects of corporate governance. This resulted in the need for more structural cooperation. In my role as Counsel, I add non-legal advice to the existing services of VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne. For instance guidance in change management or the implementation of processes."
VanEps Kunneman VanDoorne advises the profit and non-profit sector on governance and compliance. With a specialized team, the firm strengthens the focus on the subject. The firm will offer its broadened package of services on all islands of the Dutch Caribbean. Examples are compliance programs, courses for directors and supervisors and a Corporate Governance Scan, determining to what extent organizations comply with Codes Corporate Governance.
Frank Kunneman, "In the Dutch Caribbean, the focus on transparency and compliance has been growing for several years. This is the right time for a multidisciplinary team with an appropriate range of services and products. With Robbert on board, we offer the entire range of advice."

PHILIPSBURG:--- Fun Miles, the region's largest customer reward program, will play an active role during the Heineken Regatta, the region's largest sailing event. Together with key partners Heineken and UTS, Fun Miles will treat its cardholders to exciting specials, while making it super attractive to obtain a Fun Miles card for those who are new to the program. This year's Heineken Regatta has the theme 'Serious Fun', which is right up Fun Miles' alley.

FUN MILES: THE BEST WAY TO GET REGATTA MERCHANDISE
Fun Miles is proud to count official Heineken as a partner of Fun Miles during the regatta. During the Heineken Regatta parties, event merchandise will be available at the Heineken booth for ridiculously low amounts of Fun Miles. There are no less than 17 official Regatta merchandise items, including an extensive selection of bags, headgear, t-shirts, and accessories like beer mugs, key lanyards and sunglasses. Those who want to enjoy the Regatta in style shouldn't miss this opportunity.

FUN WITH UTS
During the Regatta, Fun Miles cardholders can redeem their Saved Fun Miles for different phone packages and portable chargers at the UTS booth or at the Fun Miles booth during the Regatta parties. Such as Nokia 105 for 4050 Miles , Samsung S2220 for 7650 Miles, Nokia 100 for 4500 Miles , portable charges starting at 1750 Miles.

YOHO! A FUN MILES CARD AND 500 BONUS MILES
Those who do not yet have a Fun Miles card can also make their way to the Fun Miles booth during the Regatta parties, where they can buy one for just $ 6.00, and receive 500 Bonus Miles for free, this means you are getting your Fun Miles Card for FREE! This is an opportunity to not opt out on Fun Miles this year. With more promotions coming up this year, we would say you have to be in it to win it, and SAVE!

POINTE BLANCHE:--- For the month of January, the Port of St. Maarten and the destination received over a quarter million cruise passengers or a 10.1 per cent increase over the same period in 2013.

In January the port catered to 284,405 cruise passengers and 112 ship calls, 25,974 more than in January 2013 (258,431, with 101 ship calls).

Port management welcomes the increase which demonstrates that all efforts in upgrading the destination along with itinerary marketing and the positive feedback from passengers during their visit, is keeping the port and destination at the forefront.

According to data from the 2014-2015 Cruise Industry News Annual Report, with full year operations of the Norwegian Breakaway and Norwegian Getaway in 2014, Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) will become the third largest cruise company by capacity in 2014 behind Carnival Cruise Lines and Royal Caribbean International.

The Port of St. Maarten both in January and February welcomed NCL's new generation ships the Breakaway and Getaway. For the month of January NCL brought close to 40,000 cruise passengers to the destination.

NCL has been named 'Caribbean's Leading Cruise Line,' by World Travel Awards.

The Port of St. Maarten in 2013 received 1,785.670 cruise passengers, 32,455 passengers more than in 2012. Cruise passengers arrived on 631 vessel calls for 2013. Overall for 2012, the destination received 622 ship calls with 1,753,215 cruise passengers.

In 1980 the destination only received 105,000 cruise passengers for the entire year. This grew to 564,251 in 1995 and to 1,055.040 eight years later in 2002.

The Port of St. Maarten maintains a prime position in Caribbean Cruise tourism.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams joined with members of the Downstreet Community in wishing Pansy Hassel a Happy Seventy Fifth Birthday. The Prime Minister congratulated Mrs. Hassel and wished her many more years in providing the support to the community of Downstreet. "I would like to take this opportunity to wish Pansy a very happy and healthy birthday and many many more years of health, strength, wisdom and God's blessing," commented the Prime Minister.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

Book table of St. Martin woman authors for Saturday, International Women's Day

GREAT BAY/MARIGOT:--- Do you know how many St. Martin women have written books? This could be a great quiz question for International Women's Day (IWD); and the number of authors might surprise you given the young literary history of this Caribbean island.

To answer the question, a "book table" is being organized for IWD and the corresponding Women's History Month. The table of "national" titles will be featured at "Hard Hair: St. Martin Women and the Culture of Natural Hair," a panel discussion on International Women's Day, Saturday, March 8, at 7:30 PM, at Philipsburg Jubilee Library, said organizer Rochelle Ward.

The table will exhibit books by at least 12 women from the island but there are far more than 12 published St. Martin women writers. Some of the authors are confirmed to be on hand to celebrate IWD with the audience and panelists, said Ward, a leading new generation poet.

The IWD book exhibit, as published examples of the nation's narratives, "fits in an exciting way with the lifestyle discussion of natural hair stories that will be told by St. Martin women on the panel. The discussion is organized by Don't Break the Comb natural hair group," said co-founder Ward, who is also a teacher and blogger.

The books by the nation's women authors range from autobiographies to self-help titles, poetry volumes to an edition of political speeches, and from a child abandonment study to cook books.

Authors and published writers will be among Saturday's speakers who are Dr. Nilda Arduin, ombudsman; Dr. Rhoda Arrindell, linguist, educator; Robin Boasman, teacher, author; and attorneys Patricia Chance-Duzant and Ayana Tyrell. There will be a question and answer period for the audience to share their own stories and interact with the panel, moderated by UNESCO representative Marcellia Henry.

"It is fitting for us St. Martin women to tell our own natural hair stories as many women from the Americas, Europe, other parts of the Caribbean, Africa and the South Pacific are returning to or taking this natural hair pilgrimage toward self-acceptance" and beauty, said Ward, herself a published writer.

The audience members at the IWD program are invited to buy the "book table" books by Ruby Bute, drs. Gracita Arrindell, Felecita Williams, Esther Gumbs, Robin Boasman, Janice James, and others, including women writers in Where I See The Sun – Contemporary Poetry in St. Martin. Authors such as Daniella Jeffry, Sheila Williams, Yvette Hyman, Gerda Heil, Lydia Henderson, Dr. Judith Arndell, Dr. Maria van Enckevort, and Ma Chance are among the book writers of St. Martin.

Oh yes, about the actual number of women book writers from St. Martin? "At a last count, there are 25 women authors and co-authors of books and booklets from St. Martin. All of the women authors identified so far have appeared since Ruby Bute published her first book, Golden Voices of S'maatin, in 1989," said Jacqueline Sample, president of House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP).

"There's also an additional 21 women that haven't published their own books as yet but their writings are found in books authored or edited by other writers between 1982 and International Women's Day 2014," said Sample.

"Ladies and gentlemen of all ages, come out on Saturday, March 8, and celebrate our hair and fascinating hair stories; our books, and the St. Martin stories in our books. Have a wonderful, inspiring International Women's Day," said Ward.

The panel discussion, "Hard Hair: St. Martin Women and the Culture of Natural Hair," is sponsored by the Philipsburg Jubilee Library, SOS radio, and Ital Shack.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams was joined by the Governor of St. Maarten His Excellency Eugene Holiday and the Minister of Justice the Honorable Dennis Richardson in bidding farewell to acting prosecutor Hans Wesselink at the Pasanggrahan Hotel on Wednesday afternoon. The Prime Minister thanked Mr. Wesselink for his service and dedication to St. Maarten during his stay.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

SOUTH REWARD:--- On Friday February 28, seven students and two teachers of the Sint Dominic High School left the island on an educational trip to the Netherlands. The trip is a part of the final block of the Kansproject and the students have been looking forward to this trip since September 2013. All travelers have arrived safely and the students are enjoying their stay at the host families, the excursions and classes at the Comenius College in Capelle aan den IJssel.
The coordinator as well as teachers and students involved in the project would like to extend their sincere gratitude towards the management of the school, parents, and the public of Sint Maarten for their continual support throughout the entire project and especially for making this trip possible.

PM to Highlight Important Role Women Play in the Community

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams will be holding a very special One on One with the Prime Minister Radio Show in order to commemorate International Women's Day this Friday. The PM will be highlighting the role of women in the community on St. Maarten and urges the community to call in with their comments and questions during the radio show on 98.1 Pear FM.

The Cabinet of the Prime Minister last week announced several new activities in commemorating International Women's Day on Saturday the 8th of March including Yoga Classes, Basketball and Bodybuilding Exhibitions centered on encouraging women to stay healthy and focus on a clean and healthy lifestyle. "On this day and on every other day we should stand still and reflect on the things that could obstruct us from being all that we can be. Our health is one of the most important determinants of our overall well-being. Many chronic diseases affecting women in these times can be prevented and managed through lifestyle changes, but we need to want to make those changes for ourselves and for our families," emphasized the PM.

The Sports Day will kick-off at five thirty in the morning with a Walkathon from the Government Administration Building the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex, yoga classes, a penalty shoot –out competition and women's soccer matches and trainings, basketball sessions, water aerobics, track and field competitions, speed walking, 100 and 200 meter runs, a bodybuilding show, a performance by Dance Theatre of St. Maarten and Zumba sessions. Participants will also be offered a free and complimentary breakfast at the Sports Complex as well.

During a special luncheon on Friday the seventh of March the Prime Minister will also be recognizing women within the community who have greatly contributed to the development of St. Maarten. "I would not like to give away any of the names yet as it is a surprise, but we will be recognize a number of St. Maarten women for their contribution over the years," stated the Prime Minister. Awards will be given to women who have contributed to the fields of Children's Foster Homes, Humanitarian Service, Education, Tourism, Unionism, Religious Communities, Radio and Entertainment and Youth Leadership.

One on One with the Prime Minister airs weekly ever Friday from nine to ten on 98.1 Pearl FM. Callers can call in on 5430462 or can send emails to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. with their questions.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

PHILIPSBURG:--- As Minister of Public Health, Social Development & Labor, I am pleased to announce that our Country will join Social Workers around the world in recognizing the value, contribution and hard-work of our Social Workers.

World Social Work Day will be celebrated on Tuesday, March 18, a very first for us as a Country, but one that I believe is timely.
To give additional credence to the work of Social Workers, my Ministry initiated the incorporation of the Sint Maarten Social Workers Association, an entity that I know will work feverishly to meet the needs of all Social Workers and the community they serve.
The Association will have a Board of Directors formed from various sectors, representing NGOs, Foundations, Faith-Based organizations, Vulnerable groups, Probation Officers, Schools, and the Court of Guardianship.
The day will further be marked by recognition of a pioneer in the field of Social Work, a luncheon for all Social Workers, and tokens of appreciation by which we can all remember this day in history.
Finally, I have asked our Honorable Prime Minister to join me in this historic day, by endorsing the Global Agenda of Social Workers, on behalf of the Government of Sint Maarten.

What are fundamental aspects of human flourishing? How can these aspects be used in interventions at the workplace, at schools and in communities? And how policies can be shaped for a flourishing society? These and many more topics will be addressed at the 7th European conference on positive psychology in Amsterdam from the 1st to the 4th of July 2014.

Past, present and future of positive psychology
Positive psychology is about studying and applying knowledge regarding positive emotions, well-being and flourishing of people in all circumstances, including those that are limited. Scientific knowledge is applied:

• in schools, by reinforcing resilience and by creating a positive learning environment
• in companies, by improving the strong points of employees and by promoting sustainable development
• in health care, by reinforcing the well-being and resilience of (chronically) ill people
• in communities, by promoting citizen initiatives, directed towards improving their well-being

"Transforming Care" Congress St. Maarten
Prof. Dr. Jan Walburg (Professor positive psychology University of Twente, the Netherlands and organizer of above mentioned congress) and Drs. Merel Haverman (Researcher at the Innovation Centre of Mental Health and Technology at the Trimbos, The Netherlands) were guest speakers at the "Transforming Care" congress which took place in St. Maarten at the Westin on September 30, October 1 and 2, 2013. During this congress an evening workshop was given, for the people of St. Maarten that feel some responsibility in helping to create conditions, that enhances flourishing of the population of St. Maarten.

Mental Health Foundation St. Maarten
Psychologist of the Mental Health Foundation Jolien Louwerse attended the lectures about Positive Psychology at the "Transforming Care" Congress in St. Maarten and immediately became very interested in the subject. Jolien feels this relatively new perspective on psychology could be a great asset for St. Maarten. More knowledge on how people and communities can flourish, despite of being exposed to certain risk factors would be helpful since many people grow up or live in a situation that is not ideal. She is looking forward to transfer and implement the information from the congress on St. Maarten. For more information about the positive psychology congress and/or registration please visit www.ecpp2014.nl

PHILIPSBURG:--- Chippie, the mobile service of UTS, will once again be one of the major sponsors of the 34th annual St. Maarten Heineken Regatta .The mobile brand will be partnering with the Sint Maarten Yacht Club again to support the yearly event which brings many visitors to the island on a yearly basis. The company will also be offering various specials and promotions to the general public at the Regatta parties which will be held this weekend at various locations. "We've developed offers that we are certain our customers will appreciate. Even items that they will want to use right on the spot,' said UTS Marketing and Communications Officer, Ivy Lambert. 'We have been working with the Sint Maarten Yacht Club Regatta Foundation and Heineken for various years now and we are happy to be able to work with them again to assist them in staging this event. It gives our island a welcome economic boost at the beginning of slow-season,' Lambert continued. CaribServe, the broadband internet service of UTS will also participate as a sponsor of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta. The brand is the official internet provider of the event, providing connectivity for real-time racing results on location. In addition there will be complimentary WiFi at the yacht club, WiFi service for the VIP areas at all the parties, as well as a larger WiFi-zone which will be accessible to the general public. 'To make any event a success, good communication is key and we're happy to assist the Sint Maarten Yacht Club by offering them our newest technologies to make their work a little bit easier,' Lambert stated. 'The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta has been receiving support from Caribserve and Chippie for many years. We have witnessed all the technological developments they went through and are very grateful with their contribution to our event. To be able to offer free WiFi to all our competitors and party goers is something that increases the overall experience immensely. In addition, all telecommunication is provided by Chippie, which makes it possible for our race committee and operational team to communicate during the event," explained Regatta Director Michele Korteweg.

PHILIPSBURG:--- St. Maarten Academy's 5th form student, Jenice Forbes, emerged as Soualigan Fyah Youth Poetry's Supreme Poet for the second consecutive year on Friday, February 28, 2014.
Forbes competed against Traci Jones, who took second place, and Julie Alcin, who took third place. Other competing poets included Andrew Peterson, who won best poet during the "My Black History" round, Deshawn Dupree, who also won best poem for the finals, Janice Forbes and Jolisa Jackman. Forbes also won best poem for the "Mother Language/Tongue" round.
The winner received a cash prize of $100 and the first and second prize winners received cash prizes in the amount of $75 and $50 respectively.
Soualigan Fyah, an annual poetry and spoken word competition for teenagers, was organized by Foundation 5 Square Miles St. Martin, in collaboration with the Philipsburg Jubilee Library. Collaboration for the International Mother Language Day was undertaken with UNESCO Commission of Sint Maarten. A number of private citizens also contributed to the final and best poem financial prizes. House of Nehesi Publishers, a consistent contributor to the event, also donated 3 book bundles for the "Mother Language/Tongue" day.

The event ran for three consecutive Fridays between February 14 and February 28, and ended with the final competition between four youngsters.

Each week, poets were encouraged to write 2 poems on various topics including: "Love", "My Black History", "Mother Language", and a topic of their choice during the finals.

HARD HAIR – St. Martin Women & The Culture of Natural Hair

Philipsburg Jubilee Library, at 7:30 PM.

A lifestyle discussion of natural hair stories with Dr. Nilda Arduin, Dr. Rhoda Arrindell, children's author Robin Boasman, and attorneys Patricia Chance-Duzant and Ayana Tyrell.

Organized by Don't Break The Comb hair group.

Sponsor: SOS 95.9 FM, Ital Shack, Philipsburg Jubilee Library.

GREAT BAY:--- The Division for Educational Innovation (DEI) held a certificate ceremony on Friday February 21st 2014 at the University of St. Martin for 60 students that completed a 12 week preparatory program. The preparatory program was held during the period of September 9th 2013 to December 20th 2013. The preparatory program was geared towards youngsters between the ages of 16 and 24 years old who did not complete secondary education and/or did not have any work experience. The Division of Educational Innovation was given the task of coordinating and executing the program. The program was completely funded by Usona, Dutch development funds.

Minister Lourens-Philip was in attendance and delivered a motivational speech to the youngsters. Minister Lourens-Philip commended the youngsters on their accomplishment thus far and encouraged them to continue on this path until their goals are reached.

In August 2012, The National Institute for Professional Advancement (NIPA) held a registration drive where 377 persons registered. Of these 377 persons, 91 students fell in the criteria of the preparatory program. The program officially started on September 9th 2013 with 77 students. The preparatory program consisted of 12 weeks of the following classes; Introduction to Hospitality, Social Skills, Career Preparation, Introduction to Business English, Practical Training, Basic/Intermediate Computer training and Physical Education. The classes of the preparatory program were held at the NIPA. Of the 60 students that have completed the preparatory program, 55 students are continuing their education at the NIPA.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Department of Statistics (STAT) and its 25 interviewers after one month out in the field for the household listing survey have visited 35 percent of addresses (approximately 6,200). The survey will continue for the next six weeks or through mid-April.

Since the start of the survey at the beginning of February STAT interviewers have experienced good cooperation from households, in terms of willingness to participate in this survey.

STAT continues to highlight the fact that the data being asked and gathered from the population will be used for statistical purposes only.

The objectives of the survey are not to share information with tax or immigration departments for their line of work, and as such no exchange of this kind will take place.

STAT is counting on all households in the country to partake in the survey, which serves to reconfirm the population size of Dutch Sint Maarten, and determine in as far as possible, how many of the registered population could actually be found as resident in the country.

The questionnaire consists of a short list of questions, related to the age, gender, country-of-birth and nationality of each member of the household.

Persons will also be asked to verify their address, and number of units on each property as well as if they are registered at the Civil Registry Department.

STAT interviewers are approaching homes up to 8.00pm each day and on weekends. Where persons are not found at home, an appointment card is left behind. STAT is urging residents to make use of the appointment cards and contact the department at its general telephone number 549-0235, to have a convenient date and time set for your household to complete the survey.

STAT asks that household members inform one another once an interview has taken place for the Household Listing Survey, in order that everyone in the home is aware and can pass on this information to STAT staff.

STAT falls under the Ministry of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transportation and Telecommunication.

On International Women's Day, 8th of March, the newly opened Raoul Illidge Sports Complex will be the center of an all women sports event. We encourage all women to sign up and participate. Always wanted to play soccer? Want to bring your daughter, niece, cousin along? Experienced/Unexperienced? Sign up for free!

There will be 4 teams of soccer and the starting time is 8:15am.

There will also be other sports available like yoga, a walkathon, aerobics, basketball, and zumba. Especially for the family there is a family fun activity planned in which we encourage the husbands, sons, fathers and kids to join.

Let us all support International Women's Day and come out for a fun day of sports.

For women who wish to register for soccer please contact the Oualichi Women's Soccer Association at 5879180 or email us This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Never played before? No problem. We welcome everyone!

Register quickly!

Any question please do not hesitate to contact us.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams attended and supported various community-based art exhibitions over the last few days. On Saturday the Prime Minister attended the Tehillah Foundation Art Exhibition in Simpson Bay where she supported the Foundation's work in inspiring the community through mentorship programs, summits, conferences, seminars and workshops. On Sunday the Prime Minister attended the exhibition of Mounette Radot at Sheer restaurant where one of the Grand Dame of the St. Maarten art scene exhibited one of her newest collections.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

PHILIPSBURG:--- During her opening remarks at the Capacity Building Workshop for NGO's on Monday the Prime Minister Emphasized the essential and important roles NGOs play in especially the Social Development of St. Maarten. The PM highlighted that with the capacity training workshop the NGO's will be able to reinforce their essential role within the community: "When we conceptualized the INDP program one of the requirements was that we should build capacity amongst the NGO's. A lot of work went into putting the right structure in place and making sure we got the participation in getting as many NGO's involved. This is about assisting you in your very important work that you are doing and to strengthening your capacity. There are so many very positive initiatives on St. Maarten and especially in the field of Social Development NGOs play an essential role. It is also a fact that in order to function as an NGO you need proper structures and accountability in place in order to carry out the work that you set out to carry out," emphasized the Prime Minister.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

The Division for Educational Innovations in collaboration with SIFMA St. Maarten will be organizing Parental Support Informational workshops in the months March to June 2014.

These workshops are geared to parents, guardians and early childhood educators of children between the ages of 0-4 years old attending daycare centers/pre-schools on St. Maarten. Various topics will be covered such as: The Daily Routine, The Importance of Play, Involving Families in the Active Learning Setting, The Transitions from Early Childhood to Foundation Based Education and; Budgeting (Insurance and Living on a Budget).

These courses are meant to further educate parents/guardians of young children between the ages 0-4 years with much needed and valued information. We do look forward to all parents/guardians participating and showing their support.
The courses will be held in the Community Centers within the district where the Day Care Centers and Pre-schools are located.
For the month of March the sessions will be held at the Belvedere Community Center for the parents/ guardians with children from 0 – 4 years old in the daycare centers/pre-schools in the Dutch Quarter Belvedere area. (see attached schedule for the month of March 2014).

For specific dates and location of these workshops do contact your child's daycare center/pre-school or contact our office at 543-7299 for more information.

Partners with Prime Distributors, Cost-U-Less, St. Maarten Lions Club

PHILIPSBURG:--- On Saturday, the Rotary Club of St. Maarten, in conjunction with its partner at Prime Distributors, and the St. Maarten Lions Club, with its partner at Cost-U-Less, concluded the Rotary has Heart campaign with a donation of US $4,400 to the New Start for Children Foundation. The donation was accepted by Mrs. Sally Benjamin.

The New Start for Children Foundation was established by Mrs. Benjamin and her husband Edward to help care for children in need. Mr. and Mrs. Benjamin have been foster parents for more than 30 years and have cared for countless children with out financial assistance from the government prior to Mr. Benjamin's retirement. With the establishment of the foundation, they are now a formal foster home caring for 19 children of which 5 are babies.

The Rotary has Heart Valentine's campaign began during the month of February, with the cooperation of several businesses throughout the island, as an effort to raise funds to insure that "no child goes to bed hungry". Maria Buncamper-Molanus, President of the Rotary Club of St. Maarten, said "There is nothing more important than children, and making sure each child has a nutritious meal before bed is paramount to a healthy life. The Rotary Club of St. Maarten is committed to improving lives of those children who are less fortunate".

Mrs. Buncamper continued, "This presentation of US $4,400 was extra ordinary as it was a joint presentation from both the Rotary Club of St. Maarten, the St. Maarten Lions Club, Prime Distributors and Cost-U-Less, both cooperate sponsors increasing the donation by 10%, for the purpose of purchasing food for the children residing at the home.

President of the St. Maarten Lions Club Claudio Buncamper added, "I am pleased to be able to support this joint project with the Rotary Club of St. Maarten. I was touched by the hard work the Benjamin Family is doing to make the lives of these children better and I am pleased, on behalf of the Lions Club, to contribute to this Foundation."

For more information about the Rotary Club of St. Maarten, please contact the Rotary Club of St. Maarten Press Officer at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visit the website www.rotarysxm.org

PHILIPSBURG:--- A Plenary session of the House of Parliament is scheduled for March 7th regarding developments at the Princess Juliana International Airport.

The public plenary meeting is set for Friday at 10:00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The first agenda point is incoming documents followed by the second one related to developments at the national airport. Minister of Aviation Affairs Hon. Ted Richardson will be present for the meeting.

The meeting was requested by Members of Parliament (MP) Hon. William Marlin, MP Hon. George Pantophlet, MP Hon. Hyacinth Richardson, and MP Hon. Louie Laveist.

An additional agenda point has been added to the Central Committee meeting scheduled for Thursday afternoon at 2:00pm. The additional point is approval of the 2014 travel schedule with respect to Parlatino meetings.

The first agenda point of the Thursday Central Committee meeting is an update on the Emilio Wilson Estate and Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure Hon. Maurice Lake will be present.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com, and also via www.sxmparliament.org.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Ministry of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Development and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI), hereby announces road closure Thursday night on the L.B. Scot road at Lot #151 (South Reward).

On March 6, there will be no through traffic from 8:00pm to 5:00am on the aforementioned road. All traffic will be diverted during the closure period.

The closure is related with the installation of the sewage house connection.

Motorists are requested to be vigilant and observant for the traffic directional signs indicating the road closure.

Motorists and pedestrians are also advised that it is against the law for tampering or removing a traffic barricade or any other piece of government property.

Ministry VROMI apologizes for any inconvenience that this may cause.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Philipsburg Jubilee Library will continue its bi-weekly story hour today, Wednesday, March 5, at 3pm.
Every first and third Wednesday in the month, the library conducts story time sessions for visiting children in the library. This Wednesday, storyteller and library staffer, Morena Ignacio will be reading from one of the library's children's books called "Dave the Potter" by Laban Carrick Hill. Children will read about Dave, who was an extraordinary artist, poet, and potter living as a slave in South Carolina in the 1800s.
After story time, there will be a hands-on arts & craft activity with clay for all of the attending children to do.
For more information on this and more storytelling events, please contact Maryland at 542-2970.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Organizers for the 34th Annual St. Maarten Heineken Regatta have worked tirelessly to create the perfect formula for three nights of island fun, featuring a performance by Kes during the Caribbean Jam night on March 8, followed by performances from St. Maarten's own Orange Grove and RedFoo and the Party Rock Crew (LMFAO) during the Legendary Party on Sunday, March 9, 2014.

Kes, more commonly referred to as Kes The Band or KTB, first performed at the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta in 2009 and has since been making waves in the music industry with performances throughout the Caribbean, U.S., Canada and Europe. Additionally, Kes has been hitting the world's main stage, opening for acts such as Rihanna, Sean Paul, John Legend, Maroon 5 and Evanescence. The band's musical style has been described as island or Caribbean pop, consisting largely of Soca with influences from both Calypso and Reggae styles. The band is comprised of three brothers Kees, Hans and Jon Dieffenthaller and friend Riad Boochoon and is known for vigorous performances Regatta fans are sure to enjoy.
Hailing from St. Maarten, Orange Grove (OG) is sure to bring party goers to their feet before LMFAO takes the stage. Since their last Regatta performance, Orange Grove has been hitting the studio in an effort to make the coming year one of their best musical seasons yet. Working with one of the most famous DJ/producers in the world, Bob Sinclair, tracks from Orange Grove's newest album played at Pacha nightclub in Ibiza and received rave reviews. During their Legendary Party performance on March 9, Orange Grove will premier the first ever on-stage release of the remix "Ready For It," giving the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta audience a sneak peak before its worldwide release. New to the Regatta stage will be bassist Daniele Labatte, the newest band member to Orange Grove who has added an international flair to the mix.
The Regatta concerts culminate on Sunday, March 9 with a performance by headliners RedFoo and The Party Rock Crew (LMFAO) on Kim Sha beach. Achieving fame for their hit songs "Party Rock Anthem," "Sexy and I Know It" and "Shots," this performance is sure to have Regatta attendees dancing the night away. LMFAO will arrive to St. Maarten after spending time on their world tour which includes stops in Paris, Australia, Turkey, China, Japan, Las Vegas and Los Angeles.
The 34th edition of the Caribbean's biggest Regatta will feature four nights of parties starting on Thursday, March 6 with the Dance Fever Party; Friday, March 7with the Rock and Reggae event; Saturday, March 8 with the Caribbean Jam and finally the Legendary Party on Sunday, March 9.

The St. Maarten Heineken Regatta is an annual competition that has become a world-wide and one-of-a-kind sailing event with exciting entertainment, musical performances and parties that have attracted thousands of sailors and enthusiasts to the island over the years. The actual competition consists of round-the-buoys contests and point-to-point destination races against the backdrop of St. Maarten's breathtaking coastal views.

St. Maarten has it all, with activities to please all types of vacation personalities. From cafés and sizzling beachside barbecues; boutique hotels and high-rise resorts and some of the best shopping and nightlife in the Caribbean, there is truly something for everyone.

For more information on St. Maarten visit the official site of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau at www.VacationStMaarten.com.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Mr. Franklyn Richards, Member of the Council on Law Enforcement, on Wednesday February 26th presented its report, 'Detention capacity in Sint Maarten' to St. Maarten's Minister of Justice, Mr. Dennis Richardson.

In accepting the report, Minister Richardson expressed gratitude and indicated that the findings mentioned in the report serve to guide initiatives aimed at improving the overall situation regarding the detention capacity in St. Maarten.

Pursuant to the Kingdom Act on the Law Enforcement Council the Minister will be given the opportunity to send the advice to Parliament within six weeks, along with his policy response. After six weeks the report will be available for downloading at www.raadrechtshandhaving.com.

In this inspection the Council investigated whether the detention capacity in Sint Maarten matches up to the need. According to the Council it is of great importance to analyze how many cell spaces are minimally necessary to meet the need in cell capacity. This is important in view of the plans of the ministry of Justice to expand the detention capacity on Sint Maarten – which involves high costs – and now that according to those directly involved the extent of the shortage of cells increases.

The actual execution of judgments after all is of great importance for the functioning of the criminal justice system. The Council is of the opinion that a state under the rule of law, in which judgments from judges are not executed, undermines itself.

In order to establish whether the detention capacity on Sint Maarten links up with the need the Council has calculated that on Sint Maarten there is a need for at least 251 cell spaces, while presently there are 143. That means that of all prison sentences imposed by the court (besides the part that as a result of conditional release is not executed), a considerable part - according to estimate at least 40% - cannot be executed.

These 251 cell spaces is a cautious calculation. A number of factors influence the real need. If Sint Maarten is serious about the implementation of the provisions in the Constitution about separated detention and treatment of convicted persons, non-convicted persons and youths – the Council considers this very urgent – that will mean that more cell spaces are needed. Further the law enforcement on Sint Maarten in practice anticipates on the capacity problem and the choice is made for sanctions and measures which avoid detention, for instance an entire conditional demand from the public prosecution service or policy which is directed to

releasing certain category suspects during pretrial detention. In the report the Council mentions a number of factors.

It can be expected that with sufficient detention capacity this practice will change and more cells are needed. It should be avoided that a vicious circle is created: an increase of the detention capacity results in imposing and executing of more prison sentences, through which again a shortage in detention capacity is created. Moreover a significant increase of the part of minors and young adults in (often serious forms of) criminality is to be seen.

The Council endorses that creating of detention places is not the greatest problem, but the maintenance of a proper level of treatment is, because not only extra cells need to be provided for, but also for well trained personnel and adequate treatment of detainees. For abovementioned reasons the Council thinks that the expansion of the cell capacity is not the only answer to the problem.

Therefore alternatives must be developed for prison sentence. The Council has investigated several possibilities, such as regional examples of integral policy directed to prevention, expansion of the possibilities of electronic supervision and the improvement of the registration of information within the law enforcement chain.

The challenge therefore especially seems to be, building on sanctioning policy which protects the society against crime and offers young generations on Sint Maarten chances.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The St. Maarten Tzu Chi Foundation celebrated Chinese New Year by sharing a meatless message at its annual New Year's Blessing event held on Sunday, February 23.

At least one person, an educator, took the stage at the event held at the St. Maarten Tzu Chi Foundation, to declare that the information shared had inspired her to stop eating meat.

Some 65 persons attended the event, which featured a colourful and much-appreciated lion dance performance by All Children's Education (ACE) school pupils as well as adult volunteers. A number of similarly-dressed female pupils also took to the stage for a brief and entertaining performance.

Invited guests got a chance to see the humanitarian work the international arms of Tzu Chi Foundation had done around the world in 2013 in a 20-minute video presentation entitled "Tzu Chi Footprints."

The main message of the programme was to enlighten guests about the effects of meat and the health benefits of going meatless. Tzu Chi Commissioner Sandra Cheung and volunteer Mercedes De Windt elaborated about this topic. Several brief videos about the downsides of meat were also shown.

One of the videos was a news report showing the treatment of meat with carbon monoxide gas to make it look fresh. Reports indicate that more than 70 per cent of all beef and chicken in the United States, Canada and other countries are being treated with carbon monoxide gas. It can make seriously decayed meat look fresh for weeks. The meat industry continues to allow this gas injection into many of the meat products people consume on a daily basis.

Cheung and de Windt also shared their personal story about how they both stopped eating meat.

To emphasize the message about vegetarianism, guests were treated to a range of vegetarian delicacies prepared by the loving hands of Tzu Chi volunteers, Cake House Supermarket and Tzu Chi supporter Foo Hoo Restaurant. The dishes included cream of corn pudding with caramelized coconut, glazed lentil walnut apple loaf, vegan chicken cutlet, vegan beef with rice noodle, spicy vegan chicken, deep fried eggplant, baked eggplant, vegan ham, garden salad, veggie fish with vegetables, baked eggplant slices, vegetarian fried rice, bruschetta/ toasted French bread, vegan cheese and cracker and vegan potato salad.

It was after the meatless message that the educator pledged to stop eating meat and indicated that she would also be joining the foundation. Several other persons also took to the stage and gave a testimony about Tzu Chi.

For persons concerned about whether they will obtain sufficient protein if they stop eating meat, it is important to note that ample amounts of protein are thriving in whole, natural plant-based foods. For example, spinach is 51 percent protein; mushrooms, 35 percent; beans, 26 percent; oatmeal, 16 percent; whole wheat pasta, 15 percent; corn, 12 percent; and potatoes, 11 percent. The World Health Organization says the average 150-pound male requires only 22.5 grams of protein daily based on a 2,000 calorie a day diet, which means about 4.5 percent of calories should come from protein.

Tzu Chi cares about Mother Earth and very little garbage was created from the event. Additionally, no disposable plastic utensils were used in the event, only reusable items.

Another highlight of the programme was the Bamboo Bank return ceremony where pupils and volunteers emptied their donation boxes into what is called a bamboo bank. Invitees also went on stage and put money into the bamboo bank. A total of US $389.50 was collected. The funds will be used for Tzu Chi initiatives.

Volunteers and pupils also performed a sign language song before Cheung and new Tzu Chi Commissioner Yamile Bastidas handed out special "red pockets" from Tzu Chi Founder Master Cheng Yen in what was referred to as a Master's Appreciation ceremony.

A total of 31 volunteers took part in the event along with 20 pupils.

Additional information about Tzu Chi, becoming a volunteer, member or persons who want more information about going meatless can contact Tzu Chi Foundation at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Public Housing, Environment, Spatial Planning and Infrastructure (Ministry VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake, said efforts are underway to have Mullet Pond protected and recognized under the Convention of Wetlands (Ramsar, Iran, 1971).

Over the weekend the Minister of VROMI took a tour with Nature Foundation of Mullet Pond and Simpson Bay Lagoon.

"The advice for the protection of Mullet Pond has reached its final stages. I will also have the relevant government department along with stakeholders start the process to protect the remaining ponds of the country.

"I would like to see Little Key in the Simpson Bay Lagoon also protected and cleaned-up. This would be a great opportunity and experience for families to come together to camp-out on the weekend and enjoy nature from a different perspective once the island is cleaned-up and placed under sustainable management," Minister Hon. Maurice Lake disclosed on Sunday.

The aforementioned convention also referred to as the Ramsar Convention, is an intergovernmental treaty that embodies the commitments of its member countries to maintain the ecological character of their Wetlands of International Importance and to plan for the 'wise use', or sustainable use, of all of the wetlands in their territories.

The tour of Mullet Pond and Simpson Bay Lagoon is a follow-up to a meeting held on January 8, 2014 that Minister Hon. Maurice Lake had with representatives from the Department of Environmental Affairs, the Department of Maritime Affairs and Nature Foundation regarding national environmental issues.

During the January 8 meeting Minister Lake wanted to know the status of the Service Level Agreement (SLA) between Nature Foundation and Ministry VROMI for the environmental and conservation management of the natural resources of Sint Maarten.

"I can now report with respect to the SLA, the Governor is expected to sign off this week and I hope to make a presentation to the Nature Foundation this week. This is a very important milestone for the environmental movement. It is essential in going forward to main a good working relationship with environmental entities," Minister Hon. Maurice Lake announced on Sunday.

In the aforementioned meeting the protection of Wetlands in connection with the Ramsar Convention was also discussed as Country Sint Maarten has an obligation to protect wetlands.

"My tenure as Minister will be coming to an end this year and I would like to leave a mark with respect to the protection of the remaining eco-natural resources of our country. Ministry VROMI is responsible for the environment and spatial planning.

"I have also been diligently working with colleague Ministers to complete the process for the purchasing of the Emilio Wilson Estate for the people of the country.

"I have also signed off on an advice for the restoration of Fort Amsterdam, a very important site of historical importance. The fort is in disrepair and needs to be restored for current and future generations as well as for visitors to enjoy our heritage.

"In my back to basics approach we must move forward in protecting our natural resources. Zoning and development plans are part of this process along with ministerial actions to protect the environment.

"The protection of our natural environment also reflects upon the quality of life of our people and I will see to it that the necessary management structures are put in place that would manage our natural resources in a sustainable manner for generations to come," Minister Hon. Maurice Lake said on Sunday.

GREAT BAY (DCOMM):--- Deputy Minister Plenipotentiary Hon. Josianne Fleming-Artsen recently met with Office Manager Roos Leerdam of St. Maarten Students Support Services (S4) in The Hague to discuss status of students and their challenges while studying in the Netherlands.

S4 is looking for two full-time student counselors and a director. It is hoped that a St. Maartener can be found soon to fill the director's position.

"I am encouraging young St. Maarteners living abroad to consider applying to work with S4. These are opportunities for our people," Deputy Minister Plenipotentiary Hon. Josianne Fleming Artsen said on Sunday.

S4 was established to ensure proper guidance and supervision of St. Maarten students in the Netherlands.

MARIGOT:--- Sareena Carti of Avenir Sportif Club de Saint-Martin got noticed this weekend during the athletics meet between France, Germany, and Italy by beating the record of France of the 400m cadettes category in 54 " 02.
A good result on the eve of French championships Cadets-Juniors in room in Val de Rueil on March 8th and 9th, 2014, in which Sareena will defend her title of champion of France 2013.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament George Pantophlet said that it is a shame that nothing is heard as yet on the discussion that was supposed to be held between the Minister of Finance Martin Hassink and the casino operators. During the debate on the budget 2014 the Minister said that a meeting was planned with the casino operators the following week. The budget was discussed in mid January and we are now in the first week of March. The Minister should update the people of St. Maarten on the outcome of those discussions if they were held at all. And if it not held then explain to the people why not. It is a known fact that these institutions owe millions to government in fees and seeing the Budget constraints it is imperative that payment arrangements are made posthaste to collect these outstanding amounts. Also one can only imagine what revenues government is losing by not imposing the Turnover Tax on these Institutions. It is either this or increasing the fees. The Member said he has heard nothing regarding the process of the legislation to increase these fees. He believes it will show responsibility on the part of the Minister if he can inform the public as to the status of these deliberations. The Receiver's Office is roaming about like a hungry lion trying to collect taxes so it is important that everyone pay their share. On another note but related an article appearing in one of the daily newspapers alluded to a "new dogfight in Lottery industry. It concerned Smart Play and Jamaroma who dragged My Lucky Day NV into court. What stood out to the Member of Parliament were the 12000 guilders and the 18000 guilders per day turnover that Smart Play generates. If one takes the average we are looking at some 15000 guilders per day multiplied by 360 days equals 5.4 million guilders annually. What needs to be established is whether this is generated on St. Maarten or all the islands in the Kingdom. If it is only St. Maarten and we take an average of 250 employees multiplied by the minimum wage of some let me be conservative 1400 guilders equals 350 thousand guilders annually add to this rent expenses average 30000 guilders, energy average 20000 guilders, fees the expenditures can amount to some 400 thousand guilders. The wage tax is not included because this is withheld from the employee or should be. When this is deducted from the income it can definitely be concluded that they make a handsome profit. It is clearly proven that the measly fee they have been paying the last 15 t0 20 years is ridiculous. It is time to increase these fees.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams joined with family and friends in wishing local matriarch Mrs. Edith Pantophlet a Happy 87th Birthday at a party at her residence on Saturday. The Prime Minister wished Ms. Edith, as she is affectionately known a Happy Birthday and commended her for being a matriarch for the Downstreet and Philipsburg community. In photo Prime Minister Wescot-Williams with Ms. Edith and two generations of her Family.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):--- Division Public Education (DPE) and the Physical Education Coordinator had their Annual Public Primary Schools demonstration of students physical activities.

Head of Public Education, Glenderlin Davis-Holiday, opened the night with some encouraging words to the students and audience. "Tonight is a coming together of students from different schools within the Public Education system. I am sure that you will enjoy the night. The parents, teachers, and students, I want you to enjoy the show, so relax and look at these wonderful young people demonstrate their physical ability. Thank you for coming out," Davis-Holiday said.

At the L.B. Scot Sports Auditorium, the DPE Schools Physical Ed coordinator David Forsythe and the rest of the staff went through several exercises with students, demonstrating to the parents, guardians, and other family members, the type of sports experiences of students that are provided in classes throughout the public primary schools. The students were able to show their physical dexterity to the attending crowd, who were pleased to see their loved ones on stage.

"The idea is to show that by being healthy these particular types of exercises can be duplicated at home or elsewhere. It is also to encourage the parents and guardians," Forsythe said, "to partake in these exercises with not only their kids but to do the exercises themselves, thus promoting a healthy physical exercise environment."

He continued, "Physical Education provides our students with the opportunity to participate in organized activities that both stimulates and challenges our students' physical, emotional and mental health. Hence, the program is divided in three content areas: developmental, movement and wellness."

Forsythe went on to state that the division staff has seen a positive relationship between fitness levels and academic performance, while decreasing disciplinary incidents. We have also seen a decrease of the body mass index (BMI) after being in the program for a couple of years

Our results show, Forsythe said that the percentage of overweight and obese students is on the decline. These are of course the results of the students we are engaged with. However, the troubling thing is that of the underweight percentage is on the rise. This clearly points towards their diet and nutrition. The healthy offerings must be increased and the not so healthy offerings reduced.

Our physical education teachers recognize that they have the opportunity to affect the quality of their students' lives, giving them skills to be healthy and active for a lifetime.

Present were the staff of the department, teachers, parents, guardians, and other family members.

DUTCH QUARTER:--- On Sunday March 2nd, 2014 at approximately 8:00pm, several police patrols and detectives were directed to the A. Th. Illidge road in the vicinity of the gasoline station in Dutch Quarter where according to report shots were fired. On the scene the investigating officers learnt that after a dispute between some persons one man pulled a gun and started firing shots. After firing these shots he left the scene possibly in a small vehicle. No one was injured during this incident. The Detectives are presently questioning witnesses to the incident to determine exactly what happened and who the one is responsible for firing those shots.

KPSM Police Report

PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):--- The Department of Economic Licenses announced that persons interested in vending food, beverages, helium balloons and other typical items associated with carnival can apply for these licenses starting Monday, March 3rd at the aforementioned department located at Zoutsteeg 3, Philipsburg. The deadline for these applications to be submitted is April 4th, 2014.

Furthermore, due to safety concerns, the no-vending zones will be strictly applied for Carnival 2014. As a result of this, lots will be given out to applicants on a first come, first serve basis. The department is therefore stressing that persons interested in street vending in the Philipsburg area submit their applications early as space is limited.

All persons interested street vending and vending within the Carnival Village (booth holders), must come to the department with the following documentation before April 4th 2014:

1. Application form
2. A copy of your passport or ID
3. From the Receiver's Office:
   A receipt of Fl. 75,00
   A 'zegel' of Fl. 10,00 value
4. From the Census Office:
   Registration Form
5. One (1) Passport picture of Applicant.
6. Food handler's certificate (if not already in possession)

The information listed under 2, 4, 5, and 6 is also applicable to your helper.

The cost of the license for the entire Carnival season is eighty five NA guilders (Naf. 85,00).

EDF Funding to Significantly Improve Dutch Quarter Area. Subsequent Funding to Tackle Waste Management

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams will be heading into the community of Dutch Quarter to give residents information on the 11 EDF recently signed into effect by the PM during her working visit to Europe last November. The Town Hall meeting will be hosted by the Prime Minister at the Dutch Quarter Community Center on Sunday, March 4th starting at six thirty in the evening.

During her working visit to the Netherlands and Belgium the Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams signed into effect the tenth European Development Fund (EDF) project for the wide scale infrastructural upgrading of the Dutch Quarter District in Brussels on Friday. The Prime Minister, as Territorial Authorizing Officer, has been engaged in wide scale negotiations with the European Union to fund the improvement of the Dutch Quarter District, which will greatly enhance the infrastructure and social upgrading of the area. The European Union will provide 4.750.000 Euro for the project. "After lengthy negotiations and discussions we have successfully managed to sign the funding agreement with the European Union for the upgrading of the Dutch Quarter District. With the signing of the European Development Fund agreement St. Maarten will be expected to manage its own 10th EDF execution with as mentioned the designated project being the upgrading of Dutch Quarter. The management structure that will be put in place is a critical component to ensure that the project is executed within the parameters and guidelines of European funding. In order to inform the community of the project I will therefore be heading into the Dutch Quarter community to give an explanation regarding the upgrading of this very important district," stated the PM.

The execution of the 10th EDF will include the upgrading of the main roads, side roads, drainage system, lighting, sidewalk construction, the expansion and the upgrading of the sewer network and the building of a thousand cubic meter drinking water tank. The projects will work very closely with the Dutch Quarter Community Help Desk.

The Prime Minister also stated that Government will also be applying for European Funding for various projects centered on waste management: We will also be applying for funding centered on waste management and solving the issue of the Philipsburg Landfill.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

PM: "Civil Servants are the backbone of our Government."

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten ended the Integrity Week at an event at the Government Administration Parking Lot on Friday where she celebrated Civil Servants and all of the work they have done in being the backbone of Government. The Prime Minister also thanked the Civil Servants for eagerly taking part in the Integrity Trainings and making it possible to strengthen the Civil Service for St. Maarten: "While a lot has been taking place during the last weeks and months regarding Integrity we wanted to place the emphasis on the importance of Civil Servants. We therefore wanted to bring all Civil Servants up to speed in making them aware as to where we are in terms of integrity and that their work is essential to the building of this country. We wanted to bring all Civil Servants up to speed and have a dialogue on what it means in terms to have integrity despite the various challenges that Government workers face in their day-to-day environment. We also nominated and appointed persons of interest for to which Government Workers can go to voice their concerns or whatever issues they may have and we explained the whole set up of the Integrity Bureau for St. Maarten.

"This afternoon is a culmination and celebration of Civil Servants coming together and engaging in the process of getting the Government organization where it needs to be," stressed the PM.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

ST. PETERS:--- His Excellency Governor Eugene Holiday paid a working visit to Sr. Magda Primary school on Thursday, February 25, 2014. This working visit is part of the Governor's program to obtain a firsthand view of developments in the community and forms part of his objective to promote Education, Culture and Sustainable development. Upon arrival he received a warm welcome from the pupils who sang the school song. During the visit the Governor was informed about developments and a number of programs at the school by the school manager, Mrs. Jacqueline Holiday, deputy school Manager Mrs. Janneke Vonk and other staff members as well as by the Executive Director of the Catholic School Board Mrs. Lilia Avonturin. During the meeting with the management, fourth grader Demani Mussington showed interest in the function of the Governor as he interviewed Governor Holiday about his role and activities. Governor Holiday concluded his visit with an extensive tour of all the classes of the school interacting with and answering questions from the pupils. In doing so he stressed the importance of education, good behaviour and serving your country. Governor Holiday was pleasantly surprised with the black history month presentation about him as Governor by pupil Shadee Richardson. He applauds the work of the board, the management and teachers in general and more specifically for the attention for the local reality in the curricula as well as for the use of information technology in the classrooms.

From the Cabinet of the Governor of St. Maarten

PHILIPSBURG:--- 16-year-old Timmy Hector is the proud owner of Melting Pot Restaurant from noon until 10 pm today. In this 'Live Your Dream-One-Day-Restaurant' project created by Dare To Dream Foundation, Timmy has been preparing to manage, run and be the head chef of 'Banker's Hands'.
Timmy's dream is to own a restaurant in the future and with the 'Live Your Dream' project he gets to make his dream come true along with eight of his schoolmates and friends.
Mr. and Mrs. Canhigh opened their hearts and restaurant that usually closes on Mondays to enable Timmy to cater to customers. Banker's Hands is open for the public and Dare To Dream Foundation and Timmy's supporters encourage the community to come out and experience this dream come true.

The event was made possible by the combined effort of Dare To Dream Foundation's main partner Air France, Melting Pot restaurant in Simpson Bay, PDG Supplies, Sunny Foods, Cost-U-Less, Taloula Mango's, Sjorensly Valies Designs, X104.3, Sign Triple Nine, Hismar N.V. and T-Shirt Maxx. The Dare To Dream Team and Timmy want to specially thank Marilyna Boston, Joyce Roumou, Sumayra Abdalla, Hedy Richardson, Astrigt Hermelijn, Natasha Richardson, Su and Norman Wathey,
Mr and Mrs Canhigh, Widney, Anthony, Jervan, Nakita, Farida, Rolando, Vicky and of course Uncle Sammy – head Chef from Taloula Mango's that dedicated his time to do all the preparations with Chef Timmy.
Come out to support him and see Chef Timmy - decked out in uniform with a menu ranging from 'Bankers Burgers, to Mehson Bacon Cheeseburgers, to Seafood Scampi, Jerk Chicken and even homemade Pizza's! Finish your dinner with his homemade cheesecake, Double Decker Chocolate cake or some ice cream served with strawberries and syrup!!

Timmy is a kid with TALENT and an awesome dream and all of the money earned goes to him and his team.
Location: Melting Pot Simpson Bay (behind Burger King), Time: From Noon until 10pm serving Lunch and Dinner non-stop. You can make reservations or order take out at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., by calling Melting Pot Restaurant at 54-43237 or Samantha at 550-4267. For more information, go to www.facebook.com/daretodreamsxm or www.daretodream.sx

SIMPSON BAY:--- Seaborne Airlines, one of the fastest-growing airlines in the region, was airborne from San Juan, Puerto Rico to the Princess Juliana International Airport (SXM) as it executed its maiden flight to St. Maarten on Saturday, March 1, 2014.
Met with the traditional water cannon salute, the Seaborne Airlines Saab 340B 34-seater aircraft touched down at SXM Airport at 7:40 PM, an hour after it took off from San Juan airport (SJU). It is scheduled to depart SXM daily at 8 AM, arriving at SJU at 9:10 AM.
According to a release by the airline, "Fares from San Juan to St. Maarten begin as low as $88 one way, taxes and fees included. Flights can be reserved via SeaborneAirlines.com, Expedia, Travelocity or through your local travel agency."
"St. Maarten is yet another exciting destination in the Caribbean that Seaborne is offering to our customers, as we build important trade and tourism links throughout the Caribbean," said Gary D. Foss, president and chief executive officer at Seaborne Airlines.
"We are indeed happy to welcome Seaborne Airlines to SXM and see its expansion into this destination as an opportunity to further consolidate airlift into San Juan, Puerto Rico, and thus increase connectivity to the larger US market, our main source of tourists," said Regina LaBega, managing director of SXM Airport. LaBega noted that the airline's daily schedule allows for passengers to travel to San Juan on business trips, leaving St. Maarten in the morning and returning in the evening.
In fact, given its code-sharing and interline agreements with American, JetBlue and Delta, Seaborne Airlines will have connecting agreements covering more than two-thirds of the seats operating in and out of San Juan from the US mainland.
With 12,048 daily seats from 22 US locations, San Juan has by far the largest number of seats from the US mainland to the Caribbean.
LaBega further pointed out that as a growing hub in the Northeastern Caribbean, Seaborne's service to SXM from San Juan will benefit its country partners.
Within its first year of operations, Seaborne Airlines projects that it would have carried about 10,000 passengers to St. Maarten, and have an estimated US$14 million impact on the St. Maarten economy.
Seaborne, which recently relocated its headquarters to San Juan, Puerto Rico, has 20 years experience as an operator with focus exclusively on the Caribbean.
Recently, it also announced service to Las Américas International Airport (SDQ) in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – with non-stop service from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport (SJU) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, effective April 15, 2014. Santo Domingo will be Seaborne's fourth destination within the Dominican Republic, the others being La Romana, Punta Cana and Santiago, where it will fly as from March 15, 2014.

Laws Regulating Elections, Financing of Political Parties, Central Bank and Many Other Issues Available in English Online

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams highlighted the importance of the population familiarizing themselves with the laws of the land during a radio interview held on Friday. The Prime Minister commented that especially in an election year it is very important that all citizens, and especially those that are thinking on postulating themselves read the translated organic laws on the St. Maarten Government Website: "It is very important for the population to familiarize themselves with the organic laws which are now available translated into English on the St. Maarten Government Website. Anyone can access those laws and read their English translations. For example the electoral laws, the law on the registration and financing of political parties and the laws regulating the Central Bank laws are freely available for anyone to consult. I see it as a very important for all of us to know the system under which we are governed and it is our responsibility as Government and my responsibility as Prime Minister to do so."

The Prime Minister again reiterated the importance of having the Penal and Civil Codes translated for the population to be aware of the laws of the land: "I would also like to see our Penal Code and Civil Code translated. These are very important codes and we need to come to the process of coming to as much English translation of our laws as possible. For example; persons wanting to get into politics must know and must be educated in that process to know what different laws exist in terms of postulating and being on a political list in order to understand what you are getting into.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

Service Between St. Maarten and Dominica on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Saturdays

MELVILLE HALL AIRPORT, Dominica:--- On February 15, 2014, Windward Islands Airways International (WINAIR) began service three times a week between Dominica (DOM) and St. Maarten (SXM). The airline will operate a new state of the art ATR- 42 500 series aircraft with a capacity of 48 seats into Melville Hall Airport (DOM) with the following schedule:

Departure DOM 10:00 AM – Arrival SXM 11:00 AM, Tuesday – Wednesday - Saturday
Departure SXM at 3:50 PM – Arrival DOM at 4:50 PM, Tuesday – Wednesday - Saturday

With the return of WINAIR to Dominica capacity to the island will increase with an additional 14,976 seats per year and provide connections for customers traveling between North America, South America, Europe and Intra Caribbean via Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIAE) in St. Maarten. WINAIR currently offers 13 interline agreements with carriers flying from North America, South America, Europe, and the Caribbean into St. Maarten ensuring seamless onward connections to our customers. All WINAIR flights can be booked through the Global Distribution System (GDS).
A delegation from WINAIR was recently in Dominica to share information with the stakeholders in Dominica and to explain the various services and options WINAIR has to offer.
"We are very pleased to welcome our WINAIR service to Dominica, WINAIR's flight schedule between St. Maarten and Dominica is an addition to the growing list of travel options available to our customers," said Michael Cleaver, President and CEO of WINAIR. "We continue to work very closely with the destinations that we serve to ensure accessibility for our customers. Our customers visiting Dominica are now able to depart from their origination point and arrive in Dominica on the same day in most cases."
For additional information with regards to flights and bookings customers can contact WINAIR at www.fly-winair.com.

WINAIR Press Release

PM: "We Need To Make Lifestyle Changes for Ourselves and Our Families."

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Cabinet of the Prime Minister announced several new activities in commemorating International Women's Day on Saturday the 8th of March including Yoga Classes, Basketball and Bodybuilding Exhibitions centered on encouraging women to stay healthy and focus on a clean and healthy lifestyle. "On this day and on every other day we should stand still and reflect on the things that could obstruct us from being all that we can be. Our health is one of the most important determinants of our overall well-being. Many chronic diseases affecting women in these times can be prevented and managed through lifestyle changes, but we need to want to make those changes for ourselves and for our families," emphasized the PM.

The Sports Day will kick-off at five thirty in the morning with a Walkathon from the Government Administration Building the Raoul Illidge Sports Complex, yoga classes, a penalty shoot –out competition and women's soccer matches and trainings, basketball sessions, water aerobics, track and field competitions, speed walking, 100 and 200 meter runs, a bodybuilding show, a performance by Dance Theatre of St. Maarten and Zumba sessions. Participants will also be offered a free and complimentary breakfast at the Sports Complex as well.

During a special luncheon on Friday the seventh of March the Prime Minister will also be recognizing women within the community who have greatly contributed to the development of St. Maarten. "I would not like to give away any of the names yet as it is a surprise, but we will be recognize a number of St. Maarten women for their contribution over the years," stated the Prime Minister. Awards will be given to women who have contributed to the fields of Children's Foster Homes, Humanitarian Service, Education, Tourism, Unionism, Religious Communities, Radio and Entertainment and Youth Leadership.

From the Cabinet of the Prime Minister

POINTE BLANCHE:--- The Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority Corporation announced over the weekend that the Causeway Bridge is back in full operation after technicians resolved some minor technical glitches.

Technicians returned to the Netherlands last week after carrying out troubleshooting procedures to determine the technical problem. Once the problem was resolved, several test openings/closing were performed and the causeway bridge is operating without any further challenges.

As a precaution Causeway Swing Bridge openings were limited to two per day, and immediate action was taken to determine the cause of the technical glitch and to have that repaired as soon as possible.

All technical work carried out falls within the parameters of the agreements signed with entities with respect to guarantees.

The Simpson Bay Causeway falls under the Simpson Bay Lagoon Authority Corporation.

The Swing Bridge on the Causeway is 220 feet long and weighs 450 tons. The Causeway has a total length of 2493 feet and features a two-lane motorway, a bicycle track, footpaths and two round-a-bouts at the Airport Road near the end of the runway and at Union Road near the border.

PHILIPSBURG:--- A Central Committee meeting of the House of Parliament is scheduled for March 6th regarding the Emilio Wilson Estate.

The public central committee meeting is set for Thursday at 2:00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelmina Straat #1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point is for Members of Parliament (MPs) to get an update on the purchasing of the Emilio Wilson Estate.

The meeting was requested by MP Hon. Frans Richardson, MP George Pantophlet, and MP Louie Laveist.

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 120, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com, and also via www.sxmparliament.org.

PHILIPSBURG:--- A prisoner who has been identified by sources as Nashaun Francis was shot dead by police early Sunday morning as he and two others tried to escape from the Pointe Blanche Prison. Francis was serving a 10 year prison sentence for several armed robberies and just last week he got six years for attempting to murder another inmate identified as Devon Otto.
Acting Press Prosecutor Maarten Noordzij confirmed that one of the prisoners was shot by police during the recapturing arrest, that prisoner whose identity he did not release died from the gunshot wound. Prosecutor Noordzij said he did not have much details as to where exactly the three suspects were captured. He further explained that his office will release further information sometime today (Sunday) when the relatives of the deceased prisoner are notified. Noordzij further stated that police managed to arrest the two other prisoners who were also trying to escape and an accomplice who was aiding and abetting in the escape of the three prisoners.
It should be noted that this is the third prison break since the new prison director was appointed by the former Minister of Justice, while these are incidents of concern the prison director can never be reached for comment. SMN News will bring you more information on this latest prison escape when it becomes available.

Three prisoners escaped from Point Blanche Prison.

During the nightime, three prisoners escaped from Point Blanche Prison. The prisoners are L.T.A (26 years old), O.S.N. (23 years old) and N.F. (29 years old). After a short and thorough manhunt by KPSM police force, the three were found in Philipsburg. During the arrest, shots were fired by the police. One prisoner (N.F), was hit and died shortly after. Also a woman was arrested for her help with the escape.
The 'landsrecherche' is appointed by the Public Prosecutor's Office to conduct an investigation into the escape on one hand and the death of N.F. on the other hand. Regarding the ongoing investigation, no further information can be disclosed.

Press Release from the Public Prosecutor's Office

FRENCH QUARTER:--- A well known youth from French Quarter identified as Jahkiem Carty aka Jackcocoand one of his friends identified as Johnathan Jeffers were involved in a very serious motorcycle accident in the vicinity of Delta Petroleum gas station in French Quarter on Saturday afternoon.
Eyewitnesses said that a pick-up truck left Brooks' Car Wash and was entering Delta Petroleum when the youth who was riding a green motorcycle at high speed crashed into the pick-up truck. The accident occurred shortly after 5pm Saturday afternoon. The rider of the motorcycle was badly injured when ambulance personnel arrived on the scene and  he was lying at the entrance of Delta Petroleum. Bystanders at the scene were not at all hopeful as they witnessed ambulance personnel working on the victim to revive him. "They shocked him three times before they got a heartbeat." SMN News reporter was on the scene when the victim was taken by ambulance to the Louis Constant Fleming Hospital. Shortly after arriving at LCF Hospital, one of the victim identified as Jonathan Jeffers of St. Kitts died shortly after he was transported to the Louis Contant Fleming Hospital.  Relatives of the second victim Jahkiem Carty told SMN News on Saturday that the victim that passed away was Carty, however, on Monday morning the relative who spoke to SMN News on Saturday said he too was misinformed and that his nephew is recuperating at the L. C Fleming Hospital. "They wanted to send him to Guadeloupe on Sunday because one of his kidneys is badly damaged but the doctors changed their minds and decided to  continue treatment on St. Martin." The relative of Carty said he does not even know the other young man who was on the motorcycle at the time of the accident. SMN News apologises to the Carty family for the misinformation that was provided to us.
Captain of the Gendarmerie Slyvian Joualt said that the victim passed away as a result of his injuries. Joualt further explained that the victim was riding a motorcross without a helmet. "It is illegal to ride motorcross motorcycles on the public roads. Those bikes are not to be used on public roads but on backlands."

CAY HILL:--- With an eye towards the future, the Foresee Foundation on Friday officially launched the DigiKidz technology/ICT project at the Asha Stevens Christian Hillside School, the first DigiKidz school on St. Maarten.

Joined by Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams, Minister of Education Patricia Lourens, committed sponsors and others, the foundation and its members expressed how important the project was for every young person on St. Maarten and how proud they were to launch it at the island's biggest elementary school.

The two-part program consisted of a session for the 500 DigiKidz followed by the official ceremony for sponsors, teachers, government officials.

DigiKidz envisions bringing ICT in St. Maarten primary schools on the island through joint efforts of the public and private entities. This project focuses on a modern physical ICT infrastructure and includes 21st century learning and teaching.

The project aims to increase and improve the use of technology among students and staff at the primary school level, acknowledging the fact that education does not stop after school closes.

The DigiKidz team comprises of young St. Maarteners skilled in different areas of education, Information Technology, Business and Management and marketing and communications, The Digikidz project rolls out a comprehensive ICT project for elementary schools, including hardware with laptops/tablets, wired and wireless network, and professional development for staff for those schools that are motivated to teach students innovative 21st century learning skills.

Through an initial commitment of The Windsong International Foundation in the US/Anguilla, St, Maarten might be able to receive up to US$ 1 million in funding. Nearly US $200.000 already has been invested in the first pilot school and Philipsburg Jubilee Library's future DigiKidz Media Lab.

"The Hillside Christian is making great strides and is implementing technology in all their 17 classrooms as the first pilot school. Now the input is needed of all local stakeholders on St. Maarten to bring this project to the next level, expanding it to more schools," president of the foundation Jose Verschueren-Sommers said.

She added that Foresee believes that students and teachers should be engaged in a stimulating educational environment with challenging curriculum with this providing global access to information and refining critical thinking skills while fostering creativity. She said the next DigiKidz school will be the Seventh Day Adventist School hopefully before the summer break.

Minister Lourens used the opportunity to assure that government continues to work on its "every laptop per child" policy" and stressed the importance of cooperation between private and public sectors to be able to get the work done. She said the introduction of ICT at Christian Hillside is a considerable development for the school and the island, paves the way for others and prepares and equips the youth for the future.

Lourens added that parents and teachers should not be too quick to dismiss a child playing as just play, but while they play, they learn. The same, she says, rings true for their activities on a computer or tablet.

Member of Parliament Romain Laville was present at the launch and said he was very impressed with what the Foresee Foundation has been able to accomplish for the children of St. Maarten. Laville who recently launched a breakfast program for children, said that St. Maarten children should not be left behind in a world they will one day be leaders in. Technology today, he added, serves to meet curricular needs and has proven to improve the academic success of students.

"Our children are citizens of a modern world and should be equipped to learn and succeed as such. They must be able to communicate globally using modern means of learning and connecting. I am very much impressed with this project and look forward to supporting its expansion to other elementary schools. This is a huge step forward," he said.

Committed sponsors and potential sponsors in attendance were also presented with a DigiKidz brochure outlining various sponsorship packages. These packages range from "basic" (US $750) to "premier" (US $15,000) each with their own benefits for the sponsor as a partner of the DigiKidz project.

The official launch also included a presentation by students of the St. Dominic High School International Baccalaureate Program of a technology survey they conducted among cycle 1 and 2 students.

The conclusions of their survey recommended that ICT training for staff and parents should be established, digital media should be integrated in curriculum and maintenance and security should be a mainstay to protect children from material on the internet.

Master of ceremonies for the event was Assistant Editor of Teen Times Iris Hakkens and Spokesperson of Teen Times Sakir de Castro. Students of the Sundial School were also on hand to assist with serving snacks and beverages to invited guests.

Committed sponsors include the St. Maarten Hospitality & Trade Association, St. Maarten Timeshare Association, the Indian Merchants Association, UTS, TelEm, Oyster Bay Beach Resort, Boolchand's and Trakx Design.

The members of the DigiKidz team are Erwin Wolthuis, Rolando Brison, Alston Lourens, Kevin Petrona, Mike Granger, Marcellia Henry, Navin Nandwani and Marcus Nicolaas. Interested businesses and persons can contact the foundation by emailing This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or visiting the website www.digikidzsxm.org.

From 15 St. Martin books published in 300 years, to 100 books in 30 years

GREAT BAY:--- February saw one of the highest use in recent years of St. Martin books by school children, young people and adults, said Morenika Charles Arrindell, public relations officer at Philipsburg Jubilee Library (PJL).

The island-wide Black History Celebration and the February book exhibit at Jubilee Library might have had something to do with this unique rush on books.

Around mid-February, PJL users had already emptied the library shelves of many of the exhibited St. Martin books, according to Arrindell.

"The exhibit was put up in celebration of Black History Month. We decided to showcase literature on St. Maarten, the wider Caribbean and beyond," said Arrindell.

"Robin Boasman's Lizzy Lizard was featured in the children's exhibition; and every Saturday, storytime was dedicated to the Black Experience. The adult section featured both Deborah Jack and Lasana Sekou and their books were displayed with other books published under the House of Nehesi umbrella," said Arrindell.

The largest group of borrowers of St. Martin titles was probably school children. St. Maarten Academy teacher Kim Lucas Felix kept her high school students busy with assignments that called for use of the nation's books. "I am trying to get the students interested in local literature" said Felix, "now that the books have been made available, I am happy."

The comment by Felix about the availability of books is probably one that PJL can relate to – having celebrated its 90th anniversary last November. "In 1984, there were no more than 15 books and booklets readily known to have been published on or about the island of St. Martin in over 300 years," said author Lasana M. Sekou.

"Between 1984 and 2014, no less than 100 books and booklets have been published in or about St. Martin," said Sekou. House of Nehesi Publishers (HNP) has published at least 50 of the St. Martin titles that have appeared during the last 30 years.

Over the last 10 years, HNP has used comments and figures from library officials, teachers, and bookstore owners to track or report on the movement of its books with book buyers and readers on the island, said Sekou, who is also projects director at HNP.

GREAT BAY:--- On Wednesday February 26th, 2014 at approximately 8:15pm, a phone call came into the Police Department from a family living in the Little Bay area informing them that an elderly family member who suffers from Parkinson's disease had gone missing and had not returned. This person, a seventy year old man, had left the gated premises earlier during the afternoon probably around 4:00pm. A police patrol was immediately sent to the residence in question to investigate what had taken place. After receiving all the necessary information several other police patrols, the Coast Guard and Sint Maarten Sea Rescue were mobilized to search for the elderly victim. It was after 10:00pm when the search-team from the Coast Guard spotted the victim sitting on the rocks along the Great Bay coast between Divi Little Bay Hotel and Sonesta Great Bay Hotel. Due to the sea conditions the Coast Guard could not get close enough to the shore to reach the victim. Immediately three police officers involved in the search walked along the coastline and got into the water up to the waist deep to reach the victim. The victim was in no condition to help himself. A rescuer from the Sint Maarten Sea Rescue assisted the police officers in taking the victim to a location where the victim and rescuers could get on board of the rescue vessel. The victim was then taken to the Captain Hodge's Wharf to an awaiting ambulance which immediately took him to the Sint Maarten Medical Center for further treatment. Due to the good working relation and coordination by these emergency services the victim was swiftly removed from coastline and given proper medical attention.

KPSM Police Report

Important Information Being Gathered on Lifecycle of Sharks in St. Maarten Waters. Rare shark also tagged.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Locally mandated fishermen have been assisting the St. Maarten Nature Foundation with the tagging and releasing of in particular juvenile sharks species in Territorial Waters as part of the St. Maarten Nature Foundation Shark Research Program. On Friday the 21st of February a local fisherman tagged the first juvenile Caribbean Reef Shark as part of a larger project where research is done on the protected shark and ray population on the island. The Caribbean Reef shark is listed as near threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature. A tag was placed in the juvenile reef shark which will provide information on the length, species, sex and habitat of the animal. Subsequent tagging expeditions have also tagged a relatively rare species for St. Maarten the Atlantic sharpnose shark (Rhizoprionodon terraenovae).
The Nature Foundation has been conducting a Shark Research Project including a study that established that a single live shark is worth up to USD $884,000 to the economy of the island, as is opposed to just a few dollars dead. The majority of divers who come to the island pay top dollar to see sharks in their Natural Environment. These divers also rent cars, stay in hotels, eat at restaurants and drink in bars. Taking all of that into account and based on research conducted by the Nature Foundation a single live shark contributes $884,000 to the economy of St. Maarten annually. Sharks are an apex predator and are essential to the health of local coral reefs and if we do not have sharks we will lose our coral reef ecosystem. Sharks keep the reefs clean of unhealthy fish which in turn keeps the ecosystem in balance. They are a critical component in an ecosystem that provides 1/3 of our world with food, produces more oxygen than all the rainforests combined, removes half of the atmosphere's manmade carbon dioxide (greenhouse gas), and controls our planet's temperature and weather.
Nearly two years after the historic decision to legally protect sharks and rays in St. Maarten's territorial waters sharks and rays are now also under international protection, becoming the latest additions to the Convention on the International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). The Foundation has also been mentioned for its work to protect the species on St. Maarten and is now spearheading a project to learn more about shark and ray behavior in the marine park and near coastal waters. The Foundation is also the Scientific Authority on CITES for St. Maarten.
It is also a large step in this project to have local fisherman assisting the Nature Foundation in tagging and releasing sharks and providing essential information which will go towards the further protection of the species. The Nature Foundation and Dive Operators have also been introducing the invasive Lionfish to sharks in the hope that the animals will control the poisonous fish. The reputation of sharks as blood thirsty creatures is largely exaggerated by sensationalist reports and thousands more people are killed in dog attacks yearly than are bitten by sharks. Countries all over the world have recognized the importance of these animals and here on St. Maarten we will continue to put Shark Conservation as a top priority. The Nature Foundation is particularly grateful for the assistance of fisherman whose local traditional knowledge are essential in protecting the ocean.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (Ministry of VROMI) Hon. Maurice Lake said on Thursday that the preliminary draft development plan that was presented during the public hearing on Tuesday, 25 February is now available online for download.

Residents and stakeholders can download the draft plan by going to the Government website (www.sintmaartengov.org) and select the drop down tab "Government," followed by "Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure (MinVROMI)."

On the aforementioned page you then go to "Zoning/Development Plans" and a page will open with an interactive map. Select the Simpson Bay area map and it will show you the presentations various presentation with the public hearing preliminary draft development plan at the top. The files are in a PDF file and are downloadable.

"I appreciate the comments and views from all those present at the public hearing. The pleas of the people from Simpson Bay were passionate. I respect the views presented and I also appreciate the candidness. As a society we all have to be open and in my back to basics approach I believe in full transparency.

"The community where development is envisioned should have a full understanding about their neighbourhood and what proposals urban planners prepare for public discussions. It was a lively passionate discussion, and I have great respect for all views presented," Minister Hon. Maurice Lake said on Thursday.

A 30-day period for public review will start the day after the publication of the draft development plan. This will be announced in the newspapers accordingly.

During the 30-day period of public review, everyone has the opportunity to submit their written concerns/objections to Minister of VROMI as prescribed by the National Ordinance on Spatial Development Planning.

An independent committee of experts as prescribed by the aforementioned ordinance will advise on the written concerns/objections. Minister VROMI nor the independent committee decide on the draft development plan and on the concerns/objections.

Parliament has the final say on the draft development plan and with respect to the concerns/objections.

POND ISLAND:--- TelEm Group's mobile voice and data provider, TelCell is continuing to improve mobile services for customers following previously announced network issues.

The company has resolved an issue with dropped calls and poor mobile reception in several areas because of interference from neighbouring St. Kitts.

Another issue related to connections for TelCell customers visiting the French side is also partly resolved with a permanent solution under way.

The company has also fine-tuned and upgraded several parts of the mobile network in recent weeks to improve customer experience.

On Sunday, TelCell technicians will be carrying out major maintenance work on mobile network equipment aimed at further improving customer connections and enhancing the company's voice and data service.

The maintenance work will take place starting Midnight Sunday and is scheduled for completion at 3:00 am Monday morning.

"We have chosen this time to carry out this very important network maintenance to have the least impact possible on our voice and data customers," said Manager, Network Operations, Mr. Julien Lake.

He said customers can expect to have interruptions in voice and data services during the three hours allotted for the maintenance work, but the result will be another significant improvement in the global operation of TelCell's 2G and 3G voice and data mobile network.

Mr. Lake has meantime appealed to customers for their understanding and conveys apologies on behalf of TelEm Group management for any inconvenience caused by the scheduled interruption in service.

TELEM Press Release