Dear Editor, I am very concerned with what is coming from the positions of power and decision making over the last few weeks. I am talking about the dollarization issue. It seems that some members of Parliament and ministers think that dollarizati
The government-appointed Public Administration Integrity Committee made a good move yesterday by explaining itself at a press conference. The information chairman Justice Bob Wit provided gave context and direction to the work that lays ahead, and to
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on December 20, 2013
St. Maarten - The Social Economic Council (SER) has taken note of the media coverage its advice “Monetary union in view of recent alarming balance of payments developments” has received on Sint Maarten as well as Curacao from the time the advic
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on December 20, 2013
“We expect our recommendations to be taken very seriously indeed” St. Maarten / By Hilbert Haar – The Public Administration Integrity Committee chaired by Justice Bob Wit will deliver its final report in June of next year. The government i
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on December 20, 2013
St. Maarten - Four human smugglers who were sentenced in 2011 to prison sentences from 36 months to 5 years and 10 months are now also feeling the financial consequences of their crimes. The Court in first Instance sentenced the four men to pay $86,2
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on December 20, 2013
“Sub-hub for Latin-American and European transport services” St. Maarten – In the presence of Minister of Economic Affairs Ted Richardson, and managers and board members of sponsors Smitcoms, the airport, the harbor and Gebe, the Chamber of
It remains a bit of a mystery why seven members of parliament opted not to show up for a Central Committee meeting about the heavily contested kingdom decree that orders Governor Holiday to conduct an independent integrity investigation. One may w
St. Maarten News, Uncategorized - Posted by admin on December 20, 2013
Pro forma hearing brings details about assassination to light Curacao – The unknown party that commissioned the assassination of Pueblo Soberano leader Helmin Wiels paid the killers half a million guilders (close to $280,000). The prosecution su
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on December 20, 2013
St. Maarten – Finance Minister Martin Hassink shot down claims by his predecessor Roland Tuitt that he closed down the ministry’s internal control department when he took office this summer. “There was no internal control department,” Hassink
St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on December 20, 2013
St. Maarten – The Common Court of Justice will issue its decision still this year about the solicitor-general’s request for a court order to prosecute independent MP Patrick Illidge. Yesterday, the court heard the request in chambers. Both partie
Dear editor, Congratulations to Gebe and the people of St.Maarten on the full ownership of the shares of the company. Now that we are the sole owners of our utility company Gebe NV we need to eliminate a very dark page in the history of the com
Ask a politician a direct question and you will always get an indirect answer. That is why we fired an indirect question at Prime Minister Wescot-Williams and Finance Minister Hassink yesterday: what should a politician do when he (or she) becomes th
The men who conspired to assassinate Pueblo Soberano leader Helmin Wiels received half a million guilders, or close to $280,000 for the job. For minimum wage earners this must sound like a lot of money – and it is – but put into perspective the c
Finance Minister Martin Hassink came up with a more than reasonable answer to allegations by his predecessor Roland Tuitt yesterday. In terms of credibility, we rate Hassink’s point of view much further up the ladder than Tuitt’s lame attempt at
