That the killer of Police Officer Gamali Benjamin would not end up with a life sentence did not come as a surprise to many, but the only reasonable alternative seemed to be the maximum temporary prison sentence of 30 years. That the court went ten ye
Editorial, St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on February 23, 2016
We may live on an island but, like Sargasso seaweed, the outbreak of the Zika virus shows that our lives are impacted by what is happening in the world around us. Zika will make a dent in tourism arrivals in the Caribbean – and therefore also in
The Vromi-ministry has made a unique step with its Ministry Plan 2-15-2018. Never before was a ministry so clear about its strategy, its objective, but also its concerns. Okay, we know that quite some of the content are plans – and we will have
If students from abroad get the right to vote it sounds indeed like a good idea to make it possible to vote in the place where they are studying. Otherwise, two things could happen. The first one is that only students who can afford to come back f
Editorial, St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on January 7, 2016
St. Maarten News: Don’t get us wrong, we have serious respect for the achievements of the port in the cruise tourism industry, but it seems that bad news is always wrapped so nicely paper that nobody smells the coffee. That is, to say the least, un
The initiatives are there but the results are nothing to be proud of. That is not due to the labor affairs department, the SHTA or the hotels who made efforts to bring vacancies and job seekers together. It is not even due to the job hunters who lack
One could argue that there are some oddballs among the citizens who registered a political party with the Electoral Council yesterday, but the fact that an astonishing seven new parties surfaced is a sign that the people are very unhappy with the per
Editorial - Posted by admin on October 28, 2015
Comments Off on Editorial: Carl John appointment as new Chief Commissioner of Police
With the appointment of now Chief Commissioner Carl John to the top job at the police force, St. Maarten has one of its own managing one of the most critical organizations on the island. The appointment was pending already for some time and the ne
Sensationalism was long the prerogative of tabloids. Overstatement, dramatization and muscle language twisted facts into honey sweet romance, unfathomable terror, or aggrandized drama. The objective was to sell papers; journalistic integrity became t
Now we have a real fight on our hands. While the governor, based on a speedy advice from three judges, seems to offer a way out, Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs does not want anything to do with it. The governor will only sign the national decree to d
We have to agree: closing down that meeting of parliament yesterday in record time and based on an article that does not even get in the neighborhood of the situation at hand was not the smartest thing to do. MPs of the new majority called it ‘ille
The motion of no confidence against the Gumbs cabinet was signed by a bunch of troublemakers, if we freely interpret Prime Minister Marcel Gumbs’ statement. Since those troublemakers can only have been part of the former coalition, it is easy to
Editorial, St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on October 9, 2015
Comments Off on Editorial: Commonwealth
Two Dutch MPs keep hammering on their solution for the constitutional prison they experience the Kingdom to be: a Commonwealth. Never mind that the islands do not feel anything for such a construction. According to Van Raak political parties in th
When nobody listens, people take to the streets. This seldom, if ever, happens in St. Maarten, but yesterday morning residents of French Quarter showed how this is done. They blocked the route National 7, just outside French Quarter near the turnoff
Alegria Real Estate has turned up the heat on its pool bar operator and tenant of one of the units at the resort in a way that smells of pure harassment. After losing two court cases against the pool bar owner, Alegria is now threatening to throw
Editorial - Posted by admin on October 5, 2015
Comments Off on Editorial: Compelling (dissolving St. Maarten Parliament)
It is understandable that politicians are all going to their own corner and see reality through their own rosy glasses. That does obviously not mean that they are right. Last week we saw the ‘might is right’ rule exercised by a so-called new m
The French-side revolts against the Collectivité’s ideas about urban planning bring to mind that St. Maarten has zoning plan-issues of its own. On August 22, 2012 – indeed, more than 37 months ago – Vromi-Minister William Marlin presented a
Editorial - Posted by admin on October 2, 2015
Comments Off on Editorial: Wise lesson – for future governments
The move by the Council of Ministers to dissolve the parliament – at least, to make an attempt to do so, - is as big a surprise as the motion of no-confidence the opposition dropped on the parliament on Wednesday. The council’s decis
Attorney-General Guus Schram made a very clear statement yesterday during the installation of a new judge. “There are numerous indications showing that the underworld and legitimate society in Sint Maarten are structurally intertwined.” True �
The letter from businessman Mike Ferrier (see page 6) touches a raw nerve – and it is so on the mark. Right on the money is an expression that does very well in this context. Our self-serving politicians have spread their own bed ver
The controversy caused by a Dutch civil servant with an attitude – Gerard Bouman – is no longer an issue after Justice Minister Dennis Richardson and Kingdom Relations Minister Ronald Plasterk ironed out the wrinkles on Wednesday during a dinner
Editorial, St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on August 26, 2015
Comments Off on Editorial: Good job to the Police
The multi-disciplinary team that investigated a burglary at the Son Latino nightclub returned quick results. Yesterday afternoon detectives arrested five suspects near the airport who were on their way to flee the country. The presumption of in
Editorial - Posted by admin on August 14, 2015
Comments Off on Editorial: Stunning facts of Gerard Bouman visit
Justice Minister Dennis Richardson presented what happened in July during his meeting with Gerard Bouman, the chief of the national police in the Netherlands as a matter of fact. But those facts were stunning. Before the summer, Richardson signed
Editorial, St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on August 14, 2015
Comments Off on Editorial: Sentiment
It’s too late to lock the stable door after the horse has bolted, our dictionary gives as the translation for the oh so Dutch expression: ‘Als het kalf verdronken is dempt men de put.’ This is the sentiment in the circles of the civil servic
Our initial reaction to MP Tamara Leonard’s initiative to ban Straight Outta Compton was one of disbelief, but we quickly changed our mind when we realized her motivation. Hollywood dropped disaster movies after 9/11 and with the shooting of pol
The inevitable death of Sergeant Gamali Benjamin has made a bad situation worse – if that is possible at all. The arrested shooter is now looking at manslaughter charges; if found guilty, Pointe Blanche will become his home for a very long time.
The outpouring of support for Officer Gamali Benjamin shows how a community is able to come together during its most distressing moments. Yes, one could argue that more people should have been there, but the procession that marched through town ye
Justice Minister Dennis Richardson has stepped up to the plate at lightning speed after the shooting of police Officer Gamali Benjamin. In an unprecedented move, the minister announced a number of measures that are both bold and extremely necessary a
Editorial, Opinion, St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on August 12, 2015
Comments Off on Crocodile tears
The outpouring of sympathy and support for police officer Gamali Benjamin has a dark side and it has nothing to do with the officer who so bravely did his job. It has to do with our community and with the way we tend to react to calamities and immine
Describing the shooting of police officer Benjamin as “terrible” does not begin to put into words what happened yesterday afternoon on Front Street. It’s like crime on the Friendly Island has entered a new and ugly territory. Countering this
Yes the first rain has fallen, on and off these past couple of days, but it is by far not enough. The unprecedented drought has affected those who are farming on the island big time, and from what we hear, they are all left to fend for themselves, un
Editorial, Opinion, St. Maarten News - Posted by admin on August 6, 2015
Comments Off on Insane aspects to our retirement system
There are many insane aspects to our retirement system but the cessantia-system beats it all. Without an obligatory retirement age, employers would have to fire employees if they do not retire voluntarily. If employers do that, the cessantia-payme
The chokehold discussion in the Netherlands seems to be fueled by – understandable – emotional arguments and take away the focus from the reality police officers face in their work on a daily basis. As our chief commissioner points out, the ch
Editorial - Posted by admin on August 6, 2015
Comments Off on Amazing how politicians time and again are pulling the wool over people’s eyes
It is amazing how politicians time and again are pulling the wool over people’s eyes. The latest example is of course the situation with the Sint Maarten Tourism Authority. Announced with, indeed, a lot of fanfare by a minister who fled the island
Our country’s image does not live up to expectations in the latest Trafficking in Persons report from the American State Department. It depicts St. Maarten, again, as a center for sex trafficking and forced labor. With such a report, brothels co
