~ Erling Hoeve recognised as highest scoring cadet ~

PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Justice Roland Duncan, training institute ORV Acting Chief Leun Ostiana and Police Inspector Ricardo Henson received 61 graduating BavPol cadets who were sworn in officially at a ceremony at Belair Community Centre on Friday.

Of the original group of 73, a total of 69 sat exams. Five cadets still have the opportunity to graduate after retaking some exams.

Highest-scoring BavPol cadet Erling Hoeve said he and fellow graduates were "clear in mind and satisfied in knowing where they are going." He recognised all those who had supported them throughout the training process. He closed by reminding his colleagues of their core responsibility to the community.

Before graduating on Friday, the BavPol cadets had been placed to work in various law enforcement departments through a temporary swearing-in. Duncan revealed that he had been concerned whether the cadets would prove themselves properly to the department heads. Having made it through the Christmas season, the Minister said he was proud to say that their performance had been exemplary.

In his keynote address Duncan said the ministry was working to create a Justice organisation to prepare the cadets to have careers. He hoped that with the completion of training they would grow in competence and responsibility, and eventually rise within the ranks.

He concluded by saying St. Maarten expected the cadets to provide security and enforce the law.

Ostiana also addressed the cadets and those present. He commended the minister for making the cadets into people who would work. By investing in people, he said, Duncan is building the country.

Ostiana wished the cadets satisfaction in their struggle to erode crime. He explained that satisfaction was a journey and not a destination.

Ostiana also took time to honour two Opleidingsinstituut voor Rechtshandhaving en Veiligheidszorg (ORV) coordinators who had worked closely with the cadets throughout the training. ORV is the training institute for maintaining law and safety.

At the start of the graduation ceremony some BavPol cadets participated in a demonstration of how a suspect is treated when being processed in the various law enforcement agencies.

In the scenario a Spanish-speaking man had come to the island with a live chicken in his luggage. As transporting undocumented animals is illegal, the suspect was taken from the airport to the police station and finally the prison. The cadets showed knowledge of the law, control and language skills.

After the demonstration was complete, Minister Duncan said was happy that the cadets had showed controlled force in handling the suspect and competence in being able to carry out their task. "I'm glad they didn't rough him up too badly, so the people don't think we are teaching them police brutality." said Duncan.

Recruiting for a new group of BavPol cadets is expected to start in June.

~Says WIFOL's claims not justified~

PHILIPSBURG--Labour and Social Affairs Minister Cornelius de Weever says allegations made by Workers Institute for Organised Labour (WIFOL) that government has violated certain International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions are not justified.

The Minister was at the time reacting to threats made by WIFOL President Theophilus Thompson that the union would file a complaint to the ILO against the government of St. Maarten for violating certain ILO conventions.

In a press release issued on Friday, De Weever said Thompson had stated he would make an official complaint with the ILO against the St. Maarten Government for violating certain ILO Conventions, due to the ongoing labour dispute regarding the former Pelican Resort workers.

"The government of St. Maarten never undertook, encouraged or sanctioned any action justifying the claim made by Mr. Thompson. The laws governing St. Maarten and policies of government guarantee freedom of association and conform to ILO Convention 87, which guarantees core labour standards to all workers," De Weever said in the press release. "The claims made by Thompson are not justified."

De Weever said article 3 Sub 2 of Convention N0. 87 states, "The public authorities shall refrain from any interference which would restrict this right or impede the lawful exercise thereof.

"In no way have the rights of the workers and that of WIFOL been violated as far as this Convention is concerned. The Constitution of St. Maarten also promotes Freedom of Association. In article 12 it states "The right of association is recognised. This right may be restricted under national ordinance in the interest of public order," the Minister said in the release, issued by his press secretary Lorrain Scot.

"Even though ILO Conventions 98, 154 and 181 are not applicable to St. Maarten, the laws and policies of the government respect and promote the rights of said conventions, as stipulated in the constitution of the ILO."

Thompson had said in a recently issued press release that St. Maarten was violating Conventions 87, 98, 154 and 181; C87 Freedom of Association and Protection of the right to Organize Convention, 1948; C98 Right to organize and Collective Bargaining Convention, 1949; C154 Collective Bargaining Convention, 1981; C181 Private Employment Agencies Convention, 1997.

According to Thompson, the Kingdom of the Netherlands had ratified many conventions. It was therefore up to the then Netherlands Antilles to decide which conventions they would make applicable to them. Conventions 98, 154 and 181 were not made applicable by the Netherlands Antilles and are therefore not applicable to St. Maarten.

Convention N0.87 Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise is applicable to St. Maarten. This Convention sets out the core framework of protection for the fundamental rights, which are union rights, such as the right to join a trade union and the right to organize trade union activities.

"WIFOL from the very beginning was representing the workers of the former Pelican Resort. WIFOL as a member of the Chamber of Labour Unions [in ed.] St. Maarten has had the freedom and the right to be established and to represent workers. The workers were free to join an organisation of their own choosing and to elect their representatives in full freedom as stated in Convention N0.87," it was stated in the release.

PHILIPSBURG--The draft 2012 country budget is still in the hands of the Advisory Council. Finance Minister Hiro Shigemoto is awaiting the completion of the council's review to send the budget on to Parliament.

The budget has had approval of the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT since January 13; this approval confirms that the draft meets with the requirement of the Kingdom Law on Temporary Financial Supervision for Curaçao and St. Maarten.

The CFT will render a formal (positive) advice on the budget after it is handled and approved by Parliament. The only way the positive advice will change is if Parliament makes changes to the budget that would affect its zero balance.

The Advisory Council has had the budget since early November. "We are waiting for the Advisory Council to give its advice, so we can send the budget on to Parliament," Shigemoto told The Daily Herald.

He hopes the budget is returned to government as soon as possible to allow its handling to start in Parliament at the latest mid-February.

~Focus upcoming marketing activities ~

PHILIPSBURG--Director of the St. Maarten Tourism Bureau May–Ling Chun and the rest of the St. Maarten delegation have returned from what she described as a very good a productive session of Caribbean Marketplace, recently held in the Bahamas.

Chun, joined by various hoteliers and private sector representatives from St. Maarten, might have been new to Marketplace in her current capacity, but was not new to the various stakeholders. A key element focused on St. Maarten's marketing and promotion plans for the upcoming months, in particular the travel period April to August.

In this regard, Chun hosted a meeting with St. Maarten's advertising and public relation firms to discuss the upcoming shows in Europe and elsewhere, the promotion of St. Maarten's Carnival and the Heineken Regatta among other actions to be executed.

St. Maarten's delegation also met with partners regarding the Boston Globe Travel Show in February and the New York Times Travel Show in March. The New York Times Travel Show features nearly 600 exhibitors, representing more than 100 countries, and focuses on travel destinations, packages and special offers. The Boston Globe Travel Show is touted as the largest consumer-attended travel show in the United States.

Chun explained that the intention is to offer more to travel consumers at these shows besides the customary exhibition booth, where people get only info about the destination. For both shows in 2012, the booths will be more sales oriented with "Book Now!" possibilities that offer incentives. In other words, when a consumer visits the booth, he or she will be able to book a trip to St. Maarten on site.

Chun was also able to attend the Caribbean Tourism Organization's (CTO) Directors of Tourism meeting, as well as the Ministers of Tourism meeting, where CTO's functionality and strategies were discussed. She also touched base with St. Maarten's online partners, including JetBlue Getaways, and provided an update on all things St. Maarten during a press conference that was attended by 40 press representatives from around the world.

St. Maarten's delegation not only spoke about tourism, but, among other topics, also touched on St. Maarten's new constitutional status, infrastructure developments and the new tax structure.

~ Accuses Van Putten of wrongdoings ~

ST. EUSTATIUS--The United People's Coalition (UPC) withdrew its support from the "Coalition of Hope" because of differences of opinion with Commissioner Clyde van Putten of the Progressive Labour Party (PLP), UPC Island Councilman Reginald Zaandam said Friday in an exclusive interview with The Daily Herald.

The UPC/PLP/STEP coalition fell Wednesday, after the UPC had withdrawn its support. Zaandam said he had presented letters to Governor Gerald Berkel and the leaders of the other two coalition parties, PLP leader Van Putten and Franklin Brown (STEP), explaining the step.

Zaandam stressed it had not been his personal decision to pull the plug, but that the decision to leave the coalition had been made by the UPC party board.

He said that because his party was not represented in the Executive Council, he had to ask many questions to obtain the necessary information. This led to agitation with the other parties in the coalition.

One of the main bones of contention was the allegation that Commissioner Van Putten had misappropriated government funds to pay his ex-wife's medical bills to the total amount of US $17,800.

"Van Putten is trying to give the impression that the UPC and the DP wanted to drag his ex-wife through the mud, but that was not the idea," Zaandam said.

"In January, I went to the Governor and asked him if he could give me clarity. He explained to me that he knew of a bill of $4,500, because the woman in question had asked for government's help, because she wanted a second opinion [of a medical specialist abroad. ed.]

"I don't have a problem with that, because it concerns sickness, but what I do have a problem with is when you don't settle matters with insurance, but let government foot the bill," Zaandam said.

"What we tried to make clear to Van Putten was that as a Commissioner he should be the last to make use of government funds to help a family member, because you are abusing the coffers of the country."

Zaandam said if Van Putten had taken his responsibility as a man by not using government funding he surely would have spared his family all the stress.

Another bone of contention was the relocation of the new prison from Man-o-War to the vicinity of the Botanical Garden. According to Zaandam, the plan to relocate the new prison had been made without his party's knowledge, and had been drafted to allocate land to Van Putten's brother to raise cattle on.

"You can't move the prison to give your brother a piece of land, but Van Putten had no problem with that. According to him, his brother had the right to get that piece of land," Zaandam said.

After these incidents, the UPC engaged in talks with the DP. Van Putten had then called Zaandam and made the suggestion that he would remain a member of the Executive Council until March 2013, after which UPC could have two Commissioners for two years until the 2015 Island Council election.

Zaandam said this proposal was to be discussed during a meeting of the coalition partners on Wednesday morning. "Before the meeting, I asked clarification on a statement made by Van Putten during last week's Island Council meeting, in which Van Putten had stated that his brother was born here and entitled to a piece of the rock. I asked if this would mean that those who weren't born here would have less rights to a piece of land, upon which Van Putten responded, "Yes, and I am not going to take it back."

I am not from here [Zaandam was born in Suriname, ed.] and I took offence. How could he ask from me to go to Holland to fight with the Dutch, if we don't have equal rights in Statia?"

Zaandam said Van Putten had started pointing fingers at UPC acting party secretary Elvin Henriques and land registrar Cedrick Lijfrock for providing information about the obscure land deal.

The UPC leader said his party's delegation had then left the meeting, followed by Cedrick Lijfrock's sister, PLP Island Councilwoman Millicent Lijfrock-Marsdin.

During breakfast next door Millicent Lijfrock had come up to Zaandam. "She said, 'Do what you have to do for your party, because I also have had enough of it.' We then called a meeting in which it was decided to withdraw our support of the coalition government and join the opposition. I would rather sit in the opposition with the DP, than sit in the coalition that doesn't have the people's interest as a priority anymore."

Zaandam said that if he would have listened to the public, his party would already have overthrown government since October 2011. "But I took the responsibility to form the coalition, and I tried everything to keep the coalition," adding that the atmosphere in the coalition had started to deteriorate after the ousting of finance commissioner Glenn Schmidt.

The UPC leader said his party was now ready to join the opposition, since it was not very likely his party would join forces with the DP after previous talks had been broken off.

"If it was power we wanted, we would have worked with the DP in March last year and I would have become commissioner, but it is not about me, but about the people's business."

Zaandam pledged UPC's support to Lijfrock. "The UPC will be in opposition, but as long as the people's business is a priority, she can always knock at our door."

Reuben Merkman (DP), meanwhile, confirmed that his party was engaged in what he described as "positive" talks with Lijfrock. He said they were hopeful to conclude their talks by Sunday.

ST. EUSTATIUS--St. Eustatius may be having a new coalition government as soon as Sunday. The opposition Democratic Party (DP) and new independent Island Council member Millicent Lijfrock are currently negotiating an agreement to form a new Executive Council.

The UPC/PLP/STEP coalition fell Wednesday, after leader of the United People's Coalition (UPC) Reginald Zaandam withdrew his support of the Executive Council.

One day later, Lijfrock left the Progressive Labour Party (PLP) of Clyde van Putten. She decided to retain her seat in the Island Council as an independent member.

According to Island Councilman of the Democratic Party (DP) Koos Sneek, Lijfrock initiated the talks to form a new government.

The DP is the largest party in the Island Council holding two seats. The other seats are held by UPC, St. Eustatius Empowerment Party (STEP) and Lijfrock, holding one seat each.

Previous talks between UPC and DP to form a new government led to nothing.

PLP Commissioner Clyde van Putten is the biggest loser in the crisis within the Executive Council. With Lijfrock leaving the party, the PLP no longer holds a seat in the Island Council.

The current UPC/PLP/STEP coalition held a small majority of three seats, but lost this majority after Zaandam withdrew his support.

Van Putten feels he has been the victim of a "political complot" by his colleague Zaandam. "I worked very hard for the past ten months. It has been too much a Clyde van Putten show and that is sensitive material in politics," the PLP leader told Radio Netherlands in an interview.

"As Commissioner I can no longer be an Island Council member. That is why, after the election, I gave my seat to the number-two of the list, Mrs. Lijfrock. I had the most preferential votes, but I am sidelined now and that's a shame," Van Putten said.

The DP seems to be become the big winner of the government crisis. The DP was forced into opposition by the three other parties after the March 2011, election when they joined forces in the so-called "Coalition of Hope" to break DP's power.

THE HAGUE--Former St. Maarten Public Prosecutor Taco Stein has been appointed Solicitor-General for the Windward Islands.

The Dutch Council of Ministers on Friday approved Stein's appointment based on a proposal of Minister of Safety and Justice Ivo Opstelten.

Stein will be stationed at the office of the Attorney-General in St. Maarten, but will also work on behalf of the Dutch 'public entities' St. Eustatius and Saba.

Stein (1951) currently works as Attorney-General in Aruba. He has already worked in St. Maarten twice before, both times at the Public Prosecutor's Office.

PHILIPSBURG--The investigation into the violent death of Tiffany Reid (13) on September 6, 2011, has been concluded, according to a press release from the Prosecutor's Office.

The results of the investigation have proven beyond a reasonable doubt that the suspect who was arrested in this case, the girl's father Robert Emanuel Reid, was responsible for her violent death and the disposal of her body, the release stated.

Police were informed on September 6, 2011, that a body had been found in the vicinity of Reward Road around 8:20pm. A witness at the scene of the crime informed the police he had heard a loud explosion and had seen large flames coming out of the bushes nearby. When he went closer to take a look, he saw a man getting into a white van. The witness memorised the licence plate of the vehicle and immediately called the police.

It was discovered soon that this van belonged to Robert Reid. When Reid came to the police station later that evening to report his daughter Tiffany missing, the police noticed he had several fresh burn wounds. Around that same time the Forensic Department was able to retrieve the body from the ravine in which it had been thrown.

A preliminary examination of the body showed that it appeared to be that of a young woman. Based on this information, the Prosecutor ordered Robert Reid's immediate arrest.

Even though Reid denied any involvement in his daughter's death, the results of the investigation prove that he gave false statements about his whereabouts that evening and about the way he received his burns. Reid stated he had been burned while fixing the radiator of his van. According to his statement, the radiator hose had burst while he was under the van and was burned by the hot radiator fluid.

An expert mechanic from a local car dealer that carries Reid's brand of van was asked to report on the condition of the van's radiator. His conclusion was that the radiator or radiator hose had not burst and the radiator had not exploded.

A medical expert was asked to examine Reid's wounds. The expert concluded that the wounds were not consistent with hot-water burns. St. Maarten police forensic experts cut the suspect's eyelashes, as they showed signs of melting. A Netherlands Forensic Institute expert concluded that this type of melting could not be caused by hot water or steam, as the temperature is not high enough to cause hair to melt. However, such melting does occur when in contact with open fire.

Apart from his van and licence plate, forensic evidence also puts Reid on the scene of the crime. A partially melted grown man's flip-flop was found next to the burnt body of his daughter. Forensics has shown this flip-flop contained Reid's DNA and no one else's.

Several witnesses had noticed that Reid was wearing two different flip-flops when he was taken to the hospital that night. After exiting the hospital, he had disposed of his flip-flops and walked barefoot.

The police investigation has shown further that Tiffany was last seen in her father's presence. He was seen leaving his home with her in his van somewhere between 5:00 and 5:30pm. Seized camera footage shows his white van after leaving the crime scene at 7:45pm. Reid's and Tiffany's whereabouts between 5:30 and 7:45pm are unaccounted for.

The autopsy on Tiffany's body showed that she had died of suffocation. The results suggest she was strangled. It has been concluded that Tiffany was dead before her body was disposed of. The body had been wrapped in large plastic bags and set on fire. Similar large plastic garbage bags were found during a search of Reid's home. No signs of sexual abuse or pregnancy were found during the autopsy. Early speculations on the motive had mentioned this.

Based on all these findings, the Prosecutor's Office concludes that it is proven beyond a reasonable doubt that Robert Reid killed his daughter Tiffany Reid and disposed of her body by setting it on fire. No indications were found during the investigation that Reid had been assisted by anyone or that anyone else could be held responsible for these crimes.

Robert Reid died in the Pointe Blanche prison on October 25, 2011. It is believed he committed suicide. The circumstances under which he died are still under investigation by the National Detectives.

As the prosecution of this case came to an end with the Reid's death and therefore a judge will not be able to rule on his involvement in this crime, the Prosecutor's Office considers it appropriate to inform the general public of the investigative results by this extensive press release.

The Prosecutor's Office commended the Police Force of St. Maarten and the Forensic Team for their outstanding work in the investigation into this crime. It also commended the witnesses who came forward immediately and gave very valuable information. Without their information it would have been far more difficult to solve this crime. This once again shows the importance of the public's cooperation in solving crime.

~ Finding qualified staff a major challenge ~

PHILIPSBURG--If government continues to deny employment permit requests for qualified Mental Health Foundation (MHF) staff, the foundation will be forced to close its Admissions Ward.

While this would be a last resort, MHF Director Eileen Healy said she would not continue to admit patients with mental disorders without the necessary qualified staffers on board.

Healy made the comments during a meeting of the Central Committee of Parliament on Friday. "Work permits are being turned down as we speak. We are seriously looking at closing down Admissions soon if we don't get permits, because I won't take in more patients if we don't have qualified staff," she said.

Healy's comments sparked a strong reaction from Democratic Party (DP) Member of Parliament (MP) Leroy de Weever, who said he didn't understand where her comments "on non-cooperation" stemmed from, given that the foundation had received what he said had been a substantial increase in its subsidy from government over the years.

De Weever also questioned whose authority it was to determine whether MHF should be closed.

However, Healy pointed out that while government had been cooperating and an increase in subsidy had been budgeted for the foundation, this never had been received in January as prescribed and in fact had been given as late as August on one occasion.

Healy said obtaining qualified staff was a "major challenge and hurdle" for the foundation. This, she said, is complicated when government denies the employment permit requests for the persons from abroad.

She told MPs the foundation had gone through the required process of advertising for qualified staffers at the Labour Department and in the newspapers for several weeks and when this had not yielded any success, the foundation had submitted a request for a non- national with the necessary qualifications to work in its operations.

She told this newspaper last night that four permit requests had been submitted, two of which had been approved, one denied and one pending. The permit denied was a first-time request for a Social Psychiatric Nurse and the one that is pending is for a Registered Nurse, both of whom are for the Admissions Ward. MHF has a total of 40 workers.

In addition, while the Labour Department is supposed to give an answer on a permit request within six weeks, Healy said it took three months and longer. "And in the meantime, we have to run a facility," she said.

She stressed that the current complement of staffers in the Admissions Ward could not provide the 24-hour service that was required, without the workers for whom permits had been requested. She said too that while the foundation had at its disposal the services of part-time nurses who had full-time jobs elsewhere, these nurses often were not familiar with patients with mental disorders, which could create a dangerous situation.

The foundation had requested exemptions from Justice Minister Roland Duncan and Labour and Health Minister Cornelius de Weever. "We understand that Minster de Weever is trying to do something about it, but our staff gets desperate. ... It is not an easy situation for us now," Healy said, noting that she wanted to take only good news to Parliament, but she had challenges and wanted to speak honestly about them.

In response to Healy's comments De Weever said: "... You hinted that you are thinking of closing. How can a single person like yourself make that decision arbitrarily? And I'd like to know the structure of your foundation. Who represents the foundation? What are the authorities of the board versus the Director? Is the board or the supervisory board ultimately responsible? Is the director's power mandated or delegated? And what authorities are mandated and delegated to the director?"

Healy said her concerns were shared by the board, whose President Felix Holiday had wanted to be present at Friday's meeting, but couldn't attend. She said the executing of policies was approved by the board and delegated to the director. For serious measures, she said, the board meets, the director advises and decisions are made.

She said they didn't want to close down the facility, but if their Registered Nurse couldn't handle a 24-hour schedule without a qualified assistant, they wouldn't have a choice. "Right now we are working with on-call nurses, which is not healthy for ... our patients," Healy said.

"All civil servants don't understand the impact on all organisations. If we now have to go and dispute something that has been turned down, it takes away from the time we have to implement quality care. We want to be busy now to set up an education plan, but instead I have to go and run behind the Labour Office. If government gives a permit to start a facility ... and now tells me that I don't have a work permit [for my staff], it takes away from the work that I want to do for patients."

She said too that government's subsidy did not cover the foundation's entire operations. "Officially the subsidy should be way lower if the tariffs were higher." She said the problem of uninsured patients also was hampering the foundation.

She said while communication with Health and Labour Minister Cornelius de Weever had been "wonderful," MHF "doesn't know where the recent problems are coming from."

MHF Registered Nurse (RN) Elena Reyes, one of the persons who accompanied Healy to the meeting, suggested that government invest more in local education programmes to produce more Licensed Practical Nurses (LPNs) and RNs. "Most people have to pay out of their own pockets and we know how the economy is – not very easy." She said there had been some internships at MHF recently and she was hoping to encourage these interns to work for MHF.

Based on a suggestion from De Weever, a tour of the MHF facility will be arranged.

Healy attended the meeting with MHF Psychiatrist Dr. Sachin Gandotra, Administrator Lila Jones and Executive Secretary Micaela Warner.

In addition to De Weever, present at the meeting were President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell; MPs Jules James, Dr. Ruth Douglass, Johan "Janchi" Leonard and Silvia Olivacce-Meyers of United People's (UP) party; George Pantophlet and Dr. Lloyd Richardson of the National Alliance (NA); and independent MP Frans Richardson. Several of the MPs present also made remarks during the meeting.

• Madame Estate/Fort William
• Sucker Garden, Upper & Lower

• Philipsburg / Fort William
• Guano Bay / Hope estate

Area #3: February 27, 2012 to March 9, 2012

• Dawn Beach / Oyster Pond / Red Pond
• Defiance / Middle Region

Area #4: March 1, 2012 to March 13, 2012

• Pelican
• Simpson Bay

Area #5: March 12, 2012 to March 22, 2012

• Belvedere / Rice Hill
• Dutch Quarter / Union Farm

Area #6: March 14, 2012 to March 23, 2012

• Airport Road
• Beacon Hill

Area #7: March 23, 2012 to April 4, 2012

• Illidge Road / Bush Road / Cul De Sac
• Betty's Estate / Saunders / Mary's Fancy

Area #8: March 26, 2012 to April 5, 2012

• Cole Bay
• Cay Bay

Area #9: April 5, 2012 to April 17, 2012

• Cay Hill / Belair
• Ebenezer / St. Peters / South Reward / L.B. Scott Road

Area #10: April 10, 2012 to April 20, 2012

• Maho / Pointe Pirouette
• Low Lands

Area #11: April 18, 2012 to April 30, 2012

• Pointe Blanche

Customers are also encouraged to call the office at 542-4361 or contact the office online at office@sxmcablenet.com to gather all the pertinent information prior to visiting the Business Office. St. Maarten Cable TV's Customer Service Representatives will gladly provide the requisite information needed to accelerate the process. Information about the swap process will also be included on St. Maarten Cable TV's website at www.innovativevi.net/sxmcable.

Philipsburg:--- On Friday January 27th, 2012, the Chief Commissioner of Police Peter de Witte handed out the first new official police badge. Chief Inspector of
Police Humphrey "Boy" Giterson, head of the Sint Maarten Maritime Police, who has been on the police force for more than forty years, was chosen to receive the first badge.
In addition Boy Giterson is one of those experienced officers who have worked on all islands of the former Netherlands Antilles. Boy Giterson displayed his old badges and his new one.
The new badge was designed by Major Paul Brown of the Police Department and his brother Charles Brown. This badge is a true representation of the people and the Police Force of Sint Maarten. On behalf of the Justice Ministry and mainly the Police Force of Sint Maarten congratulations to the designers for a job well done.

Click here to view the St. Maarten Police Badge Description.

~Members file official complaint~

PHILIPSBURG--The Workers Institute for Organised Labour (WIFOL) and its members who responded to the employment offer at the Simpson Bay Resort Management Company (SBRMC) have informed the Labour Department about the Resort's refusal to provide workers with copies of the short term contracts being offered.

WIFOL has written the Labour Department about the matter, while the union's members have filed an official complaint.

In its January 23 letter, the union expressed concern about the one year contracts given to workers and requested a copy of the contract.

The union also sent a letter to SBRMC General Manager Jules James, a Member of Parliament (MP) for the United People's (UP) Party and to the Resort's Human Resource Department Head Carmen Barran requesting a copy of the contract. The union also requested information as to how many of its members signed contracts.

Thompson said the union is concerned about the short-term contracts given to its members who were "invited to continue their work at the Resort." He said several workers took up the offer, but when they requested a copy of the contracts they were denied this.

The union President said any worker who respond to an opening at a company are supposed to be given copies of the contracts beforehand to review and given sufficient time to analyse the contracts before being required to sign. He said too that workers should be given a copy of what they sign. "The instruction from the General Manager Jules James was that they should not be given the contracts," Thompson said.

Some workers refused to sign the document after being told that they could not be given a copy and reported this information to the union.

Thompson said to date the union has not received a response from the Labour Department or from the Resort. "WIFOL is very disappointed in the slow reaction from the labour department on this matter," he told reporters at the Windward Islands Chamber of Labour Union (WICLU) weekly press conference on Thursday. Thompson is also President of WICLU.

The letter to the Labour Department was also copied to Labour Minister Cornelius de Weever, Labour Ministry Secretary General Jorien Wuite and to the Mediator Derrick Holiday.

PHILIPSBURG--Adequate and up-to-date legislation and funding were among the major issues raised when the country's three main environmental and nature organisations met with Members of Parliament (MPs) in a Central Committee meeting on Thursday morning. The groups were also fervent in their call for protection of what remains of the country's natural heritage.

Nature Foundation St. Maarten, Environmental Protection in the Caribbean (EPIC) and St. Maarten Pride Foundation outlined to MPs in the familiarisation session their main activities, projects and areas they would like to see protected.

National Alliance (NA) MP Louie Laveist asked the groups to prepare "a laundry list" of needs that Parliament could fulfil. He and MP Hyacinth Richardson said they would be inviting the groups to talk about environmental protection with NA.

Nature Foundation Manager Tadzio Bervoets spoke about the ongoing marine mammal survey and the possibility of organising whale and dolphin watching trips later for people to see these sea creatures in their natural habitat. He also addressed concerns about the dangers of shark feeds as raised by independent MP Frans Richardson.

Bervoets said the Nature Foundation was working on broadening the country's conservation zone and having it linked to the French side's Réserve Naturelle, and on continuous education programmes and other research, and was seeking ways to obtain sustainable finances. The foundation is plagued by staff shortage, limited capacity to do research, monitoring and control, and limited materials to conduct mooring work.

All three foundations said the unsustainable development in St. Maarten had contributed greatly to the damage of the environment and destruction of native flora and fauna.

Dealing with the need for protection, EPIC Project Manager Thompson reiterated the Mullet Bay Pond Coalition's call to protect the pond and save it from destruction. He listed among EPIC's main concerns insufficient sewage treatment infrastructure, absence of solid waste treatment, insufficient or outdated environmental legislation, and the need to put local nature and cultural heritage education on school curricula.

Children often have to "hopscotch to school" to avoid stepping into sewage running on the streets. Thompson said government and in particular the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure VROMI should pay more attention to issues such as sewage rather than the building of the ring road and the bridge over Simpson Bay Lagoon.

Ask for a stance on the lagoon bridge by MP Laveist, Thompson, who is also vice president of Pride Foundation, said, "We have been in meeting with the Harbour [Group of Companies, ed.] and were presented with an actual environmental impact assessment." The groups also met with the people who carried out the study.

While the groups are very much against the bridge because it is projected to disturb a very important area of mangrove, the preliminary advice is for "compensation" to be made for lost of nature should this be touched. "Basically, if you are going to do it, protect Mullet Bay Pond so the same thing does not happen."

Thompson called for the protection of Emilio Wilson Estate, reminding MPs that under the former Island Council setting, promises had been made to acquire and protect the area for the people. Concerns about development on the estate have surfaced again because of plans to create a recreational park with chair lifts.

Independent MP Frans Richardson said a solution must be found for Emilio Wilson Estate and voiced his support for its protection.

St. Maarten is the only island in the Dutch Caribbean without a land-based protected area. The country also has no nature policy plan, as the one drafted in 2003 is now outdated.

Pride Foundation President Jadira Veen spoke about the group's activism, awareness creation and drive to educate the masses about caring for the environment though a hands-on approach. The International Coastal Cleanup, coordinated locally by Pride in September, also was highlighted with suggestions for a recycling business.

Veen said VROMI Minister Theo Heyliger should use the International Cleanup Report published every year to guide him on tackling garbage disposal and to tell Parliament what to do with the waste. "Government should be asking me for a copy every year, and Parliament too," she said.

Veen and young Pride volunteer Riddhi Samtani presented President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell with a copy of the report at the end of the meeting.

Pride Foundation called for the creation of a beach department to check on and fine illegal activities such as littering and criminal activities such as nudity on Cupecoy Beach where male prostitution and drug sales are said to be taking place.

Whenever the development of the former Mullet Bay Beach Resort gets going, Veen called for at least 130 parking spaces to be left open for the public with proper access to the beach. She fears that owner SunResorts will bar all access for locals.

MP Laveist said that if the developer of Mullet Bay attempted to block the beach "you will have an uprising like you never seen before."

MPs were concerned about bringing invasive species such as iguanas, mongooses, vervet monkeys and racoons under control. Racoons are protected on the French side and iguanas are protected on the Dutch side. However, with the explosion of the iguana population, Bervoets said the protection would have to be re-examined.

As for the vervet monkeys, a nuisance to the community, a company in Barbados has offered to buy as many as possible for its monkey park attraction. Bervoets added that contraceptives for the male monkeys that would make them sterile was being looked into as another option. However, this is an expensive option.

The Nature Foundation is working with its French-side counterpart to improve the working relationship structurally.

Fishing regulations and the need to regulate pet shops also were touched on during the meeting.

PHILIPSBURG--The need for an animal shelter, steady sterilisation and tradition of cock fighting took centre stage when animal care groups and veterinarians met with Members of Parliament (MPs) in a Central Committee meeting of Parliament, chaired by President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell, on Thursday afternoon.

The draft legislation for animal protection was also discussed in brief. MP Leroy de Weever of the Democratic Party (DP) asked for a closed session to be arranged with Animals Rights Foundation (ARF) President Monique Hofman to go through the articles of the draft law. He labelled some articles as "intimidating" and "prohibitive" for dog ownership among "locals."

The draft also seeks to prohibit organised animal fights – dog fights and cock fighting. While MPs were against dog fighting, several deemed cock fighting as an island tradition and were not in favour of banning it.

Independent MP Frans Richardson was very direct in his support for cock fighting. He considers it a part of the local culture and pointed to his 84-year-old grandfather as proof because he was still keen on seeing his cock fights.

National Alliance MP Louie Laveist said he didn't know much about cock fighting but as "a cultural person" he would have to view it as part of the local culture.

"I am an animal lover," declared MP Johan Leonard of the United People's (UP) party. He added that he used to love cock fighting, but not so much anymore. He like other MPs said the cock fighting has more rules than boxing and cocks were "fighters by nature." The latter statement was heavily contested by the animal care groups.

Caribbean Dump Dog Association and Animal Rights Foundation (commonly known as Animals R Friends ARF) are in favour of building and operating an animal shelter on the Dutch side. A similar shelter already exists on the French side.

Elizabeth Reitz of Caribbean Dump Dog said the Humane Society has offered to promote the country together with the French side once a shelter is established. That promotion will be a boost to tourism as the society has millions of members worldwide.

St. Maarten Animal Welfare Foundation, represented by Public Relations Officer Heather Caputo, is more in favour of consistent sterilisation programmes targeting the female dogs and cats first. The foundation wants mandatory pet sterilisation up to two years old.

Caputo called for a breeder's certificate for people who want to have litters. This certificate should carry a high price.

Caputo, ARF President Monique Hofman, Monique Darmstaedter of Caribbean Dump Dogs and vets Dr. Gary Swanson and Dr. Chris DeWitt saw the need for a tagging law to better identify and protect animals. One idea is the introduction of a US $5 registration fee like in Saba for sterilised pets and a higher fee for those that are not. MP Dr. Lloyd Richardson (NA) agreed with the need for micro-chips as tags for animals.

Caputo said sterilisation would reduce the need for big shelters because there would be less unwanted animals. "A shelter is not the answer."

The groups and vets pointed to the need for animal control officers with the legal backup within the police force to handle animal cruelty and neglect cases.

Hofman said ARF does not believe in killing animals and sees sterilisation as a means to limit the stray and unwanted population. She said her group is trying to amass the funds to build the shelter with assistance from international organisations and the private sector. Government help would be required for the daily operations of the shelter that will also double as an educational centre for awareness.

Dr. DeWitt of St. Maarten Animal Hospital and Dr. Swanson raised the alarm about the diseases such as rabies and distemper that could affect the island if proper controls are not in place for importation of animals. St. Maarten is deemed rabies free, but with travel links to Haiti and the Dominican Republic where rabies is endemic, the vet said there is cause for concern.

Dr. DeWitt urged Parliament to ensure the country signs on to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). This would have benefits for the country.

PHILIPSBURG--Joan T. Sandy-Forde (42), who together with her husband Neville (54) was found guilty of forging receipts for goods delivered to I Can Foundation and of defrauding funding agency USONA of approximately NAf. 400,000, appealed her sentence at the Joint Court on Thursday.

Sandy-Forde tried to convince the three-judges panel, presided over by Judge P.E. de Kort, to give her a sentence similar to her husband's, who in March 2011 was ordered by the Court of First Instance to perform 180 hours of community service, on top of an eight-month suspended prison sentence with three years' probation.

His wife, by contrast, was sentenced to 10 months, five of which were suspended, with three years' probation.

The Prosecutor's Office holds the woman responsible for being the mastermind of the scheme. She is the managing director of company Personalized Creations N.V., which had submitted the falsified invoices, and at the same time, had also been I Can Foundation's office manager.

Personalized Creations was to provide I Can Foundation with a large quantity of goods for the foundation's youth shelter between April and December 2010, after the shelter burned down.

However, the invoices listed much larger quantities than the company actually delivered. According to attorney-at-law Brenda Brooks, "only" 25 to 30 per cent of the goods had not been delivered.

Instead of delivering the goods, Sandy-Forde had used part of the money to make a deposit in the cash-strapped company's bank account.

USONA has launched a civil procedure against the couple in an effort to reclaim the defrauded money, estimated at NAf. 100,000. Almost a year ago, the Forde's swore to the Judge that they would pay back the full amount, but up until today not a penny had been refunded to USONA, the Solicitor-General stated.

According to attorney Brooks this was not her client's fault, but had been due to the law firm handling USONA's claim not submitting a claim to date.

The order to deliver furniture, air-conditioning and other items to the children's home would have yielded Personalized Creations a regular profit of NAf. 75,000, Sandy-Forde said.

In 2007, Sandy-Forde had been declared bankrupt in a court of law. One year later, she was convicted of embezzling from her then employer, a local hotel, for which she received a suspended sentence with community service, on three years' probation.

The Solicitor-General said Thursday he did not see any reason to deviate from the original sentence.

He said Sandy-Forde had not taken any steps to settle her debts with USONA.

"She stole from the poor and took tax payers' money, which was supposed to be used to provide shelter to young children," he said.

Attorney Brooks said the Prosecutor's case against her client should be declared inadmissible. She also pointed out that her client had already been detained for 65 days, and had overspent her time in police detention by two weeks. The Joint Court will give its decision on February 16.

~Union says delay tactic being applied~

PHILIPSBURG--The "necessary research" to "find the financial room" to pay civil servants and teachers the 2010 cost of living adjustment is currently taking place General Affairs Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams and Finance Minister Hiro Shigemoto informed the Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU).

In an undated letter received by the union on January 23, the two ministers said the payment of the cost of living adjustment for 2010 was not included in the draft 2012 budget due to financial constraints. "Regretfully, the initial approval last year to pay the 2010 cost of living, was not preceded by the analysis of its financial feasibility that needed to be done as the budget 2012 was not yet up for discussion. Hence, the required financial evaluation that underpins this policy was not executed timely," it was stated in the letter.

"Given this unfortunate sequence of events, the government wishes to honour its original commitments to pay the 2010 indexations. However, this will have to take place by means of a budgetary amendment. The necessary research to find the financial room to make this possible is currently taking place. This will take some time and we therefore cannot beforehand give an exact payout date," the letter read.

"We will however keep you informed as we also acknowledge that timely discussions must be initiated about the continued feasibility of this manner of indexation."

Elshot said the union needed concrete information to give to its members. On the issue of the financial evaluation, Elshot said this seemed to be a delay tactic being applied by government. She said sooner or later the unions and their members will have to take to the streets because this seemed to be the only language that government understood. The union will be meeting among themselves to discuss these matters.

In their letter to the union, the two ministers said that the union in a letter to government dated January 11, made reference to a "promised" meeting between the Council of Ministers and the advisory body GOA. The ministers said while the Council is willing to entertain a meeting with the GOA, it had no official record to show that such a request had been made. "As is customary, requests for such meetings with the Council of Ministers including points to be discussed are to be submitted in writing.

However, Elshot said the issue of the meeting is being twisted around. She said it was Wescot-Williams who had informed the GOA verbally that she will be meeting with them when she returned from a trip to The Netherlands recently. She said this is the meeting that the union, which is also a member of the GOA, had been referring to.

BRUSSELS--St. Maarten is one of 21 countries/territories that signed a nine-point political declaration earlier this week in Brussels during the 2012 Overseas Countries and Territories Association's (OCTA) Ministerial Conference.

The political declaration covers partnership between the EU and OCTs; management of OCTs affairs; long term technical assistance to OCTA; partnership working party; territorial Strategies for innovation and regional projects; environment and climate change; trade; equal treatment for all OCTs, and rights of OCT Citizens.

Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams said OCTs noted with deep concern the global financial crisis and economic recession that has caused considerable disruption to the economies of the European Union (EU) and OCTs. That disruption has also constrained the resources of the EU and has increased OCTs vulnerability making the future relationship with the EU even more critical to sustainable development.

OCTs have recognized that the EU has taken into account changes and developments in challenges and opportunities for OCTs since the 2001 Overseas Association Decision (OAD) and are working in partnership with OCTs and Member States to increase OCT competitiveness; lessen their vulnerability and strengthen regional cooperation in the framework of the revision of the OAD.

OCTs are non-European countries and territories that have special relations with Denmark, France, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

~Say 'it's a blatant disregard of country'~

PHILIPSBURG--"Shape up or ship out." This was the firm message the Windward Islands Chamber of Labour Unions (WICLU) sent to Members of Parliament (MPs) who failed to show up for Tuesday's Parliament meeting on the lawfulness of the voting of Jules James on a matter in which his name was mentioned and involving a company in which he is the Managing Director.

With the exception of President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell (UP), no member of the governing coalition showed up to the meeting, which was requested by the National Alliance (NA).

"This is a slap in the face of the people of St. Maarten," Elshot told reporters at the Chamber's weekly press conference on Thursday. "We cannot continue to tolerate the modus operandi of Parliament. We are more than a year into Country status and I can't recall one decent law that has been presented.

"...Someone has to tell Parliament to either shape up or ship out," she said.

WICLU president Theophilus Thompson said it was a "blatant disregard to Country" for MPs whose offices are located in the Parliament building to "refuse" to show up for a meeting held in that same building.

Several MPs from the governing coalition were in the building before the start of the meeting, but did not attend. Only Democratic Party (DP) MP Leroy de Weever was absent with notice.

James' role as an MP and as the General Manager of the Simpson Bay Resort and Marina (SBRM) has been under fire for some time, particularly from several union representatives. The unions have also been rallying behind the over 100 workers who had been fighting for more than a year to be recognised as employees of the SBRM.

Thompson said the move by the MPs put "a big question mark" on democracy. "These MPs don't understand their roles," he said. "This is a very serious matter for the population and the country as a whole. To not show up at a meeting and take care of the people's business when the people are paying you good salaries is a very serious concern.

"There is so much conflict of interest, and everyone is defending their interest on both sides. It is obvious that something is wrong."

The union President said it is regrettable that the leaders of the ruling parties were mum on the matter. "What is happening to these workers is cause for concern."

Elshot said MPs were elected to represent the people and if they couldn't do this, they should leave office. She said if the current situation continues, then St. Maarten would see a repeat of what has happened in St. Eustatius, whose governing coalition collapsed on Wednesday.

UP fraction leader MP Romain Laville had told The Daily Herald on Tuesday night that after he had had "some issues" with party members during a fraction meeting on Monday, he had decided to turn his phone off and stay away from the meeting.

~ Says Post Office ~

PHILIPSBURG--Postal Services St. Maarten (PSS) no longer will permit the usage of stamps with any country name other than "St. Maarten" on them for mailing of any postal items, as of February 1. The "Nederlandse Antillen" stamps currently being used here will not be valid after that date.

Any postal item with postage stamp(s) bearing a country name other than "Sint Maarten" or "St. Maarten" will not be mailed out. If it has a return address on it, it will be returned to the sender.

"Postal Services St. Maarten NV (PSS) apologises in advance for any inconveniences this may cause to the general public and business community," a statement from PSS read.

For more information on the purchase of country St. Maarten stamps, contact the Post Office at tel. 542-2289 or e-mail

info@pssnv.com .

The new address is as follows:

Krippa Building, Unit 9 & 10
Juancho Yrausquin Boulevard #6
(Across Sang's Supermarket)
Philipsburg
St. Maarten

The temporary phone is (721) 526-8284.

The usual telephone numbers are currently out of service.

Ambassador Behr met with Minister Mathias Voges where they discussed the Ambassador's planned visit to the island in February.

The Ambassador will be holding a lecture on February 9 entitled "The Economic Situation in Germany and the European Union."

Ambassador Behr during his working visit to the country will also be meeting with several ministers and will introduce the newly appointed Honorary Consul for Germany Karel Frielink.

Minister Voges provided the Ambassador with information about the island and discussed future cooperation possibilities between Germany and Sint Maarten.

PSS hereby is urging everyone who has not yet paid to make use of this opportunity to do so, without penalties.

Payment of the PO Boxes can be made at either of our locations, in Philipsburg or Simpsonbay.

For more information or questions, please contact the post office at 542 2289 or e-mail: info@pssnv.com.

All postal items with any other postage stamps other than with the country name "Sint Maarten" or "St. Maarten" will be returned to the sender, and if the postal item does not have a return address on it, it will not be mailed out.

Postal Services St. Maarten NV (PSS) apologizes in advance for any inconveniences this may cause to the general public and business community.

For more information on the purchase of country St. Maarten stamps, please contact the Post Office at tel. 542 2289 or e-mail: info@pssnv.com.

All postal items with any other postage stamps other than with the country name "Sint Maarten" or "St. Maarten" will be returned to the sender, and if the postal item does not have a return address on it, it will not be mailed out.

Postal Services St. Maarten NV (PSS) apologizes in advance for any inconveniences this may cause to the general public and business community.

For more information on the purchase of country St. Maarten stamps, please contact the Post Office at tel. 542 2289 or e-mail: info@pssnv.com.

President of the WICLU Theophilus Thompson described the actions of the Members of Parliament representing the coalition as blatant disregard to the country, Thompson said those MPs held their own meeting in the same building that housed their offices. Most of the Members of Parliament from the governing coalition were present at the time of the scheduled parliament meeting but refused to sign in. The only Member of Parliament who gave notice of his absence was MP Petrus Leroy De Weever. Thompson said the move by the MP's has placed a huge question mark on democracy. The unionist said the Members of Parliament do not understand their roles. "I consider this to be a very serious matter for the population and the country. To not show up at a meeting and take care of the people's business when the people are paying you good salaries is a very serious concern." Thompson said there is too much conflict of interest and everyone is defending their interest on both sides. It is clear something is wrong. Thompson further explained that it is regrettable that the leaders of the governing parties remained mum on the SBRMC issue and the workers plight.

ST. EUSTATIUS--The Coalition of Hope Government collapsed Wednesday after coalition member United People's Coalition (UPC) headed by Reginald Zaandam withdrew its support.

There were no indications up to press time of any attempts being made to form a new government.

UPC informed its coalition partners Progressive Labour Party (PLP) and St. Eustatius Empowerment Party (STEP) of its decision in a tersely worded letter Wednesday.

UPC said in its letter sent to Franklin Brown of STEP: "Through this letter, we would like to inform you that effected [sic] today, we of the United People's Coalition are withdrawing our support from the present coalition. This decision is based upon the fact that our organisation is convinced that the people's business is no longer the first priority anymore of this coalition; therefore, we do not feel comfortable anymore in being part of the coalition of hope."

The letter was signed by UPC President D. Simmons, Acting Secretary E. Henriquez and party leader R. Zaandam.

PLP leader Clyde van Putten could not be reached for comment Wednesday. According to STEP's Brown, the UPC decision caught him by surprise.

News about the fall of government broke and spread like wildfire through the island of St. Eustatius around 2:30pm on Wednesday.

Initially Zaandam declined to comment on early reports that the government had fallen, but he confirmed later that UPC had withdrawn its support. He said he had written letters to Commissioner and PLP leader Clyde van Putten, Councilman Franklin Brown of STEP and Governor Gerald Berkel.

Zaandam said it was a very emotional time, but it was something he had to do. He promised to release a detailed statement at a later time.

The Coalition Government started unravelling around the time of the ousting of Glennville Schmidt as Finance Commissioner – a development that drew a negative reaction from the community with persons suggesting that Coalition of Hope heads should pack their bags and go home.

Relations within the coalition worsened around mid-January after Commissioner van Putten's executive assistant Laurens Duiveman tendered his resignation for reasons still not very clear.

Around that time, Zaandam opened negotiations with the Democratic Party about forming a new government, but those talks collapsed, the UPC patched up its differences with its coalition partners and the Coalition of Hope survived.

The DP holds two seats in the Island Council, with UPC, PLP and STEP holding one seat each.

The news of the coalition's demise was greeted with the honking of horns and cheers in the streets by some residents, and with disbelief by others who sought confirmation.

However, generally, residents seemed to have been caught by surprise, especially as Commissioner van Putten had scheduled an important session with farmers that was expected to be held in Vincent Astor Lopes Legislative Hall on Wednesday evening

Some of Zaandam's loyal supporters were at his side after he had submitted the letters.

Some groups were upset about what had transpired during the last Island Council meeting. In particular, there was criticism of Commissioner van Putten for "name-calling"

DP leader Rueben Merkman said the coalition's collapse came as a huge surprise to him and to other DP members.

STEP leader Franklin Brown said UPC's withdrawal of support from the Coalition of Hope was a surprise to him. He said he had been in a board meeting discussing what STEP's next move should be when he had received the news.

Brown also said that based on what had transpired earlier Wednesday, he didn't see enough grounds to throw down a government. Questioned about what exactly had transpired, Brown suggested that that question be put to UPC.

Orange warning pylons have been placed on Front Street temporarily while the green metal bollards are being repainted. The pylons were placed to indicate to resident and tourist alike that the bolt that held the bollard is open and one should watch one's step. The bollards will also be repaired if necessary and placed back soon.

PHILIPSBURG--The St. Maarten Annual Regional Trade Show (SMART) is slated for May 16-18, 2012 at the Radisson Blue Resort, Marina & Spa in St. Martin where the region comes together to support, interact and work together to promote tourism to the Eastern Caribbean.

After years of success and progress, SMART 2012 focuses on St. Maarten and its neighbouring islands in the Eastern Caribbean and has become a significant event in the region in recent years.

This year, tourism entities from St. Maarten, St. Martin, Anguilla, Antigua, Barbuda, B.V.I., Dominica, Guadaloupe, Montserrat, Saba, St. Barths, St. Eustatius and St. Kitts & Nevis are expected to come together for the show.

SMART 2012 kicks off on Wednesday, May 16, where delegates have the opportunity to meet and mingle with their peers at a welcome reception before the first day of business begins. Throughout the trade show, participants can set up appointments with travel partners and wholesalers as well as hotel and excursion operations for one-on -one discussions on potential business ventures.

More information about SMART 2012 can be found at http://www.shta.com/smart.

PHILIPSBURG--The establishment of a parliamentary committee to monitor the country's expenditures moved a step further on Wednesday with the Central Committee agreeing to the advice from the "Seniorenconvent" (grouping of fraction leaders) to put the committee in place. Now, the expenditure committee has to be formally installed during a plenary session of Parliament.

Suggested committee members were Members of Parliament (MPs) William Marlin (National Alliance), Roy Marlin (Democratic Party), Romain Laville (United People's party), Frans Richardson (independent) and Patrick Illidge (independent).

A similar committee to monitor country expenditures exists in The Netherlands. The forming of the local one was suggested by the General Audit Chamber, headed by Roland Tuitt, as an additional level of checks and balances for the young democracy.

MPs also agreed to Parliament joining the Parliament of Latin America Parlatino's Committee for Political, Municipal Affairs and Integration. Joining this committee is seen as a way of protecting St. Maarten's interest and fostering a better relationship with Latin American counterparts.

Proposed members of this Parlatino committee are President of Parliament Gracita Arrindell (UP), MPs William Marlin (National Alliance), Roy Marlin (Democratic Party), Romain Laville (United People's party), Frans Richardson (independent) and Patrick Illidge (independent).

Motivating the need to join the Parlatino committee was a move made during a past session of the parliament by Curaçao. That move was an attempt to pass a motion denouncing The Netherlands and its role with the new countries within the Dutch Kingdom.

MP F. Richardson said it was important for St. Maarten to have representatives in this Parlatino committee. The attempts by Curaçao could have had serious consequences for St. Maarten and such situations need to be prevented in the future.

MP Johan Leonard (UP) said it was of "great essence" for St. Maarten "to partake in the meetings."

MP George Pantophlet (NA) said that many would say "it is very expensive to travel" but like European countries, St. Maarten needs to come together with its Latin American counterparts. This is "of vital importance" because one day St. Maarten may need the help of those countries.

PHILIPSBURG--Member of Parliament Louie Laveist said he thought it necessary to "school" MP Jules James after James' "rude and out of order suggestion" that MPs do not know their roles as Parliamentarians.

Laveist made his comments to the media during a break in the plenary session of Parliament on Wednesday.

James had stated, "I believe it's the first speaker" who made comments about Minister Theo Heyliger not having the decency to inform Parliament about the GEBE shares transfer agreement he had signed with Saba and Statia.

James went on to state that it "appears that certain MPs may not fully understand their role," adding that any MP could ask the Minister questions in writing to obtain required information, "rather than stand here and grandstand."

As the first speaker of the day, Laveist took issue with James' statement. He wasted little time and headed straight to the press room to make his statement. "If there is anyone who does not understand his role as a Parliamentarian, it's him [James]," Laveist said.

He said if James knew his role, he would not be involved in the moral problem of the former Pelican Resort, jeopardising workers, working in conflict with his role as an MP and receiving a full salary from Parliament and a full salary from Simpson Bay Resort.

He said before James' comments "lived a life of their own," he thought it was important to "school" James on who knows their role and who does not.

PHILIPSBURG--Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Patrick Illidge wants to give the GEBE boards their marching orders.

A fiery Illidge said during the plenary session of Parliament on Wednesday that he had no intentions to ask GEBE "a bunch of questions," but rather wanted to instruct the company's boards to do what Parliament thinks is in the best interest of the people of St. Maarten. "And who don't hear would have to leave," Illidge said.

Illidge urged his fellow Parliamentarians to realise that "we need to make decisions" to finally give consumers some relief, "otherwise don't come up in here." He said he had no problem working with Minister of Energy Theo Heyliger in executing his vision, but wanted to hear from the Supervisory Board and/or GEBE's Shareholding Foundation.

Illidge advocated calling these boards to a Central Committee meeting and giving them instructions "as Parliament is supposed to do. Nobody seems to be able to reach these boards. The Minister can't even reach them," Illidge said.

Looking directly at GEBE Shareholding Foundation Chairman Ralph Richardson, who was present in the hall, Illidge also criticised the structure of the Shareholding Foundation that prohibits any decision from being taken if one member of the five-member board is not present at any given meeting.

In the context of "moving forward," MP Frans Richardson questioned when the GEBE shares transfer actually would be executed and called on his fellow MPs to come together to come up with some solutions for GEBE.

He said that while some of his colleagues could call for action, nothing could happen while St. Maarten had to deal with the other stakeholders in GEBE (Saba and Statia) and until St. Maarten owned 100 per cent of the company.

PHILIPSBURG--Independent Member of Parliament (MP) Patrick Illidge wants to give the GEBE boards their marching orders.

A fiery Illidge said during the plenary session of Parliament on Wednesday that he had no intentions to ask GEBE "a bunch of questions," but rather wanted to instruct the company's boards to do what Parliament thinks is in the best interest of the people of St. Maarten. "And who don't hear would have to leave," Illidge said.

Illidge urged his fellow Parliamentarians to realise that "we need to make decisions" to finally give consumers some relief, "otherwise don't come up in here." He said he had no problem working with Minister of Energy Theo Heyliger in executing his vision, but wanted to hear from the Supervisory Board and/or GEBE's Shareholding Foundation.

Illidge advocated calling these boards to a Central Committee meeting and giving them instructions "as Parliament is supposed to do. Nobody seems to be able to reach these boards. The Minister can't even reach them," Illidge said.

Looking directly at GEBE Shareholding Foundation Chairman Ralph Richardson, who was present in the hall, Illidge also criticised the structure of the Shareholding Foundation that prohibits any decision from being taken if one member of the five-member board is not present at any given meeting.

In the context of "moving forward," MP Frans Richardson questioned when the GEBE shares transfer actually would be executed and called on his fellow MPs to come together to come up with some solutions for GEBE.

He said that while some of his colleagues could call for action, nothing could happen while St. Maarten had to deal with the other stakeholders in GEBE (Saba and Statia) and until St. Maarten owned 100 per cent of the company.

~Invited wrong person to Parliament~

PHILIPSBURG--Leader of the National Alliance William Marlin admitted on Wednesday that his faction erroneously requested the presence of the Shareholder Representative of GEBE, rather than the Minister of Energy Theo Heyliger to answer questions about the utility company in the plenary session of Parliament.

The Shareholder Representative of GEBE is the company's Shareholding Foundation chaired by attorney and former Lt. Governor Ralph Richardson, who was present on the request of Parliament. Upon realizing his fraction's error, Marlin informed Chairlady of Parliament Gracita Arrindell that his fraction does not intend to enter into a debate with Richardson and indicated that the request to invite the Shareholder Representative will be withdrawn and a new request, inviting Heyliger to Parliament before the close of the first round, would be submitted during the meeting on Wednesday, and it was.

The meeting was a continuation of the session last week and GEBE was agenda point two for discussion. The deliberations on Wednesday were round one of that agenda point. As such, the Alliance wanted Heyliger present before the close of the first round. After Minister of Economic Affairs Franklin Meyers had finished answering questions from Parliament, Arrindell attempted to move on to the second round of the deliberations.

Realizing that a number of questions had not been answered by government, due to the absence of Heyliger, whom he erroneously did not invite, Marlin objected to the closing off of the first round. Marlin proposed that the meeting be adjourned until Heyliger could be present and then finalize the first round.

"We cannot just close off the first round, who will answer these questions?" Marlin asked.

Arrindell explained: "While the questions were being posed, the Minister in charge of Energy was not part of this meeting, and his staff was not instructed to take notes, that is why the invitation and proposal submitted by MP William Marlin, cannot take place. If the MP's wish to invite the minister to come to the floor, then I suggest to Parliament and to the NA faction to submit a new letter requesting for a new meeting."

In that light, Arrindell suggested that if there were no other questions for Minister Meyers, under article 48 she would close the agenda point, and by extension close the meeting.

To which MP W. Marlin responded: "This procedure proposed is nonsensical. The minister does not have to be present. If the staff of parliament is doing its job the correct way, then we would have minutes of this meeting and every question submitted to the minister/government would be drawn up in a report and presented to government. The minister does not have to sit here. If the chair wants to use might over right, you have my blessing but not my support. Because it's about time we stop making a mockery out of the Parliament of St. Maarten. This is nonsense."

MP Roy Marlin used a point of order to remind the Alliance fraction that the mistake was theirs. "We have to have one thing clear. If parliament calls for a meeting, Parliament members debate among themselves. Myself and the other members of parliament have a debate. It goes through a first round, it goes through a second round, if there are questions asked during the debate of Parliament, it goes into a report and that report goes to government because Parliament needs clarification on an issue," he said.

"But it does not say that Parliament cannot have a first and second round debate among itself. Now having a Minister present is a totally different story. If we want the Minister present, then let's request the Minister to be present, not the Shareholder Representative and when you make a boo-boo, you try to muddy the water to create the impression that you're still right. You're wrong," he added.

R. Marlin also said that as a member of the former Island Council when the GEBE Shareholding Foundation was established, W. Marlin should have known better. MP Jules James also stressed that the error was committed by the National Alliance and proposed that deliberation be ended based on article 48. This proposal was seconded and the meeting was closed.

~Invited wrong person to Parliament~

PHILIPSBURG--Leader of the National Alliance William Marlin admitted on Wednesday that his faction erroneously requested the presence of the Shareholder Representative of GEBE, rather than the Minister of Energy Theo Heyliger to answer questions about the utility company in the plenary session of Parliament.

The Shareholder Representative of GEBE is the company's Shareholding Foundation chaired by attorney and former Lt. Governor Ralph Richardson, who was present on the request of Parliament. Upon realizing his fraction's error, Marlin informed Chairlady of Parliament Gracita Arrindell that his fraction does not intend to enter into a debate with Richardson and indicated that the request to invite the Shareholder Representative will be withdrawn and a new request, inviting Heyliger to Parliament before the close of the first round, would be submitted during the meeting on Wednesday, and it was.

The meeting was a continuation of the session last week and GEBE was agenda point two for discussion. The deliberations on Wednesday were round one of that agenda point. As such, the Alliance wanted Heyliger present before the close of the first round. After Minister of Economic Affairs Franklin Meyers had finished answering questions from Parliament, Arrindell attempted to move on to the second round of the deliberations.

Realizing that a number of questions had not been answered by government, due to the absence of Heyliger, whom he erroneously did not invite, Marlin objected to the closing off of the first round. Marlin proposed that the meeting be adjourned until Heyliger could be present and then finalize the first round.

"We cannot just close off the first round, who will answer these questions?" Marlin asked.

Arrindell explained: "While the questions were being posed, the Minister in charge of Energy was not part of this meeting, and his staff was not instructed to take notes, that is why the invitation and proposal submitted by MP William Marlin, cannot take place. If the MP's wish to invite the minister to come to the floor, then I suggest to Parliament and to the NA faction to submit a new letter requesting for a new meeting."

In that light, Arrindell suggested that if there were no other questions for Minister Meyers, under article 48 she would close the agenda point, and by extension close the meeting.

To which MP W. Marlin responded: "This procedure proposed is nonsensical. The minister does not have to be present. If the staff of parliament is doing its job the correct way, then we would have minutes of this meeting and every question submitted to the minister/government would be drawn up in a report and presented to government. The minister does not have to sit here. If the chair wants to use might over right, you have my blessing but not my support. Because it's about time we stop making a mockery out of the Parliament of St. Maarten. This is nonsense."

MP Roy Marlin used a point of order to remind the Alliance fraction that the mistake was theirs. "We have to have one thing clear. If parliament calls for a meeting, Parliament members debate among themselves. Myself and the other members of parliament have a debate. It goes through a first round, it goes through a second round, if there are questions asked during the debate of Parliament, it goes into a report and that report goes to government because Parliament needs clarification on an issue," he said.

"But it does not say that Parliament cannot have a first and second round debate among itself. Now having a Minister present is a totally different story. If we want the Minister present, then let's request the Minister to be present, not the Shareholder Representative and when you make a boo-boo, you try to muddy the water to create the impression that you're still right. You're wrong," he added.

R. Marlin also said that as a member of the former Island Council when the GEBE Shareholding Foundation was established, W. Marlin should have known better. MP Jules James also stressed that the error was committed by the National Alliance and proposed that deliberation be ended based on article 48. This proposal was seconded and the meeting was closed.

PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Economic Affairs Franklin Meyers on Wednesday said a tariff structure presentation for GEBE, as compiled by Bureau Telecommunication & Post Curaçao, will be given on February 2 and shortly thereafter his Ministry will give directives to GEBE as to what "responsible" tariff structure should be implemented.

Meyers was answering questions from Members of Parliament during the continuation of the plenary session of Parliament that focused on Infrastructure and GEBE. Minister of Infrastructure Theo Heyliger wrapped up his presentation last week (agenda point 1), leaving Meyers to answer questions as they relate to his Ministry.

The National Alliance, who requested the meeting, had intended for Heyliger to be present but erroneously requested for the Shareholder Representative of GEBE to be present. The Shareholder representative of GEBE is not Heyliger, but the Shareholding Foundation. As such, Chairman of the Shareholding Foundation Ralph Richardson was present but was excused by Chairlady of Parliament Gracita Arrindell after MP William Marlin admitted his factions' error. Heyliger's absence led to a heated procedural debate in Parliament (see related story).

The majority of the questions were for Minister Heyliger to answer; Minister Meyers only answered a few questions that specifically fell under the auspices of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Most of the questions were asked in a previous session about GEBE, prompting MP William Marlin to stress that "as long as the people of St. Maarten are not getting relief from GEBE, no amount of meeting on GEBE is enough."

The focus of the questioning was on GEBE's price structure, fuel usage, alternative energy and the infamous fuel clause. Meyers, as he has in the past, admitted that not much relief has been given to consumers and reminded Parliament that in all of his statements prior to allowing GEBE to conditionally implement its new tariff structure last August, he stressed that government had to determine if GEBE wasn't passing on its inefficiencies to the consumer.

As such the BT&P study was commissioned on GEBE tariffs. He explained that personal situations with the Director of BT&P Curaçao led to a delay in presenting the findings to the government of St. Maarten but the presentation is forthcoming on February 2.

MP's also raised questions about a resident who was instructed by government to remove wind turbines from his property in Guana Bay because reportedly the turbines were against government/GEBE regulations. The resident in question has questioned via the media why Minister Heyliger is allowed to have turbines and not him. The Alliance faction picked up on that tone.

MP Louie Laveist was the first to question government policy on wind turbines for private and commercial use and government's policy for the future of energy on St. Maarten. He said he has no issues with wind turbines "if one could afford it" since these might help fight the "financial terrorism" that GEBE is imposing on the people with the fuel clause. "But how is this regulated? Are there laws that restrict this? And if so will the Minister make these laws more flexible to allow people who have the means to get them the possibility to do so?" Laveist asked.

MP's also questioned the shares transfer agreement signed last October between the government of Saba, Statia and St. Maarten. On this point, National Alliance MP's referred to several media reports to guide the questions they presented. MP William Marlin asked about the number of Directors currently at GEBE, the management structure at GEBE, how recruitment for these Directors were executed and if this recruitment was still ongoing, the details of the agreement and what is Heyliger's vision for GEBE and was this vision officially established by government.

For the Alliance to get its answers on GEBE it would have to request another meeting and invite Heyliger to attend said meeting as the Minister in charge of Energy Affairs.

PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Economic Affairs Franklin Meyers on Wednesday said a tariff structure presentation for GEBE, as compiled by Bureau Telecommunication & Post Curaçao, will be given on February 2 and shortly thereafter his Ministry will give directives to GEBE as to what "responsible" tariff structure should be implemented.

Meyers was answering questions from Members of Parliament during the continuation of the plenary session of Parliament that focused on Infrastructure and GEBE. Minister of Infrastructure Theo Heyliger wrapped up his presentation last week (agenda point 1), leaving Meyers to answer questions as they relate to his Ministry.

The National Alliance, who requested the meeting, had intended for Heyliger to be present but erroneously requested for the Shareholder Representative of GEBE to be present. The Shareholder representative of GEBE is not Heyliger, but the Shareholding Foundation. As such, Chairman of the Shareholding Foundation Ralph Richardson was present but was excused by Chairlady of Parliament Gracita Arrindell after MP William Marlin admitted his factions' error. Heyliger's absence led to a heated procedural debate in Parliament (see related story).

The majority of the questions were for Minister Heyliger to answer; Minister Meyers only answered a few questions that specifically fell under the auspices of the Ministry of Economic Affairs. Most of the questions were asked in a previous session about GEBE, prompting MP William Marlin to stress that "as long as the people of St. Maarten are not getting relief from GEBE, no amount of meeting on GEBE is enough."

The focus of the questioning was on GEBE's price structure, fuel usage, alternative energy and the infamous fuel clause. Meyers, as he has in the past, admitted that not much relief has been given to consumers and reminded Parliament that in all of his statements prior to allowing GEBE to conditionally implement its new tariff structure last August, he stressed that government had to determine if GEBE wasn't passing on its inefficiencies to the consumer.

As such the BT&P study was commissioned on GEBE tariffs. He explained that personal situations with the Director of BT&P Curaçao led to a delay in presenting the findings to the government of St. Maarten but the presentation is forthcoming on February 2.

MP's also raised questions about a resident who was instructed by government to remove wind turbines from his property in Guana Bay because reportedly the turbines were against government/GEBE regulations. The resident in question has questioned via the media why Minister Heyliger is allowed to have turbines and not him. The Alliance faction picked up on that tone.

MP Louie Laveist was the first to question government policy on wind turbines for private and commercial use and government's policy for the future of energy on St. Maarten. He said he has no issues with wind turbines "if one could afford it" since these might help fight the "financial terrorism" that GEBE is imposing on the people with the fuel clause. "But how is this regulated? Are there laws that restrict this? And if so will the Minister make these laws more flexible to allow people who have the means to get them the possibility to do so?" Laveist asked.

MP's also questioned the shares transfer agreement signed last October between the government of Saba, Statia and St. Maarten. On this point, National Alliance MP's referred to several media reports to guide the questions they presented. MP William Marlin asked about the number of Directors currently at GEBE, the management structure at GEBE, how recruitment for these Directors were executed and if this recruitment was still ongoing, the details of the agreement and what is Heyliger's vision for GEBE and was this vision officially established by government.

For the Alliance to get its answers on GEBE it would have to request another meeting and invite Heyliger to attend said meeting as the Minister in charge of Energy Affairs.

THE HAGUE--Vice-president of the Council of State of the Kingdom Herman Tjeenk Willink said farewell yesterday, Wednesday, after a 15-year term at the highest advisory body in the Dutch Kingdom that played an important role in the dismantling process of the Netherlands Antilles.

During an extra-ordinary meeting of the Council on Wednesday, Tjeenk Willink was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Orange Nassau by Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands, the President of the Council.

Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima also attended the meeting, as did Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the Presidents of the First and Second Chamber and the ministers of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations, and Justice and Safety. Representing the Dutch Caribbean countries were Members of the Council Hubert Maduro of Aruba, Robert Vornis of Curaçao and Dennis Richardson of St. Maarten.

Tjeenk Willink turned 70 on January 23 and according to the law he had to step down. The Daily Herald had an interview with the man nicknamed the Viceroy (Onderkoning) of The Netherlands in The Hague's government circles, a person of distinction whose opinion is greatly valued.

His visit to the islands late last year didn't bring up feelings of sadness usually associated with farewells. "To the contrary, I had a good feeling about it," said Tjeenk Willink, who described his dealings with the Dutch Caribbean as "extremely pleasant." The islands are realistic about their possibilities. "There is a great sense of openness of what can and cannot be done and what still has to be done."

His position as Vice-president of the Council of State of the Kingdom made it easier for Tjeenk Willink to have uncomplicated relations with the partners overseas, more so than for example a Dutch minister. "I have no power and no money, so we could actually discuss the issues. Things are different when you are a minister," he said. "Of course I am a makamba (white Dutchman in Papiamentu, ed.) with my own culture. Everyone has their own culture."

The human and social aspects in Kingdom relations are important to Tjeenk Willink. "The Kingdom is not only about governments. We focus too much on that. The Kingdom is in the end also about citizens, social groups and the private sector."

According to Tjeenk Willink the will to assist each other in the Kingdom exists. "But the question is whether we make efficient use of it," he said. He said direct contacts within the Kingdom were less extensive than for example within the European Union (EU). "That is strange because the Kingdom consists for a rather long time."

Not equal

Relations in the Kingdom are not equal, acknowledged Tjeenk Willink. The differences in for instance size cannot be denied. That is even more so in the case of the smaller islands Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba in their relation with the Netherlands. But, he added, "It doesn't mean that you can't have equal respect for each other. The unequal relationship requires comprehension from all sides. The same is also true within the EU where France isn't The Netherlands and Germany isn't Malta."

Forcing Dutch norms, values and traditions on the islands without taking their culture, history and practices into account is not a good idea. Forcing laws on same-sex marriage, abortion and euthanasia on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba isn't either.

Tjeenk Willink said he was "not a great admirer" of the amendments adopted by the Second Chamber to introduce these three ethically sensitive issues on the islands. "You have to take each other's cultural differences into account. "

Senseless

Unilaterally forcing regulations for which no relevant support in society exists is senseless, said the Vice-president. "You can keep making rules and regulations on paper, but it will not work. You need to find a balance. Democracy and the Rule of Law ('rechtsstaat') must go hand in hand, but people should also believe in it. Such things take time, as it did in The Netherlands itself, on exactly the same ethical topics. Marching too far in front of the troops is often unwise."

The islands, on the other hand, should also indicate loud and clear what they want and do not want and come with suggestions how to solve the issues. "You can cherish the Calimero effect (ever feeling the victim, ed.), but I don't think we should."

The relation of the Netherlands with the three smaller islands requires a form of management that civil servants and politicians in The Hague are not exactly used to. He said the Dutch government had to be very careful when executing laws and regulations on the islands, repairing them where necessary if things work out some other way than planned. That is a normal process: the effects of a certain law can never be foreseen completely.

Bit naive

It was nevertheless perhaps a "bit naive" of some people in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba to think that all issues would have been solved when the islands acquired the 'public entity' status per October 10, 2010. "People were happy to be liberated from Curaçao. But they should also be realistic that the problems won't be solved in a day and they should realise that the Dutch government is not automatically paradise."

Tjeenk Willink said he was at the moment not particularly worried about St. Maarten's future as a country. He appreciated St. Maarten's efforts in 2011 to make the most of it, despite its limited means. As he already indicated in his speech at the University of St. Martin (USM) during his last visit to the island, the Vice-president said it was important to have the right checks and balances and to enable vital organs like the Advisory Council to do its work. He said St. Maarten's country status offered chances for more practical cooperation in the Kingdom.

Strategic partnerships

Building strategic partnerships in the Kingdom, like Aruba does, is the way to go, instead of saying that The Netherlands is taking away the autonomy of the islands, said Tjeenk Willink. Cooperation is vital. That also applies for The Netherlands and the EU. "You can say: I don't want the EU. But I say: make your calculation because cooperation is a necessity. Be clear about what you want because otherwise decisions will be taken over your head. The world will not go away if you close your eyes."

Tjeenk Willink acknowledged that it sometimes wasn't easy for the overseas partners to do business with The Netherlands as the former coloniser. He did point out that the political climate in The Netherlands has changed and not to the benefit of the islands. "You can keep objecting about financial supervision like some politicians in St. Maarten and Curaçao do, but it is understandable that The Netherlands isn't inclined to once again pay the islands' debt."

Citizens should feel secure about their country, their identity. "Citizens should feel that they are in charge of their surroundings and developments. Politicians and government should respect that and govern in such a way that fosters the autonomy of the people. Politicians cannot solely do their own thing, they have to think of the people first and they should always operate according to the letter and spirit of the law."

Dismantling process

The Council of State played an important role in the dismantling process of the Netherlands Antilles and the creating of the new countries Curaçao and St. Maarten and the Dutch 'public entities.' Under Tjeenk Willink's leadership, the Council analysed stacks of draft law texts and provided advice to the governments in the Kingdom.

The Council did so to the best of its ability, said Tjeenk Willink. But because situations change and things don't always end up as anticipated, it is also important to make corrections afterwards. "You can't keep preparing and negotiating forever. At a certain point you have to take a decision on the constitutional legal structure because if you don't, you create an alibi to evade the real issues in society like education, health care, employment."

The Antillean structure of five islands together in one country had to end simply because it did not work. "After all, people don't live in structures but in houses," he said. But the political discussions took long and at a certain point there was a stalemate which had to be resolved, said Tjeenk Willink, referring to the lengthy process of the first discussions about restructuring and referenda about a new constitutional status to the execution of the dismantling.

Listening ear

The Council has always provided a listening ear to the islands. Not only governing parties found, and still find, their way to the Council, but the opposition and non-political groups as well. The latter is not only to be commended but also essential in order to get an objective view of things. "Otherwise you can't give proper advice. You have to know in which context to place your advice."

Tjeenk Willink might be resigning, but he will not forget about the islands. "You cannot simply turn off the switch when you have a warm heart for something." Is he going to enjoy life now that he is going on a well-deserved pension? He smiles: "When people say that they make it sound like work is a terrible thing."

Herman Tjeenk Willink studied law at the University of Leiden and the University of Paris. He was extraordinary professor at the Catholic University of Brabant and became a Member of the First Chamber for the Labour Party PvdA in 1987. He was appointed President of the First Chamber in 1991. In 1994 he was "informateur" of the first Kok cabinet, a function he again had during the formation of the Rutte cabinet in 2010. He became Vice-president of the Council of State in 1997. Queen Beatrix is the President of the Council of State, an organisation that has twelve permanent members, forty so-called Staatsraden and three Staatsraden of the Kingdom. Dennis Richardson is the Staatsraad for St. Maarten. Former Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Piet Hein Donner will succeed Tjeenk Willink next week as Vice-president.

THE HAGUE--Vice-president of the Council of State of the Kingdom Herman Tjeenk Willink said farewell yesterday, Wednesday, after a 15-year term at the highest advisory body in the Dutch Kingdom that played an important role in the dismantling process of the Netherlands Antilles.

During an extra-ordinary meeting of the Council on Wednesday, Tjeenk Willink was appointed Knight Grand Cross of the Order of Orange Nassau by Queen Beatrix of The Netherlands, the President of the Council.

Prince Willem-Alexander and Princess Máxima also attended the meeting, as did Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, the Presidents of the First and Second Chamber and the ministers of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations, and Justice and Safety. Representing the Dutch Caribbean countries were Members of the Council Hubert Maduro of Aruba, Robert Vornis of Curaçao and Dennis Richardson of St. Maarten.

Tjeenk Willink turned 70 on January 23 and according to the law he had to step down. The Daily Herald had an interview with the man nicknamed the Viceroy (Onderkoning) of The Netherlands in The Hague's government circles, a person of distinction whose opinion is greatly valued.

His visit to the islands late last year didn't bring up feelings of sadness usually associated with farewells. "To the contrary, I had a good feeling about it," said Tjeenk Willink, who described his dealings with the Dutch Caribbean as "extremely pleasant." The islands are realistic about their possibilities. "There is a great sense of openness of what can and cannot be done and what still has to be done."

His position as Vice-president of the Council of State of the Kingdom made it easier for Tjeenk Willink to have uncomplicated relations with the partners overseas, more so than for example a Dutch minister. "I have no power and no money, so we could actually discuss the issues. Things are different when you are a minister," he said. "Of course I am a makamba (white Dutchman in Papiamentu, ed.) with my own culture. Everyone has their own culture."

The human and social aspects in Kingdom relations are important to Tjeenk Willink. "The Kingdom is not only about governments. We focus too much on that. The Kingdom is in the end also about citizens, social groups and the private sector."

According to Tjeenk Willink the will to assist each other in the Kingdom exists. "But the question is whether we make efficient use of it," he said. He said direct contacts within the Kingdom were less extensive than for example within the European Union (EU). "That is strange because the Kingdom consists for a rather long time."

Not equal

Relations in the Kingdom are not equal, acknowledged Tjeenk Willink. The differences in for instance size cannot be denied. That is even more so in the case of the smaller islands Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba in their relation with the Netherlands. But, he added, "It doesn't mean that you can't have equal respect for each other. The unequal relationship requires comprehension from all sides. The same is also true within the EU where France isn't The Netherlands and Germany isn't Malta."

Forcing Dutch norms, values and traditions on the islands without taking their culture, history and practices into account is not a good idea. Forcing laws on same-sex marriage, abortion and euthanasia on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba isn't either.

Tjeenk Willink said he was "not a great admirer" of the amendments adopted by the Second Chamber to introduce these three ethically sensitive issues on the islands. "You have to take each other's cultural differences into account. "

Senseless

Unilaterally forcing regulations for which no relevant support in society exists is senseless, said the Vice-president. "You can keep making rules and regulations on paper, but it will not work. You need to find a balance. Democracy and the Rule of Law ('rechtsstaat') must go hand in hand, but people should also believe in it. Such things take time, as it did in The Netherlands itself, on exactly the same ethical topics. Marching too far in front of the troops is often unwise."

The islands, on the other hand, should also indicate loud and clear what they want and do not want and come with suggestions how to solve the issues. "You can cherish the Calimero effect (ever feeling the victim, ed.), but I don't think we should."

The relation of the Netherlands with the three smaller islands requires a form of management that civil servants and politicians in The Hague are not exactly used to. He said the Dutch government had to be very careful when executing laws and regulations on the islands, repairing them where necessary if things work out some other way than planned. That is a normal process: the effects of a certain law can never be foreseen completely.

Bit naive

It was nevertheless perhaps a "bit naive" of some people in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba to think that all issues would have been solved when the islands acquired the 'public entity' status per October 10, 2010. "People were happy to be liberated from Curaçao. But they should also be realistic that the problems won't be solved in a day and they should realise that the Dutch government is not automatically paradise."

Tjeenk Willink said he was at the moment not particularly worried about St. Maarten's future as a country. He appreciated St. Maarten's efforts in 2011 to make the most of it, despite its limited means. As he already indicated in his speech at the University of St. Martin (USM) during his last visit to the island, the Vice-president said it was important to have the right checks and balances and to enable vital organs like the Advisory Council to do its work. He said St. Maarten's country status offered chances for more practical cooperation in the Kingdom.

Strategic partnerships

Building strategic partnerships in the Kingdom, like Aruba does, is the way to go, instead of saying that The Netherlands is taking away the autonomy of the islands, said Tjeenk Willink. Cooperation is vital. That also applies for The Netherlands and the EU. "You can say: I don't want the EU. But I say: make your calculation because cooperation is a necessity. Be clear about what you want because otherwise decisions will be taken over your head. The world will not go away if you close your eyes."

Tjeenk Willink acknowledged that it sometimes wasn't easy for the overseas partners to do business with The Netherlands as the former coloniser. He did point out that the political climate in The Netherlands has changed and not to the benefit of the islands. "You can keep objecting about financial supervision like some politicians in St. Maarten and Curaçao do, but it is understandable that The Netherlands isn't inclined to once again pay the islands' debt."

Citizens should feel secure about their country, their identity. "Citizens should feel that they are in charge of their surroundings and developments. Politicians and government should respect that and govern in such a way that fosters the autonomy of the people. Politicians cannot solely do their own thing, they have to think of the people first and they should always operate according to the letter and spirit of the law."

Dismantling process

The Council of State played an important role in the dismantling process of the Netherlands Antilles and the creating of the new countries Curaçao and St. Maarten and the Dutch 'public entities.' Under Tjeenk Willink's leadership, the Council analysed stacks of draft law texts and provided advice to the governments in the Kingdom.

The Council did so to the best of its ability, said Tjeenk Willink. But because situations change and things don't always end up as anticipated, it is also important to make corrections afterwards. "You can't keep preparing and negotiating forever. At a certain point you have to take a decision on the constitutional legal structure because if you don't, you create an alibi to evade the real issues in society like education, health care, employment."

The Antillean structure of five islands together in one country had to end simply because it did not work. "After all, people don't live in structures but in houses," he said. But the political discussions took long and at a certain point there was a stalemate which had to be resolved, said Tjeenk Willink, referring to the lengthy process of the first discussions about restructuring and referenda about a new constitutional status to the execution of the dismantling.

Listening ear

The Council has always provided a listening ear to the islands. Not only governing parties found, and still find, their way to the Council, but the opposition and non-political groups as well. The latter is not only to be commended but also essential in order to get an objective view of things. "Otherwise you can't give proper advice. You have to know in which context to place your advice."

Tjeenk Willink might be resigning, but he will not forget about the islands. "You cannot simply turn off the switch when you have a warm heart for something." Is he going to enjoy life now that he is going on a well-deserved pension? He smiles: "When people say that they make it sound like work is a terrible thing."

Herman Tjeenk Willink studied law at the University of Leiden and the University of Paris. He was extraordinary professor at the Catholic University of Brabant and became a Member of the First Chamber for the Labour Party PvdA in 1987. He was appointed President of the First Chamber in 1991. In 1994 he was "informateur" of the first Kok cabinet, a function he again had during the formation of the Rutte cabinet in 2010. He became Vice-president of the Council of State in 1997. Queen Beatrix is the President of the Council of State, an organisation that has twelve permanent members, forty so-called Staatsraden and three Staatsraden of the Kingdom. Dennis Richardson is the Staatsraad for St. Maarten. Former Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Piet Hein Donner will succeed Tjeenk Willink next week as Vice-president.

• Enhance the mobility of the SMHDF Elderly and Disabled Clients
• Increase the opportunity to attend activities with the other Elderly
• Reduce cost in transport and ability to enjoy other benefits for those disabled and over 60
• Provide opportunity for better health care
• Become more independent in moving around and not be dependent on anyone

• Support the HHF morally and comply with the MOU
• Promote HHF services to clients
• Sponsor when necessary clients who are in dire need to be transported
• Evaluate the HHF services on a quarterly basis

For more information on World Wetlands day, please go to this link.....http://www.ramsar.org/cda/en/ramsar-activities-wwds-wwd2012e/main/ramsar/1-63-78%5E25350_4000_0__

Mrs Lourens will deliver an address on education after 10-10-10 and the work being done by DERPI to develop education on St Maarten. Being involved in education and the innovations that have been introduced over the years, Mrs Lourens is an authority on education and it is expected that her keynote address will be well received.

The annual Journey for Education dinner was originally scheduled for late November of last year, but had to be rescheduled to January 28th 2012. JFE President Rolando Tobias informed that all tickets purchased since last year are still valid and encouraged supporters to come out and enjoy a lovely evening of dinner, entertainment and information.

Journey for Education Foundation hosts fundraising events and the proceeds are distributed to students seeking tertiary education.

The 27 January meeting is open to the public and will take place in the General Assembly Chamber in the House of Parliament at the Wilhelmina Straat #2.1.

Members of Parliament (MPs) will be introduced to the Mental Health Foundation (MHF) and MPs will be informed about the work that the foundation does within the mental health field.

The MHF offers several care products, psychiatric care and counselling, day care for psychiatric patients, ambulant care for psychiatric patients, crisis intervention, voluntary and involuntary care, information and prevention campaign.

The committee session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 20 and only the audio via Pearl Radio FM 98.1 as well as via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com and www.sxmparliament.org.

Representing Sint Maarten in the Audit Committee is Carol Voges, Head of Finance & Economic Affairs at the Cabinet of the Minster of Plenipotentiary of Sint Maarten.

The other members of the Audit Committee are the Falkland Islands, President and the Cayman Islands. A number of other appointments were made to the Executive Committee of OCTA for 2012 until the next elections; a new Chairman and Vice Chairman of the Ministerial Meeting of OCTA.

The officials elected as members of the Executive Committee of OCTA are hereby authorized to do all that is necessary to continue to further the objectives of OCTA as the official organization of OCTs in Brussels, according to the Strategic Plan approved in 2010.

The delegations also reiterated in the administrative resolution that their position that OCTA does not release the European Union institutions and agencies and/or relevant Member States (France, Denmark, The Netherlands and the United Kingdom) from their responsibilities to the OCTs individually under the provisions of the Treaty and the Overseas Association Decision.

The OCTs are non-European countries and territories that have special relations with Denmark, France, the Netherlands and the United Kingdom.

They are associated with the European Community with a view to promoting their economic and social development and establishing close economic relations between them and the Community as a whole.

There are in total approximately 25 OCTs. The OCTs are constitutionally linked to a Member State, but without being part of the Community.

The theme was "Promoting Justice and Equality." The Prime Minister touched upon the topic of the country's judicial system, of having local judges, the language of the court system, the constitution, human rights, and the country's international reporting obligations.

.

The January 25 meeting is open to the public and will take place in the General Assembly Chamber in the House of Parliament at the Wilhelmina Straat #2.1.

Members of Parliament (MPs) will decide on the advice of the Seniorenconvent about the installation of a Committee for Country Expenditures.

The second point to be discussed is becoming a member of Parlatino's Political, Municipality and Integration Committee which discusses political issues.

The committee session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 20 and only the audio via Pearl Radio FM 98.1 as well as via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com and www.sxmparliament.org.

PHILIPSBURG--A very angry local consumer (name known) contacted The Daily Herald on Tuesday to tell a story that many people have told in St. Maarten; a story of purchasing "name brand" shoes at a store in Philipsburg only to see said shoes literally fall apart after only a few wears.

This time, the resident's ire was directed at a sports store on Back Street (name known) where she purchased a pair of female Geox Respira loafers for US $84. The pair of shoes actually has a shelf price of US $99, but the store offered a discount at the time of purchase.

She explained that the soles of the shoes had started to come apart only four days after she had started wearing them to work (she works in a government office). Highly upset that her US $84 purchase was literally falling apart beneath her feet, she returned to the store with the shoes in hand.

She said the store attendant told her at first, "We do not have guarantees on the soles of shoes." On hearing that, she asked to speak to the owner of the store, who told her, "Where the shoes are stored overseas, the heat tends to deteriorate the shoes."

Taken aback by this explanation, she asked the store owner, "So you are selling rotten goods?" to which she never received an answer.

At this point, the owner exchanged the broken pair of shoes for a new pair and, according to the customer, asked her not to return to the store if it happened again, because "we don't give refunds." Thinking she now had a decent pair of shoes to wear to work, she became even more upset when the second pair also started coming apart after the same length of time as the first pair. This was when she decided to go public.

In an invited comment, the owner of the store said, "Leather shoes, because of the heat where they are stored, get damaged sometimes" and "I explained to my supplier, but the company is not always easy in dealing with exchanges, but they said no problem in this case." After this newspaper apprised him of the complaint by his former customer he said: "I was in contact with her and I will refund her the money."

The angry consumer was adamant about her complaint being published, because "it is about time government does something about these things. Are we dealing with fake name brand shoes here? Who is there to protect the consumer?" she asked.

PHILIPSBURG--A week after Health, Labour and Social Affairs Minister Cornelius de Weever told civil servants of the Department of Labour and Social Affair to "shape up or ship out," he took a proactive step to guide them to an improved quality of service and friendliness to the community.

De Weever signed a two-year professional training and certification contract with St. Maarten SuperHost, headed by managing director Tamara Leonard, on Tuesday afternoon.

The two-part agreement covers the Labour Affairs Department and the Social Affairs Department separately and will translate into a long-term programme at the end of which successful civil servants will be certified as SuperHost ambassadors. The cost of the programme is US $12,000.

The goal of both the minister and SuperHost is to equip the civil servants for efficient and friendly management of clients. It also, hopefully, will show the participants that going the extra mile to assist a client, be it an elderly person or a youngster, is not a hindrance or a bother on the job.

Leonard said improving the service level would be a boost to friendliness and being helpful was not a bother because it would ensure efficiency and lessen the workload for the future.

This is SuperHost's first agreement with a government department. The company already has carried out training and certification in a number of private sector companies, including Health Insurance SZV, St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies and NAGICO Insurances.

GUANA BAY--Police have released more details about the robbery/shooting that took place in Guana Bay on Monday night.

According to the police report, a patrol unit, detectives, the forensic team and an ambulance unit were directed to Geo Villas, where the shooting had taken place, around 9:15pm.

At the residence the investigating officers encountered victims H.J.C., who had been shot in the upper left thigh, his girlfriend S.M. and their young child.

Officers were told that the couple had just reached home when they were attacked suddenly by three unknown masked and armed men. They were forced into their home, where the robbers demanded money from them.

After collecting a small amount of cash, the robbers demanded more money. At this point H.J.C. was shot and S.M. was hit on her head with the butt of a gun. The trio then fled on foot.

The victims were treated on the scene by paramedics and H.J.C. was transported to St. Maarten Medical Center for further medical treatment. He reportedly was still at the hospital for observation on Tuesday.

The scene was closed off and the Forensic Team began its investigation by collecting evidence.

A search of the vicinity for the suspects did not have any positive results. The detectives are questioning potential witnesses. This investigation is ongoing.

CAY HILL--I.C., the sixteen-year-old who claimed on Monday that she had been discharged from St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) without a guardian present and with an intravenous (IV) line still in her arm, has retracted her story as published in yesterday's issue of The Daily Herald.

In a follow up interview with the girl's mother C.C. and SMMC's Communication Manager Juliëtte Hassell on Tuesday, it was confirmed that I.C. had disobeyed her mother's instructions and had left the hospital premises on her own.

C.C. concurred with Hassell, saying, "What she (I.C.) said about her discharge, it was incorrect."

Explaining her actions of going to the media versus first contacting the hospital C.C. said, "It's like the situation that's what I had to do. This here [referring newspaper article] is what she kept saying."

As it turned out, I.C., who originally did not want to be admitted to the hospital, had misled her mother, not expecting the matter to escalate.

C.C. said that when her daughter arrived at home Monday afternoon, she had been pressed by her grandparents to give accounts of the events leading up to her discharge and I.C. had maintained her story that she had been told by SMMC staff to go home.

Hassell explained Tuesday that in cases like these, when persons are not happy with the services of the hospital, they should visit or contact the Inspectorate of Healthcare and lodge their complaints. The Inspectorate will investigate the matter and decide whether it was handled correctly.

PHILIPSBURG--Government is not attending to simple traffic and road works issues, because these will be used "to justify a multi-million dollar project," said National Alliance (NA) Member of Parliament (MP) Louie Laveist in a vague reference to the planned Simpson Bay Lagoon Causeway (bridge) on Tuesday.

To illustrate his view to the press on Tuesday, Laveist said government has allowed the pothole in the vicinity of Tropicana Casino in Cole Bay to become a crater, when all that needed to be done was "repair the hole," instead of allowing it to cripple businesses and affect traffic flow.

The damaged section of the road pointed out by Laveist was investigated by the Ministry of Infrastructure on Sunday morning with the purpose of starting repairs. However, the team found a larger than anticipated volume of groundwater and is now reassessing how to proceed with the work.

Laveist called on government members to "take their heads out of the trough and see the clouds. A simple situation is crippling ... this young country."

He added that government is "allowing businesses to suffer to justify campaign promises. ... It's a bloody shame. ... It ain't right what they doing to the people. The people of Cole Bay and the country in general have gone through enough frustration with the closure of half of Welfare Road for several months last year."

Laveist said government should work in the interest of the people instead of "satisfying a few of their fat cats' wishes, wants and needs with political promises."

WILLEMSTAD--Curaçao's Council of Ministers has approved the increase of the pension age from 60 to 65, based on the recommendation that looked into the long-term viability of the financially-troubled old age pension AOV fund.

Everyone who was 57 or younger on January 1 will now receive the full pension when they reach 65, while those 58 and older still get it at 60. The law does allow people to retire earlier, but their AOV will be less if they do so.

Government also agreed to increase the amount involved to a NAf. 1000 per month for recipients who are solely dependent on it. At the moment these people are getting NAf. 834 in pension plus a separate allowance of NAf. 130 from the Ministry of Social Development, Labour and Wellbeing, for a total of NAf. 964.

The same committee has been asked to come up with a proposal for mandatory pension insurance on the island by June 1.

PARADISE ISLAND, Bahamas--Despite the region spending millions of dollars to secure airline flights to the Caribbean, ticket prices are still too high and remain insufficient to sustain the industry, according to President of the Caribbean Hotel and Tourism Association (CHTA) Josef Forstmayr.

Forstmayr, addressing the opening of the Caribbean Marketplace at the glittering Atlantis Resort, asserted: "There are no 'drive-ins' in the Caribbean - most of our guests arrive by air."

He estimated in 2010 the Caribbean governments "collectively paid US $45 million to secure air-lift – only to find that our airlift is still inadequate and way too expensive for our visitors."

The CHTA president noted intra-Caribbean tourism "once represented 13 per cent of the region's tourism; as much as Canada. The combined population of Caribbean countries is 40 million. However, due to the lack of a competitive and truly regional airline, regional tourism has been suffocated by outrageous ticket prices and a cumbersome and ill-conceived network."

The CHTA chief also criticized bureaucratic procedures in the region: "Caribbean nationals cannot travel freely between their countries without being subjected to visas, long immigration lines and other bureaucratic indulgences that stifle any sense of hospitality, the Caribbean's trademark."

~ Laville at odds with UP party ~

PHILIPSBURG--Half an hour after the official start time, Tuesday's Parliament meeting was called off due to no quorum. Of the fifteen Members of Parliament (MPs) only seven – five from the National Alliance (NA), one from the United People's (UP) party and one independent member – had signed in.

The meeting on the lawfulness of MP Jules James voting on a motion that had named him in the ongoing saga about dismissal of more than 100 workers by Simpson Bay Resort (SBR), where he is the General Manager, had been requested by the NA.

UP fraction leader MP Romain Laville failed to turn up for Tuesday's meeting. Contacted by The Daily Herald last night for an explanation, Laville said that after he had had "some issues" with party members during a fraction meeting on Monday, he had decided to stay away from the meeting.

Commenting on the non-attendance of the other UP members, Laville said that was for their account. He said he had decided to stay away to think matters through and to that end had switched off his phones.

"My only concern now is about the workers. I asked questions about what was the status with them and I am not getting answers," said a seemingly frustrated Laville.

NA leader MP William Marlin told the press, following the cancellation of the meeting, that it was "obvious" that members of the coalition, in particular the UP, "do not know how to handle the meeting and can't reach agreement."

When the NA motion seeking to instruct government to find a solution to the issues at the resort and condemn James' action in his role in the dismissal was tabled on November 17, 2011, William Marlin said the motion showed "how divided" UP members already were, with Laville saying he was being forced to go against his conscience.

William Marlin said, "It is their [coalition] good right to not sign in and in so doing buy time." The Rules of Order allow for situations such as this one. But, he added, "They cannot continue to not show up" because there are "consequences for staying away."

MP Louie Laveist (NA) also speaking with reporters after the meeting had been cancelled, said, "The Constitution says to them [the coalition] basically, they can run, but they can't hide." He was referring to the fact that if there is no quorum when the meeting is called again, it will be called a third time and no matter the number of MPs present, decisions taken will be legal and binding.

President of Parliament Arrindell (UP) waited 30 minutes after the official start time of the meeting, as prescribed by the rules, to see if any other MP would sign in, but this did not happen. Based on Article 29 of the Rules of Order, she had General Secretary Jozef Semeleer conduct the roll call that established that only seven members were present.

At least eight MPs must be present and signed in for any meeting of Parliament to be held. This meeting will be recalled in four days or, as the Rules of Order state, in four times 24 hours. If there is no quorum again when that meeting is called another postponement will take place. The meeting will then be called for a third time and will continue even if there are not eight members present. In such a scenario, any decision taken in that third meeting, despite it not having eight or more members present, will be considered legal and binding.

Only seven of the 15 MPs were present for the start of the meeting: Arrindell (UP); William Marlin, George Pantophlet, Dr. Lloyd Richardson, Louie Laveist and Hyacinth Richardson (all NA); and Frans Richardson (independent).

Other than Arrindell and MP Leroy de Weever who was absent with notice, no other members of the UP/Democratic Party (DP) coalition which is supported by independent MP Patrick Illidge were present in the General Assembly Hall, despite several members being in Parliament House. MP Roy Marlin (DP) left the building before the Parliament session commenced.

UP President Minister Franklin Meyers and fellow UP Ministers Rhoda Arrindell and Hiro Shigemoto also were in Parliament House prior to the start of the meeting. Meyers had a meeting with some coalition MPs, including James, Silvia Meyers-Olivacce and Johan "Janchi" Leonard, and Roy Marlin (DP).

UP fraction leader MP Laville was absent from the meeting.

Betrayal

In his brief session with reporters, Laveist decried the management of SBR for refusing to give workers who had signed temporary contracts copies of those contracts.

Laveist called on government to stop betraying the people. "It is betrayal to the core when you would allow a company to trample on the basic rights of the people."

He said this betrayal by government had emboldened MP James in his post as SBR general manager in that he was "threatening the very liberty of the people" by refusing to give copies of the contract. "If this is not a boldfaced slap in the face of the people, then I don't know what it is."

However, word from the resort is that workers have received copies of their contracts.

Laveist expressed the view that UP leader Deputy Prime Minister Theo Heyliger was in favour of James' and SBR's actions, because he had said nothing publicly about the saga involving the resort and the dismissed workers. Laveist said his training had taught him that "silence gives consent."

Asked by a member of the press if he was championing the issue because his sister was among the workers dismissed and whether she had been given a copy of her contract, Laveist said his stance had nothing to do with his sister's employment. "It's a general blanket statement."

Labour unrest

Laveist said he did not want labour unrest, but if matters continued in the way they were going "labour unrest will be unavoidable."

Every government respects its people, he added. "I never thought I would see the day when our government put the rights and interest of foreign investors ahead of their own people. ... It's the greatest betrayal."

He said people should "never forget what the UP party and its great supposed leader [Heyliger, ed.] are doing to them."

Laveist called on "the defenders of the labourers" – the unions – to take note of the situation, "because these people don't fear labour unions. This is union-busting." He urged the unions "to be united together in this struggle or it will be the end to unionism" if "James and the UP party are allowed to violate the rights of the people and ... the Constitution."

COLEBAY--A man was arrested after he crashed his car into a cement wall across from the KFC restaurant onWelfare Roadaround 10:00pm Sunday.

  The Guyanese man driving a dark blue Dodge Neon while allegedly intoxicated was coming from the Kruythoff roundabout heading toSimpsonBay. He crossed into the oncoming lane and crashed into the wall of a house on the side of the road. The car’s front was crushed and the airbags deployed.

  Two fire trucks and two ambulances were called to the scene. Emergency medical responders examined some passengers who were involved in the accident, but no one was found seriously injured.

  The driver was placed into the ambulance, but he was arrested before he reached St. Maarten Medical Center and was taken to the police station.

  Police did not provide a comment on the arrest.

COLEBAY--A man was arrested after he crashed his car into a cement wall across from the KFC restaurant onWelfare Roadaround 10:00pm Sunday.

  The Guyanese man driving a dark blue Dodge Neon while allegedly intoxicated was coming from the Kruythoff roundabout heading toSimpsonBay. He crossed into the oncoming lane and crashed into the wall of a house on the side of the road. The car’s front was crushed and the airbags deployed.

  Two fire trucks and two ambulances were called to the scene. Emergency medical responders examined some passengers who were involved in the accident, but no one was found seriously injured.

  The driver was placed into the ambulance, but he was arrested before he reached St. Maarten Medical Center and was taken to the police station.

  Police did not provide a comment on the arrest.

POINTE BLANCHE--Tropical Shipping has begun using St. Maarten as its transhipment hub for the Northeastern Caribbean, bringing yet another boost to the country's economy via Dr. A.C. Wathey Cruise and Cargo Facilities.

The shipping company's first transhipment of containers arrived here aboard M/V Otterhound after 1:00am on January 15. The service includes three calls weekly for the foreseeable future on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays.

The containers destined for Antigua, Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis and other islands are shipped out immediately during the day of arrival here.

Terminal and Cargo Operations Manager Roger Lawrence said the service would bring in some 30 to 60 twenty-foot equivalent units "TEUs" per week.

This transhipment business is a result of St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies' "aggressive campaign and programme to attract transhipment business," said Harbour CEO Mark Mingo. Those efforts were direct results of the extension of the Captain David Quay wall and the acquisition of two shore cranes.

The harbour held its first discussions with Tropical Shipping in 2008. In December 2009, Tropical Shipping finally made a presentation to the harbour's board outlining its plans for transhipment into St. Maarten, the first stage of which has started.

St. Maarten was chosen over other islands in the region for this transhipment venture due to its geographical location; investments made in cargo quay wall extension, in an additional container staging area and in two Gottwald shore cranes; investment of the local stevedoring group in shore handling equipment; and the introduction of the Global Logistics System (GLS) computerised system.

A plus for St. Maarten, according to the port officials, is St. Maarten Port and Stevedoring Group's experienced team and personnel.

In general, transhipment figures for the past year have been promising, with an increase of 24 per cent in December 2011 compared with December 2010. Local full import has increased one per cent in the same period. Total throughput shows an increase of eight per cent for the past year over 2010.

POINTE BLANCHE--Tropical Shipping has begun using St. Maarten as its transhipment hub for the Northeastern Caribbean, bringing yet another boost to the country's economy via Dr. A.C. Wathey Cruise and Cargo Facilities.

The shipping company's first transhipment of containers arrived here aboard M/V Otterhound after 1:00am on January 15. The service includes three calls weekly for the foreseeable future on Saturdays, Sundays and Wednesdays.

The containers destined for Antigua, Dominica, St. Kitts and Nevis and other islands are shipped out immediately during the day of arrival here.

Terminal and Cargo Operations Manager Roger Lawrence said the service would bring in some 30 to 60 twenty-foot equivalent units "TEUs" per week.

This transhipment business is a result of St. Maarten Harbour Group of Companies' "aggressive campaign and programme to attract transhipment business," said Harbour CEO Mark Mingo. Those efforts were direct results of the extension of the Captain David Quay wall and the acquisition of two shore cranes.

The harbour held its first discussions with Tropical Shipping in 2008. In December 2009, Tropical Shipping finally made a presentation to the harbour's board outlining its plans for transhipment into St. Maarten, the first stage of which has started.

St. Maarten was chosen over other islands in the region for this transhipment venture due to its geographical location; investments made in cargo quay wall extension, in an additional container staging area and in two Gottwald shore cranes; investment of the local stevedoring group in shore handling equipment; and the introduction of the Global Logistics System (GLS) computerised system.

A plus for St. Maarten, according to the port officials, is St. Maarten Port and Stevedoring Group's experienced team and personnel.

In general, transhipment figures for the past year have been promising, with an increase of 24 per cent in December 2011 compared with December 2010. Local full import has increased one per cent in the same period. Total throughput shows an increase of eight per cent for the past year over 2010.

GUANA BAY--A man was shot in the leg while going home from work with his young child around 9:20pm Monday.

An ambulance was dispatched to the location in the Guana Bay/Hope Estate area. The man was taken to St. Maarten Medical Center for doctors to remove the bullet.

Reports coming from the hospital said the man appeared to have been the victim of a robbery. On exiting his car he was ambushed by three men. A physical struggle ensued and the victim was shot in upper left thigh.

It is understood that the man was bleeding internally and would need to be stabilised. Around 10:15pm he was being prepared for surgery.

The police technical team and detectives were still on the scene at 10:30pm.

GUANA BAY--A man was shot in the leg while going home from work with his young child around 9:20pm Monday.

An ambulance was dispatched to the location in the Guana Bay/Hope Estate area. The man was taken to St. Maarten Medical Center for doctors to remove the bullet.

Reports coming from the hospital said the man appeared to have been the victim of a robbery. On exiting his car he was ambushed by three men. A physical struggle ensued and the victim was shot in upper left thigh.

It is understood that the man was bleeding internally and would need to be stabilised. Around 10:15pm he was being prepared for surgery.

The police technical team and detectives were still on the scene at 10:30pm.

RETREAT ESTATE--Rat droppings on school tables, chairs and toys; rainwater flooding classrooms; stagnant water in the yard; and defective windows are among the many concerns of Ruby Labega School's Parent Teachers Association (PTA).

PTA President Shanna Cornet called a press conference on Monday to highlight some of the school's pressing concerns.

Cornet said teachers had been finding and cleaning rat droppings from classroom tables, chairs, school materials and toys used by four- and five-year-olds in a kindergarten classroom for some time now. A teacher killed a rat in one of the kindergarten classrooms last week Friday. Classes were held in the school yard on that day, as the young pupils were afraid to use the classroom after the rat was caught.

Cornet said it appeared as though the rats accessed the classroom through a defective window. She said a representative of the Health Department had visited the school last week Friday and had walked around the compound to see the problems. Rat poison was placed around the schoolyard subsequently, but the defective window still needs to be fixed, she said.

Another of the PTA's concerns is the constant flooding of some classrooms whenever it rains. The PTA president said the school lacked a proper drainage system for rainwater to run off and, as a result, water seeped into some of the classroom whenever it rained. She said this had been brought to the attention of authorities, but to no avail.

She said stagnant water often covered a walkway used by pupils to go from one room to another.

Overgrown vegetation in some parts of the school compound was listed as another concern. At one point the husband of one of the school's teachers had to cut the vegetation.

Cornet said too that several classroom windows were defective. The fan in the school's multipurpose room, which is used for exams and assembly, is not functioning resulting in the multipurpose room being very hot when in use.

The deteriorated road leading to school also was cited as an issue that slowed traffic and resulted in sometimes dangerous situations. Cornet would like authorities to give the school some attention by addressing the issues affecting it in the best interest of education.

RETREAT ESTATE--Rat droppings on school tables, chairs and toys; rainwater flooding classrooms; stagnant water in the yard; and defective windows are among the many concerns of Ruby Labega School's Parent Teachers Association (PTA).

PTA President Shanna Cornet called a press conference on Monday to highlight some of the school's pressing concerns.

Cornet said teachers had been finding and cleaning rat droppings from classroom tables, chairs, school materials and toys used by four- and five-year-olds in a kindergarten classroom for some time now. A teacher killed a rat in one of the kindergarten classrooms last week Friday. Classes were held in the school yard on that day, as the young pupils were afraid to use the classroom after the rat was caught.

Cornet said it appeared as though the rats accessed the classroom through a defective window. She said a representative of the Health Department had visited the school last week Friday and had walked around the compound to see the problems. Rat poison was placed around the schoolyard subsequently, but the defective window still needs to be fixed, she said.

Another of the PTA's concerns is the constant flooding of some classrooms whenever it rains. The PTA president said the school lacked a proper drainage system for rainwater to run off and, as a result, water seeped into some of the classroom whenever it rained. She said this had been brought to the attention of authorities, but to no avail.

She said stagnant water often covered a walkway used by pupils to go from one room to another.

Overgrown vegetation in some parts of the school compound was listed as another concern. At one point the husband of one of the school's teachers had to cut the vegetation.

Cornet said too that several classroom windows were defective. The fan in the school's multipurpose room, which is used for exams and assembly, is not functioning resulting in the multipurpose room being very hot when in use.

The deteriorated road leading to school also was cited as an issue that slowed traffic and resulted in sometimes dangerous situations. Cornet would like authorities to give the school some attention by addressing the issues affecting it in the best interest of education.

~ Hospital says patient discharged herself ~

CAY HILL--The concerned mother of a teenage girl is alleging that her daughter was discharged from St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) on Monday afternoon without a guardian to care for her and with the intravenous (IV) drip still partly in her arm.

However, SMMC is disputing aspects of the family's report.

C.C., the mother, said I.C. (16) had been taken to the emergency ward earlier in the month after complaining of stomach pains. Because the family's health insurance had already expired US $300 was paid to have blood work done. The results did not indicate anything was wrong and the girl was sent home.

I.C. was taken to the hospital again by her mother on Monday around 10:00am for a similar complaint. C.C. said she had told SMMC staff she believed she had been given less attention during the first visit because she did not have health insurance. The hospital staffer assured her that its policy was to treat all persons who visit for treatment.

Blood work was done again and a urine sample taken. Around 1:45pm the doctor dealing with the case said it could be appendicitis, but more tests had to be done and the patient would have to stay overnight. C.C. agreed and told medical staffers she was leaving to collect some things for her daughter and would be back.

Although I.C. protested being admitted, her mother gave clear instructions that she was not to leave. C.C. said she had left her daughter lying on a hospital bed with an IV drip attached to her arm.

Before leaving C.C. explained that she did not have a mobile phone and had to catch a bus; therefore, it might take some time before she returned, but she promised that she would. However, I.C. showed up at their home about an hour later, according to C.C.

I.C. said she had been discharged from the hospital shortly after her mother left. She said a nurse had made a nasty comment along the lines of "how can we be harbouring people with no doctor card." After being discharged with no guardian present and the IV partially still in her arm, I.C. said a nurse had paid a stranger US $2 to take her home.

SMMC's Communications Manager Juliëtte Hassell was contacted by The Daily Herald for the hospital's account of exactly what had transpired. Having spoken to persons who were involved with the case, Hassell confirmed that most of the story was correct.

"The patient indicated that she didn't want to be admitted. Her mother explicitly instructed her to remain at the hospital while her mother left to come back. However, the patient didn't wait on the return of her mother and against doctor's orders left the hospital on her own," said Hassell.

She also refuted the girl's report that a nurse had paid for a taxi or any form of transportation to send I.C. home. She explained that when patients were discharged nurses assisted in arranging transportation, but did not pay for it themselves.

Hassell concluded by saying it was not hospital policy to discharge a minor without the presence of a parent or legal guardian.

~ Hospital says patient discharged herself ~

CAY HILL--The concerned mother of a teenage girl is alleging that her daughter was discharged from St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) on Monday afternoon without a guardian to care for her and with the intravenous (IV) drip still partly in her arm.

However, SMMC is disputing aspects of the family's report.

C.C., the mother, said I.C. (16) had been taken to the emergency ward earlier in the month after complaining of stomach pains. Because the family's health insurance had already expired US $300 was paid to have blood work done. The results did not indicate anything was wrong and the girl was sent home.

I.C. was taken to the hospital again by her mother on Monday around 10:00am for a similar complaint. C.C. said she had told SMMC staff she believed she had been given less attention during the first visit because she did not have health insurance. The hospital staffer assured her that its policy was to treat all persons who visit for treatment.

Blood work was done again and a urine sample taken. Around 1:45pm the doctor dealing with the case said it could be appendicitis, but more tests had to be done and the patient would have to stay overnight. C.C. agreed and told medical staffers she was leaving to collect some things for her daughter and would be back.

Although I.C. protested being admitted, her mother gave clear instructions that she was not to leave. C.C. said she had left her daughter lying on a hospital bed with an IV drip attached to her arm.

Before leaving C.C. explained that she did not have a mobile phone and had to catch a bus; therefore, it might take some time before she returned, but she promised that she would. However, I.C. showed up at their home about an hour later, according to C.C.

I.C. said she had been discharged from the hospital shortly after her mother left. She said a nurse had made a nasty comment along the lines of "how can we be harbouring people with no doctor card." After being discharged with no guardian present and the IV partially still in her arm, I.C. said a nurse had paid a stranger US $2 to take her home.

SMMC's Communications Manager Juliëtte Hassell was contacted by The Daily Herald for the hospital's account of exactly what had transpired. Having spoken to persons who were involved with the case, Hassell confirmed that most of the story was correct.

"The patient indicated that she didn't want to be admitted. Her mother explicitly instructed her to remain at the hospital while her mother left to come back. However, the patient didn't wait on the return of her mother and against doctor's orders left the hospital on her own," said Hassell.

She also refuted the girl's report that a nurse had paid for a taxi or any form of transportation to send I.C. home. She explained that when patients were discharged nurses assisted in arranging transportation, but did not pay for it themselves.

Hassell concluded by saying it was not hospital policy to discharge a minor without the presence of a parent or legal guardian.

PHILIPSBURG--Police spokesman Inspector Ricardo Henson confirmed on Monday that C.E., a Jamaican who was arrested last week, has filed a complaint that his gold chain was stolen while he was detained at the Philipsburg police station.

Henson reported that an internal investigation into the matter had been launched. The inspector said it must be established first that C.E. had a chain when he was detained at the station. If confirmed, investigators will continue investigating to find out who stole the chain.

According to reports, C.E. realised his chain was missing when he received a plastic bag containing his other belongings from the attending officer on his release.

C.E. was arrested last week for having forged documents. He was released on Friday after paying a fine.

PHILIPSBURG--Police spokesman Inspector Ricardo Henson confirmed on Monday that C.E., a Jamaican who was arrested last week, has filed a complaint that his gold chain was stolen while he was detained at the Philipsburg police station.

Henson reported that an internal investigation into the matter had been launched. The inspector said it must be established first that C.E. had a chain when he was detained at the station. If confirmed, investigators will continue investigating to find out who stole the chain.

According to reports, C.E. realised his chain was missing when he received a plastic bag containing his other belongings from the attending officer on his release.

C.E. was arrested last week for having forged documents. He was released on Friday after paying a fine.

PHILIPSBURG--Front Street jewellery store Caribbean Gems was burglarised some time between late Sunday night and early Monday morning. The thieves made off with several pieces and the store's digital video recorder (DVR).

The store's alarm went off Sunday around 11:30pm, but when store management arrived everything appeared to be in place. On Monday it was found that the wires of the alarm system had been cut. The system having been disabled, hammering of the wall went unnoticed.

Once inside the thieves ransacked the office and raided the jewellery displays. Store management suspects that the DVR was taken because the thieves assumed footage of the robbery was stored on it.

Thieves also attempted to open the safe by using a blowtorch and breaking the handle. A specialist will be brought in to open the safe to confirm that nothing was taken. The exact value of the stolen goods was not reported.

Police detectives and forensics team arrived at the store to document the crime, collect fingerprints and other evidence.

PHILIPSBURG--Front Street jewellery store Caribbean Gems was burglarised some time between late Sunday night and early Monday morning. The thieves made off with several pieces and the store's digital video recorder (DVR).

The store's alarm went off Sunday around 11:30pm, but when store management arrived everything appeared to be in place. On Monday it was found that the wires of the alarm system had been cut. The system having been disabled, hammering of the wall went unnoticed.

Once inside the thieves ransacked the office and raided the jewellery displays. Store management suspects that the DVR was taken because the thieves assumed footage of the robbery was stored on it.

Thieves also attempted to open the safe by using a blowtorch and breaking the handle. A specialist will be brought in to open the safe to confirm that nothing was taken. The exact value of the stolen goods was not reported.

Police detectives and forensics team arrived at the store to document the crime, collect fingerprints and other evidence.

~ Says there's a lack of interest in the core mission ~

SIMPSON BAY--Heineken Regatta co-founder Robbie Ferron will no longer serve as Steering Committee Chairman of the event with immediate effect, St. Maarten Heineken Regatta announced Monday.

A joint statement issued by the Heineken Regatta and Ferron said that "the position of Steering Committee Chairman and all functions related to that position will be taken over by Mr. John Gifford, previous co-chair to the event."

The statement cited Robbie's resignation as "due to his views on the future organisation of the event differing from those of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta Foundation board of directors, the organising entity."

Current operations and organisation of the regatta will continue to be handled by Regatta Director Heather Tackling and Assistant Director Michele Korteweg. "The change of Chairman will have no effect on the day to day operations and organisation of the event," the statement added.

The news will come as a shock to many in the community given the prominent role Ferron has played in the steering of the regatta's development. In a separate communication he indicated he had resigned from all positions at the St. Maarten Yacht Club, including the Heineken Regatta. However, he said he hoped the situation was "temporary."

"I am not retiring," he told The Daily Herald emphatically.

Friction between Ferron and the board had come to a head to an extent the situation had become untenable.

"There are so many issues but I don't want to go into the gory details," he said. "I want to see continued focus on sailing and sailing skills. The yacht club has grown considerably over the years and the way it is organised should reflect that growth, but I don't believe it does at the moment.

"As for the Heineken Regatta, I believe we should strategise and re-design it because we have so much competition. There are so many changes in the regatta market. But it became difficult for me to operate in the environment that the governing board created for me. They don't reply, they don't respond. Basically they don't want anything to happen."

He added: "There's a lack of interest in the core mission, in other words, putting up a great sailing event. I'm very conscious that sailors think of this as a great sailing event and you have to cater to that. Apparently this is not discussable. We've always put on a great sailing event but there are changes and you have to match the demand. I don't see the board being completely interested and I'm not being inaccurate by saying they are not interested in the development of sailing and how you manage high end international sailing events and the complications and demands that they present."

Ferron said he would be sailing as a competitor in the upcoming regatta but would be "working at finding ways to have a better situation in the future."

Asked if his own management style inflamed discussions and working relationships and ultimately was not conducive to a harmonious development of the regatta, he replied. "I probably have a lack of tolerance for people who stand still. Effectively I have not managed it as well as some people could have. There are definitely people who would like to handle it differently from the process point of view. But I'm not interested in pretending everything is fine and not challenging the situation we are faced with. And I'm probably too blunt and pushy."

Efforts to contact Commodore of the St. Maarten Yacht Club Ian Hope-Ross for a comment were unsuccessful yesterday. Calls to office and cell phone went unanswered.

Organisers of the Heineken Regatta indicated entries are ahead of the 2011 numbers to date and are looking forward to another successful event.

~ Says there's a lack of interest in the core mission ~

SIMPSON BAY--Heineken Regatta co-founder Robbie Ferron will no longer serve as Steering Committee Chairman of the event with immediate effect, St. Maarten Heineken Regatta announced Monday.

A joint statement issued by the Heineken Regatta and Ferron said that "the position of Steering Committee Chairman and all functions related to that position will be taken over by Mr. John Gifford, previous co-chair to the event."

The statement cited Robbie's resignation as "due to his views on the future organisation of the event differing from those of the St. Maarten Heineken Regatta Foundation board of directors, the organising entity."

Current operations and organisation of the regatta will continue to be handled by Regatta Director Heather Tackling and Assistant Director Michele Korteweg. "The change of Chairman will have no effect on the day to day operations and organisation of the event," the statement added.

The news will come as a shock to many in the community given the prominent role Ferron has played in the steering of the regatta's development. In a separate communication he indicated he had resigned from all positions at the St. Maarten Yacht Club, including the Heineken Regatta. However, he said he hoped the situation was "temporary."

"I am not retiring," he told The Daily Herald emphatically.

Friction between Ferron and the board had come to a head to an extent the situation had become untenable.

"There are so many issues but I don't want to go into the gory details," he said. "I want to see continued focus on sailing and sailing skills. The yacht club has grown considerably over the years and the way it is organised should reflect that growth, but I don't believe it does at the moment.

"As for the Heineken Regatta, I believe we should strategise and re-design it because we have so much competition. There are so many changes in the regatta market. But it became difficult for me to operate in the environment that the governing board created for me. They don't reply, they don't respond. Basically they don't want anything to happen."

He added: "There's a lack of interest in the core mission, in other words, putting up a great sailing event. I'm very conscious that sailors think of this as a great sailing event and you have to cater to that. Apparently this is not discussable. We've always put on a great sailing event but there are changes and you have to match the demand. I don't see the board being completely interested and I'm not being inaccurate by saying they are not interested in the development of sailing and how you manage high end international sailing events and the complications and demands that they present."

Ferron said he would be sailing as a competitor in the upcoming regatta but would be "working at finding ways to have a better situation in the future."

Asked if his own management style inflamed discussions and working relationships and ultimately was not conducive to a harmonious development of the regatta, he replied. "I probably have a lack of tolerance for people who stand still. Effectively I have not managed it as well as some people could have. There are definitely people who would like to handle it differently from the process point of view. But I'm not interested in pretending everything is fine and not challenging the situation we are faced with. And I'm probably too blunt and pushy."

Efforts to contact Commodore of the St. Maarten Yacht Club Ian Hope-Ross for a comment were unsuccessful yesterday. Calls to office and cell phone went unanswered.

Organisers of the Heineken Regatta indicated entries are ahead of the 2011 numbers to date and are looking forward to another successful event.

Zaysha, who describes her reign and her experience as "wonderful", said she hopes to see more girls her age register to have fun. "I had a lot of fun when I was going up. You are treated nice, you do fun things, you meet new friends, you get to be in the parade. It's is all very exciting. I think parents should sign up their children because Carnival is our culture and it's good to be a part of that," Zasha said.

Interested parents can email the SCDF at sxmcarnival@hotmail.com or call 5225133 or 5220509 to register their child. The Jr. Carnival Queen wins US $1,000 in cash, a computer and other prizes. "We hope to get more contestants for this pageant which was a terrific success last year. The girls are taken on outings around the island, treated to the movies etc and do so many more things," President of the SCDF Stuart Johnson said.

In the meantime, Johnson added, the SCDF is very satisfied with the registration of all other areas of Carnival. "We are looking good. The other local shows have a good number of registrants, all Carnival booths are out, so we are happy with that. We will be introducing the contestants for all our shows next week and then it's all full steam ahead to Carnival, to two weeks of fete," he said.

The meeting will take place on Tuesday morning at 10:00am in the General Assembly Chamber of the House of Parliament on Wilhelmina Straat #2.1 in Philipsburg.

The National Alliance (NA) faction requested the plenary session in its letter dated January 10, 2012 to the President of Parliament.

The NA faction would like to discuss the voting of MP Jules James on November 17, 2011 on a draft motion of the NA; the position of the NA that MP Jules James was not allowed to vote on the motion; the letter of the Governor of Sint Maarten to Parliament, dated December 5, 2011; and the reactions of the Chairlady of Parliament to the aforementioned.

The plenary public session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 20 and via Pearl Radio FM 98.1 as well as via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com and www.sxmparliament.org.

The meeting will take place on Wednesday afternoon at 3:00pm in the General Assembly Chamber of the House of Parliament on Wilhelmina Straat #2.1 in Philipsburg.

The agenda point to be dealt with during the session is developments at GEBE including the generation and distribution of electricity, water and the fuel clause.

The National Alliance (NA) faction initially requested the plenary session in its letter dated January 06, 2012 to the President of Parliament.

The plenary public session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 20 and via Pearl Radio FM 98.1 as well as via the Internet www.pearlfmradio.com and www.sxmparliament.org.

The following forms for filing taxes will be available for pick-up: Wage tax and premium AOV/AWW, AVBZ; Turn over Tax; Profit tax; Room tax; Car rental tax; and Timeshare tax.

Those picking up the aforementioned forms should bring along their crib number in order to facilitate the pick-up of the aforementioned documents.

The Inspectorate is located at the Vineyard Building, Buncamper Road #33 and is open from 8:00am to 3:00pm. For additional information you can call 542-2143 or 542-5301.

PHILIPSBURG--Director of the St. Maarten Tourist Bureau May-Ling Chun described her recent meeting with KLM Executives in Holland as positive.

Chun headed a delegation to Holland recently, which met with several airlines, including KLM. The delegation informed KLM that its fares to St. Maarten are much higher than to most destinations in the Caribbean, Suriname and even as far as South as Brazil.

It was also pointed out to KLM that there is now a tendency to fly via the United States to St. Maarten, because it's less expensive. KLM addressed the matter by stating that they are well aware of the situation and the reason for the high fares is due to the lack of competition on the St. Maarten route.

KLM officials said they understand that this makes the situation to promote the destination in Europe more difficult, and added that KLM would be interested in looking into joint promotional opportunities to assist in promoting the route.

The St. Maarten delegation also asked to look into the possibility of delaying the departure time from Amsterdam to St. Maarten, in order to facilitate passengers being able to connect to other flights from other European cities to the island, who are travelling on the same day. At the moment KLM flights depart Amsterdam minutes before 9:00am.

TORONTO--Itravel2000, a Travelzest company, a leading Canadian online travel retailer, has listed the top twelve destinations for the year 2012, based on the online booking trends and consumer inquiries for 2012. The list reveals a distinct interest in emerging destinations compared to last year.

Traditional destinations such as Varadero and Orlando still feature, but destinations such as Aruba, Panama City and St. Maarten have caught the attention of Canadian travellers this year.

The top 12 destinations for 2012 are Riviera Maya, Varadero, Punta Cana, Cancun, Montego Bay, Puerto Vallarta, Orlando, Costa Rica, Nassau, Aruba, Panama City and

St. Maarten.

Jonathan Carroll, itravel2000 president and Travelzest CEO, said: "We are seeing an interesting turn in consumer travel patterns this winter season. Though traditional destinations such as Orlando, Cancun and Riviera Maya have remained favourites, many Canadians are booking their travels to emerging destinations too. It is great to see the shift and we look forward to provide consumers with the best value on their travels."

THE HAGUE--Dutch State Secretary of Infrastructure and Environment Joop Atsma can expect critical questions from the Second Chamber about the NuStar expansion project in St. Eustatius, when he meets with Parliament's Permanent Committee for Kingdom Relations on Monday January 30.

Parliament has concerns about safety, the environmental aspects and the location. The State Secretary would be wise to involve the Second Chamber in the permit procedure to construct a second terminal, said the Socialist Party (SP) and the green left party GroenLinks. Two of the six required permits are in the hands of the Dutch government. The other four permits are the responsibility of Statia's government.

"The State Secretary has a big problem if he grants NuStar these permits before hearing Parliament," said Member of Parliament (MP) Ronald van Raak of the SP. MP Ineke van Gent said the Second Chamber has a responsibility in this, especially because there is opposition against the US $470 million expansion project in The Farm area. "Government must acknowledge and respect that," she said.

But not only the SP and GroenLinks want to speak with State Secretary Atsma about the project. MP Bas Jan van Bochove of the governing Christian Democratic Party (CDA), of which Atsma is also a member, said he would "most certainly pose questions" to the State Secretary on January 30 on the project, which he deemed "very ambitious and extensive."

Van Bochove, however, doesn't think the Second Chamber should play a crucial role in the decision-making process. "Parliament shouldn't get actively involved in every permit. We don't do that for every permit that is granted in The Netherlands," he told The Daily Herald.

According to Van Bochove, the decision whether NuStar will be allowed to expand is really up to the local government. "Government there has to decide whether it wants the project or not, and where. Otherwise we will be referee in every issue. The local government has its responsibility and should be allowed to execute that," he said.

MP Eric Lucassen of the Party for Freedom PVV agreed with Van Bochove that the project primarily is a matter of the Statia government and not of The Hague. He said that as long as NuStar would stick to the environmental rules and regulations, he didn't see any problem with the expansion project.

Lucassen and Van Bochove agreed that The Netherlands should make the necessary expertise available to St. Eustatius, because it concerned a highly complicated matter. "I understood that assistance is available through the Ministry of Infrastructure and Environment," said Lucassen.

St. Eustatius needs Dutch assistance, said Van Bochove. "Much policy needs to be drafted and complicated decisions have to be taken. They cannot do that alone." He said one of the questions for the experts would be to what extent the terminal could be expanded within the legal framework and the environmental legislation.

Ronald van Raak said the local government "stood no chance" against a multinational like NuStar. He said that if generating more income was the main reason for approving this project, government should increase the taxes that NuStar has to pay.

Van Raak and Van gent of GroenLinks said they were not dead set against the project in question. They are merely against the expansion at the projected location for safety reasons and because there is archaeological heritage at the site. "People are upset and rightfully so," said Van Gent.

The recent meet and greet in St. Eustatius confirmed that there was widespread opposition to the expansion at The Farm, said Van Gent. She said Dutch Parliament also represented the people of St. Eustatius and in that sense a large project like this is the business of the Second Chamber as well. "We cannot turn our back to the people," she said. Van Raak said that the people should be given the opportunity to express themselves in a referendum.

Safety is a major issue for Van Gent and Van Raak. "We have to carefully look at that aspect. The airport is nearby, as are schools, houses and Oranjestad itself. What happens in case of a disaster? It is unsafe and illogical to build so many terminals on one island," said Van Raak. Van Gent said she was "very concerned" about the safety aspect.

People in Saba are worried about the project and rightfully so, said Van Raak. "Saba doesn't benefit from this project, but they will be affected in case of a disaster," said Van Raak. Van Bochove agreed that Saba's concerns should be taken into consideration.

Lucassen said that large projects like this one always create resistance, also in The Netherlands. He finds that the Statia project should go through. "It is very important for the island. It creates employment and tax revenues. Economically, there are few alternatives. A second terminal will make St. Eustatius less dependent on The Netherlands."

The NuStar project consists of the construction of 31 new storage tanks and the construction of a new jetty.

PHILIPSBURG--Parliamentarians will debate on Tuesday the lawfulness of the voting of Jules James, one of its own Members of Parliament (MPs), on a motion that specifically named him in the continuing saga about and dismissal of workers by Simpson Bay Resort (SBR), where he is the General Manager.

The public meeting of Parliament, starting at 10:00am, was requested by MPs of the National Alliance (NA). The five MPs want to discuss their motion of November 17, 2011, on which James voted; their position that James of the United People's (UP) party of Deputy Prime Minister Theo Heyliger was not allowed to vote; Governor Eugene Holiday's letter to Parliament on the issue dated December 5; and reactions to it by the President of Parliament.

James is expected to come under pressure to resign from at least one of his posts during the meeting: the post of MP or that of SBR General Manager. Since the resort saga started over a year ago, there has been much outcry about James' dual role.

One person who has been voicing his take on the situation is Acting Governor Reynold Groeneveldt. In his capacity as an attorney, he said that based on the existing laws, James should make a decision and quit one of his jobs.

Groeneveldt had told The Daily Herald on January 16 that James' holding the two positions was "wrong, in conflict with the constitution and the ordinances regulating MPs' salaries." The ordinance "clearly states" that the post of MP is a full time one and this is the reason MPs are paid such a high salary, as an incentive to attract people from the private sector.

He also cited a "constitutional conflict," saying the explanatory notes state that an MP "must champion the cause of the people." He added, "If you have another job, you can't fully champion the cause of the people."

James is not the only MP with a full-time job outside of Parliament. National Alliance (NA) MP Dr. Lloyd Richardson and MP Dr. Ruth Douglass (UP) continue to work in their medical practice.

The meeting will be aired live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 20, radio on Pearl FM 98.1 and streamed on the Internet via www.sxmradio.com (select 98.1FM).

COLE BAY--All non-resident visitors to Man of War Shoal Marine Park will have to pay a nature fee as of today, Monday, to enter the park, Nature Foundation St. Maarten announced on Saturday. The nature fees are set at US $3 for a daily nature tag (pass) and US $15 for a yearly nature tag. Residents are exempt from this fee.

The revenue generated through the sales of the nature tags will be used for the management of marine park infrastructure and educational programme about Man of War Shoals Marine Park and St. Maarten's unique underwater environment.

Dive centres on both sides of the island have been given the nature tags to sell and are cooperating with the programme.

The Nature Conservation fee is similar to fees which are charged for the use of Marine Parks throughout the region and the world.

This fee is based on the ministerial decree, signed by Tourism and Economic Affairs Minister Franklin Meyers, designating the Man of War Shoal Marine Park of December 30, 2010. It is also tagged to the ministerial appointment of the Nature Foundation on August 15, rhe Landsbesluit Maritiem Beheer (LBMB 2007) and Nature Conservation Ordinance (AB 2003).

"This fee is for non-residents and visitors to the island. The Marine Park was established for the people of St. Maarten so we feel that they should not have to pay this fee. After lengthy negotiations and consultations with all stakeholders, including a survey which was distributed to visiting divers, we were able to arrive at a fee which was accepted by all," said Tadzio Bervoets, Nature Foundation Marine Park Manager.

For more information on the new fee or the work of Nature Foundation, call 544-4267, e-mail

admin@naturefoundationsxm.org or

manager@naturefoundationsxm.org.

POINTE BLANCHE--St. Maarten's allure, from her velvety green hills to her azure waters, has been a powerful draw for visitors from all over the world. That allure was never described better than when journalist Sabine Leenhouts, here on assignment from De Telegraaf, said, "You simply can't fake summer in The Netherlands."

Leenhouts is part of a six-member team from the Dutch newspaper that arrived in St. Maarten on Friday for a week-long assignment. Between March and August they will produce 10 summer-fashion-focused spreads in the newspaper's well-read supplement Vrouw in printed and online version, doubling St. Maarten's exposure in the Dutch market. The spreads will cover everything to do with summer: sunglasses, clothing and activities.

The fashion spreads will be complemented by interviews with four successful Dutchwomen who live in St. Maarten. The list of interviewees includes Debbie Koppens of Shipwreck Shops/Heineken Regatta gear, Mirian Ebbens of Passaat Sail Holidays and Frederique Thierry of location/event management company Chica Productions.

The trip also will yield a travel report tailored to the likes and needs of the Dutch market with tips on where to eat, such as at Holland House Beach Hotel, Karakter on Simpson Bay Beach and Sunset Beach Bar, activities, tours and shopping.

St. Maarten was chosen for the newspaper's spread because of its warm weather and other natural attributes. Leenhouts said similar focus had been given to the other islands of the Dutch Caribbean. This time it was St. Maarten's diversity that was the major pull factor.

"It is also much greener than Curaçao and Bonaire. It has an international character ... a blend of Dutch, English and French. ... It's a melting pot of all cultures," she said, adding that preparing Vrouw's summer edition could not be left to chance and the Dutch weather.

The team is staying at Tamarind Hotel in Pointe Blanche, which has ties to another famous and successful Dutchwoman: well known artist and Greece First Lady Shanna Ingram Papademos. Her brother Paul Ingram manages Tamarind Hotel.

~ 'I'm really happy that I did it' ~

By Judy H. Fitzpatrick

SIMPSON BAY--Dutch teenager Laura Dekker stood on the front of her red boat Guppy and pumped her fists into the air to signal the completion of her solo sailing trip around the world just after docking at the St. Maarten Yacht Club (SMYC) on Saturday.

Her gesture caused roars of applause and excited screams from the large crowd of residents and visitors who had gathered at the Yacht Club to watch Dekker sail through John Sainsborough Lejuez Bridge (the Simpson Bay bridge) around 3:00pm to complete her circumnavigation at the same spot from which she had started exactly one year and one day ago.

Her circumnavigation makes her the youngest person to sail solo around the world, although her effort is not recognised by Guinness Book of World Records and the World Sailing Speed Record Council, which no longer recognise records for youngest sailors.

It was an emotional moment when Dekker jumped off her sailboat and stood in a long embrace with her little sister Kim. She also hugged her father Dick Dekker, her mother Barbel Muller and grandparents Rienk and Dick Dekker before greeting friends and acquaintances.

Only a select few from the Dutch press were allowed close up to capture the arrival scene. At one point the reporter from The Daily Herald was physically pushed off the dock by a young man wearing a St. Maarten Yacht Club T-shirt.

Dekker was showered with flowers by youngsters in the Yacht Club's youth sailing programme, listened to a speech by Education and Sports Minister Rhoda Arrindell (see related story) and received a large SMYC flag at the opening ceremony.

"I enjoyed it a lot. I'm really happy that I did it," Dekker, clad in short cuffed blue jeans and black top, told reporters at a brief press conference held shortly after her arrival. "Of course there were moments where I was like 'What the hell am I doing out here?' but I never wanted to stop. It's a dream and I wanted to do it."

Asked when her next big sailing challenge will be, Dekker responded: "I first have to let this calm down and then I'd like to go to New Zealand, but it's not a huge challenge, I didn't really think about it."

She arrived in St. Maarten after the final leg of her journey: 41 days at sea from Cape Town, South Africa.

For now Dekker wants to complete her education. "I just want to finish it [school, ed.],

probably in Holland."

She said she would "really like to [go to New Zealand, ed]. It's not sure. Nothing is sure, but I'd really, really like to and why? I like the country and I'd like to do something with sailing later, so New Zealand or Australia or just good countries. Europe is nice."

Dekker, who turned 16 recently, celebrated her birthday quietly in Darwin, Australia. "I didn't really do a lot. It's okay and that was it. But it was really nice."

One of her scariest moments was encountering a whale while in South Africa. "It dove right in front of my boat and got all this water on my boat and that wasn't really nice.

During her journey she "saw a lot of water and waves and I did see some dolphins, but not as much as I had expected, but it was always nice to see them and a lot of birds. Not too much sea life. ... The whale really scared me off, so I'm not really sure about that one, but the dolphins, they were nice."

The trip was enlightening for the teenager, who started her trip in a wave of controversy when the Dutch government tried to block her on the grounds that she was too young to sail solo, while school officials believed she should be in school.

"I definitely learnt a lot. I learnt better sailing, and ocean sailing. I became good friends with my boat, I learnt a lot about myself, how to feed myself and other little things that you have to learn eventually, I learnt in this one year that I lived and travelled alone."

As for her immediate plans, Laura says, "I honestly would just like to sit and rest and clean the boat; get some fresh fruits, food and drink; shower."

At the end of the press conference, Laura enjoyed a meal on her boat, which included a Coca Cola, French fries, salad and other goodies. "I don't really realise it yet," she said when asked how she felt about her accomplishment.

Her manager Gerard van Erp said Laura would be relaxing in St. Maarten for about 10 days, following which she would sail to Bonaire and then head back to The Netherlands. Van Erp told this newspaper that Laura also was working on a book, but declined to give further details.

Laura's father and grandparents declined to comment on her journey when asked how they felt about her successful solo circumnavigation.

The teenager began her trip in St. Maarten on January 20, 2011, and covered more than 27,000 nautical miles sailing to the Canary Islands, Panama, the Galapagos Islands, Tonga, Fiji, Bora Bora, Australia, South Africa then back to St. Maarten in her 38-foot (11.5-metre) sailboat Guppy.

It is not the norm for one to read a history book from cover to cover in one sitting. However, with Friendly Anger, one is compelled to read Joseph Lake, Jr.’s account of “The rise of the labor movement in St. Martin” from its inception to the present.

Lake’s style of writing is very simple, yet effective. He writes with such simplicity that the grassroots can understand and yet he is able to provoke the thoughts of the intellectuals.

a political scientist and veteran newsman, Lake combines narrative and analysis so well, that consequently one is never bored by the balanced information presented; hence one is motivated to read on.

Friendly Anger, published by House of Nehesi (HNP), is a compilation of socio-economic and political events spanning over 35 years. It deals with the labor situation on the island from the late sixties, the groundbreaking events of the seventies such as the burning of the government administration building and the Lt. Governor’s residence, the “roundabout” effects of the nineties, and concludes with the challenges at the onset of the new century—giving clear reasons for the birth of trade unionism and its impact on society.

As a cogent examiner of the industrial events in St. Martin, Lake, has categorized key periods, such as the birth of trade unionism, the glory days of the trade union movement, and the 1990s, which he describes as the period of “remote control leadership” as a number of trade unions in St. Martin were run from Curacao in the South and from Guadeloupe in the North.

The analysis of the “remote control” period will surely evoke animated discussions among trade unions on the island as it gives the perception that these unions had lost their “sting” in the 1990s and were not as effective as they ought to be.

The introduction to Friendly Anger by Trinidad’s economist David Abdulah also reminds us succinctly of the book’s role in giving an “excellent … social history” account of the St. Martin people.

As an educator, I exhort our educational planners to ensure that Friendly Anger finds a place in our school’s curriculum. At a time when there is hardly anything written about ourselves, by ourselves, it is crucial that this analytical book finds a treasured place in every household in St. Martin, and ultimately serves as a catalyst to inspire national pride and independence. This can be achieved if we adhere to the words of wisdom of the legendary calypsonian, King Obstinate:

“A people are known by their culture,

A people are known by their past.

The past determines the future

From the present we can forecast.”

Finally, as we move into the new millennium, it is important for us to know where we came from and where we are going. The island did not evolve by itself but the “movers” and “shakers” in our society brought about these changes. Hence it is of paramount importance that we know who they are and what they have contributed to society. Friendly Anger, which also includes 26 pages of union-related photos and an appendix of labor contracts, union constitutions, and other documents, gives us that unique opportunity to know our history.

Friendly Anger is available at www.amazon.com, LAMA’s office, and Van Dorp and Arnia’s bookstores.

Ming-Ling Chun headed a delegation to Holland recently which met with several airlines including KLM. The delegation informed KLM that their fares to Sint Maarten are much higher than to most destinations in the Caribbean, Suriname and even as far South as Brazil.

It was also pointed out to KLM that there is now a tendency to fly via the United States to Sint Maarten because it's less expensive. KLM addressed the matter by stating that they are well aware of the situation and the reason for the high fares is due to the lack of competition on the Sint Maarten route.

KLM says they understand that this makes the situation to promote the destination in Europe more difficult, and added that KLM would be interested in looking into joint promotional opportunities to assist in promoting the route.

The Sint Maarten delegation also asked to look into the possibility of delaying the departure time from Amsterdam to Sint Maarten in order to facilitate passengers being able to connect to other flights from other European cities to the island who are travelling on the same day. At the moment KLM flights depart Amsterdam minutes before 9:00am.

The fees are set at three dollars US ($3,-) for a daily pass and fifteen dollars US ($15,-) for a yearly pass. Residents are exempt from paying this fee. "This fee is for non-residents and visitors to the island. The Marine Park was established for the people of St. Maarten so we feel that they should not have to pay this fee. After lengthy negotiations and consultations with all Stakeholders, including a survey which was distributed to visiting divers we were able to arrive at a fee which was mutually accepted by all," commented Tadzio Bervoets, Nature Foundation Marine Park Manager. The Nature Conservation fee is similar to fees which are charged for the use of Marine Parks throughout the region and the world.

Dive Centres on both sides of the island have been given the Nature Tags and are cooperating to facilitate the selling of the tags. The revenue generated through the sales of the tags will be dedicated to the Management of Marine Park infrastructure and educational programs related to the Man of War Shoals Marine Park and St. Maarten's unique underwater environment. For more information one can contact the Nature Foundation at 5444267 or via email at admin@naturefoundationsxm.org or manager@naturefoundationsxm.org.

ST. PETERS--Students and teachers at the St. Maarten Academy PSVE campus were surprised with a total school search on Friday. Officers of the Police Zero Tolerance Unit searched persons, bags and classrooms thoroughly from 9:00 to about 11:30am.

All students were instructed to stay inside their classrooms as officers searched the campus. A machete was found, but it was said that it had been confiscated by a teacher a while back and kept inside the classroom.

After completing their search of the school the officers made a last-minute decision to search persons who were loitering outside the campus. The job, which called for four police units, resulted in the arrest of one man who was found standing outside the school gate amongst a group of students.

PHILIPSBURG--Human trafficking and smuggling were among the issues discussed recently when the heads of various local law enforcement agencies met with a visiting delegation of Immigration and Interpol representatives from the Dominican Republic.

The two days of discussions were intended to promote increased cooperation and information exchange between St. Maarten and the Dominican Republic.

Representatives of the Dominican Republic specialising in organised crime led the session on human trafficking and human smuggling and how it involves persons from St. Maarten, Santo Domingo and Haiti.

The local authorities have expressed concern about the number of Haitians who reportedly travel to St. Maarten and are found later in boats heading to Tortola and other destinations in their bid to enter the United States.

It was explained that individuals travelling from Haiti to St. Maarten needed visas from the Dutch Embassy in Santo Domingo. Conscious of this, St. Maarten law enforcement authorities have requested that visa applicants be screened thoroughly by the Dutch authorities in Santo Domingo.

It was explained that a lot of money is paid to criminal organisations that smuggle people into the United States.

Also, smugglers regularly jeopardise the lives of their "customers" by forcing 50 persons without life-vests on boats that are barely able to hold 20. As a result, there have been cases in which boats have capsized or sunk and people have perished.

It was noted that St. Maarten has become a hub over the years for illegal aliens en route to the United States of America (USA). The USA increasingly has been urging St. Maarten and other countries to do more towards curbing and ending human-trafficking and -smuggling. Countries that do not step up action against these practices are blacklisted.

Against this backdrop, Kingdom Ministers of Justice signed a memorandum of understanding in which the countries agreed to do their utmost on every level to prevent this from happening and to investigate and prosecute cases related to this issue. This is being done with some success through joining Interpol and increasing manpower.

Also of concern is the growing form of modern slavery where women are brought to St. Maarten under false pretences to work in the adult entertainment clubs and under poor working conditions. Although they may earn more money than they would at other jobs in their home country, the circumstances under which they work are degrading, inhumane and not worthy of a country like St. Maarten, said Chief Prosecutor Hans Mos.

While government has adopted policies that allow for prostitution, controls must increase to ensure that the women are protected. This includes monitoring the number of workers, checking living and working conditions, ensuring they are treated fairly and free to leave, and that they have proper permits for work and residence.

Investigations also must be carried out to ensure that these establishments adhere to tax laws.

~ 4,134 plates sold so far~

PHILIPSBURG--Deadline for motorists to pay their 2012 motor vehicle tax and get their new number plates is February 28, Acting Receiver Minerva Gumbs announced on Friday.

This is the date set by law by which motorists should pay up their motor vehicle tax. Gumbs said since the plates were received and went on sale early this year, it was decided to set the deadline the same as in the law. Once the deadline has passed controls would be stepped up for defaulting motorists.

Up to early afternoon on Friday a total of 4,134 pairs of number plates had been sold and NAf. 1.3 million collected.

"The sale is going good so far. A lot of people are responding. This week we had payroll taxes and motor vehicle tax and number plate sales so we are extra busy," Gumbs said.

The Tax Administration Office (Receiver's Office) also has a number of additional temporary workers to accommodate the large number of motorists who are expected to show up to pay their motor vehicle tax and purchase their number plates. Gumbs said seven windows are currently open, one specifically for senior citizens. Once all seniors in line have been serviced, the attendant will tend to regular motorists.

A total of 27,452 pairs of plates for motor vehicles were ordered as well as 800 singles for bikes. The new plates are yellow in colour and have a picture of Fort Amsterdam in the background. The cost of the plates remains the same as last year, NAf. 12.50 for regular vehicles and NAf. 7.50 for bikes and mopeds.

The motor vehicle tax also remains the same - NAf. 275 for regular gasoline vehicles, NAf. 300 for rentals, NAf. 200 for motorbikes, NAf. 50 for mopeds and NAf. 1,250 for other categories of vehicles weighing more than 7,700 pounds.

The Tax Administration collected NAf. 8.5 million in motor vehicle tax payment in 2011 and sold 27,196 pairs of number plates. In 2010 more than NAf. 8 million in motor vehicle tax was collected and 25,966 pairs of number plates sold, while NAf. 8 million was collected in 2008 and 7.5 million in 2007.

PHILIPSBURG--Rainbow Beach Club homeowners, developer Rainbow Beach Club Limited and management company Sabra N.V. continue to be at loggerheads over the Cupecoy property. The two sides were back in court on Friday afternoon over the maintenance contract.

Judge D.M. Thierry will give a ruling on the homeowners' injunction on February 3 at 8:30am.

Several owners gathered outside the Courthouse on Front Street with placards decrying the Erato family, the developers. They drew the attention of cruise passengers and other visitors in town who were curious about why they were protesting.

Attorney Jairo Bloem, who represents the majority of the homeowners, filed an injunction seeking to stop the management company from resuming its contract after a self-termination on December 31, 2011. The company informed homeowners recently that it would resume its duties.

The homeowners also are seeking the removal of the management company's exclusive power of attorney. That would give them the right to appoint a new company.

Bloem said the services "sucked" and were "under par." He argued that the developers were using "divide and conquer" tactics by threatening or removing services such leaving lights off in corridors and lagging on security.

Attorney Mark Kortenoever, representing the developer, said the developer had told the homeowners it would resume the contract until they were able to take it over.

The owners have been fighting for some time now to secure what they term their right to manage the property with a company of their choice. Due to this, the developer moved to terminate the management contract, but subsequently decided to resume it.

Kortenoever said the developer was concerned about the proper management of Rainbow, which is classified as a hotel. He added that the developer had requested proof that if the group of homeowners took over the management they would assure continued services to members of the other Rainbow homeowners associations.

WILLEMSTAD--Curacao's Council of Ministers has agreed to increase the so-called Passenger Facility Charge (PFC) for international flights and at the same time lower it for travellers headed to St. Maarten, Aruba and Bonaire.

It was also decided to conduct a thorough analysis of the PFC, popularly known as departure or airport tax. Interestingly, Princess Juliana International Airport's Operating Company NV PJIAE was charged with this study.

The adaptation of the PFC must be seen in light of the downgrading of Curacao's civil aviation authority CBA that also services St. Maarten by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) from category 1 to 2. This means airlines based on either island cannot initiate new service to the US, while code-sharing agreements such as the one Winair had with US Air were suspended as well.

The extra income to be provided by raising the departure tax for international flights will be used for the necessary training and other tools so CBA will be able to comply with international obligations and guidelines. Nevertheless, government wants a clear picture of the ins and outs of the PFC, including precisely how much money it generates and exactly what the funds are used for.

WILLEMSTAD--An investigation is currently taking place at United Telecommunication Services (UTS) into a large-scale fraud involving post-paid mobile phones.

Curacao's Amigoe newspaper cites sources within the government-owned company indicating that the case has grown to one involving some two million guilders. In response UTS - in which St. Maarten also has a minority share - reportedly sharpened considerably its conditions to get a post paid cell phone subscription.

Apparently the SIM cards were removed from these phones after purchase and sent abroad, mostly to Colombia. They would then be used to make calls for free for quite some time before UTS closed the numbers.

The company is said to be still investigating the matter, but also informed local authorities of the alleged scam said to have occurred last year. No comment from management was available, but the message was relayed that conditions for post-paid service and accompanying phones have been sharpened.

~ Unions to meet, discuss matter ~

PHILIPSBURG--Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU) President Claire Elshot says government still has not given a definite answer on the payment of the 3.2 per cent 2010 cost of living adjustment (COLA) for civil servants and teachers due early this year.

The union had sent a letter to Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams seeking information on the COLA payment as well as on the payment of the Christmas bonus promised to workers. In her response the Prime Minister provided information on the payment of the Christmas bonus, which will be made next month to some categories of civil servants, but said the COLA issue would be addressed separately.

Elshot said too that the unions still were awaiting the meeting the Prime Minister had promised with the advisory body GOA on this subject. She said the union still did not have any concrete information to give its members. "We need clear answers on this payment," she told reporters at the Windward Islands Chamber of Labour Unions (WICLU) weekly press conference on Thursday.

Elshot said the boards of the various unions would be meeting to determine how to proceed with this matter.

CUPECOY--In their ongoing fight with the developers of Rainbow Beach Club, unit owners now have to deal with raw sewage running through the facilities. Not just sewage water, but sewage complete with human faeces floating down stairways as the result of a blocked sewage line last week.

One owner explained that there was a sewage leak in the Towers Building in a unit where the owners were currently off-island. Although the water in the unit has been off for weeks, sewage was coming up through the drain in the shower and the toilet.

"I e-mailed Marc Erato, who is supposedly the manager at Rainbow, and never received any response, so the sewage problem continued for 24 hours. Rainbow security also tried to contact Marc Erato on Sunday and he didn't answer his phone. As a result, on Monday, January 16, the Eratos had two workers pushing raw sewage and water from the unit out into the common stairwell.

"Faeces and water ran down the stairs into the garage and then out into the common drive area. No one informed the owners of this hazardous situation, so I sent an e-mail to all of the owners to stay away from the stairwell and to make sure they didn't walk through the sewage-filled water in the parking areas," the unit owner explained.

She added that because the Eratos had not responded to her e-mails and in light of the dangerous hygienic situation she called had the Hygiene Department to intervene. "Mr. Ortega came shortly after and was shocked at what they were doing. He instructed them to power-wash the stairwells and parking garage, and then to have a septic company come and 'blow out' whatever was blocking the sewage line," she explained.

She continued: "Unfortunately, the Eratos decided to take another route by pouring muriatic acid down the sewage pipes. They notified owners last night, Wednesday, the first correspondence from them in almost 36 hours, that if the acid didn't work they would have to jackhammer open floors [in the affected unit, ed.] to find the problem.

"As a result the water was being shut off to the West side of the building. The unit owner where the problem surfaced is being told by the Eratos that there is no scope/camera on the island that can be used to find the problem without breaking up his entire floor to find it. We know this is obviously not the case."

The Daily Herald attempted to reach the Hygiene Department on Friday for an update on the situation, but efforts were not successful.

~ Surprised by brown pelican Mr. Friendly ~

MADAME ESTATE--"He's older than my father," exclaimed an excited M. Genevieve de Weever Primary School sixth grader as he learnt the age of a large turtle in St. Maarten zoo during a field trip on Friday.

Sixth grade pupils, accompanied by Teacher Beryl Lake, were given a guided tour of the zoo and learnt about the animals, where they were from, and their endangered or non-endangered status in the wild. The tour was given by zoo foundation president Rob Heil and zoo guide Prudence.

The group continued to be wide-eyed with amazement when naughty monkeys thought it a sport to throw bits of food, pebbles and dirt at them. Heil told them about a baby monkey who was hand raised by him and other people as the now grown monkey held his hand.

They saw Jeffrey, the partially blinded ostrich that was left behind by a circus that passed through some year ago. The endangered cotton-top monkey family caught their attention.

Just when the peacocks came into view, another bird caught the pupils' attention: the brown pelican Mr. Friendly, the St. Maarten SuperHost mascot who was brought to the zoo as a surprise for the group.

Completing the tour, the group settled down on benches to enjoy a cool drink, provided by the zoo and listened to a presentation about the importance of being friendly to each other and visitors. She stressed the importance of tourism and knowing about the country as a means of pride.

Pupils were asked if they wanted to sign the Friendliness Pledge. Several were eager to take up the pledge, but one girl was reluctant. Asked why, she said she was afraid of breaking it. Leonard told her everyone can and will make some mistakes in life and shared stories about when Lake was her teacher. Encouraged, the girl signed the pledge.

To learn more about St. Maarten SuperHost Professional Training Programme and its targeted programme for children with Mr. Friendly, call (1-721) 542-2806 or e-mail info@dartam.com.

BETTY ESTATE--Police searched three houses in Betty's Estate and Waymouth Hill on Thursday in connection with the Vesuvius investigation,

Three firearms, a large quantity of ammunition and a silencer were confiscated at the residence in Betty's Estate belonging to already-detained suspect A.O.J. It was the second time the home had been searched since November 2011.

Three individuals found on the premises were taken into custody, questioned and later released.

Investigators questioned A.O.J. about the weapons immediately after discovering them. The suspect admitted to having placed the weapons where police found them.

All confiscated items will be examined for evidence that may connect them to crimes related to the Vesuvius investigation.

The TGO Vesuvius investigation team is appealing to witnesses who can give information about the murders that have taken place in St. Maarten since April 2011 to step forward and provide much-needed information. The team can be contacted by telephone at (001-721) 580-3952.

Contractor MNO has a contract for Naf.1.28 million for road repairs.

The contractor has already been busy grading the road near the Tropicana Casino and in the vicinity of Blue Point in Cole Bay. These road works started on Thursday.

The road works will continue over the weekend that includes the installation of drainage cross over. Excess water from the building where Blue Point and several other businesses are located, will be channelled via a drainage system under the road to the existing storm-water drain.

The road crossing is tentatively scheduled for Sunday morning at 6.00am with limited traffic disruption and the owner of the building is footing the bill for the repairs.

Weather conditions may influence the road works. Motorists are asked to show caution in work zones.

"The nation's road network system last year and so far for the New Year has been hit with heavy and persistent rainfall and this has created a number of pot holes throughout the country.

"Every effort is being made by the staff in my Ministry to draft plans to repair our rain-hit roads within the shortest time possible.

"I ask our community and in particular motorists to bear with us as these works are carried out in the coming weeks, and which will be carried out with as little inconvenience as possible.

"I also would like to apologise to those who do experience some inconvenience," Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure Hon. Theo Heyliger said on Friday.

PHILIPSBURG--The Dominica Government is seeking the resumption of regularly scheduled flights operated by Windward Islands Airways International Winair between St. Maarten and Dominica.

Dominica's Minister of Public Works, Energy, Sports and Civil Aviation Rayburn Blackmoore was recently in St. Maarten to meet with Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Telecommunications and Transport (TEATT) Franklin Meyers.

Blackmoore and Meyers talked about the discontinuation of the Winair flight some time ago due to the airline's financial strains and limited equipment.

According to a press statement from Meyer's office, it was agreed that "a structural solution" would be looked into so flights to Dominica could be resumed.

Also in the meeting with the ministers were Policy Advisor to Meyers Judianne Hoeve, Head of the Civil Aviation Department Louis Halley, TEATT Secretary General Miguel de Weever and Dominica Air Sea Ports Authority Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Benoit Bardouille.

PHILIPSBURG--Minister in charge of harbour facilities Theo Heyliger explained on Thursday that the Harbour Group and a company called Zebec NV jointly would be developing the proposed "Dutch Village" at Dr. A.C. Wathey Cruise and Harbour Facilities. He was answering questions posed by Members of Parliament (MPs) during a plenary session on Infrastructure.

The Dutch Village had come under some scrutiny from Democratic Party (DP) MP Leroy DeWeever on Monday, who asked the minister how the project had come about. The MP wondered if "these kinds of projects" are just "thought up" without proper insight. He contends that developments such as this "Dutch Village" put a strain on what should be the commercial capital of St. Maarten: Philipsburg.

MP DeWeever said that in the past government had allowed pockets of commercial entities to develop to strain Philipsburg and mentioned the stores at Maho and Blue Mall as examples. He said the Dutch Village would be no different, keeping cruise passengers away from Philipsburg.

Heyliger said the Harbour and Zebec had "entered into discussion to come up with a proposal to create a new facility that includes not only a Windmill, etc., but also stores and other attractions." He added that the Harbour would share in the revenue of the project, but had not made any financial investment. The minister did not divulge any specifics of this deal and he was not asked for clarification by the MPs.

Heyliger had explained earlier in the week that while St. Maarten had its own culture, which should be expressed, combining that with what marketing gimmicks the island had been branded (Dutch/French), was not necessarily a bad thing. He said St. Maarten must diversify if it intended to continue strong growth in the cruise tourism sector. The minister also stressed that St. Maarten was not alone in the business of tourism and as such must offer new things to keep potential visitors and returning visitors interested.

~ Questions authenticity of TAPRC letter ~

PHILIPSBURG--Workers Institute for Organised Labour (WIFOL) has advised its members to have the union and its attorney peruse the contracts being offered by Simpson Bay Resort Management Company (SBRMC) before signing them.

The union is also questioning the authenticity of a letter received last week from Arthur d'Italia, who said he was Chairman of the Tenants Association Pelican Resort Club (TAPRC). In the letter D'Italia said Pelican Resort Club Management Company (PRCMC) would be resuming the process to dismiss all its former workers, who are now fighting to be recognised as workers of Pelican's successor SBRMC.

In relation to the contracts, Thompson told reporters at the Windward Islands Chamber of Labour Unions (WICLU) weekly press conference on Thursday that the union had requested that all its members take the contracts offered by SBRMC to the union for it to peruse them. He said even if workers signed the contracts, they would not lose any of their benefits in the litigation currently being pursued by the union (see related story).

He said the workers, based on their individual circumstances, were accepting the latest job offers from the resort. He could not say at the time how many workers had accepted employment offers from SBRMC. Wednesday was the deadline for acceptance.

On the issue of TAPRC, Thompson said the union had "many questions" about the letter received. "We don't know who the person is [who wrote the letter, ed.]. We don't know if it's a genuine letter or if it's a hoax," he said.

Thompson, who is also WICLU president, said WIFOL couldn't be sure that the letter and its contents were authentic unless it received a copy of the filed dismissal request. He said when an employer submitted a dismissal request, he was asked to indicate whether workers were unionised and whether the union had been informed about the request.

In the letter at issue, D'Italia said that on behalf of PRCMC he intended to "reactivate" a petition to terminate the employment of all persons who were employed by PRCMC.

D'Italia, who said he was speaking on behalf of PRCMC, continued: "The Pelican Resort was owned by the Pelican Resort Club Owner Company (PRCOC). That company lost the resort in a foreclosure and the property was sold by judicial auction on December 16, 2010.

"As of that date, PRCOC no longer owned the land and buildings of the resort and PRCMC no longer had any need for employees. With the loss of income from the resort operation there was no longer any ability to pay the employees.

"On January 18, 2011, Royal Resorts, as agent for PRCMC, filed a petition to dismiss all employees. On January 27, 2011, an attorney for PRCMC withdrew that petition. I do not know the reason for the withdrawal. I can speculate that PRCMC believed the foreclosure and sale might be set aside by the courts.

"Whatever the case, it has been clear for some time that the foreclosure and sale of the property are final and PRCOC and PRCMC will never own or manage the resort again. For that reason, I intend to write to Head of Labour Affairs Peggy Ann-Dros and reactivate the petition to dismiss employees."

PHILIPSBURG--Windward Islands Chamber of Labour Unions (WICLU) Vice President Claire Elshot says it is regrettable that unions have not yet been informed about the General Pension Fund of St. Maarten (Algemeen Pensioenfonds St. Maarten APS).

APS announced recently that it would be making its first pension payments to those entitled to them today, Friday, January 20.

Elshot, who is also President of the Windward Islands Teachers Union (WITU), told reporters at the Chamber's weekly press briefing that it was unfortunate that the unions representing civil servants and teachers had not yet received an official invitation from APS to obtain information about the new pension fund. The union said it would like information as to how APS operates and how the majority of workers who were part of the APNA pension fund would be integrated into APS. "We have no information to give to our members and this is regrettable," Elshot said.

She said the union understood that a Service Level Agreement (SLA) would be made between government and APNA, but the union was not sure about the status of this. "It is regrettable because when our members read about APS in the media and question us, we have no information to give them," she said.

APS director Kendra Arnell said in a press release on Wednesday that since October 10, 2010, Algemeen Pensioenfonds Curaçao (APC), the former APNA, had continued to carry out pension payments on behalf of APS on the basis of an SLA between both parties. That agreement entailed that as of December 31, 2011, pension payments would be transferred to APS.

APS will be making pension payments on the basis of the same regulations as APNA in the past. Arnell said pension beneficiaries could expect to receive by mail a statement with a breakdown of their pension. The statement will provide information on the gross and net pension amounts and withholdings for wage tax, health insurance and other social premiums.

"The statement will look different, but essentially conveys the same information as previous statements. It is not anticipated that beneficiaries will see any changes in the pensions they receive," Arnell said in the release. "We have been and are working closely with APC to ensure a seamless transition."

APS was established by law on October 10, 2010, when the former Netherlands Antilles was dissolved and St. Maarten became a country within the Kingdom of The Netherlands. APS is now responsible for the execution of the National Pension Fund Ordinance of St. Maarten. Persons who have questions regarding payments can contact APS via tel. 543-0003 or by e-mail to info@apsxm.org.

PHILIPSBURG--Government is in discussions with the owners of Emilio Wilson Estate to purchase 50 per cent of the property, according to Minister of Infrastructure Theo Heyliger. The minister said the owners had indicated a willingness to sell the parcel in question but did not divulge any details.

Heyliger was addressing the plenary session of Parliament on Thursday and answering questions posed by Member of Parliament (MP) Frans Richardson regarding the "back and forth saga" of Emilio Wilson Estate. Richardson said he would always be a proponent of protecting and fighting for the estate, but government, Parliament included, must now be fair to the owners of the property and bring an end to the impasse. "It is long overdue," Richardson said.

Heyliger said he too believes a solution must be found for Emilio Wilson Estate and hopefully if negotiations proceed in directions he hopes they will, "we will come closer to closing the saga and conclude it this year."

The purchase of 50 per cent of Emilio Wilson Estate would prevent its acquisition by the planned eco-tour of Rainforest Adventures.

THE HAGUE--There is broad support in the Dutch Parliament's Second and First Chambers for more uniform airline ticket prices in the Kingdom. All parties but one are seeking clarity from the Dutch Government about the ticket prices, especially the high tariffs to and between the Windward Islands.

Initiated by Second Chamber Member Ineke van Gent of the green left party GroenLinks, the liberal democratic VVD party, Christian democratic Party CDA, Labour Party PvdA, Democrats D66 and the Christian Union (CU) submitted a series of questions Wednesday to Ministers Maxime Verhagen (Economic Affairs, Agriculture and Innovation) and Liesbeth Spies (Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations), and State Secretary for Finance Frans Weekers. The Party for Freedom PVV didn't join the concerted effort.

The Dutch Government is being asked to indicate the average ticket prices between the Dutch Caribbean and the Netherlands and to explain the price differences between the Netherlands and Aruba, Bonaire, Curaçao and St. Maarten, while the distances to the destinations are more or less equal.

The Members of Parliament (MPs) asked the cabinet to talk with airlines, including Royal Dutch Airline KLM, about the price differences. "This also in light of possibilities that France offers to, for example, students and seniors on flights to France from the French overseas territories."

The MPs asked for an overview of the various airport taxes that are being levied within the Kingdom and for a comparison of the tariffs before and after the new constitutional relations went into effect on October 10, 2010.

According to the MPs, flights from Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten to Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, and vice-versa, should be considered as national so that no international airport tax duties would have to be paid. They asked the Dutch Government whether it agreed with that standpoint.

The MPs who co-signed Van Gent's questions were André Bosman (VVD), Bas Jan van Bochove (CDA), Ronald van Raak (SP), Sophie van Bijsterveld (CDA), Frank van Kappen (VVD), Jeroen Recourt (PvdA), Cynthia Ortega-Martijn (CU), Wassila Hachchi (D66) and Marijke Linthorst (PvdA).

Van Gent is a member of the Passenger Travel work group that was established at last week's Inter-Parliamentary Kingdom Consultation in St. Maarten. The work group strives to move the governments of the islands to agree on one uniform airport tax.

PHILIPSBURG--Spifo NV, the corporation owning local jewellery store Goldfinger, continues to fight legal claims that it has been evading taxes. The Spifo NV legal team presented its defence during a court hearing on Thursday.

The case is scheduled for further handling on February 27. The postponement was requested to provide the prosecution time to prepare a reaction to Thursday's presentation.

The jewellery company with branches in Dutch St. Maarten and French St. Martin is believed to have reported its Front Street store's profits incorrectly or incompletely. Court documents indicate that this was done from January 1, 2002, to December 12, 2007. If found guilty, Spifo NV will be ordered to pay a fine of NAf. 500,000 for unpaid taxes.

A witness in the case said various scenarios were possible, one of which was that business cost of the French-side store had been marked on the Dutch-side store's books, making the profit margin smaller. This is believed to have been done because the tax rate in French St. Martin is 10 per cent, whereas in Dutch St. Maarten it is 34.5 per cent. Therefore a smaller profit would mean lower taxes.

Goldfinger's attorney said tax in French St. Martin was 33.3 per cent during the period in question.

On tax evasion and tax fraud in St. Maarten, the Crime Pattern Analysis (CBA) report says the island provides a favourable climate because of lack of fiscal monitoring. The CBA was created to help law enforcement agencies develop priority-based strategy for the prevention and repression of crime.

Controls have been lacking mainly because supervisory bodies and inspection services are beset by a lack of resources. Compliance by individuals and companies has been limited for many years and the tax system is so complex that it provides a great many loopholes.

The loss as a result of non-compliance or fraud may be significant, but it is impossible to establish this loss in the absence of the necessary data about individual citizens and companies from, for example, the Census Office, the Chamber of Commerce, the Immigration Department and the Land Registry Office. The data registered by many of these services is incomplete and inaccurate.

According to the CBA report, large-scale tax evasion has significant consequences. Prices remain artificially inflated, which distorts buying power and thus economic development.

Moreover, the investment climate is damaged and the budget deficit increases, which in turn impedes the development of the local and regional economy still further. Tax-related fraud thus has a severely disruptive effect on St. Maarten's economic development and ultimately erodes prosperity on the island.

A government that struggles with considerable budget deficits and is hampered by an unstable and outdated infrastructure that is urgently in need of reform in socio-economic and financial areas could benefit greatly from more income from taxes. This calls for investment in setting up an effective and sufficiently-equipped fiscal monitoring authority.

PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Infrastructure Theo Heyliger disclosed Thursday that twelve plots of land around the ring road had been allotted to private companies and entities that serve the community. Although he had stated earlier in the week that he would not provide these names, Heyliger proceeded to inform Parliament anyway during the continuation of the plenary session of Parliament dealing with infrastructure.

Land went to Dow Musical Foundation, Animal Hospital, Mental Health Foundation, St. Maarten Housing and Development Foundation, Animals R Friends, Small Business Development Foundation, companies Vantage Holding NV, Anco and Avalon, and individuals Leonard Gumbs and Michael Dijkhoffz. The properties range in size from 950 to 1,000 square metres.

The minister explained that as a result of how the pond had been filled for the ring road, existing land owners in certain areas along A.Th. Illidge Road also had been allotted smaller pieces of land. He also provided Members of Parliament with the environmental and traffic studies of the ring road.

~ Says everywhere is a priority ~

PHILIPSBURG--Minister of Infrastructure Theo Heyliger re-iterated Thursday that he would not shy away from admitting that St. Maarten has major issues with drainage and sewage in particular, but stressed that the Ministry of VROMI would embark on projects that would address many of these issues.

Answering questions from Members of Parliament (MPs) during the continuation of the plenary session of Parliament on Infrastructure, Heyliger gave details about his Ministry's efforts to address poor infrastructure, with a limited budget. Heyliger noted that last year's budget had been exhausted three months before the end of the year, because of the increase in activities after rain had caused havoc on the roads for most of the year.

He said in these cases at least, blame could not be placed on the contractors for faulty work. The contractors and the Ministry were in a fight all year with trying to patch and repair in a rainy year compounded by the lack of drainage facilities.

He also mentioned some of the roads that the Ministry had fixed in 2011 and the cost incurred: Sedlum Cactus Road NAf. 141,000; Organ Pipe Cactus Road NAf. 255,000; Zozo Moran Drive NAf. 182,000; Water Rock Lane NAf. 249,000; Pendant Cactus Drive NAf. 217,000; Prickly Pear Road NAf. 86,000 and Chin Cherry Road NAf, 165,000.

The minister said some MPs called for maintenance of completed projects, but the reality was that major projects to address the drainage in the districts in particular had to be started.

He said MPs could talk about priorities, "but to everyone their district is a priority," and explained why government had chosen to start projects in some districts. The minister also provided an update on the ongoing projects, most of which will be completed mid-2012. He also elaborated on some newer projects to come online in 2012, such as improving sewage facility access from the inner regions of Dutch Quarter.

Minister Heyliger also said the state of Back Street would be addressed by the contractor, even though the work executed was past the guarantee period. The Ministry is also looking at a sewage treatment facility in Cole Bay and other smaller facilities in other districts, and explained that the contractor of the sewage line project from Ebenezer was still responsible for that unfinished project and for clearing the line of sand and other blockages that had been occurring over the past few months.

Johnny Ford, Founder, extended an invitation to Prime Minister Hon. Sarah Wescot-Williams for Sint Maarten to become a member of the WMC, an offer she accepted as it will ensure that the contact and the relationship established will remain and will be further worked out.

On Thursday, January 19, a delegation of the WMC paid a courtesy visit to the Council of Ministers to discuss and explore possibilities of collaboration, exchange views about joint ventures with Sint Maarten in areas such as Youth, Sports, Public Health, Economic Development, Education and Tourism.

The delegation is on the island for a site visit to plan an eventual seminar for the WMC, similar to the ones that are currently being held by the National Bar Association and the Judicial Council.

WMC was founded in April 1984 as a non-profit organization with non-political affiliation. The following seven T's are the WMCs fundamental goals: trust, trade, tourism, technology, transfer, and treasury, training and twin city programs.

Membership is not only limited to mayors, but to any elected or appointed public official.

Both parties agreed that the issues in their respective country are basically the same, whether on a large or small scale and that being part of a platform and dialogue to address these matters and to exchange best practices will be an added value.

Parents are being called upon to address this behavior before somebody gets hurt. A school bus driver must focus on driving and is not able to address students who are misbehaving.

School bus drivers are asked to report the misbehavior to the respective school principal and the department.

Students who behave in a disruptive manner on the school bus are creating a dangerous situation which puts the other children and motorists in danger thereby creating a safety hazard.

The bus driver must focus his or her attention on the road and stay on schedule. Students need to act responsibly and parents need to address this matter especially those who use the school bus.

Students must behave in a responsible manner at the bus pick-up point; they must follow instructions of the driver; students must remain seated and quiet. The school bus driver is responsible for the safe operation of the school bus and he/she requires the support of parents. Any behavior which could endanger safety on the school bus is unacceptable.

Riding on the school bus is a privilege, a service provided by Government at no cost.

School busses are privately owned vehicles and parents will be held responsible for their child/children's actions.

Anybody who sees any unusual behavior on or with a school bus is encouraged to report this to the Inspection Section at telephone number 542-4511 or 542-4509 or call the Police if it is an immediate danger.

PHILIPSBURG--The Department of Statistics reported that the consumer price index for St. Maarten decreased in December 2011, by 0.3 per cent compared to October 2011.

Although generally prices showed a dip when comparing these two months in 2011, when looking at average consumer prices over a 12 month period (December 2010 to December 2011) an increase of 4.6 per cent was recorded, when compared to the same period a year earlier. The price index recorded in December 2011 is 117.5.

In December 2011, six of the nine expenditure categories became more expensive, while three became cheaper.

Among the more expensive were the categories were Food (+1.2 per cent), Beverage and Tobacco (+ 0.6 per cent), Clothing and Footwear (+ 0. 7per cent), Transport and Communication (+0.3 per cent), Recreation and Education (+0.6 per cent) and Miscellaneous (+0.4 per cent).

Whereas in the categories Housing (-1.6 per cent), Household furnishing and appliances (-0.1 per cent) and Medical Care (-0.5 per cent) became cheaper. Noteworthy is that the price increases per category were all below 1 per cent, except food which was slightly above.

The categories with the largest influence in the basket are Food (10 per cent), Housing (39 per cent) and Transport and Communication (20 per cent).

In December 2011 the expenditure category Housing impacted the overall index the most with a significant decline (-1.6 per cent) in consumer prices of this category. Even though the expenditure category Food has the third largest weight factor, it recorded the second largest price increase (+1.2 per cent) in December compared to October 2011.

Within the expenditure category Food it can be noted that eight of the nine food groups became more expensive, while two food groups became cheaper. Amongst the more expensive were the food groups Grain (+ 2.4 per cent), Meat and Fish (+ 0.4 per cent), Fats and Oils (+ 3.7 per cent), Dairy Products (+ 5.0 per cent), Sugar and Chocolate (+1.5 per cent), Pre-cooked dishes (+0.1 per cent), Eating-out (+0.4 per cent) and other food resources (+1.2 per cent). Whilst in the food group Potatoes, Vegetables and Fruit a price reduction of -0.3 per cent was recorded.

More specifically the following products largely influenced the total price change within the food group: Grains largely influenced by Pasta (+7.6 per cent), Cereal (+2.5 per cent) and Flour (+8.2 per cent). The food group Meat and Fish was largely influenced by Beef (+14.7 per cent), Spare ribs (+ 4.3 per cent), Pork Meat (+25.3 per cent), Goat Meat (+ 14.2 per cent), Chicken and Chicken Organs (-2.1 per cent), Fish (+25 per cent) and other Fish (- 10.8 per cent).

The food group Fats and Oils was largely influenced by; Cooking oil (+4.8 per cent). The food group Dairy Products was largely influenced by; Canned Milk (+3.3 per cent), Powder Milk (+10.3 per cent), Ice cream (+14.3 per cent) and Eggs (+4.7 per cent). The food group Potatoes, Vegetables and Fruit was largely influenced by Potatoes (-4.2 per cent), Onions and Garlic (-13.4 per cent), Tomatoes (-8.5 per cent), Paprika (-8.8 per cent), Fresh Spices and Herbs (+19.6 per cent), Apples and pears (+3.9 per cent) and Grapes (+5.1 per cent).

Within the expenditure category Housing it was noted that three of the five product groups became more expensive whilst one remain unchanged and one became cheaper. Although the product groups Dwelling costs (+0.4 per cent), and House maintenance (+0.1 per cent), Garden maintenance (+ 7.7per cent) became more expensive it must be emphasized that the decrease in Energy expenses (-9.0 per cent) had an overall more significant effect on this expenditure category.

More specifically it must be noted that the products Electricity (-10.8 per cent) largely influenced the total price percentage change recorded in the product group Energy Usage. Note that this decline is directly related to a Christmas special rate implemented by GEBE, the overall impact of this product on the consumer budget and total index is approximately 0.05 per cent.

Minister Hon. Blackmoore had requested the meeting to discuss the discontinuation of Windward Island Airways (WINAIR) flights to Dominica.

It was agreed that a structural solution would be looked into in order to service Dominica on a regular basis.

PHILIPSBURG--The General Pension Fund of St. Maarten (Algemeen Pensioenfonds St. Maarten (APS)) is expected to make its first pension payments to those entitled to it this Friday, January 20.

APS director Kendra Arnell said in a press release on Wednesday, that APS is "working diligently" with local banks to facilitate this payment. "We are proud to be taking this step forward and consider it an important milestone for our organisation," Arnell said.

Since October 10, 2010, Algemeen Pensioenfonds Curaçao (APC), the former APNA, had continued to carry out pension payments on behalf of APS on the basis of a Service Level Agreement (SLA) between both parties. That agreement entailed that as of December 31, 2011, pension payments would be transferred to APS. APS will be making pension payments on the basis of the same regulations as APNA in the past.

Arnell said pension beneficiaries can expect to receive a statement with a breakdown of their pension by mail. The statement will provide information on the gross and net pension amount and on withholdings for wage tax, health insurance and other social premiums.

"The statement will look different, but essentially conveys the same information as previous statements. It is not anticipated that beneficiaries will see any changes in the pensions they receive," Arnell said in the release. "We have been and are working closely with APC to ensure a seamless transition."

APS was established by law on October 10, 2010 when the former Netherlands Antilles was dissolved and St. Maarten became a country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

APS is now responsible for the execution of the National Pension Fund Ordinance of St. Maarten. Persons who have questions regarding payments can contact the APS by calling telephone number 543-0003 or by email

info@apsxm.org.

PHILIPSBURG--Government has given the green light for the second health research study "How Healthy is St. Maarten" to be conducted.

Health Minister Cornelius de Weever said the research would be a follow up to the first study conducted in 1999.

During Wednesday's Council of Ministers press briefing, de Weever listed the short and long term objectives which are: to conduct an overview of the organisation of health care in St. Maarten and available health care facilities; to select priority areas for positive development in St. Maarten and to set strategic plans for implementation.

In addition to the health study, de Weever said a research study on the elderly population in St. Maarten has also been approved. "The purpose of this research is the creation of sound evidence based upon which policy can be developed, applied, monitored and evaluated."

The findings of the 1999 'How Healthy is St. Maarten' study showed that the elderly in St. Maarten are in need of attention. "This... study was recommended to do further research into the exact problems of this target group and this is what this research is all about."

~ Heyliger to answer in Parliament today ~

PHILIPSBURG--Democratic Party (DP) Member of Parliament (MP) Leroy de Weever will be expecting answers this morning when the plenary session of Parliament reconvenes about the planned "Dutch Village" announced by the Harbour Group of Companies recently.

A recent destination-based visitor satisfaction survey failed to find vestiges of St. Maarten's well-known Dutch connection and Dutch heritage. This information has led the harbour to formulate a plan to create a Dutch village complete with a functioning windmill on the four acres of reclaimed land in Dr. A.C. Wathey Cruise and Cargo Facilities.

De Weever asked Minister responsible for the Harbour Theo Heyliger during the first round of the meeting on Monday how the project had come about. He wondered whether "these kinds of projects" were just "thought up" without proper insight. He contended that developments such as this "Dutch Village" put strain on what should be the commercial capital of St. Maarten: Philipsburg.

De Weever said government had allowed pockets of commercial entities to develop in the past to strain Philipsburg, and mentioned the stores at Maho and Blue Mall as examples. The Dutch Village will be no different, he said, keeping cruise passengers away from Philipsburg.

Although Minister Heyliger did not have an opportunity to respond in the second round of the session due to a lack of quorum, he told The Daily Herald afterwards that the idea was part of diversifying the cruise visitor experience.

He explained that while St. Maarten had its own culture, which should be expressed, combining that with the marketing gimmicks with which the island had been branded (Dutch/French) was not necessarily a bad thing. He said St. Maarten must diversify if it intends to continue strong growth in the cruise tourism sector.

The Minister also stressed that St. Maarten was not alone in the business of tourism and as such must offer new things to keep potential visitors and returning visitors interested.

The second round of the session will open this morning at 10:00am with Heyliger answering various questions posed by MPs.

PHILIPSBURG--The report on the investigation into the issues surrounding the dismissal request made by the Pelican Resort/Simpson Bay Resort and Marina (SBRM) is expected to be presented to Labour Minister Cornelius de Weever at noon today, Thursday.

De Weever told reporters on Wednesday that once he receives the report he will be able to give an update on the issues surrounding the dismissal. He said Labour Ministry Secretary General Jorien Wuite would have to give him an overview "on what transpired exactly and then I will be able to decide how we will proceed because we are also looking at the current dismissal committee and having that functioning properly and allow them to make the decisions more, basically, rather than her [Wuite ed.]. I think that's one proposal that's on the table."

De Weever had said last week that an investigation into the matter was needed to see where things went wrong.

The Resort had made a request to dismiss 49 employees on April 26, 2011. Two of the employees have since passed away. However, to date workers have not received a response to the request.

Labour Department and Labour Ministry officials had told workers at a recent informative session that certain information such as the financial records and redundancy plan of SBRM had not been provided to the Labour Department, despite repeated requests, resulting in the department being unable to make a timely decision on the request.

Workers were also told that SBRM attorney Jairo Bloem had also not provided clarity on which company had been requesting the dismissal as the request was made by Pelican Resort/Simpson Bay Resort and Marina and that the verdict of the latest court case was also not provided and that clarity was needed on the validity and relevance of the dismissal request.

However, SBRM attorney Jairo Bloem has dismissed as absolutely false the claims by the Labour Department. Bloem had later challenged the Department and the Labour Ministry's Secretary General Jorien Wuite to produce a single request that she or the department had made for additional information.

PHILIPSBURG--The Committee for Financial Supervision CFT welcomes government's ongoing efforts to strengthen the tax system and has "hinted" at the need for a stringent dividends policy for government-owned companies.

CFT Chairman Age Bakker told the press on Wednesday in the committee's newly-opened office in the Convent Building on Front Street that the government was "taking steps to significantly strengthen the tax system and the tax authorities."

Bakker added that increases in government's income would be needed in the coming years to achieve the provision and service levels residents deserved and expected. The increases also are needed to cover the multi-annual financial risks.

Also in discussions with government, Bakker said the CFT board, on which the country is represented by attorney Richard Gibson Sr., "hinted that it might be advisable to consider drawing up a dividends policy for government corporations." Such a policy would "promote a more comprehensive assessment of all public funds. It would also enable Parliament to ultimately balance how government's revenues should be allocated."

CFT has suggested that government look at the pros and cons of establishing such a policy, like other countries. Finance Minister Hiro Shigemoto had said already last year that government was working on such a policy.

Government-owned companies operate at present under concession fee arrangements with government. "We [CFT] think it is advisable to be clear." Government is said to have taken note of the CFT comments, Bakker said, adding that CFT certainly would follow up on this during the next visit.

CFT and government have developed a five-year road map in connection with the Public Expenditure Framework Assessment (PEFA) that will lead to stronger financial management and eventually bring the country's management up to an internationally acceptable level. "That will also help and enable institutions like Parliament to fulfil their role."

The roadmap outlines major priority areas for government to tackle and improve for the long-term benefit of better financial management.

St. Maarten in general is a young country that has to build up its institutions. "So we have to be realistic. We have to accept this. We have to be, on the one hand, ambitious in what we try to achieve, but at the same time be realistic about what can be done," Bakker said.

Also present at the press conference were CFT Secretary Kees van Nieuwamerongen and CFT board members Albert Romero (Curaçao) and Richard Gibson Sr. (St. Maarten).

PHILIPSBURG--Making a profit by transporting poor Haitian immigrants in rickety boats and assisting them in gaining illegal entry into their country of destination is a severe crime, but what to do with three Haitians involved in a case of family reunion?

Judge Monique Keppels of the Court of First Instance was confronted with this question in a case involving three men of Haitian descent who stood trial on people-smuggling charges on Wednesday.

The main suspect in this case, B.F. (46), is accused of having assisted in four minor children to gain illegal entry into St. Maarten between June 26 and October 17, 2010, by using falsified proof of accommodation documents, or attestations d'hébergement, as they are called in French.

Two of these children, ages 10 and 12, were born to co-defendants E.P. (38) and J.P. (42) who, according to the Prosecutor's Office, had assisted in the crime by paying part of their offspring's airfare to St. Maarten and providing their passports and passport photos.

B.F. was the most outspoken of the three defendants in describing the reasons for their actions. Following the catastrophic earthquake of January 12, 2010, that devastated Haiti, killing around 300,000 people and leaving more than 1.5 million without homes, the two girls, who he claimed were related to him, had become homeless.

"The children were starving and were living on the street. I felt obligated to do something for these children," B.F. told the Judge, adding that the girls' mothers had approached him to find the children and deliver them to their mothers.

He claimed he had only assisted because efforts to obtain visas for the two girls in Haiti had been unsuccessful.

This was not the first time B.F. had taken children from Haiti to St. Maarten. He had accompanied two other children to St. Maarten earlier last year. That time he had not encountered any problems with Immigration officials at Princess Juliana International Airport.

Prosecutor Dounia Benammar held it against the three men that they had not sought the assistance of the authorities in St. Maarten in unifying their families.

However, E.P. and J.P. claimed they had had no knowledge that the documents provided by B.F. had been false.

B.F. told the Court he had bought the documents for US $50 each from a man in the streets, but maintained he had had no doubt about the papers' authenticity. "I would not have done it had I known the documents were false," he said.

The Prosecutor requested that the Court sentence B.F. to 18 months, six of which were to be suspended, with three years' probation. In case of conviction, she also requested the man's immediate incarceration and the revocation of his residence permit.

According to the Prosecutor, B.F. had not acted on humanitarian grounds, but had been working for payment and for profit.

Prosecutor Benammar did not deny that the situation in Haiti was grave, but said B.F.'s appeal of a "case of emergency" did not work because he had misused other people's misery in making a profit. "In bringing these children here he also contributed to illegal immigration," she added.

She said the other two suspects had induced and contributed to the crime. "They did not make any efforts with the St. Maarten authorities to get their children here via the proper channels," Benammar said.

The children are still in St. Maarten with their families. The Minister of Justice will decide on their fate, the Prosecutor explained.

Attorney-at-law Geert Hatzmann stated that B.F., who is seriously ill, had been punished enough already by his three-month pre-trial detention during which he witnessed the traumatic suicide of a cellmate.

His clients were not aware of the ins and outs of family reunification and had become the victims of "ignorance" within the Naturalisation and Immigration Service (IND), said attorney Remco Stomp. "They acted in despair and should either be acquitted or be discharged from prosecution," Stomp said.

The judge will give her decision on February 8.

Wifol asked the court to order both RR and SBRMC to stick with the "Pelican CLA". Such claim has been awarded twice in a summary procedure by the court of first instance and was also twice set aside by the Common Court of Justice.

This new court action is a so-called procedure on the merits and therefore differs from the ones (the summary procedures) that have been tried last year. Those previous procedures were less extensive and does not give the Court a possibility to fully weigh all the evidence that is presented by parties. In a procedure on the merits, the Court will look more careful at the evidence and will be able to hear witnesses. Hearing witnesses is not possible in a summary procedure.

WIFOL is of the opinion that, both the Court in First Instance and the Common Court will come to the conclusion that both RR and SBRMC are bound by the "Pelican CLA" and that those defendants will be ordered to fully respect the CLA and pay the members of Wifol in accordance with the CLA.

A verdict is expected within a relatively short period. Moreover, Wifol has requested the Court to render a specific court order prior to a decision on the merits. Wifol hopes that this court order will be render

Approach of individual members of Wifol
WIFOL has noted that RR and SBRMC have approached the individual members of Wifol and have offered those members an employment agreement that is severely worse than what the members would be entitled to on basis of the "Pelican CLA".

Those deviations from the CLA will however become null and void if the new court case has a successful outcome for WIFOL. RR and SBRMC would in that case obliged to pay the difference to the members of Wifol.

Undermining the position of WIFOL members
The public should be aware that the members of WIFOL have informed the Board of WIFOL that a large number of undocumented workers have taken over the positions of the members at the resort. Some of those workers are working at the resort via employment agencies and by doing so are taking away the labor of the members of WIFOL. Those workers are working under conditions which are in violation of Local Laws, Kingdom Laws and ILO Convention No. 181.

Wifol regrets that, the immigration department nor the labor department have check those persistent rumors that some of the vacancies at the resort have not been filled in in accordance with the laws. As far as Wifol is aware of, none of these agencies have been scrutinized by the inspectorates neither.

Complaint against government of Sint Maarten at the International Labor Institution (ILO) in Geneva.
The attorneys of Wifol are drafting up a complaint against Sint Maarten at the ILO.

The ILO is the international organization responsible for drawing up and overseeing international labour standards. It is the only 'tripartite' United Nations agency that brings together representatives of Governments, Employers and Workers to jointly shape policies and programmes promoting Decent Work for all. This unique arrangement gives the ILO an edge in incorporating 'real world' knowledge about employment and work (www.ilo.org).

The reason for this complaint is that the government of Sint Maarten in the opinion of Wifol acts in conflict with certain ILO Conventions that the Kingdom of the Netherlands (and thus Sint Maarten) is bound by. More specific it concerns the ILO conventions 87, 98 and 154.

Those conventions concern the freedom of association and protection of the right to organize and the right to collective bargaining.

Wifol holds the opinion that the government of Sint Maarten has not fulfilled its obligations under these conventions by – among others – advocating the members of Wifol to bypass the union and to enter into individual employment agreements. Further, Wifol holds the opinion that government has not encouraged RR and SBRMC to enter into negotiations with Wifol, but to the contrary, lend its support to the way RR and SBRMC ignored the collective bargaining interests of the members of Wifol. A double role of a certain politician/ director will make more clear for ILO as well that the government of Sint Maarten has difficulty to fulfill its obligations under these conventions.

Wifol expects that this United Nations institution will closely scrutinize the acts of government in the light of the Conventions and will consider the complaint to be well founded.

For the Board of WIFOL,

Theophilus Thompson
President

~Complaints officer to be placed at Dept~

PHILIPSBURG--"Shape up or ship out." This was the firm message Labour and Social Affairs Minister Cornelius de Weever sent to workers at the Labour and Social Affairs Department on Wednesday.

De Weever expressed his frustration with the pace of service being provided to the public despite his efforts to have service improved. "I have tried to encourage the civil servants about change and I have even given directions to assist the elderly, the mentally and the physically challenged, but it appears as though clients are still not getting the service they need and deserve [despite ed.] all of our attempts to ensure that these groups stay on medical or financial assistance," de Weever told reporters at Wednesday's Council of Ministers press briefing.

"My office [staff ed.] and others are being stopped everyday and asked about persons and their family member not getting the assistance from this department. My only advice that I can give now is shape up or ship out."

De Weever said he made a surprise visit to the department on Wednesday to convey this message to the department head.

"The people of St. Maarten deserve better. Those who have paid into our system and those who need the special services should not have to face inefficiency and lack of initiative on their part. My cabinet and I have been going the extra mile to assist those who need it because this department, or many of them, sit behind desks and do not take the initiative to help or even pick up the phone to make things happen.

"This can no longer continue. I have asked all departments and this one in particular to help everyone as they would try and help a family member or friend and I am extremely disappointed. I will not stop until this department and the services they provide are up to par," the minister said.

Complaints officer

De Weever said a customer service agent/complaints officer will be placed at this department to ensure that clients "are taken care of.

"Our intention is to not play games with our elderly, mentally or physically challenged because they are the ones who deserve more and those are the ones who will be hurt in the long run," said de Weever.

Vice Prime Minister Hon. Theo Heyliger, and Minister responsible for Public Housing, Spatial Development, Environment and Infrastructure, will respond to the first round of questions that were posed by Members of Parliament (MPs).

The meeting will take place in the General Assembly Chamber of the House of Parliament on Wilhelmina Straat #2.1 in Philipsburg.

The two agenda points being dealt with in the plenary session are, infrastructure developments on Sint Maarten and the impact on the environment, and developments at GEBE including the generation and distribution of electricity, water and the fuel clause.

The National Alliance (NA) faction requested the plenary session in its letter dated January 06, 2012 to the President of Parliament.

The plenary public session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 20.

The residents of the Sister Patancia Houtman Street are fixing the government roads again, a ritual for the last six years. Residents told The Daily Herald that the street in the back of the Sister Patencia Houtman, where the kindergarten school of the Sister Regina Primary School is located, is like a swimming pool "where you can swim". They said the potholes are approximately 30cm deep. The Daily Herald understands that the situation is due in large part to a total lack of drainage facilities and the low lying level of the roads in the district. An official comment could not be obtained by press time on Wednesday.

The opening of the office and the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding are the result of the further developing cooperation between Sint Maarten and Cft. This cooperation is of great importance to continue building up country Sint Maarten and foster sound public finances.

During the meetings an array of topics were discussed, such as the budget, the accountability, corporate governance and financial management. It can be concluded that there has been progress on all areas, although at the same time there are still many challenges ahead. Currently Sint Maarten does not have an approved budget for 2012 as yet. Sint Maarten requested Cft to advise on the draft budget, before submitting this to Parliament. Cft is pleased that Sint Maarten decided to do so. In this way Parliament will be informed of the Cft views on the draft budget, and will be in a position to include this in their deliberations. The expectation is that the draft budget will soon be presented to Parliament and Cft hopes that the budget will soon be adopted. A fast adoption of the budget 2012 means also that preparations for budget 2013 can be started timely, in order for these to be adopted within the legal terms.

The budget 2012 will have to be executed under difficult economic conditions. Economic and financial uncertainty is eminent worldwide. It may therefore be necessary to adjust the budget during 2012. In addition the Cft indicated to the government the risks in the multi-year budget as far as pensions and social security is concerned. Countries all over the world are confronted with increasingly unmanageable costs in these areas, other than was originally expected when these systems were designed. It is therefore prudent to obtain timely insight on these matters on Sint Maarten and to plan to effectively cope with potential problems. Cft welcomes the fact that Sint Maarten is taking steps to significantly improve the tax system. The Board has recommended the Council of Ministers to also consider adopting a dividend policy for government owned companies. This will contribute to transparency and proper allocation of all public funds. Parliament however, is the ultimate decision maker as far as this is concerned.

Sint Maarten is a young country that is working on building its institutional capacity and developing its general financial management. So there is at present a backlog in the preparation and auditing of financial statements. It is important to complete and audit financial statements of the past. Cft is pleased to have learned that the financial statement 2010 is completed and has been submitted to the required advisory bodies. In a wider context, Cft has emphasized the importance of the adoption of the Public Expenditure Framework Assessment (PEFA) as the basis for a roadmap to strengthen financial management in future. This process should in the end lead to a financial management that is in compliance with internationally acceptable standards. This will support institutions such as Parliament to carry out its role. Cft applauds these steps that Sint Maarten is taking in this area. The building-up of a country brings along challenges for the government and the leadership of the country.

With the opening of the new office and the close cooperation Cft is confident in the future of Sint Maarten.