SXM News February Edition 2023

PJIAE N.V. LAUNCHES EMPLOYEE EXPERIENCE PROGRAM FOR 2023 WITH A FOCUS ON WORKPLACE HAPPINESS

SIMPSON BAY,

St.

Maarten (February 16, 2023) -The Princess Juliana International Airport Operating Company (PJIAE) has recently announced to its staff the theme for 2023, “Reopening with Excellence,” in preparation for the reopening of the terminal building later this year.

Aligned with the theme, PJIAE’s HR (Human Resources) department has launched its Employee Experience Program for 2023 with a focus on Employee Appreciation, Employee Engagement, and Workplace Happiness. The program began on February 3, 2023, and included a 3-day certification workshop to certify 12 “Workplace Happiness Ambassadors.” These ambassadors will collaborate with the HR department to improve the overall employee experience and support the company’s journey towards better employee satisfaction. The Happiness Bureau, a well-renowned company from the Netherlands was invited to St. Maarten to provide ground-breaking workshops,

sessions, and a masterclass on Employee Appreciation and Employee Engagement. PJIAE took advantage of this opportunity and also invited HR professionals from St. Maarten, Saba, and Statia to participate in a unique HR Masterclass on Employee Engagement and Workplace Happiness. The event was well attended.

Last week, PJIAE organized sessions for its directors, managers, and supervisors, providing helpful insights to guide them in their journey to improve workplace happiness through a renewed focus on management skills for employee appreciation, employee engagement, and workplace happiness. The focus on improving the employee experience will continue throughout 2023.

“We are honored to have been the host of these sessions and look forward to sharing HR knowledge, techniques, and further collaborating with other HR professionals in St. Maarten,” said HR Director Ms. Miguela Gumbs from PJIAE.

PJIAE’s Employee Experience Program for 2023 is off to a great start and promises to bring positive changes to the workplace. The company’s commitment to improving the employee experience will be a key factor in achieving its goal of workplace happiness and satisfaction.

PJIAE is the International Airport of St.Maarten and handles between 1.5 - 1.8 million passengers per year. The airport is rebuilding its main terminal which was damaged in 2017 during hurricane IRMA. It is scheduled to be completed Q2 2024.

About Princess Juliana International Airport

Princess Juliana Internation al Airport is one of the busi est airport in the Northeast Caribbean. It is the most im portant airport hub for Saba, St Eustatius, St Barths, An guilla, Dominica, Nevis, and Tortola. The airport is one of the largest employers on the island. It has 277 work ers and 1700 workers within the entire airport community. The reconstruction works of the airport have started in

September 2021. The new Departure Hall will be officially opened in 2023. The terminal building will be opened in 2024. Contractor Ballast Nedam International Projects (BNIP) is working with local people and companies which is essential for socio-economic recovery of Sint Maarten.

Historic Timeline

Princess Juliana Airport was

officially opened by Princess Juliana in 1944. In 2006, her Majesty Queen Beatrix inaugurated the new terminal building. In 2017, the airport was hit by Hurricane Irma (Cat 5) In January 2020, Princess Juliana International Airport signed the World Bank/EIB loan to reconstruct the terminal. In July 2021, Ballast Nedam International Project signed the contract to start the reconstruction.

Photo Caption – Attendees of the Employee Experience Program for 2023.

Cusha Cartoons book in production

Dear reader,

Welcome to this page where I will be compiling the best of the satirical cartoons we have published over the years since 2016 when StMaartenNews.com was first launched. These cartoons will be bundled and published in an upcoming book called ‘Cusha Cartoons’ as these will be as prickly as my columns in my first book called Cusha Columns.

Over time, I will publish here on this page the selected cartoons that will go into the book with their respective backstories. Readers will be able to access this page and follow the development of the collection of cartoons with their backstories that will go into the book by buying a Cusha Columns subscription for just $18 US Dollars. Paid subscribers will also get a copy of the Cusha Columns book.

So far we have well over 100 cartoons posted.

Committee to Elect Cloyd Ohndhae Marlin holds

first meeting

PHILIPSBURG -- A core group of community leaders came together on Sunday, February 12, to form a powerful ‘Committee to Elect Cloyd Ohndhae Marlin to the Parliament of St. Maarten.’

The atmosphere was filled with excitement as cheers were heard from a distance. Cloyd ‘Ohndhae’ Marlin opened the meeting with a word of welcome, followed by Benjamin Bell former St. Maarten Christian Party (SMCP) candidate, who blessed the meeting with a word of prayer, as well as the St. Maarten Song.

During this history-making meeting, the Hon. Member of Parliament William Marlin, with a political career spanning almost 50 years, passed the political mantle onto his son, Cloyd ‘Ohndhae’ Marlin,

with a promise to passionately support his son’s impending campaign. Marlin senior shared his full confidence in his son’s qualities and capabilities to direct a successful campaign to resounding victory, and St. Maarten to progress, sharing that “a promise made by Ohndhae is a promise kept.”

The cheers reverberated louder when former Commissioner, Island Council Member and Member of Parliament, Louis Laveist endorsed ‘Ohndhae for Parliament’ and officially passed on the mantra: “Man of Action,” based on Ohndhae’s proven track record as the ‘People’s Leader,’ who actively knows how to get things done.

The cheers and rounds of applause continued louder when local poet, artist, former educator, politician and debate coach Roberto Arrindell recited a moving poem,

entitled: “It’s Time!” Arrindell also pledged his support for Ohndhae’s campaign, stating: “I am a man of my word and I give Ohndhae my word, which I intend to keep. I entrust him with my vote and full confidence that he is the right man to represent the people of St. Maarten.”

Also part of the ‘Committee to Elect Cloyd Ohndhae Marlin’ are former National Alliance (N.A.) and United People’s Party (UP) candidate Terry Peterson, Dr. Randall Friday, Addie Richardson, better known as Shadz, Grace Sprott aka Sugar, Radio Personality Joanne Martimbor-Lewis, School Manager Jacqueline Duggins-Horsford, Nicole Williams-Winter, a Teacher, Martha Thewett, a Civil Servant and former N.A. Candidate, Dione Kirton, Owner of Queen Security, and many more, forming a Core Team of over 100 community leaders.

The Committee to Elect Cloyd Ohndhae Marlin to Parliament, dubbed the “C4-P Committee” is comprised of members ranging from diverse professional backgrounds, including School Managers and Teachers, Bankers, Civil Servants, Doctors, Lawyers, Business Entrepreneurs and

Professionals, Marketing, Media and Communications Specialists, Community Activists, along with a large number of former Politicians and the hardworking boys on the block.

Together, everyone echoed the

man who gets the job done,” were words used to describe Cloyd Ohndhae Marlin. Marlin, a well-known Campaign Manager to several elected and appointed officials, will now be campaigning for himself.

Committee Members pledged their full support to Cloyd Ohndhae Marlin, which included a firm commitment to provide the essential campaign support required to ensure that their candidate is elected.

sentiment that it is indeed “TIME” for Cloyd Ohndhae Marlin to take his rightful place on the forefront of the political arena, after working tirelessly over the past years on countless successful election campaigns for others.

In addition, the following community leaders were elected as “C4-P” Campaign Board Members: Testimonies shared by Committee Members included inspirational statements about their choice and commitment to support Marlin. Heartfelt sentiments such as Marlin’s creativity as “a man with vision,” his solid reputation as “a man of action,” “a man who keeps his word” and, “a

It was a well structured “C4-P” core campaign team meeting where a wealth of information was shared and all members were engaged in Marlin’s political vision, mission and plans to serve the community.

The highly-anticipated official public launch date of Cloyd Ohndhae Marlin’s political career will soon be announced with an open invitation to the entire community.

In closing, Marlin thanked everyone in attendance for their support and also pledged that it is truly time to continue working for the people on a much larger scale as the visionary “man of action.”

• William Marlin, Campaign Manager

• Laura Leblanc, Campaign Assistant

• President, Roy Lynch

• Vice-President, Chantal Bryan

• Treasurer, Cassandra Webster

• Secretary Mila Williams Webster

• Public Relations and Communications Manager, Jacqueline Louis

financial statements remain unreliable, Audit Chamber says

PHILIPSBURG -- The government still has not put its financial household in order. According to the government’s accountants bureau SOAB the uncertainties in the financial statements add up to a whopping 1.3 billion guilders (more than $726 million) while the General Audit Chamber maintains an adverse opinion about the country’s 2021 financial statements.

“Like the financial statements of previous years, they could be more reliable, making it difficult, if not impossible to use the actual figures for the preparation of the government’s subsequent budget,” the Audit Chamber writes in its report about the 2021 financial statements that appeared this month.

“The SOAB correctly issued an adverse opinion about the financial statements. Expenditures were incurred for which no funds were budgeted and income was not realized or lower than expected.”

The 2021 budget and the 2021 financial statements lack the information required by the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO),” the Audit Chamber-report states.

“Unless a budget is prepared in according with the NAO, it cannot serve as a standard for financial statements.”

The Audit Chamber includes the following recommendations in its report. The government has to present the draft national ordinance adopting the financial statements to parliament within a month after receiving the report from the General Audit Chamber. It must consistently provide parliament with policy information in the financial statements. The government must prepare memoranda in accordance with the NAO. Quarterly reports do not meet these standards because they do not contain information about required budget amendments and their impact on the bud-

get. Parliament must ensure that the government is in complete compliance with the NAO. Lastly, the parliament should call the responsible minister to account when accountability information is absent.

Previous Chamber-reports highlighted that the government’s balance sheet did not include 120.6 million guilders (around $67.4 million) for future payments of cost of living allowance as a liability. This has now been disclosed in the explanatory notes to the balance sheet.

The Chamber found ‘smaller’ reliability errors in the statements for an amount of 6.3 million guilders ($3.5 million). “Considering the total of the errors (126.9 million guilders, or $70.8 million) the Audit Chamber maintains an adverse opinion about the 2021 financial statements.”

The report notes that the errors amount to just 14.2 million ($7.9 million) according to the internal auditor but that there is no explanation for the difference between the two amounts.

The government has also internal control issues. According to the Chamber-report that control is inadequate when it comes to recording the outcome of processes in the procurement of goods and services, the granting of subsidies, and the payment of salaries. There are also doubts about the accuracy and completeness of levying and collection of taxes and fees.

Because of all this, the Audit Chamber cannot assess whether and to what extent the government realized policy intentions. There is however also some positive news: the internal auditor received more documentation than during previous years and the Ministry of Finance and the Temporary Work Organization (TWO) conducted a cleanup of the balance sheet and the general ledger as part of the measures

established in the country package. The quality of the financial statements has therefore improved though the Audit Chamber has reservations about the improvements because they have not been verified yet.

“The financial statements remain unreliable, making it difficult, if not impossible to use the actual figures in the preparation of the government’s subsequent budget and for parliament to assess whether ministers conducted sound financial management.”

The Chamber concludes that the financial statements do not represent a true and fair view of the financial position per December 31, 2021. Nor do they represent an accurate picture of the result for 2021. “The statements have not been prepared in accordance with all provisions of the NAO.”

Offsetting overspending against underspending, the 2021 budget underperformed for 146 million guilders or $81.5 million (2020: 53 million guilders or $29.6 million).

“Income, expenses and balance sheet changes were not prepared in accordance with the 2021 national budget and other legal requirements,” the report states. “No improvement compared to previous years is evident to us.”

The Chamber-report highlights five shortcomings that have been around for more than a decade, since the transfer to country-status on October 10, 2010. These shortcomings deal with wages and salaries, goods and services, tax revenue, cost of social services and scholarships, subsidies and transfers.

“There are inadequate internal control procedures across all ministries. There are material uncertainties that have a profound impact on the financial statements. More is needed to achieve the government’s goal of attaining auditor-approved financial statements.” To reach that goal, the government must address the shortcomings listed in the report first.

The uncertainties in the government’s financial household are at times flabbergasting.

Under the post goods and services (scope: 103 million guilders or $57.5 million) the auditors found 56 million ($313 million) or 54 percent uncertainties. Subsidies and transfers (scope: 133 million guilders or $74.3 million) did a lot better but there were still uncertainties amounting to 30 million guilders ($16.8 million - 22 percent).

The huge amount SOAB listed as uncertainties (1.3 billion guilders) includes uncertainties that cannot be quantified. The Audit Chamber left these out of its overview and observed that uncertainties declined in 2021 by 209 million guilders ($116.7 million).

The Ministry of Finance attributes this decline to the cleanup of balance sheet items, but the auditor cannot confirm that this cleanup was done in an unbiased manner or that proper authorization was obtained for the removal of specific items from the financial records. Minister of Finance Arwell Irion wrote in a reaction to the draft report that no items were removed. The auditor could not verify the accuracy of all material corrections either.

Government’s

Family tragedies inspired stockbroker to embezzle a small fortune

KINGSTON -- Eight-time Olympic gold medalist Usain Bolt is not the only one who has been scammed by an employee of the Jamaica-based company Stocks and Securities Limited (SSL). There are thirty other potential victims and the total losses for these SSL-investors add up to $1.2 billion, according to a January 18-report by Chris Hatler in Runner’s World.

Hatler wrote that the investigation into wrongdoings at SSL focused on a long-time employee. That employee has now been identified as Jean-Ann Panton who started working at SSL on April 1, 1997. She is currently client relationship manager.

Panton made a voluntary statement to Justice of the Peace Kamal Gilzene on January 7 about the way she manipulated client-accounts. Usain Bolt’s managers got suspicious when they noted that one of Bolt’s accounts, that should have held more than $10 million, just had a balance of $2,000. Panton confessed to Gilzine that she had taken approximately $864,000 and J$ 90.9 million (around $589,000) from client accounts.

To get her hands on the money, Panton forged emails that stated a client consented to selling SSL-shares. Once these shares were sold, one of four bearers who worked together with her would cash a check and then deliver the funds to Panton. The statement includes the names

of the four bearers. Panton said that she also withdrew money from client-accounts without their consent.

The client relationship manager began stealing money when her family was hit by tragedies. First her father was diagnosed with cancer and sent overseas for treatment. Panton “borrowed’ money from her client accounts to cover her dad’s expenses. When her father passed away three years later, she borrowed some more to cover the costs of the funeral.

Then her brother was placed in a home after an attempt to kill his mother. Panton also borrowed money to cover her brother’s expenses, while she had no idea how she was ever going to ;pay it back.

The true value of the clientaccounts cannot be derived from Panton’s statement but under her management $1,453,000 has evaporated. Panton told the Justice of the peace that she took around 20 percent from the client-accounts.

Given the scope of Panton’s embezzlement-activities it seems unlikely that she had anything to do with the fortune that disappeared from Usain Bolt’s account. According to the Jamaica Observer there were more employees involved in fraudulent activities. “Suspicious transactions have affected some of the accounts for over a decade,” Hatler wrote in his Runner’s World article.

As a result of the investigation Jamaica’s Financial Service Commission has barred SSL from undertaking sales or trading without its permission.

Jurenne Hooi succeeds Nico Schoof to chair Progress Committee Sint Maarten

PHILIPSBURG -- Dr. Jurenne D. Hooi has been appointed as the successor of Nico Schoof as the chair of St. Maarten’s Progress Committee. Schoof and committee member Michel Marijnen both stepped down. Mari-

jke van Veen replaces Marijnen. The other members of the committee are Franklyn Richards, secretary Gert-Jan Stortelers and St. Maartenbased adjunct secretary Terrance Rey.

Jurenne Hooi was born in Curacao; she moved to the Netherlands at the age of 19, where she obtained a degree and her PhD in health science from Maastricht University before building a career as an independent advisor and keynote speaker. Hooi describes herself as a poverty and inclusion expert who helps municipalities, social organizations, enterprises and non-governmental organizations (NGO’s) in the Netherlands and abroad managing their poverty reduction policies effectively. On her LinkedIn-profile, Dr. Hooi points out that multidimensional problems need understanding first before moving on to measurements and policy-making. “These are my domain, for instance

poverty and poverty stress. Shame is a very important disruptive variable in the process of solving extreme debts.”

Dr. Hooi has a long track record in the social domain, among which a position as managing director of a social service organization (MaDi) in Amsterdam for over 12 years. She specializes in governance and holds several positions, including chair of the Supervisory Board of Mental Health Caribbean and chair of the Supervisory Board of the Amsterdam Museum and Swazoom, a broad welfare organization for children, youngsters, their parents and other residents. She is also a member of the supervisory boards of Housing Foundation De Key and the Doen Foundation, a member of the advisory council of Techmeup, a

tech-fund that facilitates access to education. Hooi also chairs the Black Achievement Month Foundation in Amsterdam.

Working visit of the Progress Committee with Minister of Justice Anna Richardson (center). From left to right: Gert-Jan Stortelers (secretaris), Franklyn Richards (member Sint Maarten), Michel Marijnen (retired), Anna Richardson (Minister of Justice), Marijke van Veen (new member for The Netherlands), Nico Schoof (former chairman) and Terrance Rey (adjunct secretaris).

New chairman Progress Committee Dr. Jurenne D. Hooi. Photo by Uitgeverij Prometheus.

ROYAL VISIT AT PRINCESS JULIANA INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT

Simpson Bay, St. Maarten (February 6, 2023) – His Majesty King Willem Alexander, Her Majesty Queen Máxima, and Princess Amalia visited Princess Juliana International Airport today as part of Princess Amalia’s introductory trip to the Caribbean of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

The airport CEO, Brian Mingo, Project Director, Mirto Breell and Manager of Operations Z’haria Richardson, gave the Royals a tour of the construction area and the existing operations of the terminal building.

Currently, Ballast Nedam International Projects is rebuilding the new Departure Hall, which is set to open before the peak season of 2023. The new terminal building is expected to be completed in

the second quarter of 2024. During the visit, the Royals saw the impressive progress that has been made since the start of the rebuilding of the airport terminal which started in 2021.

The new terminal building is vital to the economy of the island, making it a source of pride for the airport and the entire team involved in its reconstruction.

Brian Mingo, CEO of Princess Juliana International Airport, said, “I am extremely proud to show the Royal family around the project and share the progress that has been made by the entire team. Rebuilding a live airport is a complex and demanding task, especially with the need to maintain daily operations. The focus is now on the completion of our airport which plays such an important role in the economy of St. Maarten.”

Historic Timeline

Princess Juliana Airport was officially opened by Princess Juliana in 1944. In 2006, her Majesty Queen Beatrix inaugurated the new terminal building in 2016. In 2017, the airport was hit by Hurricane Irma (Cat 5) In January 2020, Princess Juliana International Airport signed the World Bank/EIB loan to reconstruct the terminal. In July 2021, Ballast Nedam International Project signed the contract to start the reconstruction.

About Princess Juliana International Airport

Princess Juliana International Airport is one of the busiest airports in the Northeast Caribbean. It is the most important airport hub for Saba, St Eustatius, St Barths, Anguilla, Dominica, Nevis, and Tortola. The airport is one of the largest employers on the island. It has 277 workers and 1700 workers within the entire airport community. In 2022 the Sint Maarten airport expects to handle 1.2 million passengers and 54.000 aircraft movements. The reconstruction works of the airport have started in September 2021. In 2023, the Departure Hall will be ready. In the summer of 2024, the new terminal will be finished. Contractor Ballast Nedam International Projects (BNIP) is actively seeking cooperation with local people and companies which is essential for socio-economic recovery of Sint Maarten.

Photo Caption: (L to R) PJIAE N.V. Project Director, Mirto Breell and His Majesty King Willem Alexander takes center stage at the tour of the Airport Terminal Reconstruction Project during the Royal visit.

Royal Family arriving at the Princess Juliana International Airport

MP De Weever: “Our tax system is a bit absurd”

South-American scammers fooled American journalist with bogus information about Natalee Holloway

ORANJESTAD -- Almost seventeen years ago, on May 30, 2005, Alabama teenager Natalee Holloway disappeared without a trace during a stay on Aruba. Her body was never found and the authorities have never been able to pin her disappearance and most likely murder on their prime suspect, Joran van der Sloot, who is currently serving a very long prison sentence in Peru for the murder of student Stephany Flores Ramirez in 2010, in Lima.

the possession of “important information” that could solve Holloway’s disappearance. The now 67-year old Van Susteren is a lawyer but also news anchor for NewsMax in the United States. Previously she appeared on CNN, Fox News and MSNBC. In 2016, Forbes named her the 94th most powerful woman in the world. It is noteworthy that Van Susteren is also a Scientologist. Wealthygorilla.com reported her net worth per February 2023 to be around $35 million.

sender these items belonged to Natalee. But a forensic investigation by the FBI showed that the DNA found on these items did not match Natalee’s DNA. It did not match Joran van der Sloot’ DNA either. One shoe in the box turned out to be a counterfeit product that was probably manufactured in 2019.

PHILIPSBURG -- “We need to stop talking about tax reform and start reform,” independent MP Ludmila de Weever said in a meeting of parliament with Finance Minister Ardwell Irion. We need reform that empowers our country and most importantly our people, the MP said.

De Weever pointed out that in 2010 the profit tax in both St. Maarten and Curacao was 34.5 percent. In the meantime, Curacao has lowered this tax to 22 percent. “In St. Maarten it has stayed on the same level.”

‘Out tax system is a little bit absurd,” MP de Weever continued. “The minister has done a lot of work to promote SME’s (small and medium sized enterprises) but our tax system makes it really difficult for them to thrive. They have to pay 5 percent turnover tax every month and at the end of the year 34.5 percent profit tax. That makes it really uninviting to invest here.”

She added that entrepreneurs get the advice from their accountants and financial advisors not to disclose all of their profits because of the high level of profit tax.

“We are now in 2023. Why has it taken so long to change anything? Those who do pay taxes do not see a return on their payments because we

have crappy roads and they complain about our education system. Our tax system needs to be revamped, it is already twelve years late. What we should not do is make life harder for our citizens by imposing more taxes.”

During a radio-interview with Lady Grace in the Breakfast show, MP De Weever criticized initiatives to expropriate Mullet Bay.

“Tell me how expropriating Mullet Bay will improve people’s lives,” she said. “What we need to focus on is: how am I going to let my people earn more money through tax reform that is already thirteen years late. All we are doing is making our people poor and that is not going to help.”

De Weever threw out a random number associated with the appropriation of Mullet Bay. “That is going to cost, say, $200 million, but after that your people are still suffering and not earning enough. Focus instead on what is making their lives better, focus on improving the education system, focus on getting school back up and running and focus on getting kids back in school because for the last year some of them have been without a school. What are you doing to empower our people so that they have a future? Nada. You are keeping them in a position to suit your purposes of enriching yourself in a government position.”

But Holloway made headlines again this week after the Aruban public prosecutor’s office issued a statement about a revival of the investigation into her disappearance. Unfortunately, the conclusion was that the new information that triggered the investigation was based on fraud. The authorities still have not closed the investigation. “If we get tips that could bring clarity in this case, they will be investigated by the judicial authorities in Aruba,” a statement from the prosecutor’s office read. Those authorities include “the police force of Aruba, other investigating organizations and the public prosecutor’s office.”

The tips that triggered the latest investigation are based on information from the American journalist Greta van Susteren. She posted on social media that she was in

Based on Van Susteren’s information, the detective cooperation team (RST) started an investigation in June 2022 under the supervision of the prosecutor’s office and in cooperation with the American Federal Bureau of Investigation, the FBI.

This investigation focused on the question whether Van Susteren’s information was so concrete and accurate that it could lead to a solution. “Unfortunately this information has not been able to contribute to solving the disappearance of Natalee.”

The press release from the prosecutor’s office reveals that Van Susteren was taken for a ride by people from South America who fooled her through fraud and manipulation with false information in exchange for payment.

Van Susteren received a package through the mail from Colombia that contained shoes and clothing. According to the

Van Susteren also received several photographs and videos. Research showed that they were all manipulated forgeries. Researchers found that pictures of suspects in the disappearance of Holloway stemmed from a public Facebook-page. One picture that showed human bones that belonged, according to the sender, to Natalee Holloway, appeared to be taken from a public internet-page. Another picture was cut from a newspaper article about a garbage dump in Costa Rica. Research furthermore showed that independent sources telling the same story simply did not exist. All the persons who approached Van Susteren were connected to each other. The prosecutor’s office informed Van Susteren about the results of the investigation, but the American journalist was not interested. “She indicated twice that she did not want to receive an elaborate personal presentation from the researchers.” The prosecutor’s office therefore informed her by mail. Natalee Holloway’s parents were also informed.

Photo provided by DossierKoninksrelaties.nl.

Poor financial management remains a concern

PHILIPSBURG -- That the country’s financial management leaves a lot to be desired is no secret. Cftchairman Raymond Gradus underlines in a letter dated January 31 to St. Maarten’s Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion once more how bad the situation really is.

These are the highlights: in 2014 St. Maarten had 74 million guilders ($41.3 million) equity, but in 2020 there was a negative equity of 294 million guilders ($164.2 million). Solvency decreased from 15 percent positive in 2014 to 38 percent negative in 2020. The Cft considers this “extremely worrisome.” Gradus writes that the country will have to compensate its deficits with surpluses in its future budgets.

St. Maarten’s total debt at the end of 2020 was 1,168 million guilders, or 61 percent of Gross domestic product. Nobody knows how accurate these numbers really are, because both the government accountant bureau SOAB and

the General Audit Chamber have issued negative opinions about the annual accounts for the years 2014-2018. Both auditors doubt the reliability and the lawfulness of these accounts.

Since St. Maarten obtained country status in the Kingdom on October 10, 2010, most budgets show a negative result. Only 2012 (+17 million guilders) and 2013 (+1 million) show a positive result. The cumulative deficit over the years 2011-2020 is 509 million guilders ($284.4 million). The highest deficits were recorded for the years 2017 (161 million) and 2020 (181 million).

The kingdom law financial supervision (Rft) requires that St. Maarten sends the approved annual accounts of the previous year before August 31 to the Cft. The financial supervisor received the annual accounts for 2019 and 2020 in January 18, 2023 - “well outside of the legal term,” the Cft remarks.

The financial supervisor found another problem

with these annual accounts: they do not indicate how St. Maarten wants to compensate deficits in its annual budgets. The Kingdom Council of Ministers asked already for an explanation on September 30, 2022 and now the Cft also asks to provide this before March 1

The Cft refers in its letter to a report from the General Audit Chamber. It declared that the annual accounts for 2019 and 2020 do not present a true picture of the country’s financial position. “The bad state of financial management has given the Cft reasons for serious concerns for years,” Chairman Gradus writes to Minister Irion.

The Cft sees however a sliver of light at the end of the tunnel because St. Maarten is in the process of executing projects for the improvement of its financial management based on the country package. “St. Maarten must make sufficient capacity available for the implementation of these measures,” the Cft-letter states.

Another more or less positive point is that St. Maarten is catching up with the arrears in the production of annual accounts and that the country according to the Cft, “is working hard on the improvement of financial management.”

Together with the Temporary Work Organization, the Dutch national audit service and the SOAB St.

Maarten is also working on processes that should result in faster delivery and control of the annual accounts.

One issue remains paramount, Gradus writes: the sustainable implementation of the recommendations that result from improvement projects. “St. Maarten must make sufficient capacity available for this purpose.”

IAM practical proposal to inventorize monuments on St. Maarten

mediately be established by Parliament, simply approving in broad lines how this Amended Monument Ordinance 2023 can be immediately approved unanimously on its Floor, and to be carried out by any and all Governing Council of Ministers, now and in the future.

Dear Editor, Reading, listening, analyzing, researching, evaluating, and continuously proposing ways to settle this matter regarding all monuments on Dutch Sint Maarten, known or unknown, recognized or not, registered or unregistered, are definitely not the Approach that will bring about a Permanent Solution that would involve the cooperation of all segments of our Country, as well as All Parties involved.

Be it property owners, government, monuments protection & preservation organizations, or even new purchasers of properties and developers, the simple solution can be found in all of the above knowing that their interests are protected and served, no matter what direction it takes. The ultimate goal MUST ALWAYS be the Protection and Preservation of any and all of these Sites, already recognized as Monuments or not. But the million dollar question is how can this be done, and I will attempt to present a very Practical Proposal that will make sense, and can im-

1. Immediately have VROMI and Kadaster inventorize the Overall Area and Site Plan of Dutch Sint Maarten, using all means, be it site plans, google earth maps, VROMI already approved plans that can be verified by overall on site inspections, in order to know the Areal On Site Realities any and everywhere.

2. Involve Pioneer Family Owners to immediately give additional factual Information of the Past.

3. Divide this 90 Days Mission into 4 Teams (Team 1 Philipsburg, Point Blanche, and Sucker Garden Area, Team 2 Middle Region and Dutch Quarter Area, Team 3 Cul de Sac and Cay Hill Area, and Team 4 Cole Bay/ Cap Bay and Simpson Bay Area).

4. During this 90 Days Mission, it will not be permitted by Law to break ground on any Development Project, having a Building Permit or not, without this Building Site being thoroughly evaluated and inspected for any sort of historical ruins. Note: If such a historical site or ruin may be discovered or found, it will in no way jeopardize the Development Project.

5. There will be Site Project Layout amendments and changes made within an acceptable approved radius of this ruin to be protected as a monument, but being Approved by a Team of the Land Owner, the Developer, the Ministry of VROMI, the Ministry of Culture, as well as any Monument Heritage Protection Institution or Foundation recognized and approved by Law to function in this capacity.

6. The Development Project MUST NOT in any way be jeopardized or delayed by this Process, while this monument will form part of what is being developed.

7. The aspect of this monument being established as private or public would all depend on the Type of Project that is being developed. When summarizing all of the above, you would have realized by now that this would have become a win win for All Parties involved.

IAM hoping that this Approach can be considered, as it is an Approach that can be Immediately Implemented as an Immediate Solution. It will ONLY take one follow up Meeting of Parliament to Present, Debate, and Approve the Approach of this Subject matter, adding any other additional Points of Approach for Final Approval.

IAM also voluntary informing all involved, that IAM available for any further explanations, although IAM convinced that my Proposal has been simply outlined, and is very clear as well in terms as a Departure Point to a Possible Permanent SolutionAchken Roberto RichardsonSXM-IAM.

~ “We have been searching for complicated solutions, when there are simple and realistic solutions to be found.”

~

By Terrance Rey

Column Unlawful spending

Another dull weekend in St. Maarten. Not!

By Hilbert Haar

The General Audit Chamber investigates the lawful and efficient spending of public funds, or so I read in the chamber’s report about St. Maarten’s 2021 financial statements.

Related article: Government’s financial statements remain unreliable, Audit Chamber says

After reading the report I can only conclude that how the government is spending public funds is not lawful and not efficient either. Sadly, this is not even news, because the government’s lousy bookkeeping and spendthrift has been around since St. Maarten became a country on October 10, 2010 - and probably even longer.

Let us take subsidies as an example. Of the 133 million guilders ($74.3 million) our government spent on subsidies in 2021, there is no proper accountability for 30 million ($16.8 million). The Audit Chamber labels this as an uncertainty, an overly polite way of saying: “We have no clue what the hell you did with that money.”

Nevera dull day in St. Maarten. Or weekend. Everyone woke up this morning to the news that District 721 was on fire. My whatsapp inbox was alit with photos and videos - even drone footage - of the blazing fire. My heart immediately went out to the people living in the apartments next door. Other messages were also filling up my inbox. Some with some interesting claims. Some claims were based on how extreme the fire blazed, indicating hints of possible arson. However, one set of claims that the fire truck arrived an hour late and there was no water to put out the fire, caught my attention. Why can’t we get anything right here on St. Maarten? Questions for the fire chief and for the minister of General Affairs.

One reader reminded us of a previous fire in November 2021: Jungle Cafe next to Lotus in Cole Bay. Are there dots to be connected? I don’t know. But it begs the question, when principals open businesses on the side of Dutch Sint Maarten and request the necessary permits and business licenses, if background checks are executed? Why do only employees have to submit clean police records with certificates of good behavior when applying for jobs? Why doesn’t this requirement apply to (prospective) employers? What about foreigners wanting to start a business? What background checks are done? By whom? Police? Interpol? The secret service? How it is possible that anyone can just come to the island, get business licenses and via these companies have easy and full access to the island’s economic, business and banking infrastructure? Imagine if you as an employee end up working for an employer that has a criminal background, it could reflect on you as well. Worst case scenario you get dragged into all kinds of shady dealings happening in and around the business. Best case scenario, you lose your job when your employer gets arrested. Or if the business gets burned down.

On social media some people drew attention the fact that many people will be out of jobs due to this fire. This reminded me from personal experience that running a business isn’t only about making money, delivering a product or service, or having employees work for the company. Running a business is also about taking out proper and adequate insurances for fire, flooding and other possible damages. Think hurricane, earthquake or some other natural disaster. One type of insurance that would be necessary for the sake of the staff and employees is business continuity or business interruption insurances. The premiums may be restrictive, but how many of us employers think about that aspect of running a business?

Talking about the island’s infrastructure. We suffered a long internet outage last night. Flow reported problems with the international submarine cable. During the day, N.V. GEBE experienced an outage. Now tonight we find out why. And then we all go: GEBE again! Why can’t we do anything right in this country? And the weekend isn’t even over yet. So, what else can still go wrong? Oh yeah, the hijacking of a political party. But that is another story.

Maybe that money was spent well. Or maybe it disappeared in pockets where it does not belong. We simply do not know. As if this is not bad enough, the Audit Chamber also found that there is a lack of internal control procedures across all ministries.

Mind you, the government has had more than ten years time to put its bookkeeping and its spending habits in order. To make sure that it spends public funds lawfully and efficiently. But it did nothing like that. It did nothing at all, so the conclusion must be that the country’s financial statements are unreliable by design. It is something that suits politicians very well.

If you read the Audit Chamber-report careful enough you will discover why this is so convenient. Ministers, or ministries, are spending money that is not part of their budget. It’s a bit like stealing from your mother’s cookie jar, but then on a grand scale. How is that even possible?

The answer to that crucial question is in the hands of our esteemed parliament. Unfortunately, parliamentarians who support the government will never, ever make trouble about this issue, because tomorrow they could be the ones doing the unlawful spending.

This is how taxpayers are held hostage by a political elite that could not care less about the way the government spends its money. Oh, sure, there will be a minority of wellmeaning politicians who will ask critical questions, but as long as the coalition has a majority the government will be able to continue with its spending spree.

In the meantime, poverty on our island presents a serious problem to many families who can do nothing but shake their heads about a government that has no clue about what happened to a small fortune in subsidies. That is only one (and relatively small) example, because the total of these socalled uncertainties is according to the Audit Chamber a whopping 126.9 million guilders ($70.9 million), enough to feed a small army.

Who is going to put a stop to all this? Who is going to take all ministers to task for their irresponsible financial behavior?

I know, asking such questions is a lot easier than answering them. But from a country that is in such financial dire straits, I would have expected at least an attempt at responsible spending and at given the people a proper account of what it does with their money.

CIBC FIRSTCARIBBEAN named “BEST DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION BANK 2022”

Bridgetown, Barbados, 31 January 2023. CIBC FirstCaribbean has copped another prestigious award for the great strides the regional bank has made in the digital banking space.

In naming the bank “Best Digital Transformation Bank 2022”, The European, a London based global financial publication, said the decision was based on the “bank’s efforts and strides made in digital banking, e-products, internet banking services, and the corporate banking products and made based on a set of global standards as well as the opinion of a select panel of reputable analysts.”

It added that “CIBC FirstCaribbean has rendered the latest digital banking solutions allowing customers to perform their banking transactions seamlessly and securely meaning that people can do their banking where, when, and how they want, it also ensures that they give customers new ways to better understand their finances and data in such a way that adds values to their lives.”

The bank’s Executive Director, Retail and Business Banking Deepa Boucaud expressed delight at the latest award noting that it was “testimony to the hard work and commitment to client-excellence on a bankwide level”. She said the bank was committed to its digital trans-

formation journey ensuring that clients have at their fingertips all of the products and services to make their banking, personalised and easy.

“We will continue to lead the way with modern, innovative products and services that simplifies the everyday banking experience for our clients by providing them with new digital capabilities across all our service delivery channels,” Mrs. Boucaud said.

“Digital is the future of banking, and we are continuously enhancing our digital channels to provide innovative solutions to meet your unique and changing banking needs,” she added.

About CIBC FirstCaribbean

CIBC FirstCaribbean is a relationship bank offering a full range of market leading financial services through our Corporate and Investment Banking, Retail and Business Banking and Wealth Management segments. We are located in fifteen (15) countries around the Caribbean, providing the banking services through approximately 2,800 employees in 64 branches and offices. We are one of the largest regionally listed financial services institutions in the English and Dutch speaking Caribbean, with US$13 billion in assets and market capitalization of US$1.3 billion. We also have a representative office

in Hong Kong that provides business development and relationship management for our fund administration. The face of banking is changing throughout the world and CIBC FirstCaribbean intends to lead these changes with the expertise, integrity and knowledge gained from banking in the Caribbean since 1836.

CIBC FirstCaribbean is a member of the CIBC Group.

CIBC is a leading Canadian-based global financial institution with 11 million personal banking and business clients. Through our three major business units - Retail and Business Banking, Wealth Management and Capital Markets - CIBC offers a full range

of products and services through its comprehensive electronic banking network, branches, and offices across Canada with offices in the United States and around the world. For more information about CIBC FirstCaribbean, visit www.cibcfcib.com , Facebook, Twitter , LinkedIn, Instagram or YouTube.

Bank hailed for its great strides in offering digital banking, e-products and services ~

THE ROYAL FAMILY TREATED ROYAL RECEPTION

Starting with a VVIP meet and greet reception at the door of his Boeing Business Jet (BBJ) by our very woman of the soil, Priscilla Halley, His Royal Highness King Willem Alexander and his wife Her Majesty daughter Princess Amalia could not have received a better welcome in our book. Say it was planned if you like, but the timing to visit St. Maarten during the midst of a raging debate reparations was superbly done by his Majesty. During the visit, that was mainly focused on the heritage its people, the cultural diversity of St. Maarten was heavily showcased to the Royal family. The tours of the island’s history, culture and heritage with modern day challenges in agriculture, nature and a vision of St. Maarten as a multi-cultural society going forward while trying to find its identity and things. The turnouts at times indicated that on St. Maarten the monarchy is still alive and kicking in people. Many of our people still feel a sense of pride and joy in knowing that the symbol of unity that islands still shines bright over the shores of our Caribbean islands in the Dutch Kingdom of The Netherlands. collage StMaartenNews.com looks back on a warm reception that was worthy of a King and his family.

TREATED TO RECEPTION

very own homegrown hardworking Majesty Queen Maxima and debate about slavery and heritage aspects of the island and tours they took combined aspects and biodiversity and the realities of place in the greater scheme of in the hearts and minds of many that the crown represents for our Netherlands. With this photo family. Enjoy!

Crying over spilt milk

Many questions but no answers about destruction of Diamond Estate-ruins

By Hilbert Haar

Als het kalf verdronken is dempt men de put. That Dutch expression aptly describes the belated anger of parliamentarians about the destruction of the historical ruins at Diamond Estate.

I am not contesting the historical value of these ruins: they have been there forever, serving as a silent symbol for the fight against slavery. That St. Maarten would like to protect such symbols for the current and future generations does not need further explanation.

Parliamentarians went out of their way asking how it is possible that somebody destroyed the site under the cover of darkness. Also understandable. But nobody, with the exception of VROMI-Minister Doran, hit upon one crucial point. Diamond Estate was not protected, because, as Doran stated, it was not on the list of protected monuments. The site is also private property.

Some parliamentarians even asked when a property is a monument. Apparently, they did not bother reading the Monuments Ordinance.

This document defines a monument as follows: “A moveable or immovable object that was made at least fifty years ago and that is considered to be of general interest due to its beauty, artistic value, meaning for science, the nation’s history or its value for cultural anthropology.”

The ordinance was established on December 21, 1999, and deals with the execution of the National Monuments Ordinance of 1989, the amendment of the building and housing ordinance of 1935 and the amendment of the St. Maarten Development Planning Ordinance. Its consideration: “In order to preserve historical, cultural and artistic monuments and cityscapes and townscapes it is necessary to set rules and regulations for the execution of the National Monuments Ordinance.”

The ordinance also defines what is a protected monument. It establishes that the Executive Committee (these days: the Council of Ministers) keeps a public register of protected monuments. That register is supposed to be available for inspection by the public at the government administration building.

But how does a monument obtain protected status? According to the ordinance, the criteria have to be established in a general island resolution.

The ordinance was approved by the Island Council on December 21, 1999, and signed by acting secretary Raphael Boasman and acting Lt. Governor Dennis Richardson.

What does all this mean? Well, more than two decades ago, monuments and therefore the country’s cultural heritage, did have the attention of our politicians. But after they approved the ordinance and all the rules and regulations it contains, it became silent.

The ruins at Diamond Estate, now considered as such a crucial part of St. Maarten’s heritage, never made it to the status of monument, let alone to the status of protected monument. Where does that leave the owner of the property? Entrepreneurs have a tendency to reason: if it is not forbidden, it is allowed. I would think that, culturally significant or not, if a site is not designated as a monument, I am entitled to do with it what I want. Which is of course exactly what happened with the ruins at Diamond Estate.

Crying over spilt milk is useless, and I understand that politicians are now almost eagerly paying lip service to the thismust-never-happen-again bandwagon.

Okay then. Mind if I ask a simple question? Rather than moaning and complaining, what is anybody going to do about this?

PHILIPSBURG -- The destruction of the historical ruins at Diamond Estate triggered a request for an urgent meeting of parliament. The meeting took place last Friday. MPs posed many questions but they did not receive any answers yet. The meeting was adjourned to give ministers Egbert Doran (Public Housing, Urban Planning, Environment and Infrastructure) and Rodolphe Samuel (Education, Culture, Youth and Sports) the time to prepare those answers.

Parliamentarians bemoaned the destruction of the ruins and asked the ministers about their plans to prevent similar events from happening again in the future. MP Rolando Brison (United People’s party) went beyond the heritage-aspect and asked the key question: who benefits from the destruction?

Brison discovered at the Cadastre that the Diamond Estate is listed under L.C. Fleming on behalf of his sister. “It is important to discover why this happened and who made it happen,” he said. “The only motive I can think of is profit. Who would profit from such destruction? A real estate agent that gets a commission and then develops it to get another commission?”

In his opening remarks, Minister Doran strongly condemned the destruction of the ruins. He immediately indicated what the potential problem could be: “The estate is not listed on the protected monument list.”

“Shocking,” was Minister Samuel’s comment. I could not believe that in 2023, when there is so much attention for cultural conservation people would destroy Diamond 26 in the middle of the night.”

Independent MP Solange Duncan who requested the meeting together with independent MP Grisha Heyliger-Marten and MP Melissa Gumbs (Party for Progress), noted that the Emilio Wilson Estate and the Diamond Estate would not have existed if they had been located on government land, “because we have been selling out our country forever.” Duncan asked when the national museum would

become a reality. “All the museum needs is a building. We have the most neglected museum in the Dutch Caribbean.”

MP Heyliger-Marten asked about the criteria for enlisting properties as monuments and about the status of the Monument Council and the Monument Fund.

“What happened at Diamond Estate must never, ever happen again,” MP Angélique Roumou (National Alliance) said. She pointed out that according to the national monument ordinance violators are punished with a maximum prison sentence of one year and a maximum fine of 5,000 guilders. “Is our culture not worth more than 5,000 guilders? Will such a punishment deter anyone from doing the same in the future?”

Roumou said that the punishment for similar violations in the Netherlands is €4,100 (around $4,430 or 7,930 guilders).

Independent MP Christophe Emmanuel wanted to know how many registered monuments there are. Referring to the courthouse (“I believe that is a monument”) he asked whether a permit was issued for the work that is currently done on the building. “What are the penalties for doing work on a monument without a permit?” he asked.

“We have done a terrible job of being stewards towards our historical legacy,” MP Melissa Gumbs said. She mentioned a few prime examples: what was done to the Great Salt Pond for decades, the pollution caused by the dump and the sale of

Fort Amsterdam to a hotel branch.

Gumbs furthermore asked about the budget for the Monument Fund and about an inventory of historical sites, saying there is a lot of outrage about the destruction of the Diamond Estate site. “What is the plan of approach for both ministers (Doran and Samuel) to make sure that this does not happen again?”

MP George Pantophlet (National Alliance) attempted to protect the government. “It should not come across as if this government has been sitting there for decades and did nothing.”

Independent MP Ludmilla de Weever emphasized the need for inter-ministerial communication. “Where is the dialogue between the ministries? There has to be cross-communication.”

MP Sarah Wescot-Williams (United Democrats) asked about the status of a document about historical bridges produced by Elsje Bosch, archeologist Jay Haviser and Simarc. She also wanted to know what budget the museum has requested compared to the 100,000 guilders that are on the budget. “And why was the budget for the Monument Council reduced by 100,000 guilders?”

At the end of the meeting, MP Emmanuel asked (again) about the building permit and the monument permit for the renovation of the courthouse. Minister Doran said that he had not issued any permits, but Minister Samuel said that a permit was requested and that it is “in process,” even though the work at the courthouse is already underway.

Has the UP Party been hijacked?

PHILIPSBURG – StMaartenNews.com obtained a copy of a recent Chamber of Commerce extract of the UP party with the registration of a new executive board on December 14, 2022. “It looks like the party has been ‘high-jacked’,” we observed. According to our information the last UP party congress was held in 2019. We wondered if Theo Heyliger as the party’s founder was made aware of this change.

According to the articles of incorporation in the possession of StMaartenNews.com, the UP party’s Governing Board still consists of Theo Heyliger (president), Brenda Wathey (secretary) and Franklin Meyers (treasurer). The Executive Board has the following members: Theo Heyliger (president), Joseph Richardson (secretary) and Kenneth Serrant (treasurer). Naturally, this cannot be correct as Joe Richardson has since passed on. The Chamber of Commerce extract obtained by StMaartenNews.com, apparently issued on Friday, January 13, 2023, at 11:33am, shows as of December 14, 2022, that Francisco Alberto Lacroes, Cresburk Albert Browne-Laurent and Alfred Elroy Anthony Harley have been registered at the Chamber as respectively President, Treasurer and Secretary General of the UP Party.

The extract also mentions the last amendment to the

party articles of incorporation was done on April 11, 2014. Since then, no amendments of the party’s articles of association have been recorded. The party’s articles of incorporation, that are still in place and therefore valid, state that the party leadership is elected by the congress. Candidates have to postulate for the position 60 days before the date of the congress and their candidacy must be supported by the signatures of 100 partymembers who are in good standing. The UP has to give notice of a congress 30 days before the date by using local media and/or accepted means of communication. None of this has happened, as far as we have been able to establish.

A 2016 news report published on 721news.com shows a photo of a group of UP party members as the board members with Sylvia Meyers as President and Tatiana Arrindell as Vice President. Others in the photo are Kenneth Serrant, Solange Apon, Armand Meda, Gina Illidge and Earl Wyatt. Based on the articles of incorporation, this can only be the Executive Board. The executive board is appointed by the Governing Board and is charged with the daily management of the party. According to a report on SMN-News.com, the last party congress was held in November 2019 at the Simpson Bay Resort when Rolando Brison was elected Party Leader. Member of Parliament Dr. Luc Mercelina was elected as Deputy

Leader of the party and a new party board was voted in for the next two years.

At the time also, long-time party president Silvia Meyers was again appointed as President of the Board. The report stated that she would be joined on the board by Gina Illidge, Claudia Lista, Michael Granger, and Alfred Harley. The positions on the board would have been determined at a next board meeting.

Eventually, everyone left this board and only Harley remained while according to the articles of incorporation a board must consist of at least three members. According to others, he was just an associate member of the board with no voting or executive powers. The question is which board

was this? The Governing Board or the Executive Board? According to the party articles of association, these are two different entities within the party’s structure. The Executive Board is appointed by the Governing Board to manage the daily affairs of the party and only a duly organized party congress elects the Governing Board. So, the burning question is: when was a party congress organized?

According to the last SMNNews.com report quoting Harley as the sole remaining board member of the UP party, a party congress was to be held in October 2022. Was this party congress held? If yes, was there a congress resolution appointing a new executive board? Was the decision to

update the Chamber registration in December 2022 sanctioned or ratified by this party congress? If not, how can the Chamber registration be updated without a resolution from the party governing board? Has the party’s articles of incorporation been amended? Which notary ratified the amendments to the party’s articles of incorporation? Has the Electoral Council been notified of these changes? Has the Windward Island Bank, which is the house bank of the UP party, been notified of these changes? Who controls the UP party bank accounts at the Windward Islands Bank?

Until these questions are answered confusion will remain about the ‘high-jacking’ of the UP party.

Kingdom Council drops demand for salary cuts

Cusha Columns unravels the enigma that is St. Maarten

THE HAGUE - The Kingdom Council of Ministers has asked St. Maarten to establish the 2023 budget by March 31 and to make sure that it meets the requirements from the kingdom law financial supervision. This means that the budget must be balanced.

State Secretary Alexandra van Huffelen writes in a letter to the Dutch parliament, dated January 27, that the kingdom has withdrawn the salary cuts that were a condition for receiving liquidity support. These conditions were put in place on May 15, 2020: a 12.5 percent cut in the labor conditions for workers in the (semi) public sector and a 25 percent cut for ministers and members of parliament.

“These cuts have contrib-

uted significantly to decreasing the deficit,” Van Huffelen wrote. “This way, the public sector also showed solidarity with the private sector that suffered from the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The pandemic now seems to be past its peak and the economy is showing a strong recovery, the state secretary wrote. “The government revenue in 20203 can therefore reach pre-Covid levels in 2023.”

The financial supervisor for Aruba Cft(A) had indicated that Aruba, Curacao and St. Maarten will be able to meet the budget-requirements established in the kingdom law supervision and that the countries will not need any more liquidity support this year.

All three counties now have laws in place that regulate the salaries for top earners

in the (semi) public sector.

“I am glad that the countries have created space for phasing out the salary cuts. They can now again deal on their own with the labor conditions,” Van Huffelen wrote. The state secretary is however critical of St. Maarten: “St. Maarten has not managed to establish the 2023 budget by the deadline of December 15, 2022. The Kingdom Council of Ministers requests that St. Maarten establishes a budget that meets the requirements of the kingdom law financial supervision by March 31. The Council also asked for a planning for the timely establishment of the 2024 budget. “St. Maarten can use the recommendations from the assessment of the budget-process. Agreements about this from the country package are already being implemented.”

PHILIPSBURG -- Cusha Colums, a collection of 18 columns written by StMaartenNews.com

Publisher Terrance Rey for DossierKoninkrijksRelaties.nl, is now available in book form at the Van Dorp bookstores and at Adolphus Richardson Office Supplies.

The columns deal with an array of topics that show the author’s love for the island and his ability to flesh out stories that explain the enigma that is St. Maarten. At least, they make a serious attempt at doing so, because at the end, the subject of his writing remains a mystery. Maybe that is how it is supposed to be.

Rey writes with a gentle approach about things that surprise or upset him. The picture that emerges from these columns is of an island where everything is possible and where at the same time golden opportunities are completely ignored.

Cusha Columns offers readers who are interested in eyeopening reporting an elegant menu of stories: about tax-

evasion, social benefits fraud, how St. Maarten misses out on millions of European subsidies, low tax compliance and invisible poverty. And these are just a few examples. Rey writes about the country’s tendency to spend money like there is no tomorrow, the island’s reliance on the Netherlands to come to the rescue and its love-hate relationship with their savior. The book also contains a few bonus articles, written by Rey and Hilbert Haar for StMaartenNews.com.

An enjoyable read? The answer to that question is up to the readers of this interesting book.

You can obtain a copy of this book simply by buying a Yearly or Insider subscription on StMaartenNews.com or subscribing to Cusha Columns at https://stmaartennews.com/subscriptions.

Cusha Columns

Author: Terrance Rey

Pages: 92

Price: $19

Available at: Van Dorp bookstores & Adolphus Richardson Office Supplies

Phase 1 infrastructure completed at Village at the Border

Envisioned to be a much needed one-stop-shop, making it an unique and attractive business opportunity to cater to residents and visitors on the Eastern side of the island from Pointe Blanche to Orient Bay.

Going back to the nostalgia of Caribbean Architecture including balconies and gingerbread, Village Main Street will be home to shops, restaurants, offices and services below and residential apartments above.

BETHLEHEM, Sint Maarten – Sint Maarten’s newest mixed-use location ‘Village at the Border at Bethlehem’ marked the completion of Phase 1 infrastructure on Wednesday, December 14, 2022. Phase 2 will commence in February 2023.

Located at the border of Dutch and French Quarter, Village at the Border at Bethlehem Estate is a new mixed-use location where the developer, Bethlehem Real Estate Development NV, is selling large commercial and developer lots with sale prices including infrastructure to access the lot, utilities, streetlights and parking. Located next to the McDonald’s and Delta Petroleum (re-opening in 2023), the construction of a new Carrefour Supermarket will be following soon.

The combination of the commercial aspect with daily living was envisioned by the developers to ensure The Village at the Border lives up to the standard of the new center coming to St. Maarten.

Signing Ceremony Dr. Martin Luther King School Roof Reconstruction

Last year on August 2nd at 14:00 hrs. a public tender for the reconstruction of the roofs at Martin Luther King Jr. Primary School was opened by the Minister of Education Hon. Rodolphe Samuel.

The bid had three (3) participating companies; Winward

Roads, LICCOM NV, and Omega construction. After the bids were evaluated, the bidder with the best price and performance ratio was Windward Roads. The deliverables for the project are: The removal of the existing roof construction and to replace the existing roofs with concrete roofing.

“As the Minister of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sport, I am happy to inform the public that the repairs of the Martin Luther King school roof reconstruction are ready to start.

“We know that the Management, Staff, Teachers, Parents, and students would certainly like to see their school

repaired so that the students can get back into their own environment.

“This is also the wish of the entire community. The projected timeline for the completion of the school is the upcoming school year 2023-2024. A townhall meeting will be held so that the citizens especially of Dutch

Quarter community can ask much needed questions pertaining to the project.

“I would like to thank everyone affected by the closure of the school for their patience as we move into the construction phase of the project,” Minister of Education Hon. Rodolphe Samuel stated in the press statement.

Photo Caption: L to R: General Director Windward Roads Michiel Witteveen and Minister Rodolphe Samuel.

ORANJESTAD -- Politics

and corruption seem to be like Siamese twins, not only in St. Maarten but certainly also in Aruba where, according to a report by Caribisch Netwerk, currently six politicians are involved in corruption scandals. The cherry on this cake is the news that the Supreme Court has confirmed the verdict against former AVP-Minister Paul Croes.

Croes has now been irrevocably sentenced to 3 years of imprisonment and an 8-year ban on working as a politician. The corruption-charges against Croes are about fiddling with work permits. On the day the Supreme Court confirmed the verdict against Croes, the police conducted several house searches related to investiga-

Corruption scandals tarnish Aruban politics

tions against former Minister Romero. He is suspected of corruption with service contracts while he was Aruba’s Minister of Transport, Communication and Agriculture.

Romero was a member of the governing party MEP of Prime Minister Evelyn Wever-Croes.

The new investigation gives credibility to a statement Paul Croes made about the investigation against him:

“What I did is what all politicians on Aruba do.”

In the Romero-investigation the police conducted four house searches. Several Aruban politicians are currently involved in court cases for corruption.

This quarter former Minister Benny Sevinger will hear the court ruling against him in the Avestruz corruption case.

Sevinger presumably fiddled

with government land when he was a member of the cabinet of Prime Minister Mike Eman. Civil servants and entrepreneurs are also suspected of bribery in this case. During the most recent elections Sevinger won once more a seat in parliament while he was behind bars. Sevinger has mirrored the argument Paul Croes used; what he did for entrepreneurs is normal in Aruban politics.

Former Minister Otmar Oduber is entangled in the Flamingo corruption-investigation. Oduber was Minister of Tourism in two AVP-cabinets between 2009 and 2016. After a dispute with the AVP he established his own party (POR). In the 2017 election he won two seats in parliament.

A couple of years later Oduber abruptly left politics, citing health reasons. Shortly

afterwards the news broke that investigators suspect him of corruption with government land, money laundering and leading a criminal organization.

Two weeks ago, Oduber gave a press conference where he announced that the prosecutor’s office has dropped several charges and that the remaining ones are about embezzlement and bribery. A few days after this press conference, Oduber’s fellow party member Alan Howell heard prosecutors demand a 24 months of imprisonment against him for embezzling almost 200,000 florins (a bit more than $111,700) of party subsidies. The court will read its verdict towards the end of March.

Justice charged Howell in March 2021. It was reason for Prime Minister Evelyn

Wever-Croes to drop her first cabinet - a coalition of MEP, POR and RED.

Aruba’s former Minister Plenipotentiary Guillfred Besaril is another politician who ended up on the wrong side of the law. In June 2022

Besaril suddenly announced his departure, citing family circumstances. The Aruba House was at that moment already busy with an investigation into Besaril’s spending habit for private parties and travel.

Besaril allegedly also rented a house at the expense of the Aruba House while the house that was available for him stood empty.

In January Prime Minister Wever-Croes told the parliament that a complaint has been filed against Besaril and that the prosecutor’s office is still busy with the investigation.

SYBA ChampionshipBeginsSeason

Philipsburg - The Soualiga Youth Basketball Association (SYBA) successfully completed its first day of games for its 2023 Championship League season. The league features the under 19 (U19), under 17 (U17), and under 15 (U15) categories that are competing for the title of League Champs. SYBA is also featuring two (2) younger categories; under 11 (U11) and under 13 (U13). SYBA is responsible for the promotion, expansion, and management of youth basketball on St. Maarten with a focus on

the proper development of student athletes.

Monday’s games featured Robbie’s Stars versus Performance Sport Academy (PSA) Spartans in the under 15 (U15) category. The PSA Spartans defeated Robbie’s Stars with a score of 52 - 10.

The second game of the night pitted the CIA Bullsharks versus the PSA Spartans in the under 19 (U19) category.

The game was close in the first half with the PSA Spartans gaining steam in the second half to pull away and

win the game with a score of 70 - 45.

SYBA is still accepting team registrations until the end of February 2023. Please contact SYBA if you are interested in registering as a team, coach, or student athlete. The contact email is sybau19@ gmail.com . “I’d like to thank the parents, student athletes, schools, and sponsors (Telem Group, , St. Maarten Timeshare Association, Island92FM, and Z105.1FM) for their support. Youth basketball was off the scene for sev-

eral years and we are excited for its return to our courts.”, said Marvio Cooks, president of SYBA. Games are streamed to the

pages

Facebook and Instagram @ sybau19. Follow their pages to receive league updates, promotions, and more.

SYBA social media

on

Diversifying our economy with local call centers

Viren V Kotai

Dear Editor,

I hope one of the outcomes of the pandemic would be a real discussion on the dependence of our island’s economy on tourism.

Every election there has been much talk on the economy, but besides from our tourism product, the only real driver of the economy has been the funds granted from the Netherlands.

Every election, few candidates take some ideas out of their hats in regards to diversifying the economy. Although, what is really done?

We have to take a step back, assess and observe the situation. Which party has been able to deliver any real completion of projects?

We have to have real discussions about the diversification of our economy.

We can’t leave this rhetoric to election promises. We are hopefully a year away from elections and now would be a good start for those interested or with the means and knowledge to speak about ways to diversify the economy with tangible results.

Call Centers have been a sturdy option in my humble opinion. A good partnership is already in place with the Royal Caribbean Cruise Lines, Carnival Cruise Lines etc, who have strived to try help us with recruitment fairs over time. There are other companies that also can be tapped into which we work very closely with. Such as; Visa, Mastercard, Amex, etc.

It is a good opportunity to engage them in opening a BPO (Business Process Outsourcing) or a customer service units here in St. Maarten. We have a young population fluent in English - so sourcing locally is not an issue, we belong to the same time zone, and can have a decent internet connectivity via our own government-owned telecommunications company - Telem to enable this.

Locally sourcing call centers not only makes life easier on the individuals who visit our lovely island of St. Maarten but it also creates a stream line of opportunity for our local English speaking population. Where they stand to earn wages that correlate directly with these large entities mentioned above.