UP celebrates speedy release party leader

PHILIPSBURG -- United People’s UP Party Leader and Member of Parliament, the Honourable Rolando Brison, walked out of the Philipsburg police station a free man within a day of being detained for questioning.

His speedy release sparked a celebration within the UP Party. MP Brison met with family members and supporters and was in good spirits when he thanked them for their support and prayers, a press release from the UP Party Board said.

SIMPSON BAY -- Four

(4) parliamentarians graciously accepted an invitation to tour the construction site of the Airport Terminal Reconstruction Project at the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) on Friday, February 17, 2023.

The tour served as an integral component of the Public Outreach Campaign by the PJIA Corporate Communication and Project Management Unit (PMU), to offer the necessary stakeholder’s engagement by way of information disclosure.

Readily available to take the invited tour were President of Parliament, MP Cookie Bijlani, MP Angelique Roumou, MP George Pantophlet, MP Ludmilla Duncan, and support staff.

The revised timeline, the phased-planned approach, and the cost overview of the construction project were among the many factors presented by the Airport Chief, Mr. Brian Mingo, and the Project Director of the Project Management Unit,

Mr. Mirto Breell. Some of the final updates made to the parliamentarians was following the mold remediation process on May 6, 2021, and during the Inter-parliamentary Consultation for the Kingdom (IPKO) in May 2022.

About the Public Outreach Campaign

The Public Outreach Campaign (POC) updates both internal and external stakeholders like the St. Maarten Civil Aviation Authority (SMCAA), Meteorological team, Simpson Bay Recreational Community Association, St. Maarten Hospitality and Trade Association (SHTA), Beacon Hill Community Council, the Tourism Stakeholders Committee, Air Service Development (ASDC), affiliated unions, and the airport community.

About Princess Juliana International Airport Princess Juliana International Airport is one of the busiest airport in the Northeast Caribbean. It is the most important airport hub for Saba, St Eustatius, St Barths, Anguilla, Domi- nica, 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. 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.

In the press release issued Sunday evening, the UP Party Board stated that the Leader would address the Country during the budget debate this coming Tuesday. He is also focused on delving into the Country’s most urgent matter, which is the national budget to the Country that will make way for many essential investments for the Country and provisions to continue to provide for the Country.

“All things considered, the discussions with the authorities went well; my focus was on the truth and clarifying any misunderstandings and misconceptions. Thank you all for the prayers, love and support.”

“Our sincere gratitude and thanks go out to the many people at home and abroad who called and sent messages in solidarity with MP Brison, his family and the UP Party. Your prayers and determination to continue standing UP with the United People’s Party and our Leader during these challenging times will not be forgotten and is greatly appreciated.”

With the elections slated to be at the end of this year, we’ve already seen several parties and persons pop out of the woodworks in an effort to convince you, the reading, voting populous, to vote for them. I strongly encourage those that truly want change for the better for St. Maarten to jump into the arena, as with the current political climate one thing is clear, we need change. However, we must be wary of falling in the same pitfalls as we’ve done in the past. We need a way to effectively separate the wheat from the chaff, a task that isn’t as easy as one might think. The problem is it is often those with the most charisma, large families, weak moral compasses, or compelling speech that end up taking advantage of us. The question then arises, how do we see passed the words? How can we pick the ones that even when secretly recorded, have the best interest of the people of St. Maarten at heart? In this guide I attempt to do just that. Give you, the voting people of this nation, a checklist of sorts to hold up to your prospective candidates to gauge how well they score, and to truly see if they are worthy of your precious vote.

Former police officer of KPSM lost his life in curacao

PHILIPSBURG/WIL -

LEMSTAD -- The Police Force of St. Maarten KPSM received the very sad news today, March 19, 2023, that a former police officer of St. Maarten has lost his life after a shooting incident in Curacao.

According to the information from the Police Force of Curacao KPC, the former colleague’s car was blocked on one of the roads and he was shot at and subsequently lost his life. to effectively perform the duties of their office can inspire confidence in their ability to govern. benefit the collective over the individual, the end result is that EVERYONE is better off.”

The young officer tendered his resignation from KPSM a few months ago and moved back to Curacao. KPSM is monitoring the ongoing investigation in Curacao.

The management team of KPSM expressed condolences to the former police officer’s family, friends and fellow colleagues of KPSM on his passing.

• Vision: A leader who has a clear, compelling vision for the future of their community or country can inspire others to work towards a shared goal.

• Empathy: A leader who is able to listen to and understand the needs and concerns of their constituents can build strong relationships and create policies that serve the interests of the people.

• Courage: A leader who is willing to take bold action and make difficult decisions, even in the face of opposition or controversy, can demonstrate strong leadership and inspire others to follow.

• Collaboration: A leader who is able to work effectively with others, including those with differing perspectives and opinions, can foster a sense of unity and teamwork that can lead to greater success.

The Don’ts

As for the don’ts, there are several pitfalls we need to actively avoid here, these are:

Be wary of politicians who claim that they can solve all of your problems, as this is often an indication that they are not being honest or realistic about what they can accomplish.

The Do’s There are a variety of characteristics that people should look for in their elected leaders, depending on their personal values and priorities. However, some common characteristics that many people consider important in a leader include:

• Integrity: A leader who demonstrates honesty, ethics, and moral principles in their words and actions can build trust with their constituents.

• Competence: A leader who possesses the skills and knowledge necessary

• Accountability: A leader who takes responsibility for their actions and decisions and is willing to be transparent about their work can build trust and demonstrate their commitment to serving their constituents.

Truly all of the above characteristics are required on St. Maarten, but integrity, accountability, vision, and collaboration stand out to me as being the most urgent. The trust has been lost in our governing institutions, slowly decayed by individualistic pursuits at the cost of the greater good for the island. Again, I’ll reiterate my standpoint on the matter: “When you have the right people, the right mindset, the right political will, and the right policies in place to

• Avoid voting for someone solely based on their personality or charisma. While these traits can be appealing, they do not necessarily indicate that the person is the best candidate for the job.

• By extension, also don’t vote simply because someone has the right last name. Family ties in power may seem like a net gain for you, however when factoring in the decay in trust, and the cost of this decay, you and the rest of your family end up spending way more in mediocre education, healthcare, infrastructure, and so much more.

• Avoid voting for someone who makes unrealistic promises or guarantees.

• Avoid voting for someone who engages in negative campaigning or mudslinging. Candidates who resort to personal attacks and character assassination are often trying to distract voters from their own shortcomings or lack of qualifications. This is a significant red flag and should not be overlooked.

• Avoid voting for someone who has a history of unethical or illegal behavior. Candidates who have been involved in corruption, fraud, or other criminal activities are unlikely to be effective leaders and may even be a liability to the community they serve. This is the biggest red flag that needs to be avoided at all cost.

With the above you have a good starting point to assess and score various candidates accordingly. It is by no means an end-all guide that factors in everything however it’s a start. How you exactly go about it is up to you, you can assign different “weights” to those categories you deem more important than others. A candidate can receive plus points for all the Do’s that they have and minus points (or zero if not applicable) for all the Don’ts. As long as you’re consistent the results should give you a very decent overview which can then be shared on social media or used to fuel lively debates amongst your friends and family. Please see the below table which can be used:

In closing St. Maarten is at a crucial crossroad. We can sell ourselves short and maintain the path of status quo (which, in actuality, is slow decay). Or we can make that all too important right turn onto the path of continuous sustainable improvement, rebuilding trust, and ensuring that everyone is better off, not just a select few. So please, vote wisely!

~ David Salomon