PHILIPSBURG:--- The General Pension Fund of Sint Maarten, APS in collaboration with Dr. Jay Haviser hosted a tour and presentation of the restoration of the Mary’s Fancy Plantation for Dutch Minister of Education, Culture & Science Ms. Ingrid van Engelshoven and her support staff on February 4th. Dr. Jay Haviser, Director of SIMARC gave a presentation of the restoration project, including information on the National Heritage Center. Dr. Haviser spoke adamantly about the restoration project, stating that the approach of APS towards this project is “an example of renovation/restoration done right.” SIMARC is responsible for the execution of the archaeological digs, tree inventory, and consultation. The collaboration with SIMARC grants young locals the opportunity to be actively involved in the project as well.

“We are happy to be able to host Minister Engelshoven and her delegation. Once completed, we believe Mary’s Fancy restoration project will be another prime monument that both locals and visitors can enjoy for many generations to come.” - Mrs. Kendra Arnell - Manager Projects.

The delegation included Minister of Education, Youth, Culture, and Sport (MEYCS) Mr. Wycliffe Smith and his support staff, representatives of the Inspectorate of MEYCF, representative of the Netherlands Mr. Chris Johnson, Mr. Erwin Arkenbout and several other government officials. APS officials included Mr. Oscar Williams - Manager Pension Administration & Reporting and Mrs. Kendra Arnell - Manager Projects.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Based on numerous reports made to the police department regarding a group of teens riding recklessly and causing much disturbance on a daily basis in the Point Blanche area and also based on information that three of these teens were involved in the ill-treatment of a man which was posted on Facebook police on Thursday, February 14th conducted a “sting operation” to apprehend these suspects. The suspects tried to flee the scene but soon realized that they were surrounded.

During the operation three suspects identified with initials T.M. (14), L.A. (14) and M.H. (18) were arrested in connection with the ill-treatment. One other suspect who could not identify himself and search at the scene was arrested for the possession of 12 small plastic bags containing marihuana and giving the authority a false name.
All suspects were taken the police head quarters were they were placed in custody for questioning.

Two Yamaha motorcycles and the illegal drugs were confiscated for further investigation.

KPSM Press Release.

PHILIPSBURG:---  TelEm Group are carrying out major repair works to damaged telecommunication cables in the Dutch Quarter area starting this weekend, and are informing residents and businesses nearby that their Internet and telephone lines will be affected.

TelEm Group’s Outside Plant says it has taken the opportunity of ongoing civil works in the Dutch Quarter area to excavate for suspected damaged cables, following complaints by residents about poor telephone reception and slow internet connections, especially after rainfall.

Acting Manager, Outside Plant, Mr. Steve Simmons, said technician’s fears were confirmed Friday when they discovered a host of damaged underground telecommunication cables that had deteriorated over the years.

The Technicians also found that some of the cables had been damaged in multiple places, indicating they had been damaged in the past by other excavation works that were covered up again without the damage being reported.

TelEm Group Chief Technical Officer, (CTO), Mr. Eldert Louisa, is appealing to all civil works contractors, and persons who damage company cables during excavation work to report the damage so that they can be repaired and not just covered up.

Acting Manager Outside Plant, Mr. Simmons, said residents and businesses in the Dutch Quarter area have been complaining about poor lines and slow internet speeds for quite a while, but the company’s hands were tied because they could not get permission to excavate the busy roadway in the Dutch Quarter area, where the damaged cables were.

“Government is trenching in the area and we took the opportunity to do our own works to see the condition of the cables underground. We saw a lot of corrosion and damage to cables that have to be replaced right away,” said Mr. Simmons.

The Acting Manager, Outside Plant, says a sub-contracting firm will be carrying out the majority of the works and is expected to complete the repairs within the next week.

“Customers who have been complaining about their telephone and internet lines in this part of Dutch Quarter can expect a vast improvement once the repairs are completed,” said Mr. Simmons.

He said the works began Friday and will continue Saturday in the area of Dutch Quarter between Milton Drive and Caines Drive. The Garden of Eden area will also be affected during the course of the day, Saturday. The repair works will continue next week, affecting other areas of Dutch Quarter.

TelEm Group’s Outside Plant will be informing residents and business in the area about the progress of the works in the coming days with notifications of the various areas that will be affected.

TelEm Group management has meantime apologized to residents and business in the Dutch Quarter area for any inconvenience caused by the major repairs to telecommunication cables in the area. TelEm Group look forward to an improvement of Internet and landline connections in Dutch Quarter when the repairs are completed.

Oranjestad:--- A protocol between Aruba and the Netherlands was agreed upon on November 22nd, 2018, which is directed towards sustainable public finances. It is understood that as soon as possible a surplus of at least 1% of GDP will be achieved on the budget. This should lead to a substantial reduction in the debt ratio, which at presents amounts to almost 90% of GDP. Windfalls will have to be used in favor of the deficit reduction in the coming years. The reorganization of public finances must be tackled by means of a significant reduction of government expenditure. From 2019 onwards, Aruba will nominally decrease the personnel costs. In doing so, it is important to modernize the tax system with determination. This in turn will also stimulate the economy.

A deficit of -0.5% of GDP has been agreed on for the 2019 budget. Due to a lack of relevant and legally required information, the CAft is not in the position to assess whether with the adopted budget 2019 Aruba is on its path to sustainable public finances. Tax estimates and the temporary budget fund for the Social Crisis Plan have been insufficiently substantiated, as a result of which the reality level of the budget cannot be established. A general dividend policy is also lacking, which should enable the revenue of the government of government entities to be more predictable. In the past too, many high dividends have been booked, which later turned out to be unrealistic.

Aruba started reforming the tax system in the year 2019. An integral tax plan is not yet available. As a result, the CAft is unable to determine how realistic the expected tax revenues are. The CAft calls on the government to elaborate such a plan with diligence and to indicate how the efficiency of the tax office can be improved. In other areas too, more efficiency should be provided in the civil service. The CAft wants more insight into the budget funds of Aruba. It is insufficiently clear to the CAft what the monies from the funds will be used for and what risks these funds represent for the country’s budget. For the 2019 budget, the CAft has received insufficient clarification from the National Ordinance on the Interim Budget Fund for the Social Crisis Plan.

The CAft has visited Aruba during the last days. As usual, discussions were held with the Governor, the Minister of Finance, Economic Affairs and Culture and the Council of Ministers. In addition, the CAft paid a visit to the Central Bank Aruba and the Advisory Council. On Thursday, February 14th, the CAft Chairman, Mr. Raymond Gradus, gave a public lecture entitled "On the path towards sustainable public finances", in which he placed the development of public finances in Aruba in an economic perspective. The lecture was organized in collaboration with the University of Aruba and the PowerPoint presentation is available via the website of the CAft: www.cft.cw.

WILLEMSTAD/PHILIPSBURG:--- The governments of Curaçao and Sint Maarten must take actions to strengthen their export sectors and attract foreign direct investments to improve the foreign exchange-generating capacity of their economies, the Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten (CBCS) stressed in its Quarterly Bulletin for the third quarter of 2018. The recently launched growth strategy of Curaçao and the various projects aimed at the recovery and increased resiliency of the economy of Sint Maarten are welcome steps in this direction, the CBCS stated. Since 2010, the gross official reserves of the CBCS and the monetary union’s import coverage have been exceptionally high. Nonetheless, the relatively high import coverage did not reflect the economic reality of both countries, but rather the impact of the debt relief program, the CBCS explained.

As part of the dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles, the government of the
Netherlands took over approximately 70% of the outstanding debt of the entities of the
former Netherlands Antilles, the bulk of which was held in the portfolios of local private and institutional investors. Consequently, the Dutch state paid off both principal and
interest according to the maturity schedule of the outstanding debt resulting in considerable inflows of foreign exchange on the portfolio investment balance of the balance of payments. Only part of the received interest and principal payments was reinvested abroad, however, because of very low international interest rates and the instability in the securities markets. These circumstances led to a strong increase in gross official reserves between 2010 and 2017 and an import coverage well above the norm of
3 months of goods and services imports.

However, the Dutch government paid off the final bond loan of the former Netherlands
Antilles under the debt relief program in June 2018, which ended the associated inflow of
foreign exchange. Meanwhile, since international interest rates are gradually increasing and the securities markets have improved, appetite has increased to invest more funds abroad to realize higher returns than can be realized domestically. This explains, to a great extent, the drop in gross official reserves in 2018. Because the import coverage is still well in excess of 3 months, concern is not warranted at this moment. Nevertheless, the CBCS closely monitors developments in the official reserves and will take timely measures if the decline appears structural, it stated in its Quarterly Bulletin.

For the complete text of the quarterly bulletin for the third quarter of 2018, please visit the CBCS website at www.centralbank.cw under the Publications & Research section.

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Finance Perry Geerlings appointed a fellow Surinamese Racquel Lo Fo Wong as the Director of the Central Bank of St. Maarten.
Lo Fo Wong worked at the RBC Bank a Senior Officer in the Corporate Business Banking. She worked her last day on Friday and is expected to take up the new position as early as next week. Lo Fo Wong also worked at Orco Bank and former ABN Amro Bank.
The appointment shocks several persons within the political arena as well as the community. One MP said that a local St. Maartener Dwayne President was by-passed. President has been working in a senior position for quite some time and he even replaced the Branch Manager at times.
Some Members of Parliament intend to call Finance Minister Perry Geerlings to Parliament on the appointment especially since they believe Lo Fo Wong does not qualify for the job since she could not perform well as an Account Executive at Orco Bank where she supposedly had low productivity. The MPs that are outraged with the appointment says that Government and Parliament were not consulted on the appointment of Lo Fo Wong. They further stated that if the Surinamese national could not produce as an Account Manager then they want to know how she will produce as a regulator. Besides that, the MPs referred to an interview that Geerlings did in Suriname calling on Surinamese to come to St. Maarten for work. They said the Minister filled his cabinet with Surinamese and that local does not stand a chance with him.
Lo Fo Wong could not be reached for comment. When SMN News contacted her for a comment she said she is ill and should only be contacted on working days.

CAYHILL:--- St. Maarten Medical Center (SMMC) is pleased to announce a new rotational Pediatric Cardiologist, Dr. Amadu Juliana, who has started providing his services recently. Dr. Juliana is providing general Pediatric Cardiology services during regular visits to the hospital which started in January.
Dr. Juliana began his Pediatric training at the University Hospital of Groningen in The Netherlands. He began his practice as a Pediatrician with Pediatric Cardiology expertise in non-invasive diagnostics: Electrocardiogram (ECG) and Echocardiography. After working for 8 years as a Pediatrician in Suriname, Dr. Juliana furthered his fellowship in Pediatric Cardiology at the Leiden University Hospital and registered as a Pediatric Cardiologist in The Netherlands. He currently works at the Academic Pediatric Center in Suriname.
As a Pediatric Cardiologist, Dr. Juliana diagnoses and treats congenital and acquired heart conditions in infants, children and adolescents. Dr. Juliana’s Pediatric Cardiology experience brings new areas of expertise to SMMC, including: Echocardiograms, Prenatal Echocardiography, evaluation for Arrhythmias and invasive procedures through heart characterizations. His clinical interests include Congenital heart defects, Rheumatic heart disease and Prenatal Echocardiography.
Dr. Felix Holiday, SMMC’s Medical Director, stated: “We are excited to welcome Dr. Juliana to SMMC with his expertise and focus on quality outcomes. We are eager to implement his vision for improving access to high-quality Cardiac care for the children of St. Maarten”.
With the provision of this service, the hospital will give children the best possible chance for a healthy future through the early diagnosis and repair of pediatric heart defects.
Patients who wish to see the new Pediatric Cardiologist can make an appointment at the Outpatient Department at Tel: 543-1111 ext. 1300 or 1310. Appointments can be made from Mondays-Fridays between 8:00 am – 4:30 pm.

This whole affair reeks of outright blackmail.

PHILIPSBURG:---“It is crystal clear, that it is not the appointed council of Ministers of Sint Maarten that are the ones running Sint Maarten. It is not as if I had any doubts before, because this is what I have been saying all along. But what we see now is that the State Secretary of Home Affairs Knops, is confirming this to the people of Sint Maarten with his latest press release,” says Member of Parliament Christopher Emmanuel.

Member of Parliament Emmanuel wants to know the following:
Do the people of Sint Maarten deserve such a weak Government as the Leona Romeo-Marlin Cabinet, which has proven that the only thing that this cabinet is 100% good at, is betraying the people and selling out Sint Maarten?
Did Leona Romeo-Marlin give Mr. Knops such an entitlement, allowing him to be able to be so deeply involved in the day to day running of this Caribbean part of the Kingdom, as opposed to making it clear to him, that despite working together, he has to stay in his lane and respect the Government and Parliament of Sint Maarten.
Does the State Secretary know, that in June of 2000, the people of Sint Maarten voted to have an autonomous status within the Dutch Kingdom, which now consists of Holland, Curaçao, and Aruba, and regardless to the fact that we are many times smaller in size, our positions in the Kingdom are equal?
Is the Leona Romeo-Marlin Cabinet telling the people of Sint Maarten to expect that this type of intervention is the way forward, due to the fact that Sint Maarten has an incapable Council of Ministers sitting in the Government Administration Building, on appointed positions that are out of their league? Have they, as a result, decided that, in order for them to appear successful, they would allow Holland to run the show and take what they want, while they pretend to be working, whereas all the while they’re only hiding in the background?
How much power does the Parliament and this Government of Sint Maarten have in regards to matters on Sint Maarten, and is the Leona Romeo-Marlin Cabinet planning to allow Knops to continue in this manner? As much as this may be beneficial for them, the Ministers, it is not beneficial for the people of Sint Maarten.
Where and when will the line be drawn as far as this State Secretary is concerned?
Member of Parliament Emmanuel is reacting to an article from Knops published in the press, ordering the Parliament of Sint Maarten to “take an urgent stand on the Dutch Government’s offer to assist the Princess Juliana International Airport with $100 million”.
MP Emmanuel went on to say that the Dutch State Secretary, who seems to be testing the waters more and more each time, in order to see how much he can get away with, went on to state that “The motions of no-confidence against St. Maarten Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin and Minister Stuart Johnson are holding hostage much-needed progress in this area. We are in a sort of status quo, and we cannot move forward with our offer that is on the table as long as there is no clarity as to the support in the Sint Maarten Parliament for the government in power.”
MP Emmanuel wants the people of Sint Maarten to know, that Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin, and by extension the Government of Sint Maarten, told the people of Sint Maarten on January 9th, 2019, that the Council of Ministers had accepted the same support that Knops is referring to.
State Secretary Knops himself, as was reported on January 10th, 2019, was quoted as saying that “The government of St. Maarten has made an important decision on financing the reconstruction of the Princess Juliana International Airport.”
MP Emmanuel is, therefore, asking the Prime Minister to tell the people of Sint Maarten the truth about what exactly took place, and if what she and Knops reported was false, since the State Secretary is now stating that the progress to a deal that was supposedly signed, sealed and delivered, is so-called being held back because of “xyz”.
MP Emmanuel wants to know if, added to the conditions that the Dutch openly attached to the loan to the Airport, there were other conditions that the Prime Minister agreed to with Mr. Knops that were not published then, but are now coming to light. Like for instance, the money will only be granted if this present government remains in office. Are the conditions linked to the Leona Romeo-Marlin Cabinet? The people need to know.
“These disrespectful actions of the State Secretary are attributed to the fact that Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin and her colleague ministers, due to their obvious inabilities, instantly bow without debate to every demand that has come out of The Hague so far, and therefore the perception has now been created that everyone on Sint Maarten is blinded to the blackmail type tactics that are being played out,” said the MP.
The MP says he is gravely disappointed in the local Government of Sint Maarten and said that he considers the remarks of State Secretary Knops nothing more than scare tactics and bully posturing, as he seems to want to do everything that is within his power to hold on to this government, as this government has proven to be willing to do anything, including selling out Sint Maarten, in order to stay in power.
“Truth be told, Sint Maarten is facing many issues since the passing of the storms, which were natural disasters. But in the same breath, I must say that the Leona Romeo-Marlin Cabinet has been a man-made disaster for Sint Maarten as well, and has left the people of this country stranded and in a very undesirable position up to this date. All this while being aided and abetted by those who play the game of “loving” and “assisting” our people, all the while using the opportunity to plot and plan for their great positions on our “Rock” of Sun, Sea and Sand as promised by the Sint Maarten Government.
The MP mentioned that we are four months away from the second hurricane season since the storms of 2017, and to this date the people of Sint Maarten are yet to see the “hiding places” (hurricane shelters), that this same Mr. Knops misled the press in The Netherlands about before the 2018 hurricane season, when he falsely stated that there were enough Shelters on Sint Maarten in the event of a storm.
“It’s an insult to the intelligence of the people of Sint Maarten for the State Secretary to remotely suggest that the two motions tabled by the opposition is holding up the airport’s progress. Are these recently tabled motions also keeping back the construction of roofs for the hundreds of people that are seeking assistance for almost 2 years now? Are these motions also holding up a clear and decisive plan for the landfill and the delivering of the long overdue budget? I definitely know that this is not the case,” said the MP.
MP Emmanuel said that he wants to know what the State Secretary based his statement on. When did he receive the power to tell Parliament to hurry up and take a stand, while Parliament never had a discussion with him?
The MP also sent a clear message, telling the State Secretary that not because Prime Minister Leona Romeo-Marlin and her colleague Ministers tremble to his words and bow to his requests, everyone on Sint Maarten feels the same way. There is no justifiable reason for this, so don’t expect it from our dignified people.
It is high time that the blackmail type tactics in the name of “Aid” stop, and it is also high time that the Government of Sint Maarten start seeking other solutions to the problems plaguing this beautiful “Rock” that we call home, in order to gain some form of respect from the people.

Member of Parliament Christopher Emmanuel concluded by suggesting that without delay, both the Airport and the Harbor have meetings with APS and SZV in order to come up with an investment loan agreement, similar to what was done with SZV and the Harbor over Zebec.

Emmanuel believes the $100 million is another bait and catch with far reaching consequences, as it is known that the Airport needs more than the $100 million.
“What this will do, is simply put the airport in a long-term state of begging, which of course will be very convenient for certain parties,” said the MP.

Proverbs 22-7 says: “Just as the Rich rule over the Poor, the Borrower is a Slave to the Lender.”

PHILIPSBURG:--- As the police department continues to enforce the laws of the traffic ordinance on Sunday, February 17th between 12.15 a.m. and 04.30 a.m. a traffic control was held on the Bush road in the vicinity of PBS-bank. During this control, a total of 60 vehicles were checked. Of the vehicles checked 45 drivers have told the remove the tint from those windows which are prohibited by law. 7 fines were issued, 4 vehicles were towed one of which is suspected to be stolen. Also, a small amount of marihuana and a machete were confiscated.

KPSM Press Release.

POINTE BLANCHE:---  There were seven cruise vessels in port on Saturday, marking another busy day for the destination where cruise tourism is concerned. Three of the vessels in port, namely, Star Flyer, Wind Surf, and Seabourn Odyssey were picking up passengers which is part of the homeporting services that the island offers.
The vessels in port on Saturday were Silver Spirit, Carnival Fascination, Seabourn Odyssey, Koningsdam, Freedom of the Seas, Star Flyer and Wind Surf which represented a combined total in over 16,000 passengers and crew. In terms of passengers, there were close to 12,000 in port on Saturday and over 4,300 crew.
The seven vessels were all moored at the two cruise piers at the Dr. A.C. Wathey Cruise & Cargo Facility.
There has also been a noticeable increase in demand for cruise ship crew changes. A group of 50+ crew members from one cruise line flew into the destination last week to join their vessel. Port Management says this once more signifies the importance of the destination to the industry.
Port St. Maarten Management is very pleased with how Fly & Cruise Homeporting has taken off for the high 2018-2019 cruise season. A number of small cruise lines are using Port St. Maarten as their home port of choice in the northeastern Caribbean.
St. Maarten has cemented itself as a homeport destination. It is testament to the appeal of cruising from St. Maarten as cruises out of the destination offer the perfect way to experience the warm hospitality of the Region.
Emphasis has been placed on luxury cruise brands that translate into more spending power of passengers based on their higher disposable income levels. This also shifts the destination from quantity to quality cruise tourism, therefore, increasing the destination value due to attracting other high-end brand lines.
Homeporting generates more airlifts in and out of the destination; brings additional business for local service providers; and creates the potential for pre- and post- cruise extension visits.
Statistics show that 20% of the passengers who fly to a destination to take a cruise also take a pre or post vacation stay. They spend about two days after they arrive on the island before taking their cruise and do the same upon returning from their cruise.
The guests have some time prior to boarding the homeported vessel and also upon their return from their cruise to enjoy the benefits of the destination. The financial economic gain will trickle down to the following areas: transportation services sector such as taxi’s and car rentals, vessel provisioning from food and beverage wholesalers; passengers arriving and departing through SXM Airport fees and economic activity for businesses there; aircraft fees for SXM Airport; dockage and passenger fees for Port St. Maarten; fueling services; hotels and villa rentals; restaurants and entertainment; duty-free shopping retailers; cruise ship personnel shopping for goods and services while homeported; visiting attractions and amenities available and taking tours/excursions; advertising and marketing of the cruise destination; opportunity created for conversion from cruise passenger becoming a stay-over guest, and other businesses that provide ancillary services to the tourism sector.
With SXM Airport working to bring United States Customs Pre-clearance to the destination, this will be a plus and would stimulate connectivity and attract new businesses as there would be a seamless travel-cruise experience to and from the destination for the traveler.
Port St. Maarten’s strategic long-term sustainable approach calls for an investment in a permanent homeport terminal that can handle vessels carrying 1500+ cruise passengers according to cruise market demand, however, this can only materialize through the cooperation with key local stakeholders.
The current terminal building being used is a temporary structure that is air-conditioned and can handle up to 1,000 guests during peak hours; 12-check-in desks and a luggage screening machine; bar and restaurant serving drinks and snacks on sale for passengers; VIP section with seating for 50-80 passengers; Wi-Fi; facilities for the disabled; and much more.
The terminal is able to store more than 1200 pieces of luggage and is located nearby the cargo container storage area.
The permanent facility would be better equipped and structurally secure to withstand hurricanes and meet the growing demands of Fly & Cruise homeporting. The construction of a permanent facility would be carried out in close consultation with cruise line partners to ensure the design and logistical requirements are in line with new-cruise ship builds with an outlook of 15-20 years from now.
St. Maarten is also seeking to become the lead cruise ship provisioning port.

Port St. Maarten has provisioned several cruise ships with dry and frozen goods sourced from local food wholesalers, and the operations were carried out in an efficient manner showcasing the port’s ability to adapt based on varied arrival times and still deliver quality service and maintain operational excellence.
Cruise ships carrying 3000-5000+ guests and crew consume large amounts of food every day over a seven-day cruise.
Port St. Maarten has developed a strategy to increase volume related to cruise ship provisioning with the objective of becoming the lead cruise ship provisioning sea-port in the near future which would be very beneficial to the local economy protecting employment and also creating additional employment opportunities within the food wholesale sector.
Packaging from goods and products locally purchased and delivered to the vessels are disposed of by a third-party port concessionaire who directly works with the cruise lines.
St. Maarten’s international appeal as a cruise destination, along with business services offered in the maritime logistical sector and in the food supply area, are the assets allowing the island to gain from cruise ship provisioning. This would further enhance the port’s operational excellence platform bolstering more business which is key to future growth for the island.

PHILIPSBURG:--- St. Martin’s Lasana M. Sekou was among 57 authors, editors, scholars, translators, and publishers from around the world invited to the 28th annual International Book Fair of Havana, Cuba, February 7-19, 2019. While in Cuba, Sekou was a panelist on “Literary creation, Editorial management, and Cultural policies in Latin America,” according to Iyaimi Palomares, director of the Cuban publisher Arte y Literatura. Topics addressed by the speakers included the interruption of literary production during Uruguay’s last civil-military regime; use of digital technologies for added publishing opportunities in Cuba; and publishing multilingual books in St. Martin to reach wider audiences in the region and beyond. In photo, panelists, L_R: Luis Pereira (editor/journalist, Uruguay), Edel Morales (poet/director of D.M. Loynaz Center of Culture, Cuba), Lasana M. Sekou (author/projects director, House of Nehesi Publishers, St. Martin), and (translator for the panelists/audience) Ana Elena de Arazoza. Havana, Cuba (2-14-19). (© HNP photo)

PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Justice Cornelius de Weever took note of media reporting regarding the status of the Prison in Point Blanche and was baffled by the recent story that was published based on outdated information.
Information about the progress being made at the Prison was published in the media mid-December under the headline, “Minister inspects repairs at the prison.”
At that time urgent repairs were being made to the roof, corridor walls, and courtyard walls. These works including project management and site supervision were being carried out by Independent Consulting Engineers (ICE).
References made to the St. Maarten Progress Committee third-quarter 2018 report and published in a news article mid-February are outdated and based on the observation period by members of the committee from July 2018 – October 2018.
“I do not dispute the observations made in the Progress Committee third-quarter 2018 report, but much has been achieved since that report and since those site observations were made. The perception created in the media today is far from the truth of today’s progress.
“There has been much progress since three and a half months ago, and it is very unfortunate how the reporting was done in connection with the hard work, time and effort that has been made by all stakeholders and the contractors over this period,” Minister Cornelius de Weever said on Sunday.
The St. Maarten Progress Committee has since visited the Point Blanche Prison, in December 2018 and again in January 2019.
“Some observations were made by a representative of the committee after visiting in December prior to the January site visit. At that time, they noted that things were moving forward step by step and saw that we were committed to getting things moving based on the recommendations made in the report.
“I also met with and briefed the Dutch Minister of Justice & Security Grapperhaus as well as Dutch State Secretary Knops during our justice deliberations in Aruba (JVO) that took place in the latter part of January.
“Progress at the Point Blanche Prison has also been published in the media and on our Facebook page amongst other sources. There should have been balance reporting, but there’s what you read and then there is the truth,” Minister of Justice Cornelius de Weever said on Sunday.
Minister De Weever added that the rebuilding process has been confronted with a number of challenges along the way and the Ministry of Justice has been diligently dealing with them as best it can.
“For example, not all electrical work can be completed at the Point Blanche Prison before renovations have been completed. Government is dependent on external entities to carry out works based on winning the bid for that particular project.
“A Dutch Company was hired to re-install existing camera’s among other technical works. Even though their invoice was partially pre-paid, the work has not started as yet despite repeatedly requesting a start date.
“There is a transparent process in place for selecting companies to carry out work at the prison, and we have to follow the procedures as dictated by good governance and this plays a role in things not moving fast enough as some would like them too, but we are making steady progress and we will continue on the track embarked upon based on our adjusted improvement plan and the recommendations of the Progress Committee in order to meet our obligations as well as international treaties and conventions,” Minister of Justice Cornelius de Weever concluded.

AIRPORT:--- Chief Executive Officer (PJIAE). Mr. Brian Mingo, says the immediate and combined effort of all Stakeholders and interested parties is urgently needed to pull St. Maarten’s premier port of entry, the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIAE) out of its poor financial state so that the facility can lead a booming recovery of the island.

For the second consecutive month, PJIAE is finding itself having to juggle cash and says it is being forced to meet liquidity challenges head-on.

Now with the end of the February month fast approaching, the recently appointed CEO is building a financial recovery strategy that he says will require buy-in from all Stakeholders so that PJIAE can lead the way in a new wave of restoration construction on St. Maarten.

“We will continue to experience cash shortfalls unless we take action now. St. Maarten is still reporting just over 60% recovery of its hospitality inventory consisting of the main hotels, restaurants, property rentals etc,” said Mr. Mingo.

He said investors cautiously adopted a “Wait & See” attitude as they wait for the economy to pick up again, and most will not expose their capital until they see some strong activity, in areas of the economy such as our airport.

“PJIAE stands ready to be the catalyst for these investors to give them the confidence they need to invest in St. Maarten again. Once the Airport is up and running and the Airlines will further step up their schedules to the island once again, we can really say “we’re really back in business”,” said the CEO.

Mr. Mingo says Management and staff at PJIAE have done an amazing job with very little resources and are once again utilizing one-third of the Airport Terminal Building, much to the appreciation of travelling passengers. Mr. Mingo notes however, that these passengers are under the misapprehension that the Airport reconstruction is actually under way and get frustrated and angry at the lack of progress.

“What people do not realize that the main reconstruction phase has not started yet,” said Mr. Mingo.

“We have spent millions of dollars cleaning up, making the environment safe, making the facility useable and as comfortable for passengers as much as possible and we have also spent a massive $14Million securing the roof alone,” explained the PJIAE chief.

“What we need immediately is a $15 Million bridge loan that has been allocated by the Netherlands, so that we can meet our immediate liquidity needs and support the cash shortfall, and then a final decision on financing to that. The works can then begin on the reconstruction plans within three weeks and start of construction by July this year.

“If all goes as planned and urgent action is taken now, we will be celebrating the re-opening of our reconstructed airport terminal by Christmas 2020,” said Mr. Mingo.

Mr. Mingo will send a report to the Supervisory Board PJIAE this week, outlining his plans and will promote the urgency for the much needed airport financing.

One source of funding Mr. Mingo is ready to accept, with government and board approval, is a $100 Million soft loan for the World Bank (WB) and the European Investment Bank (EIB).

Mr. Mingo says government has been most supportive of the Airport’s struggles up to now, recognizing particular support and interest from the Prime Minister, Hon. Mrs. Leona Romeo-Marlin, Minister of Finance, Hon. Mr. Perry Geerlings and Ministers of TEATT, with his Ministry’s responsibility for PJIAE, Hon. Mr. Stuart Johnson.

“I thank government for their input and help so far, but it is not our government alone, the Netherlands, Parliament, the Shareholder Representative, the Supervisory and Management Boards and the personnel. We also need to come together, to be on the same page, to remain focussed and head in the same direction to fuel the growth of St. Maarten through our no#1 port of entry,” said Mr. Mingo.

Mr. Mingo says anything other than the signing of agreements to put the airport back on a sound financial footing should be viewed as “unnecessary noise and distractions” that serve no good purpose, except to hold back development and further risk the future our airport and the livelihoods of the 270 employees, the families they support and the host of businesses and operations that all depend on the airport operations for their living.

Mr. Mingo is hopeful he can take the comprehensive recovery plan and his message to government himself along with the support of his Supervisory Board and is ready to secure funding for the airport without further delay.

PHILIPSBURG:---The House of Parliament will sit in a Plenary Public meeting on Monday, February 18, 2019.
The Public meeting is scheduled for 14.00 hrs. in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg. The Minister of General Affairs will be present.
The agenda point is:
Discussion on the position of the Government on the future, immediate and long-term plans regarding the Postal Services Sint Maarten (PSS) and the effect it will have on the employees (IS/495/2018-2019 dated January 16, 2019)

(This meeting was requested by MP A.M.R. Irion, MP E.J. Doran, MP C.T. Emmanuel, MP S.E. Jacobs, MP W.V. Marlin, MP F.G. Richardson and MP R. Brison)

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.
The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 115, via SXM GOV radio FM 107.9, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the Internet www.sxmparliament.org, www.pearlfmradio.sx and Parliament’s Facebook page: Parliament of Sint Maarten.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The University of St. Martin, together with the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport and the St. Maarten Anti-Poverty Platform, are exploring the possibility of carrying out research that will benefit the rights of children and youth on the island.

“Diverse groups such as trade unions and communities of faith will play an essential role in such research”, said USM President Antonio Carmona, who is hopeful in leading a programme that would look into issues of poverty, violence, sexual abuse and the socio-economic conditions of families.

“Social Action Research, used by sociologists whereby focus groups horizontally identify the problems and needs of a community, is one of the principal methods that will ensure a solid multisectoral participation of civil society groups in their quest for solutions that will secure the rights of children”, said Dr. Carmona.

On Friday, 18 February, the Sint Maarten Anti-Poverty Platform (SMAPP), a coalition of trade unions, community leaders and social activists, welcomed former UNICEF Regional Director for Latin America and the Caribbean Mr. Nils Kastberg, who voluntarily came to Philipsburg from Sweden to meet with USM faculty and local trade representatives. Kastberg, who is no stranger to the island, has a long history of working with churches and government in Sint Maarten, and is willing to serve as a consultant. On Saturday, he talked with representatives of the St. Martin Council of Churches and the St. Martin United Ministerial Foundation, which have agreed to support this research initiative.

A man of faith, Nils Kastberg exhorted local churches to consider that social action, like human rights activism, provides the space for Christians to practice the teachings of Jesus Christ by loving their neighbour. “The gospel very clearly takes a stand on justice, we are called to take action for our children and youth.”

Mr. Raymund Jessurun, who together with Mrs. Claire Elshot co-coordinates SMAPP, announced that a MOU between the Platform and USM is currently under review. USM would like to contribute to the community by establishing a poverty line on St. Martin and for the rest of the Kingdom. “For that, we need access to statistics. By working together with the university and government, we can expose the reality our children face and from there work on improving living conditions.”

Dr. Carmona stated that “previous studies on the socio-economic condition of children and youth were conducted by UNICEF Nederland. However, only half of the island was considered, while we know that St. Martin is one island and everyone has family on both sides.” Other surveys have been conducted by USM in collaboration with University ofthe Virgin Islands and the Collectivité of the northern side of the island. Through established networks, USM and SMAPP hope to receive support from the regional office of UNICEF and government. “Research guidelines need to be developed regionally and St. Martiners need to conduct their own research. UNICEF Nederland, if responsible, can support such an initiative if its genuinely interested in serving the Caribbean part of the Kingdom,” Carmona concluded.

On Monday and Tuesday Mr. Nils Kastberg, USM and SMAPP will hold talks with local teacher union WITU and again with Minister Wycliff Smith and the Ministry’s Secretary General Shermina Powell-Richardson.

SOUTH REWARD--- On February 16th, members of the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset gathered at the MAC High School and the St. Maarten Vocational Training School (SMVTS) to paint peace murals in efforts to promote peace among the youths.

One of Rotary’s key area of focus involves promoting peace and the month of February is recognized as Rotary’s Peace and Conflict Resolution month, where Rotary clubs worldwide initiate projects centered around the ideal of Peace.

Given the recent uproar surrounding at-risk youth in our community involved in criminal acts and violence in the schools, the Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset felt a sense of urgency to address the issue head-on. The motive behind the painting of the peace mural is that it would serve as a daily inspiration to the students, faculty and staff and a reminder on the importance of exhibiting peace.

The peace murals portray a “Peace Dove” along with the quote, “Remember That Peace Starts with You”. Other inspirational words such as; Respect, Honesty, Love as well as the Rotary International 2018/2019 theme, “Be The Inspiration” were included in the peace mural at the SMVTS. The concept and design of both peace murals were done by member of the club, Rotarian Jade Maccow with the assistance of prospective member Jeffrey Baxter.

“The painting of the peace murals could not have come at a more opportune time. Although we are facing many challenges with our youth, criticizing them is not the solution. As revolutionary leader and former president of South Africa, Nelson Mandela, once said ‘No one is born hating another. People learn how to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love.’ Likewise, we need to focus our attention on instilling the right values in our youth, which in my opinion is the only way we can achieve change,” President Jaida Nisbett said.

The Rotary Club of St. Martin Sunset is committed to positively impacting our youth and intends to paint similar peace murals in the other schools on both sides of the island. A heartfelt thank you is extended to the school management for the opportunity to execute our vision of the peace murals.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Finance Committee of Parliament will meet on Tuesday, Februa19, 2019019.
The Finance Committee meeting is scheduled for 14.00 hrs. in the General Assembly Chamber of the House at Wilhelminastraat #1 in Philipsburg. The Minister of Finance will be present.
The agenda point is:
Discussion on the emergency measure to restructure Ennia by the Central Bank and the effects it has on the Central Bank and our local economy (IS/794/2017-2018 dated July 26, 2018)

(This meeting was requested by MP A.M.R. Irion)

Members of the public are invited to the House of Parliament to attend parliamentary deliberations.

The House of Parliament is located across from the Court House in Philipsburg.

The parliamentary session will be carried live on St. Maarten Cable TV Channel 115, via SXM GOV radio FM 107.9, via Pearl Radio FM 98.1, the audio via the internet www.sxmparliament.org , www.pearlfmradio.com and Parliaments Facebook page: Parliament of Sint Maarten.

Pond Island:--- TelEm Group’s mobile provider TelCell, is in neighboring St. Eustatius this upcoming weekend, to give a big boost to a “Zero Tolerance” Domestic Violence Awareness event on the island.

The company says a team of TelCell staffers will be on Statia later in the week to take part in several activities planned for the weekend, including a music concert, with Reggae star Ky-Mani Marley, heading a group of talented performers.

The weekend is kicking off on Friday, February 22, with an All-White Party to officially mark the start of the Awareness Weekend and ends Sunday with the Family Fun Day.

This will be the second year in a row that TelCell is sponsoring the locally organized event, and says it is fully behind the cause to stamp out violence in the home.

TelCell is especially pleased with the hard work of event coordinators, Mega-D's Youth Foundation and Dare 2 Care, who are setting out to raise funds so that they can continue to bring awareness to the general public about Domestic and Youth Violence on the island.

Both groups believe the best way to tackle the scourge of violence of any kind in the home is to first recognize that it exists and then to find support for those who ultimately become the victims.

The Mega D’s Youth Foundation says the upcoming activities are in keeping with their goal and mission to educate and prepare Youth on the island for adolescence and adulthood and note that Domestic Violence, and how to avoid it, is a very real issue that Youth needs to be aware of at an early age.

Similarly, Dare 2 Care, also takes its mission to educate the community about domestic violence very seriously. Members go a step further however by offering assistance and support to the victims of domestic violence with programs that include counseling, treatment for persons with violent tendencies and a safe haven for female and youth victims, whenever the situation calls for refuge against violence.

TelEm Group, Manager, Marketing & Sales, Mrs. Grisha Heyliger, says the TelCell Team visiting Statia this weekend are very excited about interaction with persons on the island and will be assisting in any way they can to get the message of domestic violence awareness out and into the Statia community.

“This is a great community effort that is well worth the support of everyone,” said Grisha.

For more information about Domestic Violence Awareness on St. Eustatius, visit the following Websites:

www.safestatiaportal.com

 PHILIPSBURG:--- At least 10 vehicles with a number of TBO and RST Officers flocked the home of UD Leader Theodore Heyliger on Tuesday morning in Guana Bay where they conducted house searches and arrested him. Heyliger is one of the suspects in the ongoing LARIMAR investigations. On January 29th and 30th, the investigators searched the business place and homes of George Pelgrim and Ron Elferink, the two men were in pretrial detention for 10 days before they were released.
Last year the TBO team also arrested Jan Henrick Boekar and searched the Windward Road Office as they began the LARIMAR investigation. Also arrested in this case was Ronald Masdaam a key person that linked several politicians in a corruption investigation.

The spokesman for the TBO Roderick Gouverneur confirmed the arrest. He said no further details until later today.

Suspect T.H. (48) was arrested by the Anti-corruption Taskforce (TBO) this morning, February 19, 2019. The suspect has been placed in pre-trial detention. More information will be provided later today.

POINTE BLANCHE:--- On Friday, February 15, 2019, Port Sint Maarten filed a notice of complaint to the Gemeenschappelijk Hof van Justitie against the Public Prosecutor’s refusal to prosecute the American dredging company Devcon.

The Port’s request for such prosecution concerns the Emerald investigation, in which Devcon turned out to presumably have secretly and illegally raised invoices to a total amount of more than US$ 3 mln.

The invoices refer to dredging activities in the Port during the years 2012-2016. The Port wishes to reclaim these amounts of money, as they were paid without any legal basis which the Port found out recently.

As a victim of a possible crime, the Port has the right to request for prosecution and to formally complain against the refusal of such prosecution.