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MP Grisha Heyliger-Marten Condemns Taped Remarks by PoP

Faction leader of the United People's Party (UP) in Parliament, Grisha Heyliger-Marten has strongly condemned the statements by her party leader, President of Parliament Rolando Brison in a recording gone viral on the island over the weekend.

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StMaartenNews.com Political News
Deja vu all over again: Brison under pressure to resign

MP Rolando Brison (UPP) has come under fire this weekend after a 'spliced up' recording of him went viral. Amazingly, when it comes to St. Maarten's politics, history has an uncanny ability to repeat itself. It is really 'deja vu' all over again. ...

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USP calls on MP Brison to resign immediately

PHILIPSBURG - The board of the United St. Maarten (US) party has called on Chairperson of Parliament MP Rolando Brison to resign immediately as President of Parliament and not further shame and embarrass the country. The board also called on all...

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UD Party denounces the latest actions of MP Brison

PHILIPSBURG - Upon hearing the recent audio of MP Brison, the UD Board reacted, stating that "this should not surprise anyone, as MP Brison continues to exude narcissistic traits and clearly lacks even a basic understanding of the...

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Emmanuel calls for MP Brison's immediate resignation

Says PM also accountable to the people ~ PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten - Referring to it as a "clear and present danger" to the legitimacy of Parliament and "another failure of the current coalition", Independent MP Christophe Emmanuel on Sunday...

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MP Rolando Brison issues statement of apology

PHILIPSBURG - On Sunday even President of Parliament Rolando Brison issued a statement saying the following: "A recording of me speaking, some of which in the privacy of my own home, in a moment of frustration, has been released by some...

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StMaartenNews.com Editorial
Pressure mounts for Brison to resign. What will Parliament do?

Over the weekend, following the spreading of a recording of MP Rolando Brison making derogatory remarks regarding fellow UP party member and faction leader Grisha Heyliger-Marten, via social media, several parties in Parliament called for the immediate resignation of Brison as Chairman.

The first party to immediately do so was the United St. Maarten Party (USP), followed by the United Democrats (UD) party and Independent Member of Parliament, MP Christophe Emmanuel. Remarkably, the Party for Progress (PFP) has not issued a statement regarding the 'faux pas' MP Brison as President of Parliament has committed. Word on the street is that PFP plans to calls a meeting of the faction leaders in Parliament at 3pm in the afternoon to discuss the matter.

On Sunday evening MP Rolando Brison issued a statement as President of Parliament, basically apologizing for his poor choice of words uttered in the presence of "unscrupulous individuals," as his home who has "edited them to fit their political narrative and agenda," he stated.

Faction leader, MP Grisha Heyliger-Marten, has since also issued a statement roundly condemning the taped remarks by Brison. According to sources close to the UP party, an emergency board meeting was held on Sunday wherein Brison was asked to resign. However, he refused to do so. Brison wrote in his statement to the media that he intends to work to restore trust with his colleague Heyliger-Marten and to get her to accept his apology for his indiscretion.

MP Brison has all rights to indeed work out his issues and differences with his fellow party member and we wish him good luck with that. However, what Brison fails to admit or realize is the fact that his words - spliced or not - has tainted the position and office of the President of Parliament.

As an observer on social media rightfully points out and we quote: "Dude still doesn't get it. He seems to think his biggest transgression was insulting the first lady of UPP, but his comments about his deals and obvious impartiality to the minister of VROMI only brings into question his decisions as chair."

In that context as well, Independent MP Christophe Emmanuel pointed in his press release to the deal-making Brison referred to with certain members of the National Alliance and the implication that permits are for sale on St. Maarten. MP Emmanuel goes on to state "Chairman Brison painted a picture of an inner-circle cartel running the government. The Prime Minister must be held accountable as well and address the nation. These are not rumors as the Prime Minister likes to dismiss so nonchalantly. These comments are from a person who seems to wield more power than the Prime Minister over Ministers from her own party."

The Prime Minister will be a guest on the Lady Grace radio show at 8:30am in the morning. We are very much interested in hearing what Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs has to say about this latest development in the political arena on St. Maarten. Will she show leadership and also ask for the resignation of Brison as president of parliament? Or will she declare it an internal matter for the UP party and its board to resolve?

In any event, parties are free to demand the immediate resignation of Brison as President of Parliament or even as member of Parliament, but we all know that won't happen and his statement of apology clearly shows Brison has no intention of resigning from any position, including as a member of the UP party.

Therefore, it is up to the political parties in Parliament to bring a vote to the floor and let the chips fall where they may. As another astute political observer commented on social media: "At any time a majority of Parliament can elect a new president and no reason is needed. If each of you is of the belief that he has to go then get on the same page for the sake of the country. Yea he can try to stall but eventually a meeting has to be called. If the 14 of you can not lend support to each other to get it done then your words amount to nothing and you all should go home."

This observer further goes on to state that according to Article 57, section 1, of the Constitution of Sint Maarten, "the Parliament shall elect a President and a Deputy President from its own numbers."

Thus, the rules of the game are clear, Parliament has the power to appoint and dismiss the chairperson of Parliament. Nevertheless, we are of the opinion that it should not come to this point. MP Rolando Brison should do the honourable thing and immediately vacate the office of the President of Parliament. In any other democratic country, any self-respected representative of the people bearing the title of 'honourable', would immediately tender his resignation. Clearly, Brison wants to show everyone on St. Maarten instead that he is an honourebel. We will see what Parliament will do in the next public meeting.
StMaartenNews.com Opinions & Columns
Shining a light on Integrity

As the INTEGRITY Advancement Movement Foundation, I have been watching and keenly observing all that has been happening and developing on Sint Maarten; in and out of all Levels of Government, within the Private Sector, our Communities and...

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Gracita Arrindell wants more action from Electoral Reform

PHILIPSBURG - The parliamentary ad-hoc committee Electoral Reform has to become more active ahead of the elections that are scheduled for 2024, Gracita Arrindell, leader of the extra-parliamentary political party People's Progressive Alliance...

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stmaartennews.com
Applying magic to Caribbean tourism

by Cdr. Bud Slabbaert ~ Having aspirations to be part of the Caribbean tourism industry? Get education in hospitality programs of universities or academies, right? Not always right! Webinars or workshops of hospitality or tourism consultants,...

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stmaartennews.com
The elephant in the room

By Hilbert Haar ~ Minister Kajsa Ollongren (Home Affairs) has suggested that the residents of Caribbean Netherlands (Saba, Statia and Bonaire) ought to spend less time in the shower and go easy on the use of air-conditioning systems to make the...

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Is the Constitutional Court such a good idea?

By Hilbert Haar ~ St. Maarten's judicial system contains a unique institution: the Constitutional Court. No other country in the Kingdom of the Netherlands has such a court. Is that good or bad? First of all it is good to remember that local...

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Johnson: "Not advancing US Pre-Clearance is a huge error."

Philipsburg - "It is truly remarkable how the people of St. Maarten had to be subjected to media reports of another groundbreaking ceremony at the Princess Juliana International Airport (PJIA) without a single mention of US Pre-Clearance,"...

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StMaartenNews.com Feature News
European Union continues its relationship with OCTs

PHILIPSBURG - St. Maarten appears not to be the brightest bulb on Broadway where securing funding from the European Development fund (EDF) is concerned. But the relationship between St. Maarten - with its status as OCT (Overseas Country and...

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stmaartennews.com
Corstens pleads for judicial reform in the Netherlands

PHILIPSBURG - The Dutch judicial system could do with a makeover that had the potential to spill over to St. Maarten. Geert Corstens, a former President of the Supreme Court in The Hague made the suggestion during an interview on the TV-program...

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Responsible gambling is of no concern to the government

PHILIPSBURG - Gambling became an issue after StMaartenNews.com revealed how old slot machines have surfaced at several locations around the island. Just last month, the General Audit Chamber published its mini audit entitled Responsible Gambling. ...

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stmaartennews.com
Life Insurance, the why and the why not

Life insurance is insurance based on a specific payment to one or more beneficiaries upon the passing of the insured. The reasons that motivate people to take out insurance on their lives can be many and have far-reaching consequences. First,...

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Philipsburg Property For Sale

Photo caption: Property located on the Backstreet no.18 in Philipsburg, St. Maarten. Property located on the Backstreet no.18 in Philipsburg, St. Maarten and is registered at the Cadastre office with Certificate of Admeasurement number PB...

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StMaartenNews.com Local News
"Are you ready?" asks Police Chief Carl John

StMaartenNews.com will be publishing some feature articles about the recent accomplishments of the KPSM police force under the leadership of Police Chief Carl John, including the recently held swearing-in ceremony of 13 new officers.
On Friday, October 29, 2021, Chief John asked these cadets "Are you ready?" Stay tuned for more articles on this story.
Function Book in the final phase of the legislative process

PHILIPSBURG - The Function Book of the Ministry of Justice is in the final phase of the legislative process towards its completion to become law, confirmed the Minister of Justice, Honorable Anna E. Richardson. As per Friday, October 22, 2021,...

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Duke's Drive Residence Receives Tour of Sucker Garden

SINT MAARTEN (SUCKER GARDEN) - On Tuesday, members of Duke's Drive Residence received a private walkthrough of the Sucker Garden Community Space - one of seven community spaces being established across Sint Maarten. Led by Makhicia Brooks,...

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soualiganewsday.com
Soualiga Professional Boxing & Mixed Martial Arts...

SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) - The Soualiga Professional Boxing & Mixed Martial Arts Federation (SPBMAF) was established in August 2021 on St. Maarten by Milton Ottley as a non-profit organization to motivate, promote and recognize past, present,...

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soualiganewsday.com
Lions Club donates to Meals on Wheels

SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) - On Tuesday last, the Sint Maarten Lions Club presented the Meals on Wheels Foundation with an extra-large pressure cooker. The gift was given in recognition of the dedicated service that the foundation has been...

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soualiganewsday.com
STB creates impressive destination awareness in the Benelux

SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) - During the months of September and October, Sint Maarten's public awareness agency in the Netherlands, USP Marketing PR, carried out a national awareness promotional campaign of destination Sint Maarten in the...

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soualiganewsday.com
StMaartenNews.com Political News
MP Buncamper queries transfer of domain land in Beacon Hill

PHILIPSBURG - After seeing the numerous outcries on Facebook and reading the headlines on the front page of the Daily Herald of Friday/Saturday, October 15 - 16, 2021, "Beacon Hill residents angry about permit-less six-story development", MP...

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stmaartennews.com
USP to restructure party operations

PHILIPSBURG - With an eye on the future and living up to its founding principles, the United St. Maarten (US) party is in the process of restructuring its board, party platform and representation in preparations for the upcoming electoral cycle,...

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stmaartennews.com
PFP pleased that historic Motion of Disapproval passes

PHILIPSBURG - Party for Progress (PFP) Members of Parliament (MPs) Melissa Gumbs and Raeyhon Peterson are pleased that their Motion of Disapproval against Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) Egbert ...

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stmaartennews.com
MPs participate in a week of Refresher Trainings

SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) - During the week of October 25-29, 2021, Members of Parliament participated in part 1 of a series of Refresher Trainings. This week of training is the initiative of the Secretariat of the Parliament of Sint Maarten...

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soualiganewsday.com
Sint Maarten Youth Parliament Holds Successful Debate

SINT MAARTEN (ST. PETERS) - The Sint Maarten Youth Parliament opened the third edition of it's Annual Interscholastic Debate Competition (AIDC) on Saturday 23 October 2021. The theme for this year's debates is 'Education' with the moots centered...

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soualiganewsday.com
StMaartenNews.com News in Dutch
Aftreden Statenvoorzitter Sint Maarten Brison geëist na...

Philipsburg - Statenvoorzitter Rolando Brison is in opspraak door in ronduit onparlementaire bewoordingen denigrerende uitspraken te doen over de fractieleider van zijn eigen partij United Peoples Party Grisha Heyliger, andere Statenleden en...

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dossierkoninkrijksrelaties.nl
Airport tax omhoog

Luchthavenexploitant CAP heeft tekorten Van een onzer verslaggeversWillemstad - Passagiers die vanaf luchthaven Hato vertrekken zullen vanaf 1 januari 2022 een hogere airport tax, oftewel Passenger Facility Charge (PFC), moeten betalen. Dit staat ...

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antilliaansdagblad.com
Symposium: Het Koninkrijk is geen rechtspersoon ...

Den Haag - De (afwezigheid van) rechtspersoonlijkheid van het Koninkrijk: een vergeten probleem?' Dat is de titel van een mede door de directie Constitutionele Zaken en Wetgeving (CZW) van het ministerie van BZK georganiseerd symposium dat op 26...

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COVID-19 third dose available for patients with weak systems

Pfizer vaccine works well, boosters not yet needed for general public* Studies have shown us that, the vaccine offers excellent protection for the fully vaccinated even after 8 months! We can see this first hand on St. Maarten, where the death...

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Two New Positive COVID-19 cases on Saturday. 30 Active...

SINT MAARTEN (POND ISLAND) - As of October 30th, there were two (2) persons who tested positive for COVID-19; however, four (4) persons have recovered; bringing the total active cases to thirty (30). The total number of confirmed cases is now...

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soualiganewsday.com
AirSXM.com now offering shared charters to St. Kitts & Nevis

Shared charter rates from $260 US Dollars per one-way and up for groups of up to seven (7) passengers + one piece of checked luggage and one carry-on each. Submit a reservation request online at http://www.airsxm.com/request.php.

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stmaartennews.com
Gasoline and Diesel Prices adjusted on Saturday

SINT MAARTEN (PHILIPSBURG) - On Saturday, October 30, fuel pump prices were adjusted for gasoline and diesel. The current price of unleaded gasoline is Naf.2.193 per liter, will be adjusted to the new price of Naf.2.350 per liter. The current...

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soualiganewsday.com
Weather Forecast: Monday to Wednesday

PUBLIC WEATHER FORECAST FOR ST. MAARTEN DATE ISSUED: Sunday, October 31, 2021 @ 18:00 LST (22:00 UTC) VALID UNTIL: Monday evening (18:00 LST) November 01, 2021 ...A HIGH SURF ADVISORY IS IN EFFECT FOR ST. MAARTEN UNTIL MIDDAY TUESDAY, NOVEMBER...

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soualiganewsday.com
StMaartenNews.com Poll
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StMaartenNews.com Dutch News
Tax office black list flouted privacy rules; was illegal

The Dutch tax office practice of blacklisting people for alleged tax fraud has been ruled a major contravention of EU privacy laws by the Dutch privacy watchdog Autoriteit Persoonsgegevens (AP). The tax office's Fraud Sign Prevention (FSV) was in ...

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www.dutchnews.nl
Dutch inflation hits 3.8%, Eurostat says

The annual rate of inflation in the Netherlands reached 3.8% in October, just below the eurozone average of 4.1%, according to new calculations by European statistics agency Eurostat. The figures are still preliminary and will be finalised next...

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www.dutchnews.nl
Air France-KLM slashes losses in Q3

Airline KLM posted a loss over the summer but its financial fortunes have recovered considerably now air travel is getting back up to speed. In total, the airline lost €192m in the third quarter of this year, compared with a loss of €1.6bn in 2020.

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Need a Shared Charter to Curacao?
AirStMaarten now offering shared charters to Aruba, Bonaire and Curacao starting at $2000 USD per seat.
It is smarter to charter!
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