PHILIPSBURG:--- “We have treated agriculture like a bastard child,” said Grisha Heyliger-Marten, Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunications.
In her inaugural address last Friday, the minister said, “The COVID-19 pandemic showed us how vulnerable we are when we depend almost exclusively on imported food to feed ourselves.”
“I am announcing now that agriculture will receive the attention it deserves. I will not be paying lip service to the sector but engage those already working in it to devise a workable plan to bolster food production and contribute to overall food security,” Heyliger-Marten said.
The minister pointed out that there is a need for the government to generate new revenue streams and attract more Foreign Direct Investment (FDI) to “reposition our island as the most attractive place to do business.”
According to Heyliger-Marten, “This is the time to roll up our sleeves and work together to show the world what the true St. Martin character is all about.”
“It is time to demonstrate what we mean when we say we are resilient. It is time to tell our own story ourselves and let the whole world know that we are not beggars but proud and hardworking, innovative, and freedom-loving people.”
The minister added, “We built this island with our blood, sweat, and tears when everyone else had given up on us. We built its economy to one of the best in the region when everyone else thought that our salt had dried up and we had nothing else to offer the world. Well, guess what, nobody can write us off because we have never given up on ourselves and we’re not about to do so now.”
Success in accomplishing all these goals requires all hands on deck, said the minister. “The ministry of TEATT will not be a silo. We and I mean the entire organization, will work in close collaboration with other ministries and stakeholders to bring about the positive change we all desire,” Minister Heyliger-Marten concluded.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Governor of St. Maarten has sent the two Landdsbesluit back to the Prime Minister of St. Maarten Dr. Luc Mercelina for retraction.
Chairlady of Parliament Sarah Wescot Williams confirmed to members of the media on Monday that the LB’s was sent back and that there are discussions surrounding the LBs to swear in candidates ministers Christopher Emmanuel and Raeyhon Peterson.
Wescot Williams hesitated to say exactly what were being discussed and if the Governor of St. Maarten has asked the Prime Minister to retract the LBs.

PHILIPSBURG: --- Chairlady of Parliament Sarah Wescot Williams said on Monday at a press conference that she will be calling a fourth Public Meeting of Parliament on Monday, May 20th, to verify the credentials of the two incoming Members of Parliament, namely Richnel Bruk and Viren Kotai.
Wescot Williams said that six members of Parliament have traveled to Brazil to attend Parlatino meetings, so the parliament of St. Maarten will not have sufficient members present to form a quorum for the meeting to be held before May 20th.
SMN News asked Wescot Williams why the eight members of parliament who form the two-by-four coalition did not show up for the meeting on May 2nd when it was first called. Wescot Williams said that she could not say exactly why all members of parliament did not attend that meeting.
Regarding the meeting held on Monday, May 6th, Wescot Williams was also asked if she, as the chair of parliament, was within her rights to deny the opposition members of parliament the opportunity to vote when they asked that an agenda point be added, which was dismissed. Wescot Williams made clear that she was fully within her rights not only to deny the request to modify the agenda of the meeting and to add agenda points but also that she was within her rights based on the rules of order to refuse the vote.
The chair of parliament was also asked to explain how the parliament of St. Maarten could book the letters of resignation on May 1st, a public holiday; Wescot Williams explained that the letter of resignation was sent by email on April 29th, 2020, stating that the resignation goes into effect as of May 3rd, 2024. Wescot Williams said that even though May 1st was a public holiday, the Parliament of St. Maarten continues to work even on a public holiday.
Wescot Williams said she is hopeful that all members of parliament will show up to carry out their duties and that the parliament of St. Maarten will not have to head to court to get the documents of the incoming members of parliament, or they may have to use other options such as seeking the governor’s assistance or the Kingdom Council. The chair of parliament also admitted that there is a standoff in the parliament of St. Maarten.

BES ISLANDS:--- In a criminal investigation conducted by the National Criminal Investigation Department into a violent incident, three employees of the Dutch Caribbean Police Force (KPCN) were arrested today, Monday, the 13th of May. They are suspected of assault and forgery/perjury.

The KPCN previously started a disciplinary investigation following a recent violent incident involving members of the force. Signals of integrity violations in relation to this incident emerged from both internal findings and from citizens of Bonaire. The force takes these types of signals very seriously and, therefore, started the disciplinary investigation. After finding criminal components in the disciplinary investigation by the KPCN, consultations took place with the Public Prosecution Office (OM). The Public Prosecution Office then transferred information about the case to the National Criminal Investigation Department. This led to a criminal investigation, and the three arrests were made this morning. Due to the ongoing criminal investigation, no further details can be provided at this time about the violent incident in question, the involvement of the employees, and the investigation itself.

Despite the fact that only limited information can be shared at this stage so as not to harm the criminal investigation, Chief of Police Alwyn Braaf would like to emphasize that the force leadership team intervenes when there are signals of integrity violations. Braaf: “Integrity is the basis of good police work. As the police, we serve society, and members of the force serve as an example. Something for which they took an oath or promise when they were appointed. Society can therefore expect us to act carefully and adequately, to take responsibility for this and to be transparent about it. We take signals of actions that are not appropriate or compatible with a position in the police seriously and will investigate it thoroughly. We will, of course, await the outcome of the investigation, but as the police leadership team, we can already say that we will take decisive and strong action against inappropriate and/or punishable behavior.”
In addition to the current investigation, the force will also make efforts to prevent undesirable situations in the future to ensure that society can rely on an honest organization in which the well-being and safety of citizens always come first. “Professional and binding action by members of the force towards citizens is crucial to guarantee our legitimacy as a police organization. We, therefore, owe it to society and our own colleagues to actively work as a police leadership team to prevent integrity issues and to intervene if necessary. The realization that we as an organization still have steps to take in the field of integrity is painful, but we do not shy away from it. On the contrary, we want to take those steps,” says Alwyn Braaf.

KPCN Press Release.