PHILIPSBURG:---  Member of Parliament Francisco Lacroes is asking the government: What is the plan? New freight surcharges will push food prices higher and expose St. Maarten’s economic vulnerability, like the Guyanese say: We get ketch wid we bukta down!

The people of St. Maarten should pay close attention to a recent notice issued by King Ocean Services regarding substantial increases in bunker surcharges on cargo shipments between United States ports and the Caribbean, effective April 12, 2026.

At first glance, this may appear to be a technical adjustment in shipping rates. In reality, it translates directly into higher prices for food and essential goods across our island, a significant rise in the cost of living. A standard 20-foot container surcharge will rise from approximately 200 US dollars to 700 US dollars. A 40-foot container will increase from 400 US dollars to 1,400 US dollars. Refrigerated containers used to transport perishable goods such as meat, dairy products, vegetables, and other food items will also face steep increases.

For St. Maarten, these increases are particularly concerning because of our heavy reliance on imports. Due to limited agricultural capacity and land availability, the island imports the vast majority of its food supply. Studies and economic assessments indicate that between 90 and 95 percent of the food consumed in St. Maarten is imported, much of it shipped through distribution hubs in the United States.

Trade figures further illustrate this dependency. In 2022, the value of goods imported into St. Maarten was estimated at approximately 1.1 billion US dollars. More than 77 percent of these imports originated from the United States. These numbers demonstrate how closely our cost of living is tied to shipping and freight costs. When shipping costs increase, prices across the economy tend to follow. Importers must pay higher freight charges. Retailers face increased wholesale costs. Ultimately, consumers feel the impact at the supermarket and in everyday household expenses. Many families in St. Maarten are already struggling with the high cost of living. Groceries, utilities, and housing continue to place pressure on household budgets. Any additional increase in food prices will disproportionately affect working families, seniors, and vulnerable members of our community. This situation requires attention and transparency from our government. The Ministry of TEATT is responsible for our economic affairs, and the Ministry of Finance should assess the impact of these shipping increases on local prices and supply chains.

In particular, several important questions arise. What monitoring mechanisms are in place to track how shipping costs increase and the effect on retail food prices? What measures exist to ensure that increases in freight charges do not lead to excessive markups along the supply chain. And what strategies are being considered to strengthen St. Maarten’s long term food security.

Our island economy depends heavily on external trade and transportation links. That reality makes it essential for policymakers to anticipate developments that could place additional pressure on our people. The announcement of higher shipping surcharges should therefore not be ignored. It is an signal of price increases that will affect households across the island. The people of St. Maarten deserve clarity on how these developments will affect their daily lives and what actions government intends to take in response. When changes in international trade threaten to raise the cost of basic necessities proactive leadership and informed policy discussions are essential.

“Shipping costs may originate far beyond our shores but their consequences are felt here at home. Ensuring that those consequences do not place an unfair burden on the people of St. Maarten must remain a priority” MP Lacroes stated.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Democratic Party (DP) faction, together with several other Members of Parliament, has formally requested that the Chair of Parliament convene an urgent meeting of the Central Committee to address growing concerns about the future of the monetary union between Curaçao and Sint Maarten and the role of the Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten (CBCS).

The request follows recent public statements regarding the meeting of the “shareholders” of the CBCS, as communicated by the Minister of Finance of Sint Maarten, as well as subsequent remarks by the Prime Minister of Curaçao announcing an upcoming parliamentary debate in Curaçao on the sustainability of the monetary union.

The Members of Parliament believe that Sint Maarten must proactively prepare for all possible outcomes of this debate, including the possibility that Curaçao may determine that the current monetary union arrangement is no longer viable. The decision taken some fifteen years ago to maintain the union on the basis of parity and shared economic interests now appears to be facing renewed scrutiny.

Given the potential implications for Sint Maarten’s monetary and financial stability, the Members stress that Parliament must be fully informed and actively engaged. A comprehensive national assessment of the monetary union and careful consideration of the options available to Sint Maarten are viewed as essential steps to safeguard the country’s economic future.

The requesting Members look forward to an early engagement with the Minister of Finance to ensure clarity on the Government’s analysis, level of preparedness, and policy direction regarding the future of the monetary union and the CBCS.

Concordia, Saint-Martin (French side):--- A group of students from the French side of the island had the opportunity this week to take part in the St. Maarten National Science Fair, marking a small but meaningful example of cross-island educational exchange in the fields of science and technology.
The visit was organized as part of a program led by ANIS ST MARTIN (Association Numérique et Innovation Sociale), a nonprofit organization based in Saint-Martin (French side) that has been working since November with students from Collège Mont des Accords in Concordia. The initiative focuses on supporting school engagement and perseverance through digital discovery, introducing students to areas such as esports, coding, robotics, artificial intelligence, and digital culture.
Around ten students in the final years of the French middle school system (4e and 3e) have participated in weekly workshops designed to spark interest in technology and applied sciences. The program aims not only to strengthen academic motivation but also to expose young people to the kinds of skills increasingly shaping the modern economy.

The program's closing activity took the students to the St. Maarten National Science Fair, following an invitation from the event’s president, Dr. Rolinda Carter. For visiting students from the French side, the fair offered a chance to experience the scale and diversity of science initiatives on the Dutch side of the island, with exhibitions and demonstrations showcasing projects in science, engineering, and innovation.
Beyond the educational experience itself, the visit also highlights the potential for stronger cross-border collaboration in STEM education on the island. While students on both sides share the same geographic space, opportunities for structured interaction around science and technology remain relatively limited. Events such as the St. Maarten National Science Fair can serve as a platform to bridge that gap by connecting young learners, educators, and organizations from both education systems.
According to organizers, this first participation could lead to future exchanges involving robotics, digital innovation, and applied science projects, allowing students from both sides of the island to collaborate and learn from each other.

ANIS ST MARTIN expressed its appreciation to the St. Maarten Science Fair Foundation and its president, Dr. Rolinda Carter, for extending the invitation, as well as to Ms. Noreskal and Collège Mont des Accords for supporting the initiative.
For ANIS ST MARTIN, initiatives like this demonstrate how digital technology and science education can also become tools for strengthening connections between the two sides of the island while encouraging youth engagement and opportunity.

PHILIPSBURG:--- From neglect to nuisance, Member of Parliament, the Honourable Omar E.C. Ottley, says the Minister of VROMI’s failure to perform has turned St. Maarten’s garbage crisis into a national humiliation. He said the present administration has allowed a basic public service to decay into a public embarrassment.
“For months, the people of St. Maarten have been told about plans, visions, consultations, and reforms,” Ottley said. “But what they are seeing in real time is a country being buried beneath indecision, disorder, and neglect. A government that once found endless words to condemn its predecessors is now producing even fewer answers while presiding over even greater disorder.”

The MP was describing developments at the Ministry of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment, and Infrastructure (VROMI), with reports reaching the public suggesting that a “messy explosion of garbage” is imminent. Ottley said the situation at VROMI and the landfill on Pond Island shows a government that has lost its grip on one of its most basic duties: keeping the country clean, orderly, and safe. The Member of Parliament noted that VROMI launched a new tender in late December for garbage collection services for 2026 to 2029, with bids due by January 28. By early February, the Minister reported that 17 companies had submitted bids and that the process would be handled transparently. Yet with the current contracts due to expire on March 31, the public has been left watching confusion grow rather than clarity emerge. Ottley pointed to growing public unease over conditions at the landfill itself. Concerns remain about operational management, machinery servicing, environmental oversight, and the overall lack of urgency at the site. He argued that while the government speaks about long-term transformation and future landfill closure, the current condition of waste management remains alarming. “You cannot drape failure in the language of policy and expect the public not to notice the smell,” Ottley said.

“The country is being asked to admire blueprints while living inside the mess.” He said the administration’s conduct is especially striking because many of the same political figures now in office were among the loudest critics of the former UP/ NA coalition when they were in opposition. “Oh, how quickly they forget,” Ottley said. “When they were on the outside, every delay was incompetence, every misstep was a scandal, and every excuse was unacceptable. Now that they are in the kitchen
facing the heat, they suddenly want patience, understanding, and room to learn.” Ottley stressed that St. Maarten has experienced civil servants who remain in place regardless of which administration is in office and who carry much of the continuity of government on their backs.“You do not have to rely only on your own experience,” he said. “There are hundreds of civil servants with the knowledge, memory, and practical understanding to help steer these processes properly. They are there whether governments rise or fall. They do the real work.

What must be managed more carefully is the role they are allowed to play, and whether competent advice is being heard or ignored.”According to Ottley, reports that the contracts may now have to be re-tendered have only deepened public concern that routine planning has turned into yet another scramble. “This is not merely a tender gone off course,” Ottley said. “It is a portrait of a government arriving late to its own obligations and then behaving as though the public should be sympathetic to the
delay.” He added that garbage collection in the districts has become too visible a measure of failure for the government to spin its way out of. “The districts are speaking for themselves.”
Ottley said. “The overflowing bins, the disorder in our communities, the condition of the landfill, and the uncertainty hanging over contractors all tell the same story: this government is falling behind on the basics.” MP Ottley is calling for a clear plan to guarantee uninterrupted collection services beyond March 31, and a frank accounting of what has gone wrong. “At some point, a government must choose between governing and explaining why it has not governed,” Ottley said. “The country
cannot be expected to live indefinitely on press releases, presentations, and promises, while the streets and the landfill tell a harsher truth.”