PHILIPSBURG:--- Devoted listeners and the general public who have been anticipating the return of the sensational and inspiring live Sunday afternoon show, Love & Inspiration with Roy Cotton Jr. may tune in this Sunday, August 1st from 3:00 pm-5:00 pm on The Voice of Sint Maarten PJD3 102.7FM.
Roy Cotton Jr. the host of Love & Inspiration, states, "I would like to thank all my listeners and well-wishers for all their support and commitment towards my radio show, Love & Inspiration since its premiere in August 2011 on Youth Radio 92.5FM on Sint Maarten.
Love and Inspiration aired on Youth Radio 92.5FM between 2011 and 2014, and on 102.7FM since March 2015.
Love and Inspiration premiered on February 11, 2007, on the University of Hertfordshire’s former student radio station Crush Radio 1278AM, broadcasting to a student population of 23,000 students and to online listeners around the world. Cotton was nominated at the annual Student Radio Awards, supported by BBC Radio 1 and British media company Global in July 2008 in the categories of Best Male Presenter, Best Interview, and Best Entertainment.
From the start, Love and Inspiration was a force to be reckoned with. Approximately 1.3 million people listened to the program in April 2019, its first month on Bshani Radio in New York. This ranked fourth among the station’s programs. Its fan base steadily grew, netting 1.6 million in June up to its current apex position of nearly two million.
Bshani Radio’s founder and chief executive officer (CEO) Bennie Randall Jr., also listens to Love and Inspiration and described it as “a hot show.”
Cotton states to his fans, ''It has been my pleasure in presenting to you a top quality Sunday afternoon radio show during the past ten years on St. Martin.”
Love & Inspiration radio show has been receiving great reviews and extensive exposure; with local, regional, and international listenership. The radio show has a listenership as far as Dubai. The demographics of my Love & Inspiration’s Global community comprise persons aged 19 to over 65 who range from bargain hunters to serious investors; the adventurous to the tranquility seekers.
Love and Inspiration focus on building stronger relationships and inspiring lives through various interviews on topics which “enable listeners to experience more meaningful relationships in their lives.” The show is known for its musical selection of contemporary gospel, easy-listening, and love songs.
Love and Inspiration are aired on Sunday afternoons LIVE on 102.7FM or online at pjd2radiosxm.com/ from 3:00 p.m.-5:00 p.m. AST. Additionally, Love and Inspiration is rebroadcast on Sundays from 8:00-10:00 p.m. and on Mondays from 10:00 a.m.-12:00 p.m. on www.voiceofthecaribbean.net and streamed on Bshani Radio from New York City on Mondays at 3:00 pm AST on various podcast platforms such as Spotify, iTunes, iHeart Radio and Radio Public.
Roy Cotton Jr. is ready to take Love & Inspiration to another dimension. Therefore committed listeners and first-time listeners are sure to be in for an awesome treat with his re-launch.
Love & Inspiration will continue with the segment Health Inspiration, a segment on the show that brings you the best in health education. Health Inspiration is brought to you in collaboration with victoriouslivingsxm.youngevity.com, the health arm of Victorious Living Foundation. Other new segments such as Travel Inspiration with Roy Cotton Jr will bring you the best in retreats, hotels, resorts, destinations, and vacations for couples and families. In addition, the Fine Dining segment will highlight the best restaurants; their special offers; delicious cuisines, and special amenities especially for those couples who are seeking the ideal restaurant to have a romantic dinner.
Furthermore, the Love & Inspiration Birthday segment will highlight the best restaurants, SPAs, and businesses, where the birthday celebrants can celebrate their birthdays in style and receive the best in birthday, treats at significant discounts.
Roy Cotton Jr. encourages his committed listeners and lovers of smooth love grooves and inspirational hits, to tune into Love and Inspiration this Sunday from 3-5 p.m. on The Voice of Sint Maarten PJD3 1027.FM or online on pjd2radiosxm.com/ For more information or to be featured in an exclusive interview, contact Roy Cotton, Jr. at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., on Facebook: Roy Cotton Jr; Love & Inspiration with Roy Cotton Jr. Tel/Whatsapp: +1721-522-20-84.

~Multiannual plan crucial for restoring a balanced budget~

Willemstad/Philipsburg:--- As in most countries in the world, the public finances in Curaçao and Sint Maarten deteriorated considerably in 2020 on the back of the COVID-19 pandemic. President of the Centrale Bank van Curaçao en Sint Maarten (CBCS) Richard Doornbosch stated in the CBCS 2020 Annual Report that in both countries the current budget deficit widened significantly in 2020 compared to 2019, due to a decline in government revenues combined with an increase in expenditures. In addition, the debt-to-GDP ratio rose significantly in both countries. Therefore, according to Doornbosch, having a multiannual plan to achieve a balanced budget is crucial for both countries to achieve sound public finances.
“In 2020, tax revenues dropped sharply in both Curaçao and Sint Maarten, while cyclical expenditures, including unemployment benefits, increased as economic activities shrank considerably. At the same time, both countries implemented discretionary measures including a payroll subsidy and other social transfers to vulnerable groups in society amid the coronavirus crisis,” Doornbosch explained. “The increase in expenditures in Curaçao also reflected transfers by the government related to the takeover of the preferential claim of the CBCS on Girobank N.V. At the end of 2020, the current budget deficit amounted to 14.0% of GDP in Curaçao and 10.9% of GDP in Sint Maarten.”
Doornbosch added that the debt-to-GDP ratio rose rapidly in 2020 due to a sharp increase in the public debt, driven primarily by the liquidity support that the two countries received from the Netherlands, combined with a deep contraction in nominal GDP. It is expected that, as the economies of Curaçao and Sint Maarten will not reach their pre-pandemic levels until 2024, high fiscal deficits will persist over the medium-term making additional liquidity support from the Netherlands indispensable. However, this poses a risk to debt sustainability.
“Against this background, fiscal consolidation is crucial for both countries to achieve sound public finances,” Doornbosch stated. The path towards sound public finances should be designed carefully to prevent fiscal measures, especially when they are pro-cyclical, from hampering economic recovery. Over-optimistic assumptions should be avoided. “Hence, the countries should develop a plan to achieve a balanced budget over a period of about four years. This plan should include a multiannual

budget with operational targets for the current budget balance, the primary balance, and the debt-to- GDP ratio as a long-term anchors. In addition, public financial management must be strengthened while tax reforms are needed to broaden the tax base to raise revenue in the least growth-distorting way,” Doornbosch said.
The Netherlands has tied additional liquidity support to Curaçao and Sint Maarten to strict implementation of structural reforms and fiscal consolidation. The agreed-upon structural adjustment program (“landspakket”) should benefit both countries by improving their competitiveness, promoting sustainable and inclusive economic growth, and strengthening resilience. According to Doornbosch, the decades-long experience with structural adjustment programs by the International Monetary Fund shows that there are at least three critical success factors that should be taken into account when designing and implementing a reform program. “First of all, the program will only succeed if strong ownership is taken by the governments of both Curaçao and Sint Maarten. Second, over optimistic macro-economic assumptions should be avoided when designing the budgetary framework of the program. In the case of the landspakket of Curaçao and Sint Maarten, a multiannual budgetary framework is absent and should be established as soon as possible. Finally, the agenda should take into account the capacity constraints of both countries in setting the deadlines to achieve the agreed-upon actions and targets,” Doornbosch stated. He emphasizes the importance of the prioritization of program objectives and conditions. He concluded that constructive dialogue and cooperation between the Kingdom partners will prove the most effective way towards overcoming the COVID-19 crisis and embarking on a sustainable and inclusive growth path for Curaçao and Sint Maarten.
The complete text of the 2020 Annual Report can be viewed on the CBCS-website at www.centralbank.cw under the Publications section.

Real GDP growth rate of 0.1% in Curaçao and 3.4% in Sint Maarten
Willemstad/Philipsburg - In 2020, the world economy was hit severely by the COVID-19 pandemic and measures implemented to contain the spread of the virus. As a result, real output dropped in both the advanced and emerging & developing economies. The monetary union of Curaçao and Sint Maarten also was deeply affected by the pandemic. “Even though both countries were relatively successful in containing the local spread of the coronavirus through stringent measures, this success came at high economic and social costs”, stated Richard Doornbosch, president of the Centrale Bank van Curaçao and Sint Maarten (CBCS) in the 2020 Annual Report.

Particularly during the second quarter of 2020, economic activity in both Curaçao and Sint Maarten came practically to a standstill as both countries implemented a border closure that lasted approximately three months and a total lockdown of approximately 6 weeks. “Despite the later easing of these measures, economic activity, particularly in the tourism industry, remained substantially lower than before the crisis. Consequently, real GDP dropped by an unprecedented 19.3% in Curaçao and 22.4% in Sint Maarten”, explained Doornbosch.

An analysis by sector shows that real value added dropped in all sectors of the economies of Curaçao and Sint Maarten. According to Doornbosch, the decline was most pronounced in the manufacturing, restaurants & hotels, wholesale & retail trade, and transport, storage, & communication sectors. Real output dropped significantly in Curaçao’s manufacturing sector due to a decline in refining activities following the closure of the Isla refinery after the expiration of the lease contract with Venezuelan state-owned oil company, PDVSA, in December 2019. In addition, ship repair activities decreased.

The contraction in the manufacturing sector in Sint Maarten reflected a decline in yacht repair and service activities in line with the lower number of yachts that visited the island. The contraction in the restaurants & hotels sector was caused primarily by the containment measures that were imposed amid the pandemic. Furthermore, the demand for international travel dropped and the cruise industry was completely shut down after the first quarter of 2020. Hence, the number of stay-over visitors, the number of cruise tourists, the number of stay-over nights, and the hotel occupancy rate dropped significantly. In the wholesale & retail trade sector, real value-added fell considerably on the back of the drop in domestic demand and the decline in tourism spending. The negative outcome in the transport, storage, & communication sector reflected a decline in both airport-related and harbor activities. Airport-related activities shrank as a result of a sharp decline in total passenger traffic and the number of commercial landings while the contraction at the harbor was consistent with the decline in the number of ships piloted into the port and fewer container movements.

Economic recovery is projected to be moderate in 2021 with real GDP growth rates of 0.1% in Curaçao and 3.4% in Sint Maarten. The marginal recovery in Curacao is explained by another six-week lockdown during March-May. It is expected that the recovery will gain speed in 2022 with growth rates of 6.2% in Curaçao and 14.4% in Sint Maarten. “The path of economic recovery, however, is uncertain as it depends on how the virus develops and the speed of the vaccine roll-out. Therefore, it is important that both countries continue to make progress in their vaccination programs to be better protected against the virus allowing for less restrictions and facilitating a faster economic recovery”, Richard Doornbosch concluded.
The complete text of the 2020 Annual Report can be viewed on the CBCS-website at www.centralbank.cw under the Publications section.

MARIGOT:--- The deteriorating social climate at the Collectivité is evident:

• The absolute personalization of presidential power,
• The establishment of a new class of arrogant and disrespectful technocrats at the top ranks of the local administration from metropolitan France.
• The unhealthy divide between “the class at the top and the class of inferior local employees at the bottom”,
• The squandering of public money,
• Failure to respect the fundamental rights of workers …
Faced with this unprecedented situation, we are entitled to ask ourselves some fundamental questions:
C What is the purpose of the French education system in St Martin?
C Is this system incapable of producing local public service executives?
C Or is it a political will to keep us and our children out of top executive jobs?
Our conclusion is clear: “When injustice becomes the law, resistance is a duty.”
In addition, we would like to point out that the most prestigious positions in the “Collectivité” of St Martin can no longer be reserved solely for the French people from metropolitan France. The executives of the “Collectivité” of Saint Martin must be a reflection of the people of St. Martin. President GIBBS is out of touch and has mistaken the period we are living today. We are no longer in colonial time.
As a result, we are giving President GIBBS and his team five days to resolve most of these problems in the interest and respect of the population. After this time, we will keep the public informed of the actions to be taken to be respected.

Soualiga United Collectif Soualiga Grassroots Movement CGTG