Published: 20 January 2021
PHILIPSBURG: - “Not only has the agreement for the country package been signed, but the Government has also announced the organization that it has put in place to guide St. Maarten s part in the agreement. What will follow now is the so-called implementation plans, although items in the country package are already being worked on. Case in point, we see from a meeting of the four ministers of Justice that it has been concluded that matters raised in the country package will be executed. So it is not as if everything is on hold until there are implementation plans. It is therefore paramount that the officially signed documents between the Dutch and St. Maarten Governments be shared with the Parliament of Sint Maarten,” stated Member of Parliament Sarah A. Wescot-Williams, regarding the Country’s Reform Package.
Published: 18 January 2021
PHILIPSBURG: - During the opening session of the recently concluded IPKO meetings held on January 6th and 7th, St. Maarten was unable to articulate a position on the decolonization trajectory that a majority of Parliament has decided to undertake and so, opines United Democrats (UD) Member of Parliament, Wescot-Williams, the Parliament of Sint Maarten has missed the opportunity to tell the world where it stood on the constitutional future of this country.
This was not surprising because this articulation and defending the stance on decolonization has not been forthcoming on St. Maarten, either in the Parliament or otherwise. Nevertheless, the motion of November 5, 2020, by a majority could have legal consequences for the country, the MP stated.
Published: 08 January 2021
PHILIPSBURG: - The Justice Committee of Parliament will meet in an urgent meeting on January 8, 2021
The committee meeting, which was adjourned on December 14, 2020, will be reconvened on Friday at 10.00 hrs. The Minister of Justice will be in attendance.
The agenda point is:
End of the year update by the Minister of Justice (IS/240/2020-2021 dated December 8, 2020)
Due to measures taken to mitigate the coronavirus (COVID-19), the House of Parliament is only allowing persons with an appointment to enter the Parliament building.
The parliamentary sessions 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
Delegations from the Parliaments of Curaçao, the Netherlands, and Aruba will also be participating.
The IPKO will kick off on Wednesday at 9.00 hrs. with opening remarks by the Chairperson followed by a presentation from each country within the Kingdom concerning the state of affairs in said country, in a plenary session. This will be followed by discussions between the four parliamentary delegations on a number of topics in a series of sessions.
Session 1:
Session 2:
Short-term outlook: Restarting social and socio-economic life within the framework of the established Caribbean body for reform and development.
Session 3:
Medium/long term outlook: Restructuring to strengthen the resilience of the economy, administrative reform, ensuring sustainable public finances and the labor market.