Published: 30 May 2021
~ Asks if corporate changes at PJIA imminent ~
PHILIPSBURG: - The Prime Minister of St. Maarten has to finally tell the truth and lay it all out on the table for the people of St. Maarten, says Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel after what he called an “embarrassing showing” by the PM and the Minister of Finance in the Netherlands. He said the message from the Kingdom Council of Ministers was clear and to the point: “No, go home.”
MP Emmanuel said that after trying to go around State Secretary Knops to get the agreed-upon liquidity support, the Prime Minister of St. Maarten had to stand next to Knops in an awkward and belittling press conference because the Dutch government made it clear that it had no time for her antics and she should continue dealing with the State Secretary.
Published: 28 April 2021
PHILIPSBURG: - Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel has disclosed that the final choice for Head of the Section Repression at the Fire Department came down to a Dutchman and a qualified St. Maartener who has acted as the interim head of the same section on previous occasions. He said the Prime Minister of St. Maarten missed an opportunity to appoint a local professional and instead chose a Dutchman on the flawed premise of government being an “equal opportunity employer.”
The MP disclosed that after a two-week solicitation period, a total of four persons applied for the position, two from the Netherlands and two from St. Maarten. Two of the four moved on to the second round of interviews, one from St. Maarten and the other from the Netherlands.
Published: 21 April 2021
~ Says insulting of civil servants a norm ~
According to Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel, the Minister of Education Rodolphe Samuel only threw fuel on the fire and made a situation worse by questioning the integrity of civil servants in his Ministry and maintaining his position of placing a non-St. Maartener above a St. Maartener as acting head of the Department of Public Education.
The MP said that the Minister attempted to explain his actions via a press release on Wednesday “and failed miserably . “All he did was further insult the civil servants and contradicted his own actions in the process,” the MP said. “At this stage, he might as well resign, he is unfit to lead that Ministry,” Emmanuel said.
Published: 19 April 2021
~ Also questions imminent hire at Fire Department ~
Independent Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel wants the Minister of Public Health Richard Panneflek and Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs to explain to the public why an Australian is being recruited for the Director position at St. Maarten Medical Center and a Dutchman as Head of Repression at the Fire Department. The hospital falls under the responsibility of Panneflek, while the Fire Department under the Prime Minister.
MP Emmanuel also wants Panneflek to confirm or deny if the board of the SMMC has negotiated a NAf 500,000 “golden handshake” payout to the Director of SMMC Kees Klarenbeek who has been off duty for more than a year due to medical reasons. This “handshake” he said, is being proposed by Klarenbeek’s two closest friends on the board, namely the Chairman of the board Richard Jan James and Jim Rosen.
St Martin News Network - MP Emmanuel: Ernst & Young report further condemns airport CEO, board smn-news.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from smn-news.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.