PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten - The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams received a courtesy visit from the outgoing commander of the Dutch Navy Brigadier General Dick Swijgman and his successor Hans Lodder at her Cabinet on Thursday.

The Prime Minister was updated on the change in command and the operational aspect of the Dutch Navy’s presence in the Caribbean. Commander Hans Lodder will receive the command of the Dutch Navy in the Caribbean when he will replace brigadier general Dick Swijgman.

Lodder will also be director of the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard. The Commander of the Dutch Naval Forces in the Caribbean is the highest military representative in the region and monitors the performance of the duties imposed by the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The Dutch Military is tasked with the protection of Aruba, Bonaire, Curacao, Sint Maarten, Sint Eustatius and Saba. 

MAHO REEF, Sint Maarten – The President of Parliament Hon. Gracita Arrindell is very pleased with the turnout to the three committee meetings of Parlatino that were held on May 22 and May 23 when the country hosted Members of Parliament and support staff from the Latin American Parliament (Parlatino).

The meetings took place at the Sonesta Maho Beach Resort & Casino saw attendance nearing 90 per cent. The committees that met were: Economic Affairs, Social Debt and Regional Development; Committee of Energy & Mines; and Committee of Political Affairs, Municipal and Integration.

MAHO REEF, Sint Maarten—National Institute of the Arts (NIA) showcased St. Maarten’s culture and talent at the Parlatino Committee Meeting’s opening reception held at Sonesta Maho Beach Resort and Casino on Thursday, May 22.

The performance arts institution, known for both its cultural and contemporary repertoire, was charged with adding aspects of arts to the evening.

“The organizers of this event recognize that to showcase a nation's culture, you cannot really do it just through a speech, you have to involve the arts. You need an artistic element to capture the full St. Maarten story. So for them to recognize that and also that NIA is the premiere vehicle from which to display our island’s culture strengthens our awareness that we are on the right path as an arts institution,” Co-Director of NIA, Arlene Halley said.

NIA presented two dances and a medley of St. Maarten’s cultural songs, which highlighted folkloric, Latin and modern contemporary elements. The initial dance was an upbeat piece paying tribute to the polka and Latin influences on the island and was danced to the music of the island’s legendary Tanny and The Boys. The mixture of songs was sung by vibrant trio, Morenika Charles-Arrindell, Lena Browne, and Malaika Maxwell. The second dance, PAC-B-13, is a modern contemporary number, which was choreographed by NIA instructors Peggy Oulerich and EoIia “Bibi” Ada, along with Co-Directors Arlene Halley and Clara Reyes and is named for the quartet.

Each piece seemed to delight the attending guests and earned high applause.

“We always bring strong performance elements to all that we do, making sure that each piece tells a story about who we are as a St. Maarten people. When it comes to cultural heritage and its preservation we often hear about all of these wonderful buildings or natural spaces, but it is really the people who create the experiences that are had in the buildings or spaces, so it is the people that really create the legacies that live on and that is what NIA is all about, creating a lasting legacy of arts,” Co-Director of NIA, Clara Reyes said.

Latin American ParliamentParlatino is comprised of regional National Latin American and Caribbean Parliaments. The organization held its annual representatives meeting on St. Maarten last week.

SUCKER GARDEN-PHILIPSBURG, Sint Maarten - The United People’s (UP) party has started a “Green Friday” tradition asking all those interested to wear the colour green every Friday.  On May 23^rd the party also introduced “Drive UP” in the district of Sucker Garden and on the Pondfill.  Driver’s passing along the route could pull over and have their vehicle partly adorn with UP paraphernalia.  The UP Drive will be moving into the various voting districts in the coming weeks Soualiga Newsday has understood.

According to an UP party sympathizer who was on the scene at both locations, dozens of cars and trucks pulled to the side, and people were asking when they would be coming to their district.  “There is a green momentum building and the UP Party will be victorious on the night of August 29 sweeping more than eight seats,” the party supporter said.  

The UP party is one of the political organizations that will be participating in the upcoming national elections scheduled for August 29.  The UP party was the first political organization to register with the Electoral Council which took place on March 19, more than two-months ago.

The Electoral Council announced this week that political parties have until May 28 to register for the polls.

Postulation of candidates by political parties participating in the August 29 elections will officially take place on July 18.  Political parties will also have to present their party manifesto to the Electoral Council on that day.

Political parties will then move into full gear organizing various public district meetings to introduce their candidates to the people and address the issues and present their party’s solutions for the next four-year governing period. 

This will be the nation’s second national elections since achieving the status of autonomous country within the Kingdom of the Netherlands on 10-10-10.