SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The Honorable Prime Minister of Sint Maarten, Dr. Luc F.E. Mercelina, extends his heartfelt congratulations to His Excellency Jocelyn Roberto Levenstone on his inauguration as the new Island Governor (Gezaghebber) of Saba, describing his appointment as a proud and inspiring moment for Saba, the wider Dutch Caribbean, and the Kingdom of the Netherlands.

Prime Minister Mercelina commended Governor Levenstone's distinguished record of public service and his decision to return to his birthplace to serve the people and island that shaped him.

"On behalf of the Government and people of Sint Maarten, I extend my warmest congratulations to Governor Jocelyn Levenstone on this significant and well-deserved appointment. His journey from dedicated service within the Police Force and the Dutch Caribbean Coast Guard to assuming the highest public office on Saba is a testament to the values of integrity, discipline, humility, and unwavering commitment to the public good. His appointment is not only a personal achievement, but a proud moment for all of us within the Kingdom."

Prime Minister Mercelina further praised Governor Levenstone's decision to return home after building a distinguished career, describing it as an example that should inspire future generations throughout the Caribbean.

"There is something profoundly meaningful when sons and daughters of our islands choose to return home to serve their communities. Governor Levenstone's appointment sends a powerful message to every young person across our region that excellence, perseverance, integrity, and dedication to public service can lead to the highest levels of leadership without ever losing sight of one's roots. His story demonstrates that our greatest contribution often begins by giving back to the communities that first invested in us."

As a fellow public servant committed to strengthening institutions and improving the lives of the people of the Kingdom, Prime Minister Mercelina reaffirmed Sint Maarten's commitment to continued collaboration with Saba.

"Sint Maarten and Saba share more than geographical proximity—we share a common history, enduring bonds between our people, and a collective responsibility to strengthen good governance throughout our Kingdom. I look forward to working closely with Governor Levenstone, the Island Council, the Executive Council, and the people of Saba as we continue advancing regional cooperation, institutional resilience, sustainable development, emergency preparedness, and opportunities that improve the quality of life for all our citizens."

The Prime Minister concluded by extending his best wishes for Governor Levenstone's tenure and expressing confidence in his ability to lead with wisdom and distinction.

"Leadership is measured not by the office one holds, but by the lives one touches, the trust one earns, and the legacy one leaves behind. I have every confidence that Governor Levenstone will serve the people of Saba with honor, wisdom, compassion, and integrity. May God grant him strength, discernment, and every success as he embarks upon this distinguished chapter of public service. Congratulations once again, Governor Levenstone. Sint Maarten stands with you as a valued partner and friend, and we look forward to the continued strengthening of the bonds between our islands and our Kingdom," PM Dr. Mercelina concluded.

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - The Ministry of Justice is pleased to announce the official launch of its new Foreigners Management System (FMS) Online Platform, a major milestone in the modernization and digital transformation of Sint Maarten's immigration services.

Developed and implemented by the Immigration and Border Protection Service (IBPS), the new platform reflects the Ministry's commitment to delivering smarter, faster, and more secure public services while improving the experience of residents, employers, legal representatives, and other stakeholders who rely on immigration services.

“This new platform is about making government services work better for our community," said Minister of Justice Nathalie M. Tackling. "It provides a simpler, more efficient way for applicants to submit and track their immigration applications while strengthening the quality and security of our services.”

Accessible via https://services.sintmaartengov.org (navigate to Justice section and click Residence Permit Application), the new online portal replaces previously manual and fragmented processes with a centralized digital system designed to streamline immigration procedures, strengthen data security, and significantly improve operational efficiency.

Through the implementation of the Foreigners Management System, the Immigration and Border Protection Service will benefit from a centralized and secure digital immigration database, faster processing and more efficient decision-making, improved accuracy in recordkeeping and case management, enhanced collaboration with key government partners, including the Department of Labor Affairs and the Civil Registry, and increased transparency and improved customer service for applicants and employers.

The launch of the FMS forms part of the Government of Sint Maarten's broader digital transformation agenda and demonstrates the Ministry of Justice's continued commitment to innovation, modernization, and service excellence.

The new FMS Online Portal has been designed to make accessing immigration services easier, faster, and more convenient than ever before.

Using the platform is simple. Applicants can register by creating a secure online account, complete and submit their application along with the required supporting documents electronically, and track the status of their application online anytime, from anywhere.

By digitizing the application process, the platform reduces paperwork, minimizes processing delays, and provides applicants with the convenience of managing their immigration applications from their home or office.

The Ministry encourages all employers, applicants, legal representatives, and members of the public who utilize immigration services to visit the new portal and familiarize themselves with its features.

The Immigration and Border Protection Service remains committed to providing efficient, transparent, and customer-focused services while continuing to modernize its operations in line with international best practices.

The new Foreigners Management System (FMS) Online Portal can be accessed at https://services.sintmaartengov.org by navigating to the Justice section and clicking Residence Permit Application.

Additional guidance on using the new FMS Online Portal will be shared to support users throughout the transition. The Ministry of Justice thanks the public for its continued cooperation and looks forward to delivering a more accessible, efficient, and user-friendly immigration experience through the new Foreigners Management System.

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - Well over 60 crisis colleagues from all parts of the Kingdom gathered in The Hague from 1 up to and including 4 June for the 7^th Week of Crisis Management Caribbean parts of the Kingdom.

During this week, the participants exchanged knowledge and experiences and participated in a crisis control drill with the aim of more grip on crises and optimal cooperation during a crisis or imminent crisis.

Some impressions of the Week of Crisis Management

The Week of Crisis Management started with the theme local resilience as the key to resilient cooperation, after which everyone set to work together on the elaboration of the recommendations for crisis management capacities.

On Tuesday 2 June, the day started with the joint crisis management drill in the course of which a Tropical Cyclone Briefing was practised based on the fictitious hurricane Lucas. Later, the colleagues of USAR provided an explanation about Hurricane Relief Capacity.

On Wednesday 3 June, all participants gathered at the National Tactical Command (LTC) of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee. There, the role of the Royal Netherlands Marechaussee in the Caribbean was explained and the participants learnt more about the tasks and roles in the event of a crisis. The last day of the Week of Crisis Management was all about cyber resilience.

Each day, there were working sessions where the participants worked on current issues together.

To be continued

The participants look back on the 7^th Week of Crisis Management with satisfaction. Cooperation and preparation were the central themes. For instance, they jointly provided input for plans and actions relating to strategic stocks, which are going to be elaborated further in the coming period, and they agreed to work towards a common standard for professional competence.

Participants
The week was organised by the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations and the Ministry of Justice and Security. Various representatives of crisis organisations of the six islands Curaçao, Aruba, St. Maarten, Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, employees of various ministries and chain partners, e.g. ‘Knooppunt Coördinatie Regio’s-Rijk’ (KCR2) and Urban Search and Rescue Team (USAR.NL), gathered.

SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY – By Terence Jandroep) - In the tax administration systems of Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten, the right to object to a tax assessment is a fundamental legal shield for the taxpayer. However, many business owners discover a harsh reality too late: writing a protest letter is not merely an administrative formality; it is a strict legal procedure.

Every year, dozens of valid corporate tax disputes are thrown out before they are even evaluated on their financial merits. The verdict? Inadmissibility (Niet-ontvankelijkheidsverklaring).

When a protest letter is declared inadmissible, the Tax Inspectorate legally closes the door on the dispute. The assessment becomes final, the legal avenues are blocked, and the file is handed directly to the Tax Receiver for Compliance by Force—leading straight to bank liens and asset auctions.

Understanding why protest letters fail on technical grounds is the first step in avoiding operational paralysis.

The Anatomy of Inadmissibility: Why the Door Slams Shut
Inadmissibility does not mean the Tax Inspector looked at your math and disagreed. It means your protest letter failed to meet the strict procedural rules mandated by Dutch Caribbean tax law. In simple terms, the Inspector rejected the letter without ever reading your arguments.

The most common triggers for immediate inadmissibility include:

*The Hard 2-Month Deadline: Tax ordinances across the islands dictate a strict timeframe (typically two months from the date of the assessment notice) to lodge a formal objection. Missing this window by even a single day results in automatic inadmissibility, regardless of how incorrect the tax bill is.

*The "Premature" Protest: Filing an objection before the assessment has been officially issued or finalized by the Inspectorate is procedurally invalid.

*Lack of Explicit Authorization: If a consultant signs the protest letter but fails to submit a legally binding power of attorney (machtiging) signed by the corporate director, the letter is procedurally dead on arrival.

*Failure to State Grounds: A letter that simply says, "I disagree with this assessment because it is too high," is legally insufficient. The protest must explicitly state the factual and legal grounds for the objection.

The Danger of the "Accountant's Exit"
The primary reason businesses fall into the inadmissibility trap is a structural gap in regional representation. Many local business owners rely on standard accountants to draft their protest letters.

Because standard accountants are trained for compliance and historical bookkeeping rather than formal litigation, they frequently treat the protest letter as a casual administrative request. When the Inspectorate responds with a declaration of inadmissibility, the accountant reaches their technical ceiling and exits the equation.

The taxpayer is then left in the "War Room" confronted with frozen bank accounts and imminent asset seizures, realizing too late that their original defense was procedurally flawed.

The Post-Inadmissibility Crisis: Entering the War Room
Once a protest letter is declared inadmissible, traditional litigation options collapse. You cannot easily appeal the substance of the tax bill to the Board of Appeals or the Court of First Instance because you failed to complete a valid objection phase.

At this precise point of crisis, the Tax Receiver takes control of the file to execute the debt. This is where the business enters a phase of immediate operational threat:

*Bank Liens: Working capital is frozen instantly, halting payroll and supplier payments.

*Public Auctions: Corporate assets, vehicles, and inventory are slated for forced liquidation on the courthouse steps.

The Alternative Pathway: Tax Stay of Execution Mediation
When a protest letter is thrown out for inadmissibility, the legal battle over the law is over. The debt is locked. However, the battle for business survival is not.

This is where the paradigm must shift from legal litigation to Forensic Mediation. As a Certified Risk Auditor (CRA), Terence Jandroep pioneers a specialized intervention known as Compliance by Acceptance.

Instead of trying to revive a dead legal protest, this methodology focuses on the clinical reality of the business's current liquidity. By constructing an international ISO-standard Technical Evidence Binder, Jandroep bypasses the procedural wreckage and presents the Tax Receiver with an undeniable financial alternative: halting the destructive auction and replacing it with a structured, audited framework that guarantees 100% recovery for the state treasury over time.

"An inadmissible protest letter locks the legal door," says Jandroep. "But forensic mediation behaves like a financial locksmith. We accept the liability determined by the state, but we forensically restructure the recovery method so the government gets paid and the enterprise keeps breathing."

By Certified Risk Auditor (CRA), Terence Jandroep