PHILIPSBURG - The Prime Minister of St. Maarten the Honorable Sarah Wescot-Williams on Tuesday expressed the wish that the community of St. Maarten will work together and with officials to bring the island back on its feet. The PM’s comments come in the aftermath of Hurricane Gonzalo which caused damage in the various districts on the island, some of it quite serious.

“As Minister in charge of Disaster Management I have been receiving constant updates from the Office of Disaster Management (ODM) before, during and after the passing of Hurricane Gonzalo. Firstly let me express my deepest condolences at the loss of life. This is indeed a tragic event and I would like the family and friends of the deceased to know that my thoughts and indeed the thoughts of St. Maarten are with them in this difficult time,” stated Prime Minister Wescot-Williams.

The Prime Minister, who called into local radio station Laser 101 during the peak of the storm, reassured the community that all will be done to bring the island back on its feet; “We will weather this storm as we have weathered many in the past. St. Maarten and her people are resilient and strong and I am confident that within short and with the cooperation of all: government, private sector and residents, we will bring St. Maarten back on its feet.

“As we work to restore normalcy back to the island I urge all within the community to cooperate with one another, help your neighbors and friends to ensure that this will be something which we all will overcome in no time. I would like to thank the Office of Disaster Management and EOC members, the public safety and law enforcement authorities, our utility company, the Met Office, the road crews and all of those who worked hard before, during and after the storm in ensuring that we are safe. Much work remains to be done and I would like to stress that we be patient as we work hard to restore normalcy back to the island,” concluded Prime Minister Wescot-Williams. (Contributed by the Cabinet of the Prime Minister)

PHILIPSBURG - The Symposium on Ageing held last week Wednesday acted as the first step in spreading the awareness about the challenges of an ageing population and letting the public know that this issue is high on the agenda of the Ministry of Public Health, Social Development, and Labour (VSA). Based on the feedback from the audience at the symposium, Social Development is headed in the right direction when it comes to identifying the key priority areas St. Maarten is dealing with due to an increase in the ageing population.

Key priority areas that were presented to the audience at the symposium included:  (1) increased social participation of the elderly, (2) promotion of independent and assisted living for the elderly, and (3) increased community collaboration for efficient and effective services for the elderly. Invited suggestions or recommendations provided by the audience will be used as additional information to shape the development of the vision and framework.
 
“A population is considered ageing when more than 10% of the population is 60+. In St. Maarten 13.9% of the population is 60+, putting us well on the map of the global trend of ageing populations. Current trends are illustrating that more and more of our population are living 20 to 40 years longer. Coping with this dramatic shift presents many challenges. Such as the increased demand for more facilities and services that cater to seniors who are more dependent on others. Another challenge is the decreasing numbers of person who are economically active which ultimately hampers the social security system that is in place.
 
Dealing with a society that is ageing from a social, economic, and cultural perspective means we must ensure that resources are reserved towards improving and expanding current infrastructure, services and restructuring the social security system. These are only some of the challenges that need to be explored in collaboration with key stakeholders”, said Minister Cornelius de Weever in an invited statement.
 
The Department of Social Development has announced their commitment to having an all-inclusive approach to the development of an ageing vision and strategic framework for St. Maarten. Once a plan of approach has been approved by the Council of Ministers the department intends to get all key stakeholders such as relevant ministries and NGOS involved in the process. Together solutions will be developed to tackle the challenges posed by an increasingly ageing population. The official step in moving towards a vision and framework for the ageing population on St. Maarten was announced by Ms. Joy Arnell Acting Secretary-General/ Department Head of Social Development at the symposium.
 
Minister Cornelius de Weever has given the Department of Social Development his full support in preparing the framework to secure the well-being of the community for the current and future elders. 

MADAME ESTATE – Customers who visit the St. Maarten Cable TV office in Madame Estate during the month of October will be wowed by the lovely pink décor symbolizing St. Maarten Cable TV’s support in promoting Breast Cancer Awareness. This was courtesy of our Team Pink decorators which are some of our staff.  In coordination with observing Breast Cancer Awareness month, St. Maarten Cable TV has partnered with Lifetime TV to kick off a promotion on their Facebook page called, “Early Detection Saves Lives”.

Managing Director, Beulah Jonis stated, “We have been partnering with Lifetime TV for over five years in supporting Breast Cancer Awareness Month. This year, Lifetime TV has supplied us with their Signature Tote Bag of which we will be presenting three lucky winners of our Facebook contest.” Jonis continued.

To enter the Facebook contest, participants are asked to visit the St. Maarten Cable TV’s Face Book page; http://www.facebook.com/StMaartenCable. Participants must “Like” and “Share” the picture of St. Maarten Cable TV and Lifetime TV Breast Cancer Awareness, then send a private message via the companies Face Book Page with their name and contact number.  The contest is open to anyone living on St. Maarten.  We have also made provisions for persons visiting our office in Madame Estate to complete a raffle ticket and drop in our raffle bin. The lucky winners’ names will be drawn on October 29, 2014 and will be announced on St. Maarten Cable TV’s Facebook page on October 30, 2014.

Jonis concluded by stating, “During the month of October, St. Maarten Cable TV, with support of Lifetime TV, St. Maarten Cable TV will have several initiatives related to Breast Cancer Awareness and we ask our subscribers and the general public to visit our Face Book Page and the tune in to the media for updates.”

Customers are also encouraged to visit St. Maarten Cable TV’s website for additional information about CableNet at www.innovativevi.net/sxmcable  and “Like Us” on the Facebook website at www.facebook.com/StMaartenCable.

SUCKER GARDEN - On Sunday October 5th, 2014 the official opening ceremony was held at the Melford Hazel Sports Complex in Sucker Garden.  The day was filled with an all-female event to showcase the talented and educated girls and ladies on the island.

The opening ceremony started off with a wonderful march around the building lead by an all-female cast of the Generation New Status Drum Band with all five teams which are Bush Tea Remedy, Lava Girlz, Learning Unlimited, Lightning and Thunderz and referees and table officials of LBC.

The program then started with a beautiful opening prayer by apostle Ms. Alicia Liverpool, St. Maarten Anthem by Supral Jads followed by speeches by our Honorable Prime Minister Ms. Sarah Wescot Williams, Head of Sports Ms. Jonelle Richardson, representative of our main sponsor Motorworld and Jeep Ms. Manisha Amjad, Ms. Marcellina Loblack with her powerful speech about Breast Cancer awareness followed by Telcel Breakthrough rap segment winner Serenity and female rapper SoloKween. Music was provided by DJ Biggers and DJ Lil R of Big & Serious Sounds

The highlights of the day came when the Prime Minister, Ms Sarah Wescot Williams and Walichi Basketball Association president & former basketball player Ms. Silvia Monte made a free throw to open the season. It was filled with ooh's and ahh's while the players and persons in attendance jumped up and down and clapped when Ms. Sarah and Ms. Silvia made their shots.

The other highlight of the game was the exhibition game between four of the teams. Lava Girlz & Lightning formed one team and Thunderz & Bush Tea Remedy formed the other. It was filled with three pointers, and 1's, tough and gritty play especially when on a possession one player blocked the other team's player three times in a row where the Melford Hazel complex erupted with cheers and excitement.

All in all, it was a great fun filled day and it wouldn't have been possible without our  sponsors  Motorworld & Jeep, Leonard Enterprises, GEBE NV, MGM Consultants, Cash 4 Gold, Computech, B&C Beverages, Sign 999, AVS news online, productions by LBB, Heavenly Water and Orco Bank.

Look out for games every weekend at Melford Hazel on Saturdays from 6-7:30pm and Sundays from 3-6:30pm. See you this Saturday!!