Island Government of Saba

Subject: Office World donates to Sacred Heart School

January 20, 2010 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:

On Wednesday, President of Office World, Prakash V. Daryanani, paid visit to the Sacred Heart School. Office World came over to donate 24 chair and table sets to the school. Mr. Daryanani stated that similar projects on part of Office World have been carried out on other islands, such as Eustatius.

“2009 is the 20^th anniversary in Sint Maarten for Office World”, stated Daryanani. It is their intention to celebrate by choosing to order desks and chairs to distribute to neighboring island schools. Daryanani elicited the importance of encouraging education among youth and how they feel it is important to future generations in their education.

The need for desks and chairs at the Sacred Heart School was not known to Office World previously. Saba Police Inspector Wendell Thode took up correspondence with Office World and made them aware of the issue and asked if they would assist with donations. “Mr. Thode was instrumental in this process”, stated Mr. Daryanani.

Office World told GIS that they hope to have some more projects during 2010 on a smaller scale to assist the education sector on Saba.

Source: Saba Government Information Services – gis@sabagov.com

Photo caption: Wendell Thode, Lynn Johnson, Prakash Daryanani, Chris Johnson, Olga Simmons, Diane Wilson (Left to Right)

admin Education & Youth, General

Subject: Island Council meets on National Restoration Funds

Recently, the Central Committee had a meeting about National Restoration Funds. Attending this meeting was Director of NRF Mr. Pieter Siebinga, Mr. Herman George whom is the Director of the monumenten fonds of Curacao, a representative of the Raad van Slaten, Acting Lt. Governor Mr. Roy Smith, and the Island Council members (except Ms. Akilah Levenstone).  The group discussed the financial support for monuments.  Saba can receive approximately 1.2 million Euros for these projects.  A protocol has to be signed between the Minister of Culture, Mr. Plassterk and Lt. Governor Johnson.  The monument ordinance also has to be passed during a future Island Council meeting.  More information on this project will be forthcoming throughout the year.

admin General

Subject: BES Fund Proposals

January 18, 2010 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:

On Monday, January 18^th Commissioner of Finance Bruce Zagers presented a package of documents to the Lt. Governor that will be sent to the Ministry of BZK. In November, the Executive Council met with representatives of BZK and the CFT to discuss the BES funds which will eventually replace the solidarity fund. Zagers stated, “During this meeting a presentation was given as to how the budget for Saba would look once the Dutch tasks were removed.” The figures used in this meeting were based on the 2009 budget. This and all previous budgets prepared during the Financial Supervision era are based on the infamous Havermans Report. Zagers has argued that since he took over the post of Commissioner of Finance that the Havermans report did not properly portray the true reality of the well functioning of Government. Although the report did suggest an increase in the Solidarity fund, which has been implemented, the content of this report does not adequately take into consideration all aspects when preparing the island budget. The increase in the solidarity fund went directly towards paying health care bills and for the high costs of Education. Areas such as maintenance and upgrades for departments are difficult to realize because there is no flexibility in the budget and cuts have to be made on a yearly basis to achieve a balanced budget by 2011.

These were the points which were once again argued in the meeting with BZK and the CFT. Zagers stated, “Our Island can achieve a balanced budget but we will see no improvements in Government services and within Government departments. Having a balanced budget at the expense of a well functioning government doesn’t make any sense”. It was agreed that the Executive Council could defend their position to BZK and CFT by providing the necessary reports that prove the standpoint of the Executive Council.

The package of information which will be sent to BZK contains five different sections. The first and second sections deal with maintenance projects which need to be completed now as well as a five year projection for all government properties. Zagers said that he was proud and thankful of the efforts made by the Department of Public Works who prepared the underlying documents for the maintenance plans. Many hours have been invested into these plans. Now that they are available, it can be used as a tool for making subsequent budgets.

The third and fourth sections deal with what is lacking per department on a structural basis as well as what one time investments are needed to see improvements per department. The contents of these sections were derived from the Department Plans and from the Executive Council.

The last section is a document prepared by Mr. Gies Biemans, the Transition Manager. This section focuses on what is lacking in the area of personnel. It suggests the need for training for civil servants as well as the need for more qualified employees.

Source: Saba Government Information Services – gis@sabagov.com

Photo caption: Commissioner Zagers with Lt. Governor Johnson

admin General

Subject: Saba Harbor Projects 2010 Update

January 18, 2010 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:

Commissioner of Harbor Affairs, Bruce Zagers stated that his visions of achieving improvements at the harbor are progressing well. In November 2009, the Island Council approved the project that will have the road between the harbor and the landfill paved. This is a project that will be done in collaboration with Big Rock Engineering. Cost and Labor will be split 50/50 between the Government and Big Rock Engineering.

Zagers told GIS, “From experiences of working at the harbor I know how bad the dust situation can be. This will not solve 100% of the dust problem; however, it should eliminate most of it”. Zagers went on to say the construction of the road will be put on a higher elevation to protect it from the hurricane swells that could potentially wash it away.

“The project isn’t progressing as fast as I initially envisioned it”, stated Zagers, “however this was due to the fact that there is a shortage of cement on the Island. The Department of Public Works has already laid out several sections of the road. As soon as the cement arrives on the Island, we should be seeing this project finalized in the short term.”

On a separate note, last week Commissioner Zagers met with the consultant from Lievense to discuss the progress made with the plans for Phase 1 of the harbor project. This part of the project is financed through the SEI. The project is for the building of a large retaining wall in the area of the rock slides, widening of the road, and the creation of the dock space.

Zagers stated that he was pleased with the first draft drawings and he emphasized the urgency of this project considering the danger involved in this area. Furthermore, he said he would like to see this project finalized before the start of the next hurricane season. The plans for this phase should be finalized by the end of the February if all goes well.

During the first quarter of 2010 the terms of reference for the other phases of the harbor will be created so that each project can be completed one after another.

Source: Saba Government Information Services – gis@sabagov.com

Photo caption: Fort Bay, Saba

admin General

Commissioner Johnson Responds to SLP Allegations.

Commissioner Chris Johnson has responded to allegations issued by SLP leader Akilah Levenstone in two recent articles in the Daily Herald.  He stated that Levenstone seemed to be “throwing in the towel” a week before the Central Elections, but in the process had resorted to making a variety of claims that ranged from below the belt to complete falsehoods.

Johnson stated that he has held back on numerous occasions over the last year and has refused to run a government based on rumors and hearsay.  He stated that her allegations of government exercising threats for votes were not only false, but were being made up to distract people from the real issues.  He said that allegations had been widely circulated about her before postulation saying that she had misused her position in the office of the island secretary to attempt to recruit candidates for the SLP. It was widely accepted that Levenstone had cited detailed decisions made by the Executive Council to try to convince potential candidates to run on the SLP slate.

Johnson went on to say that the only standpoint of the Executive Council which could be looked at as “threatening” was the fact that he had publicly questioned her position in the office of the island secretary during the recent budget meeting. During the meeting he discussed the fact that numerous reports had come to light pointing out the undesirable situation in Saba’s island government. Reports issued by both the ARNA and BES commissioner Henk Kamp have pointed out the conflict of interest in a situation where the leader of the opposition was also a member of the staff of the Island Secretary and was charged with all correspondence to and from the Executive Council. “In fact, in the budget the cabinet of the Executive Council includes the workers of the Island Secretary’s Office, meaning that she is both opposition and supporting staff of the EC at the same time,” stated Johnson. “This fact always astonishes public office holders of the other islands, but was done by my administration to show that we believe in transparency and unity. Obviously this has not worked out as we intended.”

 Johnson stated that Levenstone is well aware of this and is interested in seeing what she intends to do with her role. He said that she even claimed that the Lt. Governor had been politically influenced and had relieved her of her duties of being in charge of the Executive Council’s correspondence. “It needs to be known that the Lt. Governor played no role in this decision whatsoever. This was a policy decision made directly by myself and Commissioner Zagers and, like all EC letters, is signed by the Island Secretary and the Lt. Governor,” commented Johnson. “She of all people should know the procedure of Executive Council correspondence.” Johnson made it very clear that Levenstone has not lost her job, but rather has only been assigned different duties and still holds her position as assistant to the island secretary.

With regards to both the funding problems of the SLP and the issue of holding Public Meetings, Johnson admitted that like the public, he too is confused. He stated that the W.I.P.M. Party would be holding two meetings for the public, but only one of these would come at an expense. “I understand that holding a rally such as ours on Wednesday can come at an expense, but our Monday meeting is an information session at which no alcoholic beverages will be served. In reality an information session can be held by simply buying a few cases of water,” said Johnson. He went on to say that he hoped Levenstone hadn’t assigned her campaign mangers to manage the party’s funds or as treasurers, because this could also explain the funding problems.

Commissioner Johnson also reassured the public of Saba that he will have the tapes of the budget meeting of last week aired as soon as possible. He said that during the meeting he had offered to wait until after the election to air the session so that it didn’t seem as if he was only campaigning on the floor of the council. Based on the insinuations of Council member Levenstone, Johnson said he will have G.I.S. prepare the tapes as soon as possible and aired before Friday’s election.

 Johnson went on to say that it seemed as if the SLP campaign had taken a serious downhill spiral. According to Johnson many on the island have attributed this to the increased involvement of some of her former advisors whom have decided to turn the campaign to a full negative onslaught, but the people of Saba are aware of the importance of this election and know that it is not politics as usual.

In his closing remakes Johnson stated that it seemed as if Levenstone had become quite emotional in many of her accusations and said he hoped she remembered this was politics and not personal. He said he felt sure the people of Saba would focus on the big picture and the importance of this election and not on the distraction efforts of the SLP. “This election is about bringing an end to the Netherlands Antilles and starting off our new status in the right way,” he stated. “Just to show there is no bad blood on my side I would like to extend an invitation to Miss Levenstone to put politics behind us and join me at my residence for a victory toast on Friday Night.”

admin General

Official Dutch Release:

Dinsdag 8 december 2009

Persbericht bezoek minister van Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties.

Herstel zendmast hulpdiensten

Minister Ter Horst en Gezaghebber Johnson van Saba hebben vandaag op de top van Mount Scenery (het hoogste punt van het Koninkrijk) een contract getekend om de zendmast opnieuw in werking te stellen.

De hulpdiensten kunnen dankzij de zendmast beter met elkaar communiceren. Bereikbaarheid van en snel reageren door de hulpdiensten levert een belangrijke bijdrage aan de veiligheid op de eilanden. Het herstel van de zendmast is tevens een belangrijke stap naar de ingebruikname van de gezamenlijke meldkamer. Dit maakt onderdeel uit van het transitieproces waarin de BES-eilanden openbare lichamen van Nederland worden.

De minister legt deze week een werkbezoek af aan de BES-eilanden waar ze onder meer de brandweer en politie bezoekt. Ze heeft zich daar laten informeren over de verbeterplannen. Op Saba en Sint Eustatius heeft ze eveneens kennis gemaakt met de kwartiermakers van de Koninklijke Marechaussee die de politiekorpsen op deze eilanden komen versterken. In gesprek met Gezaghebber Johnson merkte de minister op de eilanden als bijzondere gemeentes, een verrijking voor Nederland te vinden.

English Translation Summary:

Minister Ter Horst and Lieutenant Governor Johnson of Saba hiked today to the summit of Mount Scenery (the highest point of the Kingdom) and signed a contract to put the communications tower back into operation.

The emergency services upgrade will lead to better communicate with each tower. Accessibility and rapid response of emergency services makes a significant contribution to safety on the island. The restoration of the tower is also an important step towards the deployment of the joint control room. This is part of the transition process of the BES-islands public entities of the Netherlands.

The Minister is paying a working visit to the BES-islands which will include the fire and police meetings. She informed them of the improvement plans. On Saba and St. Eustatius she was also introduced to the quartermasters of the Royal Military Police.  In conversation with Lieutenant Governor Johnson noted the minister on the island as special municipalities and an enrichment for the Netherlands to find.

Left Photo Caption:  (LtoR) Lars Walrave, Ivo van Kollem, Minister Guusje Ter Horst, Dick Schoof, Jean Fransman, Jonathan Johnson, Herman Mensen, Serge Wennen, James Jonson

admin General

The Saba Health Care Insurance office that is currently located in the Administration Building in The Bottom will be move.  The move will commence this Friday and the facilities will not be open during this time.  Any emergencies will however still be handled.  The Saba Health Care Insurance office will reopen on Monday in its new location with regular working offices in the old UTS building next to Limetime Restaurant.

Photo Caption: New Location in The Bottom

Source: Government Information Services

admin General, Health

Subject: Zagers delivers eco-bags to Department Heads

December 2, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:

With Saba Day festivities commencing on Friday, December 4^th 2009, Commissioner Zagers honored the upcoming events by distributing Eco-Bags to his Department Heads. Initiating the distribution of these bags before Saba Day was done in honor of this year’s theme: “Making Strides to preserve our Unspoiled Queen”.

The launching of the eco-bag program features safe reusable grocery bags that the community will be able to use in place of plastic bags. This distribution of bags follows GeBes original initiative to distribute environmentally safe shopping bags.

Hendrick Hassell of Public Works was the first Department Head to receive bags from Commissioner Zagers. Mr. Hassell was appreciative and looked forward to handing out the bags to his workers. Each civil servant will be given two bags and after that, the rest will be distributed to the community stores. In total 1500 bags were ordered. Furthermore, this year there are Saba Flags being handed out to the community at the Administration Building as well as the Tourist Bureau.

Commissioner of Environmental Affairs, Bruce Zagers urged the community to, “Please come out and enjoy the festivities. Show your colors and your Saba Flag. I look forward to everyone having a fun filled and very safe Saba Day weekend”

Source: Saba Government Information Services – gis@sabagov.com

Photo caption: Bruce Zagers & Hendrick Hassell

admin Environmental Affairs, General

Dear Readers,

We have issued a tax information page with downloadable information files for the community.  You can find it at the top of this sites menu or http://media.sabagovernment.com/tax-information/

admin Finance, General

DOWNLOAD – SGIS Vol 01 Issue 08

This issue focuses on Environmental Affairs

Issued on: November 30th, 2009

admin General, Newsletter