Island Government of Saba

Subject: Island Secretary wraps up Management training with Caricad

May 28, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:

On Thursday, Island Secretary Menno van der Velde and his assistant, Raquel Granger, met with Caricad trainers Franklyn Michael and Angela Eversley to discuss the outcome the management training sessions. For the past few months, Caricad has provided the Island Government of Saba and its public servants training in various areas of Management.

The four training sessions held at Queens Gardens conference room started at the beginning of the year. The focus areas for training that was agreed upon were: Strategic Management, Leadership Development, Change Management, Human Resource Management, and Project Management. Thursday marks the end of the management training sessions.

Mr. van der Velde discussed with Caricad the objectives of the course, how they were met, and how the course was received by the participants. The consensus of the training, as stated by Mr. Michael, was that the trainees were willing to learn and readily participated in discussions over these past few months.

Island Secretary Menno van Velde stated that he was glad to see that the course has completed and has made a positive impact. “This should help with the overall management and information processing within the Government apparatus for years to come through this transition”, stated van der Velde to GIS.

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

Photo caption: Menno van der Velde, Franklyn Michael, Angela Eversley, Raquel Granger

General

Subject: Central Committee holds meeting at GeBe Building

May 27, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:

On Tuesday, the Central Committee which was chaired by Mr. Rolando Wilson held a meeting with GeBe in their new building in The Bottom. The central Committee members were given an extensive review of the GeBe NV activities since Mr. Brooks started on January 1^st, 2007. Mr. Brooks gave an outline of the issues that the Shareholders foundation had with his position as Director. He gave an adequate rebuttal to each one of the points brought up. Brooks was appreciative of the strong stance taken by the Executive Council of Saba towards his position as Managing Director of GeBe.

Results specifically for Saba were discussed such as operational losses on Saba. The two main reasons were, Saba uses light oil instead of heavy oil – which has a higher market price. The other reason was related to the huge investments that were made in Saba for projects like underground cabling.

Investments have been made in customer care for more reliable service within the past couple years. The process has begun for enhancing the company’s performance in areas such as reliability and customer service.

Commissioners of Energy, Bruce Zagers, stated that he was pleased with the meeting and that he “hopes that the situation with the Managing Director is resolved for the betterment of the Company and Islands”.

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

Photo caption: Island Council with Mr. Brooks

General

Subject: SBA meets with Commissioner Johnson

May 19, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:

Commissioner of Tourism, Chris Johnson, and Director of Tourism, Glenn Holm met with the Saba Tourism and Hotel Association. This was a follow-up meeting from the previous. During the previous meeting it was discussed that Saba should advertise more in Sint Maarten as a tourist destination. Because of this, Manager of the Edge, Debbie Lind was invited by the Saba Tourism and Hotel Association to discuss the role of sea transport to and from Saba.

One of the issues discussed with The Edge, was the creation of a survey to be given to every passenger on The Edge. There will also be increased advertising in Sint Maarten in regards to marketing the Island of Saba. Billboard signs advertising the island and all the carriers will be created. Charter flights bringing over workers from activity desks was discussed as well as syncing up activity days with hotel activities workers. The Tourist Bureau and Hotel Association will combine effort to execute these activities days as well as through Sint Maarten Radio advertisements.

Commissioner Chris Johnson informed the group that if a budget is presented to Government and that if the group can take over the execution, then Government will commit to the financing of these initiatives.

The group has also taken note and expressed concerns in recent increase in searching by immigration officers of sea vessels. These searches were in the form of a raid such as conducting searches in the open, leaving boxes wide open, and having physical pat downs of both staff and Tourists by local and Dutch Immigration along with Zero tolerance team. The Commissioner assured the Association that he will pass along the concerns and that he has also been subjected to the same procedure.

The combined efforts of the association, tourist bureau, and Commissioner reflect a proactive attitude by the stakeholders of Saba to take on the global economic crisis and re-advertise Saba as the Unspoiled Queen of the Caribbean.

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

Photo caption: John meeting with the SBA

General, Tourism

Subject: Satel upgrades services in 2009

May 19, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:

Saba Telephone Company (Satel NV) has been providing service to the Island Territory of Saba for the past 35 years. During this time they have expanded and provided various local services such as high-speed internet, land-line services, cellular retail services, and a telecommunications shop.

During this year of Satel has made some changes and upgrades to their business. One much anticipated service is Island-Wide Wireless access (aka Satel WIFI). This service makes it easy for locals, students, and tourists to get internet from almost anywhere on the island. Satel WIFI was launched in January and has been received very well by the community. Due to popular demand and positive customer response, Satel will also be expanding coverage to even more areas of the Island. Currently, you can purchase WIFI cards at several locations on the Island, some of which are: Satel, MyStore, Unique Store, Scouts, Saba Marine Park, and Saba’s Treasure – with more locations to come after the coverage upgrade. Lastly, before even logging on and using a timecard Satel allows you to surf a few sites for free, such as: Satel, CaribStorm, WindGuru, Weather Channel, CNN, BBC, & Saba Tourism.

Satel has also upgraded their ADSL packages for all customers in January which will provide faster internet speeds overall. This upgrade was done by negotiating better pricing with their bandwidth supplier to pass on this savings to their customers. In addition to upgrading, Satel is now able to provide more packages for business as well as residential DSL.

Recently, Satel has launched their official website (www.satelnv.com) where people can look up their history, services, and news. On the site you can also get technical support and fill out service requests. An online phonebook will be available within a couple of weeks on satelnv.com.

Satel would like to inform their customers that due to the closing of First Caribbean on Saba, they will be able to pay Satel bills at RBTT and Windward Island Bank. Direct debit is also available to automate payments to the phone company through credit cards. Satel now also accepts Maestro payments.

In addition to being a retailer of Telcells services on Saba, Satel is now also a retailer of Chippie/UTS services as of April 2009.

Furthermore, Satel, through their Teleshop, now offers a wide variety of phones, electronics, and computer accessories. Currently, Satel is offering “Customer Appreciation Specials” until May 31^st, 2009 which offers 20-30% off on selected items in the Teleshop.

Satel will continue to upgrade its services as well as provide additional services to meet their customers’ needs.

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

Photo caption: None

General

Subject: Central Committee meets on Health Care

May 18, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:

Late last week, the Central Committee which was chaired by Mr. Rolando Wilson, met with Maarten Stoffels to discuss Health Care issues. The merger and privatization of the A.M. Edwards Medical Center and the Saba Benevolent Foundation was discussed thoroughly.

A few years ago the topic of privatization arose due to the financial problems the Government was facing. At that time, funding could not be acquired because the hospital was technically a Government institute and the SBF moved head. During the constitutional changes the Island Government brought up their concerns to the Dutch Government, being that Health Care was one of the main concerns.

Currently, Mr. Maarten Stoffels has been assigned at the kwartier maker at the Regional Service Center and represents the Health Care sector.

This month was the first of the scheduled monthly meetings regarding Health Care with the Central Committee. During the meeting the drawing plans for the hospital and old ages home were presented and explained. The board members for the new foundation were appointed. Finally, a draft of the statutes was also discussed and presented to the Island Council Members.

As stated by Chairman Wilson, “All parties were satisfied with the discussion and the meeting was fruitful, lengthy, and enlightening”.

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

Photo caption: Island Council with Maarten Stoffels

General, Health

Subject: Johnson weighs in on Curacao Referendum

May 10, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:

On a recent visit to Curacao, Commissioner of Constitutional Affairs, Chris Johnson, seemed very concerned about the shifting attitude of the voting Curacao public. Johnson noted that the Yes/No referendum seem to have taken a drastic shift towards the No position. Many public media sources including the structure of the campaign appear to have shifted the focus of the referendum from constitutional reform to a general opinion of colonialism and Dutch influence in Curacao.

Many television commercials being run for the “No Vote” have created a negative campaign about Curacao’s history and the long relationship it has with Holland. Because of this, public opinion seems to have significantly shifted towards voting No. Furthermore, the No campaign is using the example of the Dutch referendum on the European Union Constitution to demonstrate that the Dutch themselves recently decided to “Vote No” when it came to their referendum. This weak correlation seems to be resonating within the population of Curacao.

Commissioner Johnson wants to remind those in the BES Islands of Prime Minister Balkenende’s statement during the round table conference on December 15^th, 2008. During the press conference the Prime Minister was directly asked if Curacaos referendum would have consequences for the three smaller BES islands. To the discontent of many reporters, Prime Minister Balkenende stated twice that the result of Curacaos referendum would have no effect on the future and progress of the BES islands.

Although the Prime Minister has given this guarantee, this does not mean that the referendum will have no effect on the BES islands. Prime Minister of the Netherlands Antilles Emily de Jong-El’Hage has publicly stated that if No is the result of the referendum, she will step down. If her political party the PAR were to remove its support of the Central Government, this would mean that the Central Government would fall. In that event if no new Government were formed, federal elections would have to be held on all sides of the Island. This would have severe consequences for each of the five islands.

In closing, Johnson stated, “Many people throughout the Dutch Kingdom should be paying close attention to the May 15^th referendum.”

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

Photo caption: Commissioner Chris Johnson

Const. Affairs, General

Subject: Kamp meets with Saba Central Committee

May 10, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:

This week, the Island Council of Saba held a Central Committee meeting chaired by Rolando Wilson. Mr. Henk Kamp met with the Island Council to discuss some general issues in regards to the Island Territory of Saba.

Several topics were discussed during the Central Committee meeting on Wednesday. Some Island Council members got the chance to introduce themselves formally to Kamp. Mr. Kamp gave an explanation as to his function within the Antilles. An update was given on the latest developments with GEBE. The future of Winair on Saba was also brought into the discussion. The disaster area at the Fort Bay was brought up (as well as a personal visit later on by Kamp). Some other topics that were focused on were health care, Laws of WOLBES, Coast Guard, and Safety. Finally, a possible water distribution network for Saba was discussed during the meeting.

Those in attendance to meet Mr. Henk Kamp were Chairman Rolando Wilson, Commissioner Bruce Zagers, Island Councilman Carl Buncamper, and Island Councilwoman Akilah Levenstone.

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

Photo caption: Central Committee meeting with Kamp

General

Subject: Fort Bay Project area update; Kamp surveys harbor

May 10, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:

During this week, Commissioner of Harbor Affairs has been busy discussing various aspects of the harbor with different stakeholders. On Monday and Tuesday, representatives from Lienvense Consulting Engineers came to Saba to meet with several involved parties to discuss the SEI project for the Harbor. This is the initial stage and their role is to create a project proposal which will portray the wishes of the Island Government of Saba.

Part of this trip also entailed some lengthy discussions concerning the unstable hillside that has many people on the island concerned. Last week, the Island Government received a report from USONA which was made by a geologist with his conclusions as to what possible solutions could be. The report proposes draping two types of steel netting over the hillside which will protect the area from further erosion. This proposal will be thoroughly analyzed by experts to see if this is indeed the best solution for this project. In the meantime, other options will also be pursued. Furthermore, this report has also been analyzed by Mr. Henk Kamp and he has shown concern about this potential life-threatening area.

On Wednesday Morning, Commissioner Zagers personally met with Mr. Kamp at the harbor to survey the hillside in question. Given Commissioner Zagers previous background in harbor affairs, serving as Harbormaster, he was able to give Mr. Kamp thorough assessment of what he personally feels should be a permanent solution for the hillside along with thoughts concerning the harbor project financed by the SEI.

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

Photo caption: Mr. Jonkers (Min. of BZK), Mr. Henk Kamp, and Commissioner Zagers on the Fort Bay

General

Subject: Zagers travels to Statia to discuss hospital privatization

May 10, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:

Today, Thursday May 7^th, Commissioner Bruce Zagers with a small delegation will be travelling to Sint Eustatius to meet with Commissioner Julian Woodley to discuss the future status of Health Care on Saba and Eustatius. Island Doctor Gijs Koot and Island Secretary Menno van de Velde will be accompanying the Commissioner for these important discussions.

Seeing that both health care systems are going through identical transformations, the two commissioners felt it was very important that the two islands combine forces.

Currently, the two island hospitals are managed by the Island Governments. However, seeing that Health Care is going to fall directly under the Ministry of Health in Holland, the hospitals will have to be privatized and then fall directly under a Board of Directors.

Seeing the potential impact this will have on the community it is of utmost important that these matters be discussed jointly. Commissioner Zagers is positive that this meeting will produce ideas on how the Island Governments will deal with the privatization process. Zagers also stated that he realizes there is a lot of unrest about the process and he hopes that this meeting will produce a concrete strategy that can be carried out by both Island Governments. Furthermore, there should be some sensitization of the transitional processing in regard to all health care staff members involved.

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

Photo caption: None

General, Health

May 10, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:

This morning, children of the Sacred Heart and Comprehensive School joined Lieutenant Governor Johnson to pay tribute on Memorial Day. Commissioner Bruce Zagers and Chris Johnson were also in attendance. The short-service was held in The Bottom by the memorial for people who served and died in foreign wars.

Lieutenant Governor Johnson explained the significance of this day while also honoring those who recently died recently during the events that unfolded during the Queen’s birthday in Holland. With the assistance of the local students the Lieutenant Governor and Commissioners laid flower wreaths at the memorial site. A two-minute silence was observed for Memorial Day by the entire group.

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

Photo caption: Lt. Governor Johnson surrounded by students of SCS and SHS to honor Memorial Day

General