Island Government of Saba

Saba Commissioner Chris Johnson (right) shakes hands
with Dutch State Secretary Ank Bijleveld-Schouten after
signing the agreement for the eventual transfers of civil servants
in the education fi eld to the care of the Netherlands.
This transfer will not include teachers working in Saba as
they are employed by several school boards/foundations.

WILLEMSTAD–Saba and
St. Eustatius are moving
ahead with their preparations
to become public entities
of the Netherlands
without Bonaire, which
also should attain this status
possibly before the end
of next year.
Saba Commissioner Chris
Johnson and St. Eustatius
Commissioner Julian
Woodley signed agreements
for the eventual transfer of
Education Department civil
servants to the care of the
Netherlands in Plaza Hotel,
Curaçao, on Wednesday.
Bonaire did not sign a
similar agreement because
a new Executive Council
had been installed just over
a week ago and requested
time to become acquainted
with the constitutional
process from within, as its
members had been in the
opposition for some time.

This technical agreement
is “a very broad one” that
simply outlines that when
the islands achieve the new
constitutional status the
civil servants attached to
government in the education
fi eld will be taken over
by the Netherlands.
Johnson pointed out that
the agreement did not go as
far as dealing with salary,
benefi ts and related items.
The focus is on the eventual
transfer of the civil
servants. The agreements
do not cover teachers who
are employed with school
boards/foundations.

Saba and St. Eustatius are
committed to moving the
process along, he added.
It is understandable that
members of the new government
in Bonaire would
need time to get their feet
wet, but the other two islands
will not be sitting still,
he added.
Many agreements have
been made in relation to
the formation of the BES
islands Bonaire, St. Eustatius
and Saba as public
entities of the Netherlands.
Each island has responsibilities
to its people and it
is with this in mind that two
are forging forward, Johnson
said.
He thanked the Dutch and
Central Governments for
staying committed to the
process and signing agreements
with the two islands.
He now wants to sit with
St. Maarten to look at areas
of common concern that are
affected or will change with
the attainment of country
status by St. Maarten and
public entity for Saba by the
end of 2010. (Alita Singh)

SOURCE:  The Daily Herald, July 25th 2009

Const. Affairs, General

Commissioner Bruce Zagers (left in centre group) and Lt. Governor Jonathan Johnson
(second from right) take time out to check up on progress at the Fisherman’s pier.

SABA–Lt. Governor Jonathan
Johnson and Commissioner
Bruce Zagers paid a quick visit
Wednesday morning to Fort
Bay to check the progress of
the refurbishment of the small
(fi sherman’s) pier, which was
destroyed last year in Hurricane
Omar’s passing.
Zagers said the next step, after
pouring the concrete to reinforce
the caissons, would be to
reinforce and to resurface the
entire pier to where it joins the
road just in front of the cistern.

In addition, conduits for fresh
water and electricity for pier
lights will be continued around
to the entire pier, and the cleats
will be added.
Public Works foreman Russell
Thielman, who was also on
hand, said that water usage will
be metered and will be available
from either HESCON
or from Egon Linzey, the two
vendors who use the divided
cistern.
Zagers said that Dutch Disaster
Relief funded the NAf.
540,000 project. He said it was
not a temporary fi x, but “the”
fi x.
NAf. seven million in Social
Economic Initiative (SEI)
money, which is also earmarked
for the harbour, will be
used on other improvements,
the details of which are still being
fi nalised.
Zagers added that government
was very pleased with the
work that has been done, and
said everything should be completed
by mid-July.

SOURCE: The Daily Herald, June 25th 2009

General

The Saba delegation during the consultations with (from left) Will Johnson, Commissioner Chris Johnson, and Councilwoman Akilah Levenstone

WILLEMSTAD–Political
consultations were held
Monday afternoon at the
Marriott Hotel in Curaçao
between the Central Government
of the Netherlands
Antilles and the BES
islands of Bonaire, St. Eustatius
and Saba.
The delegations discussed
various subjects, including
the early transfer of tasks
on the BES islands by the
Netherlands and the status

of civil servants. A memorandum
of understanding is
expected to be signed at the
end of the meeting.
The delegations of the
Central Government consisted
of Prime Minister
Emily de Jongh-Elhage;
Ministers Ersilia de Lannooy,
Omayra Leefl ang
and Hubert “Ibi” Martis;
and State Secretaries Shamara
Nicholson, Ernie Simmons,
and Alex Rosaria.

Maruja Janga, Anthony
Nicolaas, Johan Afman,
and Robby Beukenboom
represented Bonaire; while
Commissioner Chris Johnson,
Island Councilwoman
Akilah Levenstone, and
advisor Will Johnson were
present for Saba.
St. Eustatius’ delegation
comprised of Commissioner
Julian Woodley, Ralph
Berkel, and Louis Brown.

SOURCE: The Daily Herald, July 23rd 2009

General

June 23, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:

On Tuesday, Mr. Ruud Koopman and Jan Vos from the Bestuursacademie Nederland met with Commissioner Zagers to discuss the expansion of their company to the Antilles. Bestuursacademie is known for their quality instruction and training in Government management, human resources, finance, immigration, and security programs as it directly relates to the Government apparatus. Their company also plans to help negotiate and acquire personnel fitting the needs of local Governments. Koopman and Vos explained the plans of their company to bring their business operation closer to their Antillean Government clients.

“We are building a Foundation of the Bestuursacademie in the Antilles that will develop local programs catered towards Government functions”, stated Directeur Ruud Koopman. Being locally based, the company can then intimately develop their programs to the needs of each Island Government. Since Saba is going through constitutional changes, this local service will prove to be beneficial in the months and years to come.

What is most important about this kind of training is the collaboration and customized programs that can exist between Governments; such as that of the BES. Bestuursacademie will develop a virtual academie online that will facilitate forums, collaboration, information sharing, and informal lessons amongst their Government clientele. Hands-on training will be provided on almost any island since the company plans to make use of local training facilities. These trainings will call upon diverse groups of Island Civil servants to meet up and be trained together, as well as give them an opportunity to share with their likeminded peers.

Each Island will put a Advisory Board in place, which will oversee what is needed in terms of lessons, training, and collaboration to suite their unique situations. Bestuursacademie will then follow-up with these Advisory Boards and develop a collaborative hands-on lesson plan and course trainings to suit their clients’ needs. Where it can, Bestuursacademie will rely on local subject matter experts to become teachers and make use of local facilities – therefore also strengthening the local economies of each Island. Furthermore, the quality of teaching will be monitored on an ongoing basis at each facility.

This Foundation which will be developed by Bestuursacademie will take the profits made and reinvest it back into the program thus becoming a revolving fund. It is because of this type of organization structure that Bestuursacademie claims that they will be cheaper than other educational solutions; in particular having trainers fly to the Antilles from Holland.

Commissioner Zagers followed up with GIS and stated that this service should prove, “Highly beneficial to a functioning Government apparatus within the Antilles”. Zagers went on to say that, “Government is very interested in providing ongoing training of its staff, because education is something that must be improved across the board”.

This initiative should start off in September after the advisory boards are chosen and the initial programs will become available.

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

Photo caption: Commissioner Bruce Zagers, Account Manager Jan Vos, Directeur Ruud Koopman

Const. Affairs, Finance, General

June 23, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:

On Monday, Lt. Governor Jonathan Johnson chaired a Hurricane Disaster Planning meeting and called upon all Emergency Support Facilities to attend. Johnson informed the team that there was a new comprehensive disaster plan being developed. However, for the time being the old disaster plan is still in effect and will re-distributed by the end of August, 2009.

Various departments were called to the meeting such as Public Works, Health Care, Police, GIS, Airport, and Harbor offices. Currently there are approximately 12 ESF (Emergency Support Facilities) that make up the Disaster Team on Saba. Johnson stated that, “During the previous hurricane Omar, the police were not aware of who had authority to travel to different disaster areas such as the Fort Bay”. To rectify this, Johnson is going to issue authorization passes for the ESF’s ahead of time. Furthermore, the ESF’s will be supplied with an emergency cell phone which will pre-program all other ESF numbers.

The Marines have already performed some training measures with radios at the schools to ensure there is communication between Saba, Eustatius, and Sint Maarten. The Marines will come back at the end of August to do further training. During the last hurricane, the Marines arrived late. To compensate for this, Johnson plans to implement an “Advance Party” who will come to Sint Maarten ahead of time which will provide Saba with readily available assistance.

In this hurricane season, Lieutenant Governor Johnson strongly urges the population of the Island to “be safe, use common sense, and stay indoors for your own safety”.

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

Photo caption: Meeting Chaired by Governor Johnson and various Department Heads

General

Subject: Director of Tourism attends NAAM Meeting

June 16, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:

Director of Tourism, Glenn Holm will be leaving for Curacao on Wednesday to attend a NAAM (National Archeological and Anthropological Memory Management) Board Meeting in Curacao. The trip is financed by NAAM organization. The main topic to be discussed within the meeting will be the cultural heritage management and legislation in the Netherlands Antilles as well as Aruba.

NAAM will be holding a seminar at the University of the Netherlands Antilles in Curacao in which Board members will be updated by cultural experts and stakeholders in the managements/conservation of the islands cultural heritage. The treaty of Malta is another topic to be discussed and how it affects the Antilles. Maritime management will also be a point of discussion. The seminar will attend to the important question in how the islands can synchronize their policies in regards to cultural heritage after the dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles. Director Holm will return to the Island on Friday.

Mr. Glenn Holm stated that he is, “Looking forward to seeing and hearing what direction is being proposed and whether it will fit into the new status of the BES islands”.

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

Photo caption: Glenn Holm

General, Tourism

Subject: USONA continues funding Tourism

June 16, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:

As part of the SEI Program, Bart Pasman of USONA paid a working visit to the Island Government of Saba. This visit entailed the signing of a Dutch funded program for the “increase of the tourist bureau budget for the next two years”, in the amount of 100,000 FLS. Commissioner of Tourism, Mr. Chris Johnson attended the meeting and co-signed the agreement with Bart Pasman. “Island Government has made sure to pay special attention to the tourism market and in collaboration with the tourist bureau, these marketing materials will be used to promote Saba as a whole”, stated Commissioner Johnson

These funds will go towards the continuation of the marketing initiative which started with the quick-win project. Furthermore, the funds will also assist in the completion of promotional materials, enhancing the tourism website, and radio/television advertising on Sint Maarten. Director of Tourism Glenn Holm stated to GIS, “This is a continuation of our regional marketing initiative and we’re thrilled to have the continued support of USONA”.

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

Photo caption: Bart Pasman, Glenn Holm, Chris Johnson

General, Tourism

Subject: Island Council gets yearly update from local schools

June 16, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:

Last week, the Island Council of Saba visited each of the schools to meet with the Directors and get a summarized report on the 2008/2009 year-end. Each Director expressed their views and concerns about the transition and their new relationships with the Dutch. Some areas that were discussed were the Dutch inspection teams, standardized testing, and the language of instruction.

These meetings gave the Island Council the opportunity to meet with the two schools for a yearly report, which is typically only performed with the Commissioner of Education. Both Directors showed concern about their new relationship with the Dutch Ministry of Education, but assured the Island Council that they are preparing to face any new challenges in the upcoming school year.

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

Photo caption: Act. Island Secretary Raquel Granger, Akilah Levenstone, Director of SHS Diane Wilson, Comm. Chris Johnson, Rolando Wilson, Comm. Bruce Zagers

Education & Youth, General

The SGIS Newsletter for May 2009 is now available.

General, Newsletter

Subject: Saba plans for the hurricane season

June 3, 2009 (SGIS) – The Bottom, Saba:

Local Disaster Coordinator, Julio Every, along with his Emergency Support Team are in the process of completing a new Hurricane Disaster Plan. Later on this month, everyone will meet to discuss the necessary precautions and official steps to be taken by each department within Government, in case a disaster strikes.

The Marines will be conducting a drill in the last week of August with the support team. The community should be aware that proactive steps are being made by the local Government and they also ask in turn, that the citizens remain vigilant during the hurricane season.

It is important that everyone make all necessary preparations now, rather than later. Do not wait until the peak of the hurricane season to prepare for these kinds of events.

Further information will be given to the public in a timely manner if there are any impending threats. Within the week, a hurricane preparedness checklist will be uploaded to the http://media.sabagovernment.com/hurricane-preparedness/ website for the public to use.

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

General