INDEPENDENT NEWSLETTER

JUNE 15, 2009 VOLUME 1, ISSUE 8

STATIA NEWS EDITORIAL

The Island Council meeting of Wednes‐day, June 10th, was covered in the Daily Herald of June 11th. Statia News will try to give some background to some of the things that were mentioned in the Is‐land Council meeting. Mr. Van Putten provoked Mr. Hooker by stating that Mr. Hooker doesn´t stand up against the Dutch, Mr. Hooker said he had stood up against the Dutch. He had pro‐tested against two things: `Dualism` and `Finances`. `Dualism` is part of the con‐stitutional affairs and as such, not in Mr. Hookers´ portfolio, but in Mr. Woodleys portfolio. Everytime Mr. Woodley appe‐ars in public, he repeats how good it is for Statia that we will have `Dualism`. (about Dualism, page 5)  Statia News  tries to be a reliable source for people that search for the truth. Statia News is puting opinions and 

events in perspective. Also one of the reasons not to dig too deep in  things said in that Island Coucil meeting.   Statia News wants to thank Mr. Koos Sneek, Lady Alida Francis, the Youth Soc‐cerclub and Mrs. Joyce Wijshake for their contributions. Lenora Cannegieter does some editotial work for the paper.   Many local people come up with issues and stories. I want to thank in particular Joshua Spanner, Mr. Sneek, Mr. Woodley and Mr. Zaandam for being patient with me and explaining when I want to know things.   In the meantime everybody on Statia was watching the Lakers beat the Magics last night and the July trees blooming in fla‐ming orange and red everywhere!  

Bonaire and Statia, page 2 Kamps´ job, page 2 Water Distribution System, page 3, 4 Kwartiermaker Vrom Saba and Statia, page 5 Dualims and a Stronger Govern-ment, page 5 The First of July, page 6 Koos Sneek: New Tax Laws for the Bes islands 2 Page 7,8 Carla Schelling and the Statia Summer school, page 9 Sports, football-camp and IBOS; page 10 Letters to the editor, page 11 Announcements, page 12/15 Vacature, page 16

BONAIRE AND STATIA

PAGE 4 POLITICS STATIA NEWS

On Statia, the majority of the people voted for `remaining with the Dutch Antilles´. There is still some resentment on Statia about how things went back then. In 2004, the DP, with Mr. Roy Hooker in the limelight and the PLP, with Mr. Clyde van Putten as a spokesman and the SEA, with Mrs. Ingrid Whit‐field as a spokeswoman, promoted the option: `Remaining with the Dutch Antilles`. At that time Mr. Ralph Berkel was in the referendum committee, he was and still is the president of the board of the DP and he also promoted `staying with the Dutch Antilles`. Not everybody in the DP agreed with that. Joshua Spanner did not and Julian Woodley did say that it was necessary to have a public debate about all the different options. The SAM, with Nora Sneek as a spokeswoman, promoted `direct ties`.   In the interview Joshua Spanner had with Anthony Nicolaas, Nicolaas said that he was surprised to see Statia sign the agreement for direct ties with the Netherlands.   In Statia´s local government, you hear no call for  a new referendum. Mr. Reginald Zaandam, who is an Island Councilmember for the governing party DP and who is also senator, did say that it is important to have the local people voice their opinion about the integration in Holland. He explains that need as follows: `I was a teacher, I know that when you hush up your students and you don´t let them speak out their minds, you can´t teach. People must be given the opportunity to speak out in a public de‐bate.`  

On Bonaire, Jopie Abraham and Anthony Nicolaas want a new referendum about the ties with the Netherlands. Today, Monday June 15, Jopie Abraham and Anthony Nicolaas are starting a new government in Bonaire. This is the third time since the 2004 refer‐endum that Bonaire is `reshuffling`.  Bonaire has a vivid public debate about the ties with 

the Netherlands. They voted in the 2004 referendum  for direct ties, but now they say that during the refer‐endum it was not clear what these direct ties would mean. Abraham and Nicolaas say that Bonaire voted for a `association with the Netherlands’, and did not realize back then, that it was going to be `integration` with the Netherlands. 

June 15, 2009

Jopie Abraham and Anthony Nicolaas signing the “Akkuerdo di Passangrahan” June 12. 

KAMPS’ JOB

In a written interview with Mr. Kamp about his job on Statia, he wrote: (translated from Dutch) `The Netherlands has approved money for social economic development, education, healthcare and strengthening good governance. In cooperation with the islands´ government, we are look‐ing at the best way to apply the money for the benefit of Statia´s inhabitants`   He also writes:  `I think that infrastructural improvements, using the potential for tourism and efficiënt execution of government tasks are important for Statia.`  In the Antilliaans Dagblad, April 4th, 2009, there is some clarification about Kamps´ job: (translated from Dutch) `Commisaris Henk Kamp will, on behalf of the Dutch gov‐ernment,  build a second government. At the moment, there are two levels of government: the Island Council and 

the Central Antillean Government. During 2010 the Dutch Antilles will be dismantled and the Bes Islands will be‐come part of the Netherlands as public entity. The Neth‐erlands will take over the tasks of the Antillean govern‐ment. To prepare this, all 15 departments will send civil servants to the Bes Islands to set up a `overseas´ office` (een overzeese afdeling)`…. `Kamp coordinates the activi‐ties of the departments and makes sure the island gov‐ernments are linked in with these activities. (In Dutch:  stemt deze af met de eilandsbesturen)`  In the interview with Joshua Spanner, Abraham said that these civil servants must have a `local counterpart`, be‐cause `we have to do it on our own when these civil ser‐vants leave`.  Jopie Abraham wants to start a public de‐bate with Bonaire, Statia, Saba and the Netherlands.  

WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

PAGE 3 ISSUE STATIA NEWS

tenderer documents preparation plan has to be ready before December, otherwise the EU money will not come.  The current situation is this: Gebe has a plant for reversed osmoses with a reservoir behind the har‐

bor. The hotels and other facilities in Lower Town are connected with the water distribution already. The main pipeline goes up around the Old Gin‐house, through Claes Gut, to Oranjestraat. The area we call “the historic core” has smaller distribution‐

Friday June 12th, there was a meeting about the 

technical aspects of our future water distribution system.  Consultants from “Witteveen & Bos” were given the assignment to prepare the water distribution system on St. Eustatius.   In 2000, they already made a plan for that, and now, with some changes, they can implement that plan. Money for the consultants comes from the SEI (there has been some “reshuffling” for that purpose), money for the water distribution system (approx. 3.8 million euros) comes from the ninth EDF (Economic Development Fund) from the EU. The EDF gives money for “deprived urban areas”, and therein lie the limitation of the plan. The water distribution sys‐tem is to be used for “urban areas” only, areas for farming will not have a connection to the system.   Since St. Eustatius has not made a final development plan with zoning for urban areas, touristic areas, farming areas, etc., it´s not easy to get an answer  about the areas that will be covered. The pipelines for the water distribution system will go to White Hook, Zeelandia and Bengal, because these are areas that will most probably end up being urban areas in the far future. It is unfortunate that the “bestemmingsplan” or zoning plan is not in place before the water distribution system will be installed, but there is no time: the tenders must have their 

June 15, 2009

This is the reservoir by the harbor, from where the pipes go through Lower Town going up to the Lodi reservoir.  

This is the plant, where the seawater is made into drinking water through reversed osmoses techni‐que. 

The pipeline from where the Gebe trucks load drinking water for empty cisterns. Water for buil‐ding is usually rainwater that is collected in Lower Town by Claes Gut and water for farming usually comes from wells.  

WATER DISTRIBUTION SYSTEM

PAGE 4 ISSUE STATIA NEWS

pipes and their location, the pressure that has to be on the water and the quality of the drinking water are investigated now.   Then the actual design of the water distribution system must be approved by the Executive Council of the island territory.   Before December 2009, the tenderers must be sent their tender documents. In February 2010 the ten‐derers are invited to an information meeting. By May 2010, suitable tenderers are chosen and the contracts must be signed. The planning bureau and Bos & Witteveen will work with other stakeholders to ensure continuation of preparing for the actual work on the water distribu‐tion system.  

pipes too, all the way to Wilhelminapark. To finish this system of pipes, some parts of the roads in that  area have to be broken up. The main pipeline goes through Oranjestraat to the Lodi reservoir, so Oran‐jestraat will be broken up and inaccessible some time during 2010 or 2011.    By May or June next year, the process of preparing for this water distribution system will be finished. By then a tenderer must be found and a plan must be made, so we can expect the actual digging in the roads to start in August or September 2010.  Approximately 75% of Statia’s households will have two tabs in their houses that are connected to the drinking water distribution system.  The technical aspects must be decided upon by Octo‐ber of this year. Aspects like the diameter of the 

June 15, 2009

Planning bureau, Witteveen en Bos, Gebe and VROM are stakeholders that work on the technical aspects of the water distribution.  

INTRODUCING MR. WIM HOFMAN, KWARTIERMAKER VROM STATIA AND SABA

PAGE 5 LOCAL NEWS STATIA NEWS

Mr. Wim Hofman will be the kwartiermaker for VROM (Verkeer, Ruimtelijke Ordening en Milieu, which means: traffic, spatial structure (housing, roads and so on) and the environment) for Saba and Statia. He and his wife Wilhelmien will live on Statia for the next three years. He will be working in the RSC office from August the first. Mr. Hof‐mans’ main focus will be on the environment, that is his specialty since 1975.   He did the very first “HBO opleiding” chemical technology, that taught about the environment and has been working for private companies and public offices in the Netherlands. His wife Wil‐helmien is a nurse and is looking forward to doing voluntary work in her field of interest.  Hofman be backed up by the Ministry of VROM in the Netherlands for “wonen en wijken”, and he will work closely with DROB.  Mr. Hofman will be busy with waste management, the drinking water, asbestos, cfk’s and also with the Terminal, be‐cause the Terminal will fall under the responsibil‐ity of VROM as well. Statia has to live up to Dutch standards, so especially in waste management there are going to have to be some changes made. VROM will have to look for possibilities to work together with surrounding islands for incin‐

June 15, 2009

eration, and other means of waste management. Glass, paper, organic waste and iron all can be recy‐cled.   To tackle these waste management issues, a plan has been made, we will most likely hear the content of this plan from our local responsible ccommmisioner/department. 

Wim Hofman and his wife Wilhelmien will live on Statia for the next three years. 

In 2011 there will be new Island Council elections. From that date, dualism will be in effect. That means that com‐missioners and Island Councilmembers are separate enti‐ties. Commissioners cannot vote as Councilmembers. This will mean for Statia that we will have two commissioners and at least 5 Councilmembers. We can have more, but 5 will be the minimum. 3 island councilmembers is less de‐mocratic, because then it´s always 1 councilmember that will be crucial in the voting. In dualism, if one of the com‐missioners wants to pass a bill, for example he wants to install landtax as part of the local tax policy, he will need a majority of 3 votes out of 5 in the Island Council. The com‐missioners cannot vote for or against that bill, the bill comes from “government”, that is: “Bestuurscollege”. In Dutch municipalities, you have “wethouders”, as part of the “Bestuurscollege”. The “Gemeenteraad” can vote for or against a bill. It is to the Dutch community (gemeente) that 

our system of governance can best be compared: the Island Council is the Gemeenteraad in that analogy and the com‐missioners and governor can be compared to the wethouders and the burgermeester in a Dutch community . 

Dualism only recently is implemented in the Dutch munici‐palities. Before, the Dutch municipalities were governed the same way as the island territories of the Dutch Antilles, with wethouders being part of the gemeenteraad.  

The `Vereniging Nederlandse Gemeenten` is helping the Bes Islands with strengthening government. That´s why our Governor was in Holland last Wednesday to meet with Kamp, the Governors of Saba and Curacao, the VNG and the mayor of Dordrecht and of another municipality that plays a role in this process.  

DUALISM AND A STRONGER GOVERNMENT

THE FIRST OF JULY

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search yourself. With internet such research be‐comes a distinct possibility and there are lots of sites in English about the subject matter and about African and Caribbean history in general. The BBC is doing great work and Simon Schama recently got a lot of attention with his book and film “Rough Crossings”.   Actual celebration on July the First, where the roots foundation fights for, can help to educate the people and the children in school and give some cultural impulse that is much needed.   In the conversation on Talkin’ Blues, last Thursday 

Mr. Hooker said he remembered that when he was a kid, everybody used to decorate their houses with the July tree.   He promised to look for a funding for this years’ first of July celebration.   Next edition you will be informed about what is going to happen on the First of July.   

On the former English colonies in the Caribbean, the first Monday of August has been a national holiday since long. It celebrates the end of slavery. The former French colonies also celebrate the end of slavery. Some Caribbean islands even attract a lot of tourists during this national holiday, with cultural festivals.    On July first 1863, Holland ended slavery. The first of July is called “emancipation day”, but on none of the Dutch Antillean island it is celebrated accord‐ingly. It’s only recently, that Tula, an important slave leader in the revolt against slavery,  is remem‐bered with the Tula March in Curacao. A march with music, costumes, dance and speeches.   On July first, not only the end of slavery is celebrated, but also the emancipation of African people in the West and black people in gen‐eral. There are many important people and events to recognize on July 1st, so besides a cultural as‐pect, this celebration has an edu‐cational aspect as well.   Joshua Spanner has always voiced the opinion that the large amount of money spent on November the 16th celebration, which marks Gov. De Graaff’s salute to a pro‐voking American ship with the flag of the new independent United States is actually inapropriate in comparison to the very small amount of money spent on the July the First celebration, which marks the far more substantial celebration of the end of slavery.  Joshua Spanner wants the young people to realize where they come from. He thinks it’s important for them to know that their history started when their ancestors were given a name when slavery ended. This is how far back the black people in the Carib‐bean can usually trace back their ancestors.   If you want to know about slavery and Caribbean history, you have to be very inquisitive and do re‐

June 15, 2009

NEW TAX LAWS FOR THE BES ISLANDS 2

PAGE 7 TAXES STATIA NEWS

case. The statement by the lawmaker that in the pre-sent situation no turnover tax is required by import may be technically correct, but the wholesaler in St. Maarten is obliged to pay 3% turnover tax to the In-spection in St. Maarten and include this in his price for the goods he exports to Saba and Statia. A list of basic goods and services are exempted from ABB such as:

Bread, flower, potatoes, rice; Public transportation (does this include taxi ser-

vices, since this is the only public transporta-tion available on Statia);

Medical cost and medications; Post; Water, electricity, gas; Transaction for which transfer tax is required; Life insurance, medical insurance; When room tax is required; When lottery tax is required; Bank loans; Airline tickets; Deliveries to E-zones; House rent.

For the import of passenger cars the ABB will be 40%. This will result in a price increase for cars of at least 37%. For Bonaire this price increase will be re-duced by 27% since for this island the present import duties will be annulled. The real price increase for Bonaire will thus be only 10%. This seems very unfair for Statia and Saba since these islands will see at least a full 37% price increase. Exempted from ABB are extreme fuel efficient cars. These cars presently are not available on the island, since no importer in St. Maarten, where most of our cars are coming from, sells these cars. It is the ques-tion if St. Maarten car dealers will import these cars in the future, since there will be no incentives for cus-tomers to buy these cars in the St. Maarten. Also I wonder if there has been any research into the quality of fuel that is available here and if this fuel is suitable for these hybrid cars. For insurances a special tariff of 10% will be calcu-lated. The reason for this is that the commission of insurance brokers will not be taxed. The bottom line however is that the consumer has to pay. Since Statia and also Saba are located in the hurricane belt the pre-miums for property insurance are already significantly higher then in other parts of the world. Many people

By Koos Sneek In the last edition of Statia News I have stated that representatives of the Dutch government are not in agreement with a public discussion on the 3rd con-cept tax laws for the BES islands. In the meantime this has been confirmed to me by one of these repre-sentatives. The explanation as to why, is that ac-cording to this person there has been ample time to discuss all three concepts. A number of sessions have been held that ultimately led to the 3rd concept now on the table. This concept has been discussed in a video conference with the commissioners of finance and Lieutenant Governors in March. After this conference there still was time allotted to come with comments and proposed changes. In the mean-time the laws are approved by the Dutch Council of Ministers and at present they are at the Council of State for advice. Recapitulating this means that our representatives were negotiating the tax laws with the Dutch since last year and at no point in time they deemed it fit to consult with any stakeholder on the island. An ill prepared and poor attempt of commissioner of fi-nance Roy Hooker to hold a public meeting on the issue in April was not only the wrong tool to obtain objective and expert input but too late as well. In this edition I want to shed some light on the Gen-eral Spending Tax or “algemene bestedingsbelast-ing” in short ABB. The ABB is an 8.5% tax that will be levied on goods and services. It applies to three different ar-eas:

Levy on imported goods; Levy on locally delivered services; Levy on locally produced goods.

The tax on locally produced goods and services is due on delivery of these goods and services. Tax on imported goods is due at the time of entry into BES. The advantage the lawmaker sees for the tax payer is that opposed to the turnover tax, the ABB will only be levied once and therefore is not cumulative. I wonder if this is the case since most of our goods are entering the island through St. Maarten, where the wholesale companies are established. This island most likely will remain with the turnover tax, which means that at least 3% will already be included in the price prior to entering our island as is now the

June 15, 2009

FOLLOW UP: NEW TAX LAWS FOR THE BES ISLANDS 2

PAGE 8 TAXES STATIA NEWS

gard to the collection of taxes reference is made to the Douane&Accijns law. However it is not clear if the ABB will also be charged for imported goods by individual persons who are doing their personal shopping in St. Maarten. If this is the case I wonder how it will be collected. If this is not the case the ABB will put the local entrepreneurs in a very disad-vantaged position.

are unable to pay these premiums already and are therefore uninsured. An incentive to stimulate prop-erty insurance may be to introduce a zero tariff for property insurance in stead of charging a higher rate. Small businesses with an annual revenue of US $ 20,000 or less are exempted from paying ABB. In case these entrepreneurs have paid ABB already they will be refunded on their request. The concept law with regard to the ABB generally speaks about entrepreneurs (ondernemers). With re-

June 15, 2009

INSPECTORATE OF TAXES WINDWARD ISLANDS

Any questions about taxes: feel free to step in the new office in the old Gebe building, that was opened June 1st 2009.

CARLA SCHELLING AND THE STATIA SUMMER SCHOOL

PAGE 9 EDUCATION STATIA NEWS

 In the first two hours, the focus will be on reading in Dutch and math. After the break, children will work 

on a practical assignment. In these practical assign‐ments, the children will get acquainted with the different new subjects they will have in the secon‐dary school. The instruction will be in Dutch and in English. Biology, history, geography, and other sub‐jects will be presented to the children.   On Friday July 19th, the parents are invited for a presentation by their children about what they have learned in these two weeks.   

   If  you want your  child to join Statia’s Summer School, please contact the principal of your elementary school.  

Carla Schelling teaches Dutch at the Gwendoline van Puttenschool. Before she started teaching at the sec‐ondary school level, she was working for different elementary schools in Holland. She did research at the University of Amsterdam about children who had a different mother language then Dutch.  She lives and works on Statia since 2007 and observing the situation in Statia’s edu‐cation, where the great bottleneck appears to be the difference in the language of in‐struction between the elementary schools and the secondary school, she decided to make contact with the elementary schools. She was curious to see how well the chil‐dren can read Dutch, and together with the elementary schools, she decided to test the children in technical reading. In the Netherlands, the most common method for teaching children to read is the “AVI method”. “AVI” has different levels in technical read‐ing. “AVI” also has standardized tests, so at any time during their school career, teachers can test pupils for reading skills. In the library, you can find the dif‐ferent AVI books, all categorized in the AVI levels.   In Holland, when a child enters the secondary school, the level for technical reading should be AVI 9.  Carla tested 54 children from the Golden Rock school, Gov. de Graaffschool and the SDA Lynch Plan‐tation school. The Bethel Methodist school doesn’t have students that will go to the GVP next year yet.  She will write a report about these tests and will present it to the different stakeholders. To prepare these 54 children for their entrance in the secondary school next year, Carla, together with a group of other volunteers,  will give a Summer School. One of the aims is to get the children  at the AVI 9 level of technical reading. Children who have reached that level will be tested and trained for com‐prehension: conceptional reading.   The Statia Summer School will take place from Mon‐day until Friday in the two first weeks of the summer holidays: starting Monday July 7 until Friday July 19, every morning from 7.30 am – 11 am. The location will be the Gwendoline van Puttenschool.  

June 15, 2009

SOCCER CAMP-OUT!

PAGE 10 SPORTS STATIA NEWS

‘competed’ against each other with a score of 6‐2 for Statia and later that afternoon again a victory for the Statia’s “Golden Rockers” of 4‐1.  

 Our kids were really happy with their VICTORY, be‐cause last year’s game went the other way around. Later that afternoon the Foundation organized a Barbeque and movie evening. On Sunday morning the camp was broken down and the weekend came to an end with eating pizza at 12 noon. The Foundation wishes to thank the following com‐panies/persons for their contribution towards this event: ‐ Golden Era hotel ‐ Ocean View Terrace ‐ Kingswell resort ‐ Svitzer Caribbean ‐ JENA Curacao ‐ Nustar ‐ Marlon Hook ‐ Parents/ family members/ friends 

             

Statia & Sint Maarten guests playing cards in the tent 

Statia Youth Soccer Foundation on Soccer Camp‐out!   

In the weekend of June 5‐7 twenty children from the Statia Youth Soccer Programme Foundation along with the Coaches, Board members and parents went for a Camp‐out at the Terminal Playground.  On Friday at 4 pm. all children came and the camp was set up with the help of all. Discussions took place about who will go in which tent and with whom.  In the evening we sat together and all children were 

asked why they choose to become a soccer player. We had a lot of fun and around 9 pm all went to ‘sleep’. On Saturday we got up early in the morning (5 am.) and prepared breakfast. At 8 O’clock a team from Sint Maarten was picked up from the airport and the first game was played at 10:30 am. Seven children from both Islands, ages 6‐9 

June 15, 2009

Golden Rockers ages 6‐9 

IBOS HOSTING FRIENDLY FOOTBALL GAMES AGAINST SABA

IBOS (International Brothers of Statia) footballteam is hosting two friendly games against Saba.  The Saba team will be on Statia on Friday June 19th and they will play Saturday af‐ternoon at 5pm and Sunday morning at 10am.   Come out and watch young Statia guys like Romario and Fetcher demonstrate their foot‐ballskills.  

PAGE 11 LETTERS TO THE EDITOR STATIA NEWS

A PET'S TEN COMMANDMENTS......... 1. My life is likely to last 10-15 years. Any separation from you is likely to be painful.

2. Give me time to understand what you want of me

3. Place your trust in me. It is crucial for my well-being.

4. Don't be angry with me for long and don't lock me up as punishment. You have your

work, your friends, your entertainment, but I have only you.

5. Talk to me. Even if I don't understand your words, I do understand your voice when

speaking to me. 6. Be aware that however you treat me, I will

never forget it. 7. Before you hit me, before you strike me, remember that I could hurt you, and yet, I

choose not to bite you. 8. Before you scold me for being lazy or unco-operative, ask yourself if something might be

bothering me. Perhaps I'm not getting the right food, I have been in the sun too long, or

my heart might be getting old or weak. 9. Please take care of me when I grow old.

You too, will grow old. 10..On the ultimate difficult journey, go with

me please. Never say you can't bear to watch. Don't make me face this alone. Everything is easier for me if you are there, because I love

you so. ~Take a moment today to thank God for your

pets. Enjoy and take good care of them. Life would be a much duller, less joyful experi-

ence without God's critters. ~Now please pass this on to other pet own-

ers. We do not have to wait for Heaven, to be surrounded by hope, love, and joyfulness. It is

here on earth and has four legs!

Laura Piechutzki

I have a minor comment on your current issue far-ming article. A pH of 7.0 is by definition neutral. pH values less than 7.0 are acid, while values greater than 7.0 are basic (alkaline). Different plants prefer diffe-rent pH ranges, but most do better with a slightly acid pH because this causes minerals in the soil to dissolve more readily so that the plants can absorb them. This was a fine article and I wish Mr. Lopes the best in his farming endeavor. Statia needs many more local farmers and more local food in the stores. My wife Shelley and I operate our own small farm in Pleasures raising lettuce, beans, tomatoes, peppers, pineapples, papayas, mangoes, chickens (for eggs), goats and cows. Like Mr. Lopes we use drip irrigation, but we get our water from a very large cistern that we built for the purpose. Regards, George Works Thank you so very much for sending the Statia News. I have read every copy I have received. It is truly wonderful to be able to keep in touch with what is happening on Statia. I would like to make an observation. In the section that deals with spaying or neutering one's pet, the only pets mentioned are dogs. In my opinion, the greatest threat to the indigenous birds and reptiles of Statia is not dogs but rather cats. Because they are extremely efficient hunters, feral cats have the ability to literally wipe out many of the indigenous species of birds and reptiles that inhabit Statia because cats are exotic species that the local faunal inhabi-tants have no natural defense against. I believe the island would be well served by a program to reduce the threat of feral cats by either greatly reducing their population or elimi-nating them from the island altogether with the exception of those that are family pets, are spayed or neutered, and do not go outdoors. I have nothing against cats as I am a cat owner myself but my cat is a completely indoor cat, is neu-tered, and never ventures outside. As an example, the Galapagos Islands have had a terrible time with feral cats whose presence had almost eliminated many of the local species on the islands. They have insti-tuted a vigorous program aimed at eliminating the feral cat population on the islands because of the threat they pose to the local birds and reptiles. If you would like to read about what they are doing about feral cats in the Galapagos, go to http://www.hear.org/Galapagos/invasives/topics/management/vertebrates/projects/cats.htm. If Statia wishes to preserve its natural fauna, which I would think is one aspect of the island that attracts tourists, I be-lieve immediate action should be taken. Best regards; Chris Pederson

June 15, 2009

PAGE 12 ANNOUNCEMENTS STATIA NEWS

The MCCA Women’s Commission proudly presents Sunday, June 28th In the Bethel Methodist Church at 5 pm 2009 Women’s Lord Day “Women on a mission: Making a Difference”

Guest speaker: First Lady Sylvana Gittens Women of all walks of life, age and religion are invited. Come and learn how individually and collective-ly women can make a difference in their home, at work and within their community. Contact person: Sis. Alida Francis.

Saturday June 20, In the Library at 8.00 pm

Le C h o c o l a t Movie with Julliette Binoche, Johnny Depp and Judie Dench Entrance 3 naf

June 15, 2009

 Greenblend is selling vegetables from their farm at the Man  0’ War plantation on Wednesday mor‐nings, Friday afternoons and Satur‐day mornings.  

Hollandse Nieuwe!!!!!!!!! Joost Arends ordered Dutch haring, they will be here from Thursday June 18. If you want to order some, please contact Joost at 3181231 10 haringen: 35 dollar 1 haring: 7,20 naf

PAGE 13 ANNOUNCEMENT STATIA NEWS

June 15, 2009

 Statia and Saba will have their Annual Summer Festivals by the end of July. Statia´s pre party´s  start in the beginning of July already. During this Carnival period, Winair tickets will be cheaper and the `Edge` will make trips from and to Saba and St. Maarten. On the next two pages, you can see the schedules of both islands. Statia and Saba are inviting each other and all surrounding islands to come and join the fun!  

PAGE 14 ANNOUNCEMENT STATIA NEWS

June 15, 2009

Slogan competition for this years’ Summer Fest is opened. Contact Bureau of Tourism at the Fort, or one of the Carnival Committee members. 

PAGE 15 ANNOUNCEMENT STATIA NEWS

June 15, 2009

Statia News wrote about the song that was recorded recently with a big choir of local singers. The song is called `a Helping Hand` and when you sing it, it goes like `Save the Children`.  Everybody knows this tune by now. There was a videoclip made of that song and that clip will premier on July 11th. Everybody is welcome to come to the Fort to enjoy an evening of music.  

PAGE 16 VACATURE STATIA NEWS

Het Bestuurscollege van het Eilandgebied St. Eustatius, Nederlandse Antillen, wenst op korte termijn in contact te komen met kandidaten ter vervulling van een voltijdse betrekking bij het eilandgebied als:

VACATURE

Medewerker Crediteuren Administratie/Kredietbewaker M/V De werkzaamheden worden uitgevoerd binnen het Taakveld Financieel Beleid en Beheer van de Afdeling Financië-le en Economische Zaken. De Afdeling richt zich op de instandhouding en verbetering van het bestuurlijk proces, het zorg dragen voor de middelen, het behartigen en coördineren van de eigen aangelegenheden van het Eilandge-bied St. Eustatius. Functie-inhoud:

Draagt zorg voor de crediteurenadministratie door onder andere:

• Het verifiëren van de bestelopdracht, het coderen van de bon en het controleren van het beschikbare krediet;

• Het bij onvoldoende krediet in overleg treden met de Hoofdmedewerker Crediteuren Administratie; Het aanmaken van computerbestelbonnen en het na accordering van de Hoofdmedewerker Crediteuren Admini-stratie zenden hiervan naar de bestellende afdeling.

Draagt zorg voor de verwerking en betaling van financiële verplichtingen en declaraties in het kredietbewa-kingssysteem, door onder andere:

• Het controleren van declaraties op volledigheid en juistheid, het aangeven van de begrotingsposten en het inbrengen hiervan in het kredietbewakingssysteem;

• Het dagelijks boeken van alle kennisgevingen van financiële verplichtingen; Het signaleren van geconstateerde afwijkingen bij standen van de kredieten aan het Hoofd, het bewaken van de budgetten en aangegane verplichtingen.

Verricht overige werkzaamheden, door onder andere:

• Het generen van (kwartaal) overzichten ter controle van kredietstanden;

• Het bij (dreigende) overschrijdingen na overleg met het Hoofd aanvragen van kredietwijzigingen; Het verstrekken van informatie aan crediteuren over openstaande declaraties. Functie-eisen: • Opleiding op MBO-niveau, bedrijfsadministratie of gelijkwaardige opleiding;

• Minimaal 5 jaar ervaring in soortgelijke functie bij de overheid of private sector;

• Kennis van (financiële pakketten): Exact, Excel, Word;

• Bereid om eventuele trainingen te volgen;

• Vaardig in het inboeken en controleren van declaraties;

• Vaardigheid in het opstellen van betalingsoverzichten;

• Kunnen omgaan met vertrouwelijke informatie;

• Goede beheersing van de Nederlandse en Engelse taal, zowel in woord en geschrift;

• Goede organisatorische, communicatieve (verbaal & schriftelijk) en contactuele vaardigheden;

• Een verantwoordelijke, kritische, accurate, creatieve en klantgerichte instelling;

• Zowel zelfstandig als in teamverband kunnen werken; Goede beheersing van de Nederlandse en Engelse taal, zowel in woord en geschrift. Aangeboden wordt: Inschaling conform de Lands Bezoldigingsregeling 1998. Salaris is afhankelijk van het aantal jaren werkervaring vermeerderd met bovenwindse toelage 16.3%, eventuele kindertoelage, pensioenregeling, medische verzekering en vakantie-uitkering. Schriftelijke reactie gaarne binnen twee weken na plaatsing van deze oproep richten aan: Het Bestuurscollege van het Eilandgebied St. Eustatius T.a.v. Mevrouw F. Marlin, Hoofd Personeel & Organisatie Government Guesthouse St. Eustatius Nederlandse Antillen,Tel: 0318 2931 Fax: 0318 3391 Email: florence_marlin@yahoo.com Voor meer informatie kan contact opgenomen worden met de afdeling Financiën (0318 2397).

June 15, 2009

Eilandgebied St. Eustatius Nederlandse Antillen