~If you don’t fix this, the next one will be to go home~
PHILIPSBURG--Minister of VROMI Patrice Gumbs received a strong warning from Parliament on Thursday after Members of Parliament (MPs) voted 9-6 to pass a motion of disapproval, saying the minister has failed to show the measurable progress, execution and responsiveness Parliament expected after previously giving the minister more time to improve.
The motion expresses Parliament’s disapproval of Gumbs’ performance and management of the VROMI Ministry, citing continued concerns over the lack of measurable progress, execution and responsiveness on issues including roads, infrastructure, garbage and waste management, building permits and the functioning of the ministry.
The motion also raised serious allegations concerning bullying, intimidation and the treatment of staff, including female employees, as well as concerns about the working environment within the ministry. The motion noted that Parliament had previously considered a motion of no confidence against Gumbs in April. That motion was rejected in May by seven votes against and six in favor, giving the minister additional time to demonstrate improvement.
Those voting in favour were MPs Egbert Doran, Ardwell Irion, Viren Kotai, Francisco Lacroes, Lyndon Lewis, Omar Ottley, Sjamira Roseburg, Ludmila de Weever and Darryl York. Those voting against were MPs Sarah Wescot-Williams, Veronica Jansen-Webster, Dimar Labega, Franklin Meyers, Raeyhon Peterson and Chris Wever.
NOW MP Lyndon Lewis, who voted in favour, said he had not read the motion beforehand and had not signed on to it, but said he had repeatedly heard complaints from members of the public. Lewis said he had received messages from members of the public about the situation and criticized what he described as a lack of accountability and empathy.
He said the minister should communicate with the public and explain the situation instead of cancelling press briefings. Lewis said that had he been involved in drafting the motion, it would have been another motion of no confidence.
Democratic Party (DP) MP Sarah Wescot-Williams focused on the allegations concerning staff. She said the allegations in the motion were serious and encouraged the minister to conduct a survey among ministry staff to determine where the concerns originated. Wescot-Williams said the sentiments of staff should be heard through an independent process.
National Alliance (NA) MP Egbert Doran, who voted in favour, rejected the suggestion that the concerns were simply political. He also pointed to the lack of a road tender.
Party for Progress (PFP) MP Raeyhon Peterson said the motion was about accountability. “You don’t have to look at this as something bad. Look at it as a chance to show what you can do time to work time to let your results speak for itself.”
United Resilient St. Maarten Movement (URSM) MP Sjamira Roseburg said responsibility for the ministry rests with the current minister. “The ministry falls on you, not on the secretary general, not on the previous administration. It is your responsibility. It is what you inherited.”
Roseburg also highlighted the allegations concerning intimidation of female employees and called for an independent complaints mechanism to examine the matter. “Take control of your ministry, take accountability, take control of the people in your ministry because it’s serious.”
NA MP Ardwell Irion said the debate showed that MPs wanted to see improvements. “It’s very obvious by all the comments made by all the MPs in here except maybe by MP Peterson we want the island to be clean. We sent home another minister for less.”
United People’s Party (UP) MP Omar Ottley said Parliament had previously given the minister time to improve and argued that the same problems remain. Ottley warned that another motion could follow if the situation does not improve. “If you do not fix this the next one will be to go home.”
He said the minister had “no more time, no more excuses” and argued that the minister had not sufficiently used the opportunity previously given by Parliament.
NA MP Darryl York, who presented the motion, said he had deliberated at length before bringing it forward. He said the budget debate showed that ministers across government face challenges involving money and staffing, but argued that these issues should not become excuses. York said he had previously advised Gumbs to take certain action, but that the minister had declined.
PFP MP Ludmila de Weever said the motion should be viewed as a warning and an opportunity for improvement rather than simply as a rejection of the minister. “It become a broken record when you hear nothing was done in the past that is true but we are here to improve it.”
According to the motion, several of the concerns raised previously remain unresolved months later. It pointed to the deteriorating state of cleanliness, delays in building permits, the lack of a road tender under the current administration and continued concerns about waste collection, abandoned vehicles and infrastructure.
During the budget debate, figures showed that 662 of 1,111 building permit applications received remained pending, including 150 of 155 applications submitted in 2026.
The motion also stated that delays and backlogs within VROMI continue to affect residents and businesses and contribute to frustration with public service delivery.
Before the vote, Gumbs acknowledged the challenges facing the ministry but argued that many of the problems are structural and have developed over a much longer period. “I look at this motion and once again I want to reiterate that not at any point have I shied away from the challenges faced by this ministry.”
Gumbs said the deterioration seen in roads and garbage collection, among other issues, is connected to choices made over time, including decisions not to invest in a proper waste solution and in sewage, drainage and infrastructure. “What we are experiencing today is a snowballing effect of a number of those things.”
He also said some statements included in the motion had been categorically denied as incorrect.
Gumbs acknowledged that communication could have been handled differently and said improvements had been made. “If we look at it from the point of laying on these things at the foot of one minister is unfair, could the communication could have been done differently yes and we have improved communication.”
He argued that many of the problems cannot be solved quickly because they are structural issues that have existed for years. Gumbs said many of the problems are structural and have existed for 10 to 20 years, stressing that his ministry is working to address them despite the challenges.
