Dear Editor,
The people of St. Maarten deserve clear answers.
For more than a year, Prime Minister Luc Mercelina and his government have repeatedly promised relief to GEBE customers as the cost of living continues to climb. Families and businesses were assured that help was on the way and that the government understood the growing pressure on households.
Yet electricity bills keep rising. The GEBE fuel clause has increased once again, gas prices continue to climb, and the promised relief has yet to materialise. For months, the government blamed the previous GEBE board for blocking relief measures and necessary reforms.
That excuse was repeated publicly time and time again. In February, however, this same government appointed a new board.
Now the public is left with serious questions:
*Who exactly sits on the new GEBE Supervisory Board?
*Why was the public not properly informed about the appointments?
*What are the qualifications and experience of these individuals?
*Did they undergo the required screening and corporate governance vetting?
*Most importantly, why did the first major decision under this new board result in yet another increase in the fuel clause – including a retroactive adjustment – instead of delivering the long-awaited relief?
Did the management board contradict the house rules/laws by increasing the fuel clause without taking the correct steps as stipulated in the laws?
The timing could not have been worse.
As St. Maarten enters the hotter summer months, families will use more electricity to cope with the heat, resulting in even higher bills at a time when groceries, rent, fuel, and necessities are already unaffordable for many. The silence from coalition Members of Parliament is becoming impossible to ignore.
*Do the coalition MPs support the current handling of GEBE?
*Do they agree with the decisions being made by the new board?
*Are they fighting for the people, or simply protecting political interests?
*Leadership is not about repeated press conferences and unfulfilled promises.
It is about delivering tangible results that citizens can feel in their daily lives. After more than a year of assurances, the people of St. Maarten have seen no meaningful, broad-based relief.
What they have seen is continued increases in an essential service they cannot do without. The public deserves transparency, accountability, and honesty. The government and the new GEBE board must explain – clearly and urgently – when and how the promised relief will actually reach the people. St. Maarten cannot continue placing this heavy burden on its citizens alone.
Gromyko Wilson
Concern Citizen
