Philipsburg: --- Island councilman and former energy commissioner Roy Marlin has issued a public call to Lt. Governor Franklyn Richards to step in. Marlin said GEBE has some loans with Pacific Life the financing agency over the last ten years. He said the company managed to live up both agreements with the agency over the last ten years. However, right now the financial agency may soon have to call on GEBE to pay up its outstanding loans, which is in excess of 40 million US dollars. Marlin said the concession with Pacific Life will expire in January 2011 but government and Pacific Life has agreed to have a new agreement in place by January 2010. Marlin said he began negotiations since last April but based on the current correspondence between Pacific Life and GEBE may not be able to pull off an agreement. He said should this happen it would bring dire consequences to the island and its people. Marlin said he believes the governor has the right and power to look into the extension of the concession, and have the executive council deal with this matter post haste.
The island councilman said government has given Pacific Life a letter of comfort ensuring them that they would take the necessary steps to ensure all is done for the renewal of the concession. Marlin said he is making is appeal so that GEBE would remain the main concessionaire for the production of light and water for St. Maarten. He made it clear that the issue at hand is above politics instead it’s about the sustainability of the island which would also ensure that GEBE can live up to his obligations and financial agreement. Marlin said to date the financial statement for GEBE is not yet ready or finalized to be sent to Pacific Life by September. He said so far management has not completed the task and everyone knows his position on the managing director of GEBE. He said he was accused by the opposition that he is head hunting but now those people are in government and he is eager to see how they are going to deal with the issues at hand. He said he still believes that if the managing director William Brooks cannot do the job then he needs to vacate the seat and allow the supervisory board to take the necessary actions.
Marlin said the working situation at GEBE has deteriorated to an extent where several workers are on sick leave simply because they disagree with the style of the management. He said no one at this time should allow a company such as GEBE to go down the drain because of one person. He said he was accused of head hunting a local St. Maartener but if the company is being jeopardized then the executive council needs to take action or the governor. He said presently there are key managers out on sick leave and just recently, the automation was down because they were demoted within the company.
