PHILIPSBURG:--- It is that time of the year when publishers are tasked with selecting the persons or entities of the year. This year, it was not easy as the
politicians were also in the headlines since the country made history when the Mercelina 1 cabinet tumbled just 17 days after taking office. To make matters
worse, there were two elections in one year, and who would forget the famous Member of Parliament Kevin Maingrette, who threw the government down, then apologized and placed a bandage on the same coalition he described as not transparent and worked with them until the parliament was dissolved.
Despite the comedy in all people’s business, these comedians in politics did not come out as persons of the year.
Describing how the person or entity of the year is selected, a biological person, a group of persons, a legal entity, or an idea can be chosen as ´Person of The Year. ´ You or they must have had a significant influence on current events during the year, shaping the news positively or negatively.
Every household, business, and person in St. Maarten felt the crippling effects of NV GEBE and its load-shedding. Even though almost everyone became frustrated and even angry, people managed to cope by shifting their schedules around.
In 2024, GEBE´s billings and load-shedding, as well as the discussions surrounding ENNIA Insurance company, have had an overwhelming and destructive
impact on the health and wealth of the entire population of Sint Maarten, one that cannot be missed.
They attracted public attention and media coverage throughout the Kingdom and the region during the year, dominating conversations in political, cultural, technological, and economic spheres, and without a doubt, those conversations were not favorable.
The losses, discomfort, and misery suffered by the population of Sint Maarten can be attributed to incompetence and greed. To add insult to injury, the billings by the electrical company made no sense to anyone; people were being robbed blindly and were even disconnected when consumers complained too much.
Electricity supply was interrupted daily for many months throughout the island, yet consumers received bills as if there were no interruptions. The bills were higher than before, without discounting the interruptions. Worse yet! It was discovered that GEBE included charges in their billings under the caption ¨Fuel Clause¨ that had nothing to do with the cost of fuel. This fiasco came to light during the run-up to the August elections when it was fully uncovered the culprits behind the fuel clause and how the
entire country is being robbed.
Under pretenses, the fuel clause was used to defraud consumers and have them pay for a loan from the Harbor Group of companies they did not consent to and knew nothing about. This discovery, as well as the load shedding and discomfort suffered, enraged the public at large to this day. Because of these events that still occur today, SMN News had no choice but to select NV GEBE as the entity of the year in the negative.
In all fairness, as a news entity, we know that the current management is not to blame for the chaos within NV GEBE. When the temporary manager took office in September 2022, he met nothing but disaster at the government-owned company. If you ask us, it was like searching for a needle in a haystack while the people were at their mercy.
It is incumbent upon the Council of Ministers to bring relief and also assist the managing director, Troy Washington, by appointing a complete management team at NV GEBE; there is a lot that needs to be done for the company and the citizens of this country and sitting on the names of the proposed candidates will not change the course unless the government does what needs to be done.
As we continue to skin the onion in finding the right persons and entities that made the news this year, we could not help but include the Ennia saga that has left a mark on the Caribbean countries of the Netherlands. The ENNIA bail-out story was an equally vexing experience for everyone in St. Maarten, Curacao.
St. Maarten politicians fought, but in the end, they all buckled to their knees in fear of threats and conditions from their master and bound the country for the next 30
years in the Ennia bailout scandal.
The Central Bank, Curacao, and the Netherlands pressured Sint Maarten to borrow money to finance a NEW ENNIA insurance company. Sint Maarten´s taxpayers would be burdened with payments for the next 30 years to fund the NEW ENNIA and give up dividends from its share in the Central Bank for an additional 20 years. In return, Sint Maarten would get zilch from this investment. NEW ENNIA would be owned 100% by Curacao companies at the end of the process and become the owner of Mullet Bay.
Questions have arisen in this regard as to whose best interest the Central Bank, the CFT, and the Netherlands serve, as well as who looks after the best interest of the people of Sint Maarten.
Based on the devastating impact the above events had on the people of Sint Maarten during 2024, our editorial staff, without hesitation, concluded that N.V. GEBE and ENNIA should be declared as Entities of the year in the negative for 2024.
