PHILIPSBURG:---The leadership crisis at NV GEBE has devolved into a full-blown governance disaster, thanks to the shareholders' dictatorial power grabs. The latest move, the intended appointment of Jeffreyson Paris as the new statutory director, is not a step toward stability but a flagrant display of cronyism that spits in the face of proper corporate governance.
This decision is a calculated betrayal of process and transparency. In a stunning act of arrogance, the shareholder completely ignored the recommendations for three statutory directors submitted in July 2024. Instead of adhering to a structured and fair selection process, they have chosen to act unilaterally. This is not leadership; it is a tyrannical maneuver designed to install hand-picked loyalists into positions of power.
How was this possible? Through a convenient loophole that has been deliberately exploited. Article 8 SUB 11 of NV GEBE's articles of incorporation grants the shareholder the power to appoint anyone they wish if the Supervisory Board of Directors (SBOD) allows a Temporary Manager to linger for more than four months. This isn't an accident; it's a manufactured crisis. The company has been intentionally kept in a state of limbo with a string of "temporary" managers since 2021, creating the very instability needed to justify this authoritarian takeover.
The SBOD's abject failure to install a permanent board has given the shareholder a golden ticket to dismantle established procedures. They have been allowed to sideline expert advice and ram through their preferred candidates, all under the guise of corporate law. This is a perversion of the system, turning governance rules into weapons for political gain.
This chaos unfolds as the public is left to suffer. While the Parliament of St. Maarten begged the government to provide financial relief to consumers, their pleas were met with deafening silence. The shareholder’s response was not to help the people but to demand the mass resignation of the entire SBOD. This is not a reform effort; it is a purge, a thuggish tactic to consolidate absolute control over the nation's essential utility provider.
The ongoing turmoil at NV GEBE is the direct and predictable outcome of these rudderless, dictatorial decisions. From ignoring board recommendations to weaponizing corporate articles, the governance process has been exposed as a sham. The appointment of Jeffreyson Paris is now irrevocably tainted by the corrupt process that birthed it. It leaves the public with a chilling certainty: this is not about stabilizing a vital company. It is another move in a sordid political chess game where the people of St. Maarten are nothing more than pawns, destined to lose.
