PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament Omar Ottley is calling on the Government of St. Maarten to take immediate action to provide meaningful relief to the people by reducing GEBE’s base tariff, especially in light of the recently announced increase in the fuel clause.
The MP stated that while families and businesses continue to struggle under the weight of rising living costs, the Government has failed to exercise the authority it has to intervene and protect consumers from escalating electricity bills.
“The people of St. Maarten cannot continue to shoulder the financial burden of inefficiency, poor management, and a lack of accountability. Government must act now by reducing the base tariff so that some sort of relief can be given to every household and business.”
The MP emphasized that this call is not new. Throughout his tenure, he has consistently advocated for relief from GEBE costs by submitting multiple motions in Parliament and, more importantly, by presenting the Minister of Tourism, Economic Affairs, Transport and Telecommunication (TEATT), and by extension the Government of St. Maarten, with a comprehensive Ministerial Regulation.
According to the MP, that proposed regulation would not only provide immediate financial relief but would also establish a transparent and legally sound structure governing the fuel clause, ensuring fairness, accountability, and predictability for consumers moving forward.
The MP questioned how GEBE could publicly announce an increase in the fuel clause when the recently published Bureau Telecommunication and Post (BTP) report exposed significant shortcomings in the current fuel clause methodology.
“The BTP report clearly identified flaws in the existing fuel clause formula. Yet, instead of correcting those deficiencies and protecting consumers, the public is now being asked to pay even more. That is unacceptable.”
“Lubrication was never intended to be part of the fuel clause. It was later incorporated simply because GEBE chose not to absorb those operational costs itself. Today, the people are paying for routine maintenance, extra maintenance, emergency repairs, and the consequences of generators breaking down. Those are operational responsibilities, not costs that should continuously be transferred to consumers.”
The MP stressed that residents should not be forced to finance years of deferred maintenance, operational inefficiencies, or management failures through higher utility bills.
“The people of St. Maarten have already sacrificed enough. They should not be expected to continue paying for problems they did not create.
Failure to act, the MP warned, will have political consequences.
“If the Government continues to ignore the hardships facing our people and refuses to take decisive action, I will have no choice but to pursue a Motion of No Confidence against the relevant minister. Their continued lack of compassion, lack of urgency, and unwillingness to defend the financial interests of the people of St. Maarten cannot go unanswered.”
Government must choose whether it stands with the people or continues to stand by while they bear the cost of inaction.”