PHILIPSBURG:--- Member of Parliament and former VSA Minister Omar Ottley used the 2026 budget debate to level serious criticism at Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina over his actions while serving as Acting Minister of VSA, alleging that Mercelina intervened in a contentious medical-registration matter just one day before incoming VSA Minister Claret Connor took office.
Ottley did not identify the doctor during his presentation. Instead, he focused on the procedure followed, the professional advice surrounding the case, and the timing of Mercelina’s intervention.
According to Ottley, the doctor in question was unable to practice as a general practitioner in the Netherlands and had not provided evidence demonstrating authorization to practice as a GP elsewhere. He said he had received advice against allowing the doctor to practice freely in St. Maarten.
Ottley contrasted that situation with what occurred during his own tenure as VSA Minister.
He said an earlier arrangement involving the same doctor had first been handled under former Minister Richard Panneflek and later extended by Ottley, but with a significant restriction: according to Ottley, the doctor could work only within the hospital, where the individual could be supervised.
The issue now, Ottley said, was an attempt to allow the doctor to practice freely despite advice opposing it.
Ottley: Why couldn't Mercelina wait one day?
Ottley then produced what he described as a government memo dated August 4 — immediately before Connor took office as VSA Minister.
He alleged the correspondence from Mercelina, acting as VSA Minister, was directed to members of the Council of Public Health and sought action concerning the doctor.
Ottley questioned why Mercelina did not simply leave the matter for the incoming VSA Minister to review.
“Couldn’t wait one day? Couldn’t we wait one day to let the Minister do his job? To brief the Minister?” Ottley asked.
He also linked the matter to an earlier motion passed by a majority in Parliament calling for the process to be reviewed and held off pending further scrutiny.
Ottley argued that Parliament had not received the requested follow-up before taking action in August.
Ottley's allegations during the debate are his characterization of the matter; the transcript provided for this article does not include Marcelina’s response to those allegations or the underlying medical council documents.
Warning to new VSA Minister: Examine Everything
Ottley directly advised Connor to scrutinize what he inherited when he took office.
He told the new minister to go through the ministry “with a fine-tooth comb,” saying Connor needed to determine exactly what had and had not been left for him.
Ottley characterized the Prime Minister’s approach as “his way or the highway.”
But the medical-registration controversy was only the beginning of Ottley’s attack.
EZV: “We are in Danger”
The former VSA Minister sounded an alarm over SZV's financial position and questioned whether the government has secured a sustainable revenue stream to address the problem.
Ottley said the visitor tax was developed during his time in government, partly in response to concerns raised with the Committee for Financial Supervision (Cft) about filling the financial gap.
He told Parliament that the social-health insurance system was in danger and warned of severe consequences if its financing problem is not addressed.
Ottley also highlighted what he described as conflicting information regarding the visitor tax.
He said the finance minister was reported in August 2025 to have indicated that the proposal had been sent to the Council of Advice, while answers to parliamentary questions said it was expected to be sent later in October 2026.
Ottley demanded clarification on its current status and who is responsible for moving the measure forward.
He later returned to the issue while addressing Connor, saying the tourist levy had formed part of a broader arrangement to direct funds toward SZV’s financial problems and urging the new VSA Minister not to abandon that plan.
“Do not neglect SZV,” Ottley said.
Cost-of-Living and livable-wage study
Ottley also demanded an update on the cost-of-living assessment and livable-wage study.
He said work on such a study began during his tenure, and that additional information was required, with census information expected to contribute to the process.
Ottley said former VSA Minister Richinel Brug had begun picking up the matter and asked Connor to explain where the process now stands.
Firefighters: Where is the money?
Ottley then turned back to Mercelina over unresolved financial issues affecting firefighters.
He said answers previously provided indicated that the amount required was not yet known because government lacked sufficient information to determine what must be paid.
Ottley drew a sharp conclusion from that answer: if government does not know how much it owes or needs to allocate, then the necessary funding could not have been properly included in the 2026 budget.
He also questioned how the matter could have been accommodated in the 2027 budget if the Council of Ministers had already approved it while the amount for firefighters remained unknown.
“When are we going to allocate the funds for the firefighters?” Ottley repeatedly asked.
Justice workers and retroactive payments
Justice was another major component of Ottley’s presentation.
He asked Justice Minister Nathalie Tackling for an update on retroactive payments and referred to financial compensation he said Justice workers had been promised by December of the previous year.
Ottley asked whether those payments were ever delivered.
He also revisited the controversial early-release process, reminding Parliament that two motions had previously been adopted on the issue.
Ottley said a clearly defined policy was necessary to prevent any perception that decisions were based on individual names or ministerial preference.
“Who is in charge of the early release process?” he asked.
Ottley questions prosecutorial authority after court orders
Additionally, additionally asked how a person could remain detained after a judge had ordered release.
He questioned the respective authorities of the judiciary and the Prosecutor’s Office, asking whether a judicial verdict could effectively be overridden by prosecutorial action.
“Does the judge’s verdict have no merit or no weight?” he asked.
The transcript reflects Ottley’s questions and characterization; it does not establish the circumstances of any specific detention or provide the prosecution’s legal explanation.
Prison Rehabilitation: Where Are the Programs?
Ottley then challenged the government over rehabilitation inside the Pointe Blanche Prison.
He asked whether the prison church and roof had been repaired, questioned the status of the carpentry room, and said a boxing bag previously highlighted at the institution had since been destroyed.
More substantively, he asked what rehabilitation programs had actually been established and what happened after the group providing GED classes was removed.
“Where’s their GED classes at the prison?” Ottley asked.
While acknowledging that no Justice Minister could eliminate crime entirely, he demanded a plan that ordinary residents could understand.
“Break it down for me,” he said. “And the public at large.”
Government spending more than it collects
Ottley’s criticism extended to the foundation of the 2026 budget itself.
He accused government of repeatedly presenting budgets without adequate revenue-generating measures, noting that a promised 2025 budget amendment never materialized.
“If you already know that you don’t collect as much as you spend, how does it make sense to enter into a second budget cycle with no revenue-generating measures?” Ottley asked.
He described the visitor tax as the government’s “Hail Mary” while simultaneously questioning why its implementation appeared to be delayed.
$3.4 Million Travel Budget Draws Fire
Ottley also took aim at government spending priorities.
Amid discussion about elected and appointed officials making contributions or sacrifices, Ottley pointed to what he described as a travel budget exceeding $3.4 million.
“Don’t touch the travel. Touch everything else,” he said sarcastically.
Ottley also raised the broader question of whether government can credibly ask for sacrifice while maintaining substantial spending in areas such as travel and telling residents that other forms of relief cannot be afforded.
Water Contract and French-Side Sales
Drawing on his tenure as VSA Minister, Ottley also questioned the future of St. Maarten’s water-production arrangements.
He said the existing production contract was expected to end in 2027 and that his plan was for GEBE to eventually take over.
Ottley claimed negotiations during his tenure reduced the contract price and saved GEBE more than $400,000 annually.
He asked whether the 2027 takeover objective remains on track.
He also asked about a scholarship established to train someone in water management and whether the candidate GEBE selected ultimately received it.
Ottley then returned to plans for Dutch St. Maarten to sell water to the French side.
He said an agreement had been signed during his tenure with the French-side president and claimed the necessary water-quality testing had been completed, with St. Maarten’s water meeting or exceeding the required standard.
“What is the hold up?” he asked.
Ottley: People Aren't Feeling the Economy
Ottley closed with a broader attack on government’s performance and the gap between economic indicators and household reality.
He acknowledged statements that St. Maarten has experienced strong visitor activity and said he had “never seen the island pushing this long,” encouraging continued tourism marketing.
But he argued that ordinary residents are not feeling the benefit.
“Gas too high. GEBE too high. Food too high,” Ottley said, adding that housing costs were also crushing household finances.
He compared St. Maarten with neighboring jurisdictions that, according to his presentation, had allocated funds to cushion residents from financial shocks or rising costs.
Ottley acknowledged that the parliamentary numbers mean the 2026 budget can pass with or without his support.
For him, however, the test will not simply be whether Parliament approves another spending plan. It will be whether the population sees measurable relief before government returns with the next one.
“It will be interesting to see the benefits that the people will receive once this budget is passed,” Ottley said.
His final appeal was directed at the entire government.
“Government, get your act together.”
