MP questions food prices, GEBE bills, housing, school resources and the government’s progress on its own program
PHILIPSBURG:--- MP Egbert Jurendy Doran challenged ministers during Monday’s Central Committee debate to show how the draft 2027 budget will improve daily life, pressing for dates, costs and measurable results across nearly every ministry.
“For me, a budget cannot only look good on paper,” Doran told Parliament. He said the 2026 budget debate ended only about a month ago, so he did not expect every undertaking made then to be complete. He did expect ministers to say whether promised work had started and whether Parliament’s motions were being carried out.
On food prices, Doran asked what had happened since Parliament passed his motion calling for a revised basket of price-controlled goods based on product categories instead of specific brands. He also sought an update on an online maximum-price database that, according to his reading of the budget, was intended to launch in the second quarter of 2026. With September nearly over, he asked whether residents can use it and, if not, why. He requested figures on price inspections, violations and repeat offenders during the hurricane season, along with the status of a hurricane price list.
Doran then turned to GEBE. He asked when an independent review of the utility company’s billing and fuel-cost calculations would be completed and whether Parliament would receive its findings. If a review or court decision establishes that consumers were overcharged, he wants the government to examine refunds or credits on future bills. He stressed that disputed fuel charges and potentially inaccurate meters are separate questions, and called for current meter-testing figures and a way for customers to obtain independent verification of a disputed meter.
The MP also questioned whether small businesses should pay the same commercial utility rate as much larger enterprises. He asked the government to consider a scaled approach, while separately questioning whether liquor license fees fairly reflect the size of a business’s alcohol sales.
Housing and public works formed another major part of his intervention. Doran asked which roads would be paved under a four-million-guilder allocation he identified for the next phase of the side-road program, when the work would be tendered and when residents could see a published road list. He sought an accounting of interim district-cleaning contracts after the previous contract expired on March 31, including spending and the contractors engaged.
Doran asked how many of the 662 building-permit applications reported as pending during the 2026 budget debate have since been processed. He also requested a breakdown of the proposed spending on digitizing permits and a realistic date when applicants will be able to submit and track them online.
On the government’s stated goal of 1,200 homes over ten years, Doran pressed for a yearly plan showing sites, financing and construction targets. He specifically asked whether the government intends to develop land at Vineyard Heights and another parcel he identified as Foga for housing.
The MP returned repeatedly to a proposed tourist tax, saying the draft budget shows no revenue from it despite an earlier estimate of about 18 million guilders. He asked the finance minister what is holding up the measure and how any additional revenue could address needs in justice, education, healthcare and social assistance. At the same time, he warned that tax reform should ease pressure on people and small businesses already paying, and asked what the government is doing to collect existing debts before placing more demands on them.
For the justice minister, Doran sought evidence that crime data is being used to deploy police resources, an update on information-sharing before people connected to active cases are removed from Sint Maarten, and firm payment timelines for justice workers awaiting placement decisions and retroactive salaries.
He asked the education minister which vocational programs will gain support in 2027, what supplies public schools lack, and what practical services a rebuilt library will provide in an increasingly digital learning environment. He also sought details on support for young athletes before they qualify for international competition.
Doran closed by putting the government’s overall performance directly to Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina. He asked for a ministry-by-ministry account of progress on the governing program, the status of critical vacancies and the timelines for projects requiring several ministries to work together.
