PHILIPSBURG:--- The government of St. Maarten has engaged SOAB to begin evaluating all government-owned companies in order for the government to have a better insight on the value of each company so that shares can be sold to raise funds to sustain the country. SMN News has learned that one such company where shares will be sold is the TELEM Group of Companies.
SMN News learned that the government of St. Maarten is looking at every possible way to raise funds that will be used to assist during the COVID-19 outbreak and any other possible disaster that the country might face.
Minister of Finance Ardwell Irion confirmed that the council of ministers have taken a decision to evaluate government-owned companies with the possibility of selling shares. Irion said that the government has to find ways to gather funds and while no decision was taken on which company shares will be sold the process has begun.
In the meantime, the Minister said there is no plan B or C in the event the Dutch government does not continue with the liquidity support for the SSRP. He said the discussions with the Dutch government continues even though the process might be a bit longer than it took for the other countries within the Kingdom.
Irion said besides the discussions with the Dutch government, he as Minister of Finance on St. Maarten are busy cleaning up “dead bodies” within the government that will save money.
The Minister of Finance said that some decisions that he has to take are not likable and may even cost him at the polls for the next election. Irion said that the former governments never implemented the phone policy that was in place and by just implementing that policy he managed to save Naf.81,000.00 further to that the Minister said that there are persons that are not even holding management positions but had phone bills of over Naf.6,000.00 for government to pay.
The Minister further explained that the government will now move over to a prepaid policy for phones that government officials and civil servants are using. He said that way no one will be able to go over their limit and more money will be saved.
Apart from the phone bills government is also looking at the gasoline policy for government workers. Irion said his government does not need the Dutch government to tell them how to save money, as there are many ways on how to cut costs with government expenditures. He made clear that right now the government just has to execute the cost-cutting policies that will assist them during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.
