Video 3 Ministers Weekly Press Briefing May 21 2025 Mercelina and Brug Dutch St Maarten
Video 3 Prime Minister Question and Answer Dr Luc Mercelina Dutch St Maarten Government Weekly Minister Press Briefing Wednesday May 21 2025 Good morning, I’d like to ask for the Prime Minister, please. Prime Minister, some months ago, when the budget was debated in Parliament, the Members of Parliament voted on a motion for a relief for consumers of GEBE. Also, there was a lot of discussion on the TOT that is added on the bills from the oil with fuel clause, with fuel clause, diesel from salt to GEBE. There’s a TOT that’s added which even the Chairman of Parliament said it was illegal. Where are we on this? Where is the relief and what is government doing exactly about not passing on the TOT to the consumers? Because, already, they are paying TOT.
Yes. As I have explained, we took the opportunity on the basis of the motion to see how we’re going to actually have an overview in exactly how is this expense of the electricity and water consumption, how is this actually being calculated.
For that idea we hired in the BTP, Bureau Telecommunicatie and Post from Sint Maarten. They had a good working and have a good working relationship with the BTP from Curaçao. The BTP from Curaçao became the RAC and that is a regulatory agency for Curaçao that has the experience of supervising and regulating fuel prices and electricity. and water prices. So they came together and I had already three session meetings with them and the agreement is that on the 22nd of this May they will come with the suggestions. and ideas about proposals to GEBE via also all stakeholders involved in this for us to have an indication of how we should give the instruction at the end leading to a deduction of the consumer’s price of electricity and water. So the 22nd we’re going to get the end report, 22nd of May we’re going to get the end report. It was a quite tedious and difficult mission because actually we had to get access to the organization administration of GEBE for example. We had to have encounters with the harbor for the throughput fee for example. How is that calculated?
We had to have some meetings with the SOL also, actually internally in the TIAT, in government also, also with the Minister of Finance. We had to have encounters and meetings and cooperation from seven C’s also. So it’s very easy to say okay let’s do it. The moment you decide you want to present a proposal to the GEBE it has to be well… well-founded based on investigation, the research, that the moment you say it you know what your arguments are for you to sit on the table with those instructions and indication. So we’re going to receive the information definitively the 22nd of May and from there on a letter will go to GEBE with the concrete suggestions and instructions that we have as government with the end purpose of course to see how we can mitigate the price of electricity and water for the people of Sint Maarten. That is where we stand you know. All right, so based on what you just told me, all the research has been done. Tomorrow, the 22nd, the report is expected. To you, yes. So how soon do we expect an instruction going to GEBE? Oh, so tomorrow already, the day after tomorrow, I have to leave to Curaçao, so it’s going to take me a week time, and in between, of course, a lot of work will be done on my mission to Curaçao. I will come back on that, but it’s difficult because if I say something now, everybody is going to, of course, focus on that date, but it will be as soon as possible, and in the month ofJune, there will be proposals for GEB and all stakeholders that contribute to a price of energy and water for the people of St. Martin. Thank you, Prime Minister. Emil Lee of IL92 Radio. Good morning. My question is for the Minister VSA.