SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - Member of Parliament (MP) Egbert J. Doran is questioning how government can report a positive financial result while millions of guilders remain owed to vendors and civil servants continue waiting on payments and benefits due to them, the MP said in a press statement on Tuesday.
During the 2026 Budget Debate, MP Doran focused on government’s reported first-quarter positive result of approximately Cg 39 million.
For Doran, the issue is simple: if government is doing financially well, that should also be reflected in how it meets its obligations.
He questioned why vendors who have already provided goods and services to government are still waiting to be paid, while civil servants continue waiting on jubilees and other outstanding payments.
The Minister of Finance explained that a budget surplus is not the same as cash available in government’s bank account. She stated that government must continue paying salaries, school subsidies, study financing, vendors, operational expenses, interest and loan repayments.
Finance also confirmed that approximately Cg 12.8 million in outstanding vendor payments is currently registered in government’s central financial system.
The Minister explained that some of these invoices cannot be paid immediately because proper procedures were not followed. In some cases, there was no purchase order, approved advice, signed contract or proof that the person who requested the service had the authority to financially commit government.
Government is therefore moving toward a stricter “No Purchase Order, No Pay” system.
MP Doran, however, questioned whether it is fair for businesses to carry the consequences of government’s own internal failures.
He pointed out that when a Secretary General, civil servant, contract manager, policy adviser or even a minister approaches a business and requests goods or services, the vendor is not normally in a position to determine whether that government official has followed every internal procedure.
Doran said that if a government official improperly commits government to an expense, the responsibility should not simply be shifted to the vendor after the work has already been completed.
He therefore asked the Minister what consequences would apply to government officials who request goods or services without having the proper authorization.
The Minister responded that unauthorized officials should, where possible, be held liable.
For Doran, that answer reinforces the need for government to strengthen its internal controls while protecting businesses that acted in good faith.
“If we have approximately Cg 13 million owed to vendors, but we are talking about a surplus, somehow somewhere the maths don’t add up,” Doran stated during the debate.
The MP said he understands that government must follow proper financial procedures, but those procedures must work on both sides.
Government must ensure that its officials do not make unauthorized commitments, while vendors must be able to trust that when government requests a service, the proper process has been followed.
Doran maintained that a positive financial result should mean more than a good figure on paper.
For him, the real test is whether government is paying legitimate bills, honoring its obligations and ensuring that businesses and civil servants are not left waiting while government continues to report that its finances are performing positively.
