SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY) - Member of Parliament (MP) the Honourable Omar E.C. Ottley has raised the alarm about what he calls "an ignored crisis" at the government-owned telecommunications company TelEm.
The Member of Parliament has been receiving many complaints from the employees at Telem on the deterioration of their work environment. “As the public understandably remains focused on the ongoing issues at local utility company NV GEBE, TelEm is spiraling into financial and operational uncertainty, with little public accountability, no clear vision, and no government intervention”, said Ottley.
MP Ottley has sent questions to the Prime Minister, as the shareholder representative for TelEm, who holds direct responsibility for the company’s performance. To date there has been no public update, no action plan, and no indication that the government even acknowledges the seriousness of the situation.
According to Ottley, TelEm’s troubles have been years in the making. He cited the controversial removal of board member John Richardson, who was dismissed after raising concerns about internal mismanagement. Instead of addressing the allegations, Ottley said, Richardson’s removal sent a chilling message to others who might have considered speaking out.
TelEm's financial missteps have also raised red flags. A failed merger with MER cost the company an estimated 3.7 million guilders. An additional 12 million was invested into Smitcoms Dominicana with no visible results or returns. Yet, no one has been held accountable, and no explanation has been offered to the people of St. Maarten.
Between 2012 and 2024, the company embarked on several high-cost projects that ultimately failed to deliver. Chief among them was the Fiber to the Home (FTTH) initiative, which has burdened TelEm with approximately 44 million Caribbean Guilders in debt. Despite this massive investment, many of the island’s most densely populated areas remain without fiber connectivity.
Ottley also expressed concern over the lack of a clear policy to prioritize qualified local professionals for executive and technical roles, noting that a government-owned company should put its people first. In the face of ongoing public frustration and complaints about service quality, Ottley said the Strategic Management Team at TelEm has remained virtually silent.
Repeated statements such as “we are working on it,” he argued, are no longer acceptable in 2025. The company, he added, owes the public clear, timely communication and measurable progress. Compounding these concerns is TelEm’s decision to begin selling off company-owned buildings. These are not leases or partnerships, but permanent divestments of valuable assets. Once sold, Ottley questioned, what collateral will remain to secure TelEm’s loans and financial obligations? He believes the company may be quietly positioned for a sell-off, similar to what happened with UTS in Curaçao, a move that left that country scrambling to rebuild its telecom infrastructure. "Several workers at TelEm have reached out to me privately, describing declining morale, stalled career advancement, and a growing fear for their jobs,” Ottley said. “They feel forgotten.
Ottley is calling for immediate transparency regarding TelEm’s financial and operational state, a halt to the sale of assets until a clear recovery plan is in place, and a full investigation into past mismanagement. He also emphasized the need to elevate local talent into leadership roles and to present the public with a clear roadmap for innovation, including the implementation of 5G, full island-wide fiber access, and modernized customer service systems.
“St. Maarten was once a leader in the region where telecommunications was concerned. Now we are struggling to have reliable and innovative telecommunication service providers that truly serve our people,” Ottley said. “This is not about politics. This is about accountability. This is about leadership.”
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