PM Dr. Luc Mercelina.
PHILIPSBURG--Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina said on Wednesday that he is cognizant of the
impact that the current energy crisis is having on consumers and as a result he has been engaged
in discussions with utilities company GEBE to see what relief is possible for clients.
He made the remarks in response to a question from The Daily Herald during the live Council
of Ministers press briefing.
“We realise that the people of St. Maarten have suffered from this energy crisis. There is no
discussion about that. We realise completely that not only the individuals have suffered in their
quality of life, but also the country and its economy and its development has been disturbed by
the crisis that we are in with the energy supply for our people so that is a fact,” he said.
“Due to mismanagement in the past, GEBE’s financial status is not the best and we know that
too. So, we are of course discussing and seeing and evaluating if there are possibilities that those
questions [about relief] that I have heard also on the street – if we can do something for the
people that have been suffering in this country,” he said.
“I have discussed this proposal with GEBE and it has some challenges,” he said, adding that
challenges include requesting relief from a company that has a vulnerable financial status.
“Seeing that this request is outside there, I discussed that preliminarily with GEBE and we are
talking about it. Nothing has been established. Nothing has been promised, but of course as you
feel it, I feel it too. Your concerns I have too. Realizing the financial challenges of my people in St
Maarten, the same as you are encountering on the street so of course as the Prime Minister of St
Maarten, I have to look and see if there is an option that we can do something for the people that
have been suffering not this year, but more than a year already of this crisis of GEBE. It’s not
something that started in May, this started more than a year ago. We are discussing what options
are possible,” he said
https://www.thedailyherald.sx/islands/mercelina-discussing-what-relief-is-possible-for-gebe-consumers
