GREAT BAY--Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina described Tuesday’s official presentation of the 2027 national budget to Parliament as a historic moment, saying it is the first time since St. Maarten became a country on 10-10-10 that a national budget has been submitted both “timely and on time.”
Speaking during the formal presentation of the budget by Minister of Finance Marinka Gumbs to Chairlady of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams, Mercelina said the submission reflects not only government’s ambition, but greater discipline in the preparation of the country’s finances.
The Prime Minister addressed the two legal references governing the timing of the budget. He said the National Accountability Ordinance requires submission by the second Tuesday of September, while the Constitution refers to submission by or before September 1.
“If we follow that reference, that landsverordening, we are on time with the budget,” Mercelina said in reference to the National Accountability Ordinance. He added that under the constitutional reference, government had submitted the document “timely” to Parliament.
“Today marks history because I think since 10-10-10, it’s the first time that a national budget has been submitted timely and on time,” Mercelina said.
He stressed that the budget should not be viewed simply as a collection of financial figures, but as the legal and financial expression of government’s policy direction for the coming year.
“A budget is not only a book with some figures in,” Mercelina said. “It’s more than that. It’s about a law.”
He said the budget represents the policies government intends to pursue and ultimately should contribute to improving the lives of residents.
Mercelina said the timing of Tuesday’s presentation was also significant because it coincided with the official opening of the 2026-2027 Parliamentary Year.
“We open our parliamentary year, and on that specific day, government presents to Parliament also a budget on time, so we can actually do what has to be done for the calendar year 2027,” he said.
The Prime Minister credited Finance Minister Gumbs with driving the budget process and highlighted the introduction of policy-based budgeting as part of the approach used in preparing the 2027 document.
According to Mercelina, this is the first time government has used that technical approach in preparing the national budget.
He also said he asked that the Committee for Financial Supervision, CFT, be involved from the beginning of the process as government worked toward completing the budget within the required timeframe.
Mercelina thanked Gumbs for her “commitment and engagement” and said the process demonstrated that government could use policy-based budgeting while still meeting its deadlines.
He also credited the other ministers, their cabinets, secretaries general, department heads, policy workers and civil servants throughout government for their contribution to completing the budget.
“It’s about the civil servants that every day commits to go in the government building or other departments outside the government building to do what has to be done for us together to achieve what we did today,” Mercelina said.
He added that the budget ultimately belongs to the population rather than government.
“The budget is not a budget from government. It’s for the people. It’s from the people,” the Prime Minister said.
Mercelina said Parliament must now exercise its role by critically examining the document and providing direction before ultimately deciding whether to approve it.
He expressed confidence that the process could result in an approved financial plan that government could use to implement its policies and vision for 2027.
Chairlady of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams said the submission now places responsibility for the next stage of the process with Parliament, which will establish a schedule for handling the budget in cooperation with government.
“Of course, now it’s in Parliament’s lap,” Wescot-Williams said.
She noted that Parliament has considerably more time to consider the 2027 budget than it had during the handling of Budget 2026, which was debated and approved much later in the fiscal year.
Wescot-Williams said the earlier submission gives Parliament a stronger opportunity to meet another important financial deadline, having an approved budget before the start of the year to which it applies.
“I believe that with this submission, we are closer to also meeting the date of the Kingdom Law in terms of an approved budget, which is the fifteenth of December,” she said.
She added that the National Accountability Ordinance also provides that efforts should be made to have the national budget approved before the beginning of the fiscal year.
“Taking all of that into consideration, I think we are well on the way to having a budget for the year before the year starts, and that too would be an accomplishment,” Wescot-Williams said.
She said Parliament looks forward to working with government toward achieving that objective.
The Chairlady also used the occasion to call for greater attention to government’s reporting to Parliament on the execution of approved budgets.
She specifically pointed to Article 44 of the National Accountability Ordinance, which she said requires reporting that gives Parliament a clear view of how the budget is being implemented.
Wescot-Williams acknowledged that Parliament currently receives quarterly reports in accordance with the Kingdom Law, but said the National Accountability Ordinance calls for a specific report focused on budget execution.
She said government should give attention to that requirement, particularly now that efforts are being made to restore greater regularity to the budget cycle.
According to Wescot-Williams, Parliament should be in a position to receive such a report for 2026 by approximately November 15, followed next year by reporting on the execution of what she hopes will by then be the approved 2027 budget.
The Chairlady said Parliament and government will now establish a timeline for consideration of Budget 2027.
