~Government operating with roughly 60 percent staffing; no AI policy; critical regulations have no firm timelines; firefighters remain unpaid; and VROMI-related reforms still lack measurable public targets~
PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina’s responses to clarification questions during the 2026 budget debate exposed a government struggling with severe staff shortages, delayed implementation, missing policies and uncertain timelines, while fundamental questions remain about whether ministries such as Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) possess the capacity to execute the projects placed before Parliament.
The Prime Minister acknowledged that government is “severely understaffed” and operating at approximately 60 percent of its required staffing level. He conceded that filling all budgeted vacancies before the end of 2026 would be difficult and that some vacancies may have to be carried over into 2027.
That admission goes to the heart of the budget debate.
Parliament is being asked to approve millions of guilders for policies, projects, infrastructure and institutional reforms. However, the Prime Minister has now confirmed that the government machinery responsible for executing those plans is operating with approximately 40 percent of its positions unfilled.
The unavoidable question is whether the 2026 budget represents a realistic programme of work or a list of ambitions that an understaffed government may be unable to deliver.
VROMI’s responsibilities cannot be separated from the capacity crisis
The capacity problem is particularly serious for VROMI, one of the ministries responsible for some of the country’s most visible and urgent challenges.
Roads, drainage, government buildings, spatial planning, domain land, waste management, public infrastructure, permits, environmental protection, procurement and major public works all depend heavily on VROMI’s ability to prepare, tender, supervise and complete projects.
The budget clarification record identifies VROMI-related country-package projects under measure E7.
If the Prime Minister is warning that government may not fill even half of its vacancies before year-end, Parliament must be told how that shortage will affect VROMI’s ability to deliver.
Prime Minister identifies procurement and contract management as weaknesses
Mercelina said that “putting the foundation in order” means strengthening the civil service, improving recruitment and retention, modernizing government systems, strengthening legislative capacity, improving financial management and professionalizing procurement and contract management.
Those areas are directly relevant to VROMI.
The ministry controls or participates in major public projects requiring transparent tendering, sound contract administration, technical supervision and careful management of public funds.
The Prime Minister also acknowledged that many of the country’s difficulties stem not from a lack of policy, but from limited execution capacity.
That may be one of the most important admissions made during the budget debate.
Government can prepare policies, announce projects, and allocate funds in the budget. However, without enough qualified personnel, functioning procurement systems, complete regulations and clear implementation schedules, those announcements may not translate into completed work.
The public cannot drive on a policy document. Flooding cannot be prevented by budget speech. Garbage cannot be collected through an institutional-reform presentation. Government buildings cannot be repaired by promises to “strengthen capacity.”
VROMI must therefore provide measurable deliverables, responsible officials, procurement schedules and completion dates.
Government has no AI policy
The Prime Minister also confirmed that government currently has no artificial-intelligence policy.
The admission followed questions about whether government officials or cabinet members may be uploading confidential documents to personal AI platforms and whether such conduct is permitted.
Mercelina did not provide a policy because none exists.
That creates serious governance and information-security concerns. Government handles personal information, legal advice, personnel records, procurement documents, land files, building plans, financial information, and other confidential material.
For VROMI, the risks could include sensitive tender documents, architectural drawings, domain-land records, permit applications and information relating to contractors and property owners.
Who is protecting that information while government develops a policy?
Are civil servants currently permitted to upload government documents to public AI systems?
Has the government assessed whether confidential information has already been shared through such platforms?
Those questions require direct answers, not another future policy announcement.
Critical regulations still have no firm timeline
Questions about regulating the electricity sector produced another troubling response.
The Prime Minister said there is no specific timeline for preparing the national decree containing general measures under the Electricity Ordinance. He stated that TEATT intends to present a draft for review by the Ministry of General Affairs within three months.
An intention is not a legally binding deadline.
The regulatory framework affects tariff oversight, transparency, and consumer protection. Government has repeatedly pointed to stronger regulation as part of its long-term response to high energy costs, yet Parliament was again given no firm implementation date.
At the same time, NV GEBE reportedly informed government that it could not provide a timeline for completing and publishing its disconnection policy. The Prime Minister said the government is discussing the matter with GEBE to establish a timeline as soon as possible.
Consumers therefore remain confronted with two uncertainties: no confirmed completion date for the disconnection policy and no specific timeline for the regulation necessary to strengthen electricity-sector oversight.
Firefighters are still waiting to be paid
The Prime Minister also confirmed that firefighters have not yet received payments related to their placement process and agreement with the government.
According to Mercelina, the placement process and final calculation of the financial consequences are still being completed. The government hopes that unfilled vacancies will create sufficient room within the 2026 personnel budget to cover at least part, if not all, of the obligation.
If that is insufficient, government may have to pursue a budget mutation or amendment.
The commitment may remain unchanged, but the firefighters are still unpaid.
That again illustrates the distance between political agreements and implementation.
One minister received vacation payout
Mercelina confirmed that Finance Minister Marinka Gumbs requested and received payment for unused vacation days from 2024 and 2025 under the legal framework governing political officeholders.
He stressed that ministers and civil servants fall under different legal arrangements.
For civil servants, including questions raised concerning ambulance workers, the Prime Minister cited a 2006 policy establishing that unused vacation days generally should not be paid. However, the policy allows limited consideration where leave was refused or withdrawn because of urgent service interests.
Government must now explain whether essential frontline workers who were prevented from taking leave because of staff shortages qualify under that exception and, if not, why not.
Progress must be measured by results
Mercelina defended his position that the government has made progress. He pointed to the establishment of a government training center, the training of more than 1,000 civil servants, modernization of human-resource systems, improvements in disaster management, and the development of digital-government initiatives.
Those efforts may strengthen government internally, but the public will ultimately judge progress by results.
Are roads being repaired?
Is drainage being maintained?
Are longstanding VROMI projects being completed?
Are permits being processed more efficiently?
Are procurement procedures becoming more transparent?
Are utility consumers receiving regulatory protection?
Are firefighters being paid?
Are government departments answering correspondence?
Training programmes and modernization projects are valuable only if they result in better public services.
Parliament needs a VROMI delivery schedule
The Prime Minister has now placed government’s capacity problem squarely on the public record. The next step must be full disclosure from every ministry, particularly VROMI.
Parliament should demand a project-by-project VROMI implementation schedule identifying:
- Each project budgeted for 2026;
- Its approved allocation;
- Its current procurement or execution stage;
- The department and official responsible;
- The expected start and completion dates;
- The vacancies affecting implementation;
- The contracts have already been awarded;
- The amounts already spent; and
- The projects are likely to be delayed until 2027.
Without that information, Parliament cannot properly determine whether VROMI’s budget is executable.
The Prime Minister has repeatedly said his government is “putting the foundation in order.” But roads, drainage, waste management, public buildings and development controls are themselves part of the country’s foundation.
Sint Maarten cannot continue approving budgets filled with projects while accepting staff shortages, uncertain regulations, unpublished policies and missing timelines as routine explanations for delayed execution.
The Prime Minister has acknowledged the weaknesses. VROMI must now demonstrate, with dates and measurable deliverables, how it intends to overcome them.
