Prime Minister leaves legality question to the courts, confirms integrity meeting remains adjourned and proposes December deadline for ministries’ legislative priorities.
PHILIPSBURG:--- Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina told Parliament that GEBE expects to introduce a permanent collection policy in June 2027, while the utility currently operates under a temporary policy that includes disconnections.
Returning to answer MPs’ follow-up questions during the November 6 debate on the 2027 draft budget, Mercelina said GEBE had cited existing connection terms and conditions as its authority to disconnect customers. However, he declined to pronounce on whether the practice was lawful, saying that determination belonged to the judiciary.
The Prime Minister also confirmed that the parliamentary meeting on integrity allegations had been adjourned, not concluded, and acknowledged that proposed participation and dividend policies for government-owned companies had not yet been formally approved or implemented.
His clarification round provided additional timelines and commitments, but left the financial impact of the new generators, permanent collection safeguards and several governance reforms awaiting further work.
Permanent GEBE policy still months away
MP Sjamira Roseburg had returned to the disconnection issue after earlier assurances that a policy was nearing completion.
She also offered a draft that could help establish clearer rules and protections for vulnerable consumers.
Mercelina welcomed that offer and said he looked forward to receiving the document so it could be discussed at a future GEBE shareholders’ meeting.
He then relayed the utility’s current position.
“GEBE has indicated that the company presently works with a temporary collection policy which includes disconnections,” he said.
According to the Prime Minister, GEBE had informed government that a permanent collection policy would follow in June 2027.
That answer placed the anticipated permanent framework several months beyond the current budget debate. Mercelina did not announce a suspension of disconnections pending its completion or outline the detailed protections that the final policy would contain.
Customers directed to GEBE for reconnection assistance
Responding to MP Darryl York, Mercelina said the utility had indicated that disconnected customers, including seniors, could visit GEBE to work toward reconnection.
The Prime Minister did not specify eligibility criteria, payment requirements, processing deadlines or guarantees of reconnection.
His statement therefore described assistance GEBE said it would provide, rather than an automatic reconnection entitlement or a blanket exemption for vulnerable customers.
The temporary policy, he added, had previously been shared with Parliament.
Courts must determine legality, Prime Minister says
York had asked what authority GEBE was using to disconnect customers and whether disconnections could be lawful without a completed permanent policy.
Mercelina called those “correct questions” and said GEBE had cited Articles 5, 9, 10 and 11 of its existing terms and conditions of connection and rates.
He said those terms and conditions dated from the Netherlands Antilles period.
However, he distinguished the company’s stated basis for acting from an authoritative legal determination.
“The question whether this practice is lawful is not for government to answer,” Mercelina said. “Such will be for the judiciary to answer.”
His response did not establish that disconnections were unlawful, nor did it provide Parliament with a government legal assessment to resolve the concerns raised by MPs.
No change in position on shareholder inquiry
Roseburg also requested the Council of Ministers’ current position on initiating an inquiry procedure concerning GEBE through its role as shareholder.
Mercelina said the Council’s position had not changed.
He did not announce that an inquiry would be initiated or provide a new timetable for reconsideration.
The response followed Roseburg’s repeated calls for government to examine how the utility’s problems developed rather than wait for action by another institution.
Generator specifications promised immediately
Responding to MP Francisco Lacroes, Mercelina committed to sending Parliament the specifications of the generators ordered for GEBE.
He said the information would be forwarded in writing directly after his answers.
However, the question of what the investment would ultimately cost residents remained outstanding.
Mercelina said he had forwarded that question to GEBE and would ask the VROMI Minister to provide a written response once the total calculation had been completed.
He did not present a quantified effect on electricity tariffs, household bills or other consumer charges during this clarification round.
LNG not preferred under the assumptions reviewed
On fuel options, Mercelina said GEBE’s least-cost planning had not identified liquefied natural gas as the preferred option under the assumptions examined.
He cited the significant infrastructure investment required and concerns about cost-effectiveness.
The government was also awaiting the outcome of the port’s assessment of LNG opportunities in the maritime sector, he said.
The Prime Minister maintained that viable diversification options would continue to be evaluated for their contribution to energy security, affordability and sustainability.
His response did not amount to a permanent rejection of LNG, but it also did not announce an approved LNG conversion program.
Fuel-cost cap remains a proposal for discussion
Lacroes also sought the Prime Minister’s position on a proposal to cap fuel costs at 30 cents per kilowatt-hour and provide space for additional fuel tanks.
Mercelina acknowledged the proposal and thanked MP Christopher Wever for raising it.
He said the Council of Ministers would consider specific proposals from the TEATT and VROMI ministers.
The government needed to be both realistic and creative in working with GEBE, SOL and other stakeholders on rising energy costs, he said.
He did not endorse an operational cap, identify financing for it or announce an implementation date.
RAC/BTP questions directed to TEATT
MP Sarah Wescot-Williams asked whether the change in GEBE’s designated government point of contact meant her questions about implementing the RAC/BTP recommendations should now go to VROMI.
Mercelina said TEATT Minister Grisha Heyliger-Marten had addressed the matter earlier that day and that further questions about the report could be directed to her.
The answer identified TEATT as the appropriate route for those regulatory recommendations, despite VROMI’s broader coordinating role concerning GEBE.
Corporate-governance policies remain unapproved
Mercelina acknowledged that the government’s participation and dividend policies had advanced, with an implementation plan prepared for phased introduction.
The draft framework included proposals for quarterly reporting by government-owned companies to government and annual reporting by the Finance Ministry to Parliament.
Restructuring options also formed part of the proposed approach.
“At the same time, the policies have not yet been formally approved and implemented,” he said.
Draft corporate-governance legislation was still being assessed for its financial implications, required expertise, staffing and institutional capacity.
His response therefore distinguished policy preparation from an operational framework already binding the government’s management of its company interests.
GEBE autonomy depends on established responsibilities
York asked whether the shareholder could prevent GEBE’s management from making a significant investment.
Mercelina rejected a simple yes-or-no characterization.
He said the answer depended on the articles of incorporation, corporate-governance framework, delegated authority, financing arrangements and applicable approval requirements.
“The shareholder’s role is not to manage the day-to-day affairs of the company or to substitute itself for the management board,” he said.
Where an investment fell within management and supervisory-board authority, those bodies should exercise their responsibilities. Where shareholder approval was required, government should act through the established mechanisms.
Mercelina maintained that GEBE already possessed significant autonomy. In his view, the issue was consistent observance of each body’s role rather than an inherent defect in the governance structure.
Integrity meeting was adjourned
York also requested a direct clarification on the status of the parliamentary integrity meeting.
Mercelina answered that it had been adjourned.
That clarification followed his earlier response emphasizing that he had already appeared before Parliament and answered questions.
The latest answer confirmed that his participation had not meant the parliamentary proceedings were concluded. He did not provide a resumption date in this exchange.
December 1 proposed for legislative priorities
Responding to Roseburg’s demand for a consolidated legislative agenda, Mercelina said General Affairs had requested, but had not yet received, priorities from all ministries.
He had placed the matter on the agenda of the next Council of Ministers meeting.
His proposal would require each ministry to confirm its three legislative priorities for 2027 by December 1, 2026.
He would then inform Parliament of the calendar covering the resulting 21 priorities.
The December 1 date was presented as his proposal to the Council, rather than a deadline he had already confirmed as collectively adopted.
Legal support pool will work through the local department
Mercelina further clarified that ministries would not submit their legislative agendas directly to the TWO.
Requests for assistance would go through the Department of Legal Affairs and Legislation, which would coordinate with the external experts and the TWO where necessary.
Experts would work with the department’s legal advisers, while the department retained the final review.
The pool would assist with legal advice, legislation, national decrees and contracts. Responsibility for preparing and submitting legislation would remain with the ministries concerned.
The Prime Minister described the arrangement as additional external capacity supporting the existing system, rather than a transfer of local authority.
SER amendment welcomed; regional update expected in 2027
On the stalled Social Economic Council appointments, Mercelina said he was open to reviewing and discussing Wescot-Williams’s draft amendment.
He agreed a structural solution was needed and said he was willing to work with Parliament.
He did not commit to a particular amendment or legislative submission date.
On regional cooperation, Mercelina said Parliament could expect an update containing proposed actions and indicative timelines in the second quarter of 2027.
He also confirmed that engagement concerning membership in the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States was being considered.
Police-station assistance still requires follow-up
Roseburg sought a clearer explanation of the Netherlands’ response to the earlier request for assistance concerning police-station conditions.
Mercelina again said the then State Secretary had not responded positively and said he intended to raise the matter with the new officeholder.
He did not read a response, explain whether there had been a formal rejection, or announce secured assistance.
The clarification round thus provided firmer information—particularly the June 2027 expectation for GEBE’s permanent collection policy and the status of the integrity meeting—while leaving several practical outcomes dependent on calculations, Cabinet decisions, legal review, and future discussions.
