Doran: High GEBE bills are breeding poverty, government has an execution problem

GREAT BAY--Member of Parliament Egbert Doran has accused government of allowing high utility bills and poor execution to deepen financial hardship in St. Maarten, warning that even middle-class households are being pushed into debt simply to keep up with basic expenses.

During the 2026 budget debate, Doran said residents continue hearing announcements, promises and explanations about relief, but are seeing little difference when their GEBE bills arrive or when they confront the wider cost of living.

He gave the example of someone he personally knows who, he said, recently took out a 10,000 loan simply to pay a GEBE account.

“What are we creating?” Doran asked. “We are creating poverty. We are breeding poverty here in this country.”

He warned that a household forced to borrow to settle one utility bill can quickly become trapped in a cycle of servicing one debt before taking on another.

Doran said that example involved someone he would consider middle class and questioned what lower-income households are experiencing under the same conditions.

“The people need relief, Mr. Chairman, and they need it now,” he said.

‘VROMI Does Not Have a Money Problem, It Has an Execution Problem’

Doran also strongly criticized the Ministry of VROMI, rejecting suggestions that finances are the primary reason road repairs and other projects are moving slowly.

“VROMI does not have a money problem. VROMI has an execution problem,” he said.

Doran, a former VROMI minister, claimed that no new road repair bid has been executed since he left office in 2024 and said the last such bid was carried out during his tenure.

He questioned how long government intends to continue studying and investigating problems before moving into implementation, recalling that the current VROMI minister had previously spoken about spending part of the term assessing problems before moving to execution.

According to Doran, residents cannot continue waiting while roads deteriorate, traffic worsens and basic infrastructure projects remain incomplete.

He also pointed to figures provided during the budget process showing that only five of 155 building permit applications received in 2026 had moved out of pending status, calling the situation unacceptable and another example of severe execution problems within the ministry.

Doran asked when the proposed Road Fund will become operational and whether government intends to continue a second phase of the hard-surfacing project for side roads that began during his tenure.

GEBE Relief Must Be Felt, Not Announced

Doran repeatedly returned to electricity costs, saying government cannot continue asking the public for patience without producing measurable relief.

He questioned the calculation of GEBE’s fuel clause and asked who independently verifies the figures used to determine what consumers pay.

Doran referred to the hundreds of pages reportedly submitted to the Bureau Telecommunications and Post, BTP, concerning the fuel-cost calculation and said he wants to see the documentation and understand the methodology.

His broader concern, he said, is that government announcements about generators, financing and future improvements do not help households struggling with bills today.

“Promises of relief, we keep hearing about. We cannot feel it,” Doran said.

He urged government to deliver on commitments that utility costs will become more manageable rather than continuing to announce measures whose benefits residents have yet to experience.

Doran Calls for Stronger Price Controls

The MP also called for an update of St. Maarten’s regulated basket of goods, arguing that the existing system does not adequately protect consumers.

Doran said price controls have been an important issue for him since the beginning of his public career and questioned how many inspections have been conducted this year, how many violations were found and how many businesses were sanctioned.

He argued that the current basket is too dependent on specified brands and package sizes, creating situations where importers can say the regulated product is simply not among the goods they import.

Doran suggested that government regulate categories of essential products more broadly rather than limiting controls to particular brands and sizes.

He asked the Minister of TEATT to revisit the basket of goods as one practical measure that could help control everyday living costs.

Questions on Government Finances

Doran also questioned how government can report a strong financial position while residents, vendors and civil servants continue waiting for money owed to them.

He referred to a first-quarter result of approximately 39 million positive, while noting that government has indicated it could finish the year with considerably less unrestricted cash available.

He asked where the money is expected to go between now and December and why, if government’s financial performance is improving, some vendors remain unpaid and eligible workers are still waiting on outstanding payments.

The MP also challenged government to identify new revenue-generating measures actually contained in the 2026 budget, arguing that many initiatives discussed in previous years remain unfinished.

Among these, he pointed again to the proposed tourist tax and questioned when the required legislation will finally reach Parliament.

‘We Have to Execute’

Doran said St. Maarten has developed a pattern of announcing studies, monitoring exercises and plans without moving quickly enough to implementation.

“One thing with this government, they’re good at studying and monitoring,” he said. “We have to execute.”

He raised similar concerns about traffic management, saying government’s request for information on mobility solutions appeared to seek ideas without an accompanying budget or clear implementation timeline.

Doran asked when residents will actually see a traffic plan backed by funding and a schedule rather than another study.

His criticism extended across government, including questions about housing, healthcare, school facilities, Justice personnel, frontline worker insurance, elderly care, mental health services and longstanding legislative projects.

But he returned repeatedly to the same central argument: St. Maarten’s problem is not a shortage of announcements or ideas, but the failure to turn them into results residents can see and feel.

‘A Cockpit Without a Flight Plan’

Doran closed his contribution with an aviation analogy, describing government as sitting “in a cockpit without a flight plan.”

He said everyone in the governing coalition may have a position and something to say, but the country still appears to lack a clear direction while residents deal with high GEBE bills, poor roads, healthcare difficulties and rising living costs.

Doran urged government to respond to calls for a course correction by producing tangible results.

“If you tell the people relief is coming, deliver relief. If you tell the people their burden will become lighter, make it lighter,” he said.

He added that public trust will not come from another announcement, but from government doing what it says it will do.

“It’s time to land the promises and deliver relief,” Doran said.

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