MPs push back on Minister Gumbs’ answers, Doran says Govt acts like it “does absolutely nothing wrong”

GREAT BAY--Members of Parliament pushed back against Minister of VROMI Patrice Gumbs Jr.’s responses in Parliament, with MP Egbert Doran stating that the current government appears to believe it “does absolutely nothing wrong” and that everyone else is always at fault.

Doran made the remark after Minister Gumbs defended the Ministry’s handling of the failed garbage tender process and explained the reasons several bidders were disqualified. According to Doran, the Minister’s responses gave the impression that the failures rested almost entirely with contractors and bidders, while Government accepted little to no responsibility for what went wrong.

“Basically, the Minister is saying the Government did absolutely nothing wrong during this entire process,” Doran said, adding that this appears to be “the perfect government.” He argued that no administration is flawless and that the public deserves accountability, not explanations that place blame elsewhere.

Doran said the issue is larger than the tender itself. He linked the Minister’s responses to what he described as a broader pattern of Government avoiding responsibility while residents continue to face unresolved problems, including garbage collection concerns, road repairs, unpaid service providers, and the lack of clear relief on GEBE bills.

Following the Minister’s presentation, MP Doran said he was not satisfied with the level of detail provided, particularly on the solid waste tender and the supporting documents referenced by the Minister. Doran said the Minister came to Parliament knowing questions had been asked more than a month earlier, yet several documents, appendices and supporting details were not available to Members during the meeting.

Doran said this made it difficult for Parliament to properly follow or verify the Minister’s explanation, especially where the Minister referred to tender appendices and evaluation details that had not yet been provided. He said Parliament should not be placed in a position where it has to “imagine” that what is being said is accurate without having the documents in front of it.

The MP also raised concerns about inconsistencies in the Minister’s explanations on payments, road repairs and wastewater infrastructure. He referred specifically to questions surrounding outstanding payments to service provider Derek Fleming, saying the issue should not be framed as a problem inherited from 2021 when the service provider had reportedly continued to be paid in subsequent years until the current administration. Doran said the focus should be on why payment is delayed now and how the matter will be resolved.

Doran further questioned the Minister’s statement regarding the use of a contractor’s compactor at the landfill while payment questions remain unresolved. He asked what legal basis is being used in that case and suggested that Government appears to be applying different standards in different situations.

On wastewater infrastructure, Doran challenged the Minister’s statement that the Ministry was unaware of a US $15 million investment connected to sewage house connections from Guana Bay. He referenced a previous public announcement involving a US $25 million wastewater project, which included US $10 million in grant funding and US $15 million from the capital investment budget. Doran said it was difficult to accept that the Minister would not know which investment was being referenced, particularly since the project had been publicly presented.

Doran also criticized the lack of responses to outstanding letters and requests for information from Parliament. He said MPs cannot properly carry out their oversight role if ministers and ministries do not respond to written questions, meeting requests and requests for documentation.

MP Sjamira Roseburg took a different approach, thanking the Minister for acknowledging that some areas within the Ministry could have been handled better. She said accountability is necessary because the Minister now carries responsibility for the Ministry, regardless of whether some problems originated in the past.

Referring to Fleming Waste Solutions, Roseburg said her main concern was clarity on the issue of work performed for Government where there may be questions about whether a formal contract existed. She said if services were provided to the country, then the question becomes how those services were authorized, under what conditions they were paid in the past, and what documents exist to explain the arrangement.

She requested all available documentation, policies and records related to the matter involving Mr. Fleming and his company, including any contract or, if no contract exists, the documents that explain the basis on which the work was performed and payments were made. Roseburg said she did not want to draw conclusions based on assumptions or public commentary and preferred to review the facts herself.

MP Ardwell Irion strongly challenged Roseburg’s position, saying Government should not use the absence of a formal contract as a reason to delay or avoid paying smaller service providers when work was requested and carried out. Irion said the issue reflects a broader pattern in which Government finds ways to pay certain entities while raising legal or administrative obstacles when others are seeking payment.

Irion said Mr. Fleming did not simply volunteer to perform work, but was asked by Government to provide a service. He argued that the focus should be on ensuring payment for work done, rather than creating new hurdles for someone he described as a small man trying to collect what is owed.

Irion also criticized what he described as a lack of action on garbage collection and district cleaning after the cancellation or non-extension of roadside and district cleaning contracts. He said communities are complaining daily about garbage and unkempt areas, and he accused the Ministry of repeatedly offering explanations instead of visible solutions.

MP Lyndon Lewis used his response to reaffirm his earlier motion of no confidence against Minister Gumbs. Lewis said that since filing the motion on April 1, 2026, he had not seen significant improvement in areas such as pothole repairs, housing, garbage, car wreck removal, public service delivery, and relief for the people of St. Maarten.

Lewis said answering questions in Parliament is one thing, but executing on behalf of the public is another. He said the country needs visible results and that the people are tired of explanations that do not lead to meaningful change.

He said his role as an MP is to hold ministers accountable and not to protect political relationships. Lewis said the public placed MPs in Parliament to defend the country’s interests, not to preserve a coalition at the expense of service delivery. He stressed that the issue is not about opposition versus coalition, but about whether Government is functioning for the people of St. Maarten.

Lewis said if a minister is not performing, Parliament must be willing to act. He warned that failing to address poor performance harms the people and weakens public trust in elected representatives. MP Omar Ottley interrupted briefly to say he fully agreed with Lewis’ statement that the country must come before coalition interests.

MP Darryl York also weighed in on the issue of documentation requested by MPs. He said he had no objection to documents being shared, but stressed that the same standard must apply across ministries and meetings. York said he has requested similar documents from various ministers over the past year and a half and was often told they were confidential or could not be provided.

York said if documents such as contracts, policies and related records are now going to be shared, Parliament should make a clear note of what is being requested and what will be provided. He said the principle must be “rule for one, rule for all,” and warned against creating a situation where documents are provided in one case but withheld in others.

The meeting was adjourned with the understanding that the Minister would provide additional documentation and respond to outstanding questions at a continuation date to be set.

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