A message to the people of St. Maarten

Dear Fellow St. Maarteners,

As your consumer protection advocates, ACP-SXM stands firmly with every resident who has felt the weight of rising utility costs, unexplained charges, and years of governance concerns at NV GEBE. Your frustration is valid. Your voices deserve to be heard. And we will continue to fight — through every legal, institutional, and democratic channel available — until accountability is delivered.

However, we must pause and speak plainly about something that troubles us deeply.

In recent days, commentary directed at GEBE management on social media and in public spaces has crossed a line — from righteous advocacy into personal attacks, name-calling, character defamation, and language that incites hatred. We cannot, in good conscience, remain silent about this.

We urge every citizen of St. Maarten: STAND DOWN from hateful and distasteful commentary.

And let us be clear — it is absolutely OK to be passionate. It is OK to be emotional. When bills are unaffordable, when the lights go out, when you feel unheard by institutions that are supposed to serve you — of course you feel something. Passion and emotion are not the enemy. They are the fuel of every great movement for change. The civil rights marches were emotional. The fight for workers' rights was emotional. Passion, channeled with purpose, moves mountains.

What we must never allow, however, is for that passion to curdle into hatred — or for our emotions to become weapons aimed at the humanity of another person.

Here is why this matters:

✦ Our cause is just — and it must remain above reproach. When we resort to personal attacks and slander, we hand our opponents the ammunition to dismiss the real issues: the USD 6.9 million overcharge, the governance vacuum, the lack of tariff transparency. Do not let anger derail accountability.

✦ Every individual — regardless of their professional role or the controversy surrounding it — retains their dignity as a human being. Disagreement with management decisions is not a license to dehumanize anyone.

✦ Libel and slander carry legal consequences. Protect yourself. Speak truth, speak facts, and speak with evidence — not emotion-driven accusations that cannot be substantiated.

✦ We are building something lasting. A consumer protection movement rooted in hate cannot build a better Sint Maarten. We must model the standard we wish to see in our institutions.

Feel deeply. Speak boldly. Keep your commentary focused on transparency, integrity, policy, performance, governance, and accountability. Challenge decisions. Demand transparency. Ask hard questions. March. Petition. Organize. These are the tools of a dignified and powerful people.

But let us do so with the grace, integrity, and resilience that define who we are as a people.

We are One People. One Community. One Voice — and that voice must always reflect our highest values.

In solidarity and service,

Peggy-Ann Richardson

President, Association for Consumer Protection Sint Maarten (ACP-SXM)

For the Board and Members of ACP-SXM

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