PM Dr. Luc Mercelina.
PHILIPSBURG--Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina said on Wednesday that he is cognizant of the impact that the current energy crisis is having on consumers and as a result he has been engaged in discussions with utilities company GEBE to see what relief is possible for clients.
He made the remarks in response to a question from The Daily Herald during the live Council of Ministers press briefing.
“We realise that the people of St. Maarten have suffered from this energy crisis. There is no discussion about that. We realise completely that not only the individuals have suffered in their quality of life, but also the country and its economy and its development has been disturbed by the crisis that we are in with the energy supply for our people so that is a fact,” he said.
“Due to mismanagement in the past, GEBE’s financial status is not the best and we know that too. So, we are of course discussing and seeing and evaluating if there are possibilities that those questions [about relief] that I have heard also on the street – if we can do something for the people that have been suffering in this country,” he said.
“I have discussed this proposal with GEBE and it has some challenges,” he said, adding that challenges include requesting relief from a company that has a vulnerable financial status.
“Seeing that this request is outside there, I discussed that preliminarily with GEBE and we are talking about it. Nothing has been established. Nothing has been promised, but of course as you feel it, I feel it too. Your concerns I have too. Realizing the financial challenges of my people in St Maarten, the same as you are encountering on the street so of course as the Prime Minister of St Maarten, I have to look and see if there is an option that we can do something for the people that have been suffering not this year, but more than a year already of this crisis of GEBE. It’s not something that started in May, this started more than a year ago. We are discussing what options are possible,” he said.
