PHILIPSBURG:--- As the countdown to the New Year begins, the people of St. Maarten are left looking back not with hope, but with profound disappointment. Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina’s first full year in office has been defined less by the solutions he promised from the campaign podium and more by a disturbing pattern of evasion, misleading statements, and administrative failure. Mercelina took office in May 2024 and to date there is no real progress.

The most glaring stain on this administration is the disgraceful treatment of our frontline workers. The ongoing go-slow action by firefighters and ambulance personnel isn't just a labor dispute; it is a direct indictment of a leader who seems to have forgotten the people who risk their lives for us.

A Crisis of Trust, Not Paperwork

The Prime Minister’s handling of the WICSU/PSU union negotiations has been nothing short of a debacle. He stood before Parliament and claimed a commitment to resolving grievances regarding retroactive pay and career progression. Yet, when pressed, the truth came out: there was no binding commitment. He lied to the unions, he misled Parliament, and he attempted to backtrack when the pressure mounted.

MP Darryl York hit the nail on the head in a recent parliamentary address that should echo into 2026. He rightly accused Dr. Mercelina of governing through email chains and "seven excuses wrapped in administrative language" rather than direct, human engagement. You cannot solve a crisis of trust with a memo. You cannot feed a family with a non-binding presentation.

The Prime Minister’s defense—that he "inherited" these problems—has worn thin. While it is true that Dr. Mercelina did not manufacture two decades of neglect, he campaigned on having the specific remedies to cure it. Instead of the surgeon we were promised, we got a tourist. After a year and seven months in office, the Prime Minister seems more accustomed to the comforts of first-class travel and per diem allowances than to the gritty reality of solving national issues.

The GEBE Debacle

The failure extends beyond the emergency services. Look no further than GEBE, the island’s sole utility company, which remains rudderless without a management board. The Supervisory Board of Directors (SBOD) submitted candidate names back in July 2024. Yet, here we are facing a new year with no appointments made by the shareholder.

Dr. Mercelina loves to speak of corporate governance, but his actions at GEBE tell a different story. He bypassed standard protocols to forcefully appoint Jeffreyson Paris as COO—a figure whose previous tenure in Curaçao ended in layoffs for questionable reasons. This hypocrisy undermines the very institutions he swore to protect.

Time for Accountability

As 2025 closes, the nation is in a precarious position. Emergency services are compromised because workers feel disrespected. Essential utilities are in limbo due to political maneuvering. The Prime Minister’s strategy of hiding behind "inherited problems" while enjoying the perks of the office is an insult to every voter who believed his campaign rhetoric.

St. Maarten deserves better than excuses. We deserve a leader who honors their words, respects our frontline heroes, and prioritizes the public good over personal comfort. Dr. Mercelina, the honeymoon is over. The time for presentations has passed. In 2026, we demand execution, accountability, and the restoration of the public trust you have so carelessly eroded.

PHILIPSBURG:--- The Secretaries General of the various Ministries, together with the Secretary General to the Council of Ministers, recently completed a compact and intensive interactive workshop facilitated by the Holiday Institute for Governance and Economics (HI). The training, titled “Public Governance Concepts and Practices: The Role of Senior Civil Servants,” commenced on November 26 and concluded on December 1, 2025.

The workshop was primarily financed by the Ministry of the Interior and Kingdom Relations (BZK) through the Temporary Work Organization (TWO) under the Country Packages, in support of ongoing efforts to strengthen public administration and improve governance practices.

While similar sessions on Public Governance were previously provided to the Council of Ministers and Parliament, this program was specifically tailored to the role and responsibilities of the Secretaries General within the Government Administration. The workshop covered several key modules, including:

• Foundations of Governance
• Policy Development and Decision-Making
• Innovation and Digital Governance
• Strategic Planning
• Trends and Challenges in Governance
• The interface between the political sphere and the civil service

According to HI president Drs. Eugene B. Holiday, the program was designed to strengthen the leadership and advisory capacities of senior civil servants, equipping them with skills to navigate complex government challenges. The workshop emphasized practical approaches grounded in internationally recognized governance best practices to support sound, consistent, and comprehensive decision-making.

Participants expressed their commitment to applying the insights gained to enhance policy consistency, strengthen their advisory roles, and improve the overall effectiveness of public service delivery. They further acknowledged the value of strengthening proactive engagement, both in their individual leadership roles and collectively through the Secretaries General (SG) Platform, to support timely and effective decision-making across the administration.

PHILIPSBURG (DCOMM):---  The Department of Communication (DCOMM) hereby informs the general public that the official Government of Sint Maarten website, www.sintmaartengov.org, is currently offline due to unforeseen technical challenges.

DCOMM adds that a technical team is working diligently to resolve the matter and restore full functionality as quickly as possible.

DCOMM understands the inconvenience this disruption causes.

While the website remains inaccessible, the public is advised to rely on the official Government of Sint Maarten social media channels and local media outlets for all urgent news, public advisories.

DCOMM would like to thank the public for their patience and cooperation as we work to bring the digital portal back online.

PHILIPSBURG: --- As Sint Maarten counts down to a new year, the state of the nation’s finances raises a serious alarm. Under the stewardship of Minister Marinka Gumbs, the Ministry of Finance has become synonymous with policy paralysis, abandoned reform, and unprecedented fiscal disorder, all at a time when the country can least afford it.

Despite holding the finance portfolio for over a year, the Minister has introduced no new tax legislation. Every substantive tax measure currently in force originates from the previous administration. Worse still, the Minister halted the structured process toward a modernized tax system that was already underway, without putting any alternative plan in place. As a result, Sint Maarten is now heading toward four consecutive years without a new tax system, forcing citizens and businesses to shoulder the burden of an outdated and inefficient framework while reform remains indefinitely stalled.

Paralysis at the Heart of Government

This legislative inertia mirrors a broader paralysis across public finance. The 2025 budget amendment arrived late, despite repeated assurances to Parliament that timelines would be respected. Even more concerning, the 2026 budget is already late, signaling a continuation of dysfunction rather than a course correction. Budgeting is the single most fundamental responsibility of any Minister of Finance, yet delays have become normalized under this administration.

Most alarming of all is the unprecedented situation in which government funds are being spent without Parliament's approved budget. This is not a minor administrative lapse. It represents a fundamental breakdown of constitutional order and parliamentary oversight. Spending without an approved budget erodes democratic control over public finances and sets a dangerous precedent that Sint Maarten cannot afford to institutionalize.

Promised Revenue, Then Silence

Against this backdrop of fiscal distress, the Minister publicly promised to introduce flyover fees as a new revenue-generating measure, presented as a way to strengthen state finances without increasing the direct tax burden on residents. Since that announcement, however, the issue has gone completely silent. No draft legislation, no implementation plan, no follow-up. Another promised revenue stream quietly disappeared, while the government continues to plead poverty.

Tax Holidays in a Broke Country

At the same time, the Minister has pushed through a significant number of tax holidays, even in cases where advisory bodies issued negative advice. This defies fiscal logic. When the government repeatedly claims it lacks the funds to meet obligations, the obvious question arises. Why is Sint Maarten giving away revenue?

Tax holidays should be exceptional and strategic. Instead, they are being granted in bulk, without transparent disclosure of their cumulative cost or how they align with a treasury already stretched thin. Every dollar waived through a tax holiday must be recovered elsewhere, usually from compliant taxpayers.

 CAPEX Approved, Execution Absent

The pattern of dysfunction extends to execution. Since 2023, capital expenditure funding has been approved for the construction of a canteen at the Receivers Office, a project the Minister herself publicly acknowledged in a press release. To date, nothing has materialized. Approval exists. Funding exists. Execution does not.

Institutional Weakness at the Central Bank

Sound fiscal management depends on strong institutions, yet Sint Maarten still lacks finalized board representation at the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten. This prolonged institutional gap weakens oversight, undermines confidence, and reflects a broader neglect of financial governance at the highest level.

Dividend Withholding Tax and Business Uncertainty

While comprehensive tax reform has been abandoned, the Minister continues to champion a dividend withholding tax, leaving the business community in a state of uncertainty. No clear framework, transition period, or economic impact assessment has been presented. Businesses are left unable to plan or invest with confidence, while policy ambiguity reigns.

Civil Servants Left Waiting

Adding to the growing strain is the mounting backlog in payments owed to civil servants. Bonuses, gratifications, and cost-of-living adjustments are already delayed, with indications that these obligations will not be settled until the second half of next year. For public servants who rely on these payments, this delay is not abstract bookkeeping. It affects household stability, morale, and trust in government. At a time when workers are continually being asked to make sacrifices, the inability to honor earned compensation underscores the depth of the fiscal mismanagement now confronting the country.

The Soul Beach Subsidy Scandal

Compounding these concerns is the Soul Beach subsidy controversy, where established procedures under the subsidy framework were not followed, despite the ordinance having been approved by the Minister herself and the Council of Ministers of Sint Maarten. When financial rules are selectively applied, public trust in governance erodes rapidly.

A Ministry Without Fiscal Direction

Taken together, the picture is unmistakable. A stalled tax system. Broken revenue promises. Excessive concessions in a cash-strapped country. Late budgets. Spending without parliamentary approval. Institutional vacancies. Selective adherence to financial rules. And public servants are left waiting for what they are already owed.

As the New Year approaches, Sint Maarten deserves more than explanations and press releases. It deserves fiscal leadership grounded in law, execution, and accountability.

 The clock is ticking.

The people are paying.

And the cost of paralysis grows by the day.