SINT MAARTEN (GREAT BAY – ECONOMY & PUBLIC SERVICES) – No single issue consumed more parliamentary time in 2025–2026 than NV GEBE. From closed-door billing briefings in October to GEBE-related public meetings still running in June, the state utility dominated Parliament's agenda — and the questions it raised are far from answered.
When the Parliament of Sint Maarten's 2025–2026 Annual Report is read from start to finish, one name appears more than almost any other: GEBE. The government-owned utility company — responsible for electricity and water supply across the island — became a recurring political topic that wound through committee rooms, urgent public meetings, and even a petition to Parliament before the parliamentary year closed.
How It Unfolded
October 23, 2025: Members of Parliament (MPs) Dimar Labega, Viren Kotai, and Sjamira Roseburg requested a closed-door Central Committee session for a technical briefing on "GEBE's billing system and financial position." This was the first formal parliamentary intervention on GEBE in the new parliamentary year.
December 2, 2025: That closed-door session continued — this time with the Prime Minister himself, Dr. Luc Mercelina, joining along with members of GEBE's Board of Directors. The fact that the head of government was brought in to brief Parliament on a utility company signals how serious the situation had become.
January 30, 2026: The Committee of Petitions — the parliamentary body that handles formal complaints from the public — met and approved a proposal to establish an Ad Hoc Committee on Sustainable and Affordable Electricity and Water. A citizen petition about GEBE had triggered this. The committee agreed to forward a report and proposal to the Central Committee.
February 5, 2026: The Central Committee formally discussed the establishment of the GEBE Ad Hoc Committee as a standalone agenda point. The debate continued.
June 12, 2026: Public meeting no. 21 — originally adjourned from August and September 2025 — was reconvened specifically to address unresolved GEBE matters: relief measures, Supervisory Board composition, and management instability. This meeting was still going as of the report's close.
What Was at Stake
The parliamentary record identifies three specific GEBE concerns that MPs pressed repeatedly: the status and timeline of long-promised consumer relief measures; the composition and operational mandate of GEBE's Supervisory Board; and internal management challenges.
For the residents of Sint Maarten who depend on GEBE for power and water — and who have faced high rates and service reliability concerns for years — the parliamentary record confirms that their elected representatives spent an extraordinary amount of the 2025–2026-year demanding answers.
