PHILIPSBURG — Member of Parliament and leader of the National Alliance Silveria Jacobs wants answers from Prime Minister Luc Mercelina about the situation at utilities company GEBE and about the energy crisis that has resulted in endless power cuts during the past couple of weeks.
In a letter to PM Mercelina, MP Jacobs questions the recruitment of a new management team by the supervisory board of directors. “The recruitment was in its final stages in May; has it been completed?” she asked.
Jacobs refers to Mercelina’s energy crisis address in which he suggested interim appointments for the new management team. “Will the newly recruited managers be appointed on an interim basis or does the Council of Ministers intend to appoint its own candidates, potentially constituting political interference?”
Mercelina acknowledged in his address on August 10 that the deterioration of the country’s energy supply is due to the “politicizing of appointments and dismissals of management.”
The PM said that currently, with four of its ten generators out of commission, the company can only produce 65 percent of the peak demand of 57 MegaWatt.
His explanation: “I know that many are asking how we got to this point. The reality is that the irresponsible actions of past governments have led us to where we are today.”
Jacobs claims that the outgoing government coalition is stalling the process. “This raises serious questions about the application of proper corporate governance.”
The MP refers in her letter furthermore to a report from the Integrity Chamber that highlighted “the detrimental impact frequent changes in government and boards over the years have had on GEBE’s decision making. “It is concerning that the current government appears to either misunderstand or chooses to disregard corporate governance regulations, potentially continuing the cycle of a chaotic and unstable environment.”
Jacobs is not buying Mercelina’s arguments. “Why is the current government allowing delays in resolving generator-related problems?”
Jacobs refers to “a supporting member of parliament” who introduced “a new company that clearly did not meet the required standards.”
In June MP Christopher Emmanuel contacted an unnamed company in Trinidad about the possibility to deliver containerizes generators to St. Maarten.
“Such actions suggest a troubling level of political interference and a disregard for corporate governance principles,” Jacobs wrote in her letter to PM Mercelina.
The National Alliance-leader poses five questions to the Prime Minister. Primarily, she wants to hear something about the impact of loadsheddding (read: power cuts) and the perspective for the next three months. She also asked about the status of GEBE’s strategic business plan, and the involvement of the Corporate Governance Council with the appointment of candidates for management positions.
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Related news:Letter MP Silveria Jacobs to PM Luc Mercelina about NV GEBEKey facts in letter MP Jacobs to PM Mercelina about NV GEBE
Interviews MPs about GEBE situation:MP DoranMP MarlinMP Jacobs
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