Emmanuel: Replace GEBE board with one that has a clear vision for sustainable energy, Says opposition on the wrong side of history

GREAT BAY--Former MP and Leader of the Nation Opportunity Wealth (NOW) party Christophe Emmanuel is urging Prime Minister Luc Mercelina to ensure that any new GEBE board comes with a clear vision for sustainable energy development based on the directives of the shareholder, who must also present a plan for a susainable energy future. Emmanuel stressed that dismissal without direction would only repeat a cycle of drift, higher bills, and recurring suffering.

“The Prime Minister and Council of Ministers cannot install a new board, and keep the same conversation about new generators, heavy fuel, and light fuel. That would not change the cost structure that punishes households and businesses. They have to have a clear vision and it should be presented to the public.”

Emmanuel also cautioned the opposition parties in Parliament, warning that those encouraging the current GEBE board to stay are “on the wrong side of history.” He said it is irresponsible to incite a board to remain in place after essentially receiving a vote of no confidence from the shareholder. “You don’t own the company, you don’t,” he said, adding that the only credible response to the shareholder’s request for resignations is to step aside and make way for a reset that serves the people. The opposition, Emmanuel continued, should instead be pressing the Prime Minister for results:

“The responsible move, he says, is to force the debate where it belongs, policy and delivery. In effect, the opposition should tell the Prime Minister ok, you asked the board to resign, you now fully own this issue. We expect results for the people, what is your plan, and what is the plan of the new board?” Emmanuel insists this is an argument the opposition will never win if it centers on keeping a damaged board in place rather than demanding a credible path that lowers bills and stabilizes supply.

While Emmanuel does not back the sitting government on many issues, he agrees with the Prime Minister’s move to call for the supervisory board’s dismissal, noting that the board has lost the public’s confidence and worsened its own position by shifting all responsibility back to government without substantiation. According to Emmanuel, that stance not only undermines the board’s authority, but renders its very existence “useless.”

His call for a reset is rooted in two decades of lessons. He pointed to the early 2000s Intaquin affair, where politics derailed a sewage and water solution that could have left the island in a far better position today. He admitted he opposed the Intaquin arrangement at the time for political reasons, a decision he has since reflected on as a mistake. He also cited his 2017 waste-to-energy initiative as another opportunity lost to politics. That project, backed by an MOU with EnviroGreen for a 9.3-megawatt plant on Pond Island, never materialized, leaving the landfill crisis unresolved and households burdened by high energy costs.

"The island lost another chance to pivot away from an unsustainable status quo. "Politics keeps getting in the way of progress at GEBE, and the price is being paid every month by residents who must subsidize basic necessities to keep the lights on."

For Emmanuel, the path forward is neither complicated nor out of reach. He has urged government to bring the Dutch to the table to co-finance renewable energy, pointing specifically to near-shore wind as an immediate option. Six turbines alone, he argued, could produce 48 megawatts, nearly the island’s total capacity. “Here’s your solution,” he said. “We just need to turn the page and think different.”

"Match resources to a phased build, publish a timeline and grid impact for each tranche, and train the technical workforce GEBE will need to operate a diversified system. In his view, Sint Maarten lives in an environment where the resources are freely available, wind, sun, waste streams that can be valorized. The island should stop cutting off its nose to spite its face, stop circling the same arguments about diesel and heavy fuel, and stop burdening people with bills that force them to choose between electricity and essentials."

He coupled that with accountability, pointing to the recent tariff evaluation as a “damning report” that exposed years of surcharges and fuel cost allocations without study, footprint, or calculation. Such practices, he warned, could open GEBE to litigation from large users. Emmanuel stressed that the next board must address these failures head-on and operate under a transparent roadmap. "No study, no basic footprint, no calculation,” on key surcharges. He faults the current board for not squarely addressing those issues in their public defense. "The point, again, is not to re-litigate yesterday, it is to ensure that tomorrow’s board has a mandate and a plan that the shareholder, Parliament, and the public can track in real time."

“Do not replace one board with another that shares the same blind spots,” Emmanuel said. “Do not default to the same procurement reflexes. Present a public plan that moves the country out of heavy fuel dependence, segment by segment, and be prepared to be measured against it.”

His warning to the opposition was equally clear: stop defending the indefensible, stop playing politics with a national crisis, and push for outcomes that lower bills and stabilize supply. “In short,” Emmanuel concluded, “move the board, then move the island forward.”

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