MPs Kotai, Labega wants forensic audit and real relief from GEBE

GREAT BAY--Members of Parliament Viren Kotai and Dimar Labega have sounded sharp warnings in Parliament on Wednesday, insisting that GEBE’s governance and billing practices cannot be left unchecked any longer. Both MPs urged government to move past rhetoric and finger pointing, and instead deliver practical relief to the people of Sint Maarten, backed by transparency and accountability.

MP Sjamira Roseburg had earlier called for a bipartisan closed-door approach, and Kotai and Labega built on that call with detailed proposals.

MP Viren Kotai pointed directly at long-standing flaws in GEBE’s billing and governance, stating that the BTP report alone had uncovered troubling practices. He noted that commercial consumers were effectively charged twice for fuel costs to water and that residents were also paying inflated bills.

“The current formula for calculating the monthly fuel clause is flawed. It includes costs for electricity supply, water production, and a fixed 8.5 percent non-revenue electricity loss, even though that should be calculated monthly based on reality. Consumers have carried GEBE for years through inflated bills. Now we must ask: where did all the excess revenue go?” Kotai said.

He questioned why GEBE continues to insist it is financially unstable, even as it has overcharged consumers for years. “If GEBE is in distress, then the country deserves to know why capital investments were not made, why urgent generators were not purchased, and why operational costs remain unsustainably high,” he continued.

Kotai demanded a forensic audit of GEBE’s income streams and expenses. “We cannot accept vague excuses anymore. We need to see exactly what came in, where it went, and who benefitted,” he said.

While acknowledging that government-owned companies should operate at arm’s length, Kotai argued that “the arms should not be so long that they operate in a completely separate reality, detached from the struggles of our people.”

MP Dimar Labega echoed the urgency of the debate, pointing out that the GEBE crisis has lingered for decades, with little to show for all the crisis teams, reports, and promises.

“September marks three years since a crisis team was appointed to handle billing, collections, and financial reports. Yet here we are, still facing billing chaos, still facing financial opacity, still with no real relief for the people,” Labega stated.

Labega warned against playing the blame game. “The people do not want finger pointing. They want relief. Our families, our supporters, and even those who did not support us are struggling with these bills. This is bigger than politics,” he said.

He stressed the importance of a closed-door meeting among all MPs, the shareholder representative, and GEBE management, away from cameras and grandstanding. “We need to sit together with the facts and come up with one vision for relief, one vision for renewable energy, one vision for financial stability. Otherwise, we are just kicking the can down the road again.”

Labega also called for transparency about GEBE’s true financial situation. He noted that in past years, government repeatedly told the public that GEBE was stable, net positive, and capable of providing relief. “But if that were true, why are we still here today? Were we misled? Were the people sold pipe dreams?” he asked.

Both Kotai and Labega agreed that sustainable solutions must include investment in renewable energy, tighter oversight, and accurate financial reporting.

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