Ottley: “It will be a cold day in hell” before he watches Curacao take over Mullet Bay

GREAT BAY--Speaking in Parliament on Wednesday, MP Omar Ottley called for a hard, disciplined approach to Mullet Bay by government. “It will be a cold day in hell before this Member of Parliament sits and watches Curaçao take over Mullet Bay,” he said. He urged government to control the planning environment, line up financing, and exercise the right of first refusal only when St. Maarten is prepared to act.

Ottley said government has to set the rules for Mullet Bay before anything else. Decide what can be built, where roads and public access go, how the space works for residents and investors alike. Put that in a proper development framework, then stick to it.

He warned against jumping in to trigger a first right of refusal without money on the table. He stressed that a deal this size, which could match the entire budget of the country, needs real financing options, not ideas, so model the numbers, talk to the right partners, prepare the legal tools, and make sure the country can close when the window opens. "If the country is not yet ready to execute, stall as long as possible," he said, until leverage is secured. He explained that a right of first refusal also comes with expectations that one can pay at that moment.

He pointed to public remarks from Curaçao political figures that, in his view, sounded like they were calling the shots on Mullet Bay. He recalled that a political figure in the Curacao Parliament said that St. Maarten can do everything it wants, but Curacao runs the Central Bank and Ennia and, by extension, Mullet Bay. He called that a slap in the face, especially after the cooperation St. Maarten has shown on saving Curacao by taking a risk on the Ennia financing issue. He said Parliament should not accept any path that shifts control away from the people of St. Maarten. The executive should take a firm stance, protect the national interest, and organize everything now, the plan, the financing, the legal steps.

Ottley also reminded the House that his position fits with points MP Sarah Wescot-Williams has made in the past. She has stressed that big financial and Central Bank matters need careful study in Parliament, not quick decisions; that government should put a development plan in place for Mullet Bay first; that proof of financing matters; and that sometimes you pause activity so the country can choose the right course. Ottley said those principles are still sound. In fact, MP Wescot-Williams chimed in once Ottley had finished speaking and added that she sees no reason to change her position on anything she has set in the past, lending credence to Ottley's re-hashing of her statements.

MP Ottley re-itterated his position to a simple sequence. First, assert planning control with a government led framework for the area. Second, complete financing readiness with clear options sized to the likely transaction. Third, exercise the right of first refusal when a credible window opens and only when the country can close. He said that sequence protects the country’s leverage, preserves policy goals, and avoids rushed commitments that could weaken St. Maarten’s hand.

On the Central Bank file, Ottley said he will wait for the Minister of Finance to answer the questions from MPs. He noted there are differences between what was said before and what is being said now, and he wants the answers on record before he makes further comments.

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