One year-plus in office: Is it time to retire the “you had four years” line?
Former President Barack Obama said that "there comes a point when the statute of limitations on excuses expires."
An iteration of the current government of St. Maarten took office on May 3, 2024. That date started the clock, Even with a second election in 2024, by the twelve month mark on May 3, 2025, measures should already have been visible. At this point, with continuity after the snap election, at least one life-changing structural reform should already be approved or under execution. Beyond this stage, the reflex to say “but you were there for four years” stops being an argument, it becomes a habit.
It is fair, in debate, for ministers and their supporting MPs to remind former office holders of unfinished work. Accountability does not expire with a change of government, and history remembers. Every administration inherits, and calling attention to those realities is legitimate.
But governing is not commenting. Once the oath is taken, responsibility shifts to the current team. The files on the desk become theirs, the deadlines theirs, and the results, good or bad, also theirs. After the first year, public patience turns into expectation. The refrain of “you had four years” sounds defensive rather than factual. Effective leadership treats government as a relay, not a rewind, and credibility grows by correcting records. You can remind while correcting, but you have to ensure you are 𝘢𝘤𝘵𝘶𝘢𝘭𝘭𝘺 correcting.
To be fair, the government has a few small wins on the board, tightened a process here, launched a pilot there, cleared a backlog in one area, but nothing that that moves the needle of life. Bills are still heavy, rent is still high, GEBE is still a strain, basic services still feel slow. Credit where due, yet people measure progress by what changes in their homes and wallets, not by announcements or ribbon cuttings.
If after a year a government cannot clearly show how it is improving quality of life, it needs to take ownership and stop leaning on the “you had four years” crutch. The people were judge and jury of the past four years, they already passed sentence. Now, the current government is on trial.
It will start and end with cost of living.
𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐮𝐫𝐜𝐡𝐚𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐨𝐰𝐞𝐫
According to available data, prices eased through 2024 into 2025, a small break. The controlled basket of goods still caps markups on essentials. It is a blunt tool, useful if managed, but the public should see quarterly updates, which shops comply, which do not, how fines are applied, and how the caps are calculated.
Reality is that global shocks move our prices. Oil, shipping, conflicts, and supply shifts hit small islands hard. That is why timeliness matters. Government cannot control global events, but it can choose how quickly and transparently to respond. Adjusting margins, revising tariffs, or assisting importers early can soften the blow before it reaches consumers.
By now, government should already be showing whether the basket held costs steady, and whether to adjust or phase it out.
𝐄𝐥𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐛𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐮𝐞𝐥 𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐮𝐬𝐞
Where to begin? Energy costs drive every other cost. In mid-2025, government told NV GEBE to reduce the fuel clause, promising lower bills. That promise is unkept. Bills have not gone down. GEBE has not given a convincing explanation, nor addressed fuel costs or inefficiency.
In the last year, a government commissioned report suggested households may be overpaying for utility services. Nothing material has changed and the drama and wrong bills ensue. GEBE remains the heaviest monthly burden for many families, with clear effects on living standards.
𝐖𝐚𝐠𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐟𝐥𝐨𝐨𝐫 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐞𝐫 𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐞𝐬
The minimum wage rose in 2024 and again on January 1, 2025, progress, but not enough by itself. Predictability matters now. Workers and employers need to know how and when wages will adjust. Linking to cost of living makes sense, but only if enforced. A minimum wage that is not respected helps no one, especially if cost-of-living is not clearly defined.
Government has not set a clear cost of living metric, nor defined a livable wage. By now there should be a public formula for adjustments, plus visible compliance reporting that shows inspections and any impact on jobs.
𝐇𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐢𝐧𝐚𝐧𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠
Health costs strain households. National health funds face major deficits in the millions, which can mean higher premiums, reduced services, or systemic collapse if nothing changes. The ministry of VSA has acknowledged this, but still owes a full plan with numbers, timelines, and public accountability.
By now, the country should have seen the draft legislation on the national health insurance, with all studies and advices, showing a phased roadmap that closes the financing gap without shocking households.
𝐇𝐨𝐮𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐫𝐞𝐧𝐭
Home rental s high, very high. Beyond talk of a housing policy and reports of NAf 18 million secured for one project, progress on the provision of affordable and/or social homes is not visible. The public should see how many homes are planned, sites, design status, tender status, and start dates.
By now, at least one new affordable project should be tendered, with signed contracts and ground broken. For now, most voters can only repeat what one MP said, "the rent is still too damn high."
𝐓𝐫𝐚𝐧𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐥𝐢𝐜𝐞𝐧𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠
Public transport hits every pocket. A 2025 probe by the Integrity Chamber and SOAB showed gaps in how bus and taxi licenses were issued. The ministry promised cleanup, including revocations and a rebuild of the system. That cannot stay behind closed doors.
By now, a public registry should show valid and revoked licenses, and either a new transport authority or clear quarterly enforcement data.
𝐓𝐚𝐱𝐞𝐬 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐞 𝐞𝐟𝐟𝐞𝐜𝐭𝐬
St. Maarten relies on a 5 percent turnover tax on goods and services, plus a 5 percent room tax on stays and a fixed weekly fee for timeshare guests. A 10 percent dividend withholding tax has been legislated but is pending entry into force. The IMF has also noted plans for a tourism levy and a broader shift to more efficient, equitable revenue measures, alongside modernization of the Tax Administration. These are opportunities to reduce pressure on residents if designed well and if collection is professional and tech-driven.
Clearly the policy stance of government should be to shift more of the tax burden to visitors through a carefully designed tourism levy. Put more of the tax load on visitors, not locals: create a simple tourism tax, set it near what other islands charge and report clearly how the money is used. At the same time, tighten and modernize collection on company profits and dividends at the top; do not raise sales or turnover taxes that hit families and small businesses.
𝐂𝐫𝐢𝐦𝐞
Crime feels like it is rising, but we do not have fresh numbers to prove that. What we do know is that police are making arrests and taking guns and drugs off the street, so parts of their plan are working. Our open border with St. Martin makes things harder, since people and contraband can move quickly.
A year later we should have already had a public crime dashboard with quarterly stats and a clear (and public) joint plan with our French side partners, so the public can see progress and police can act faster.
You cannot keep blaming the last team forever. Within the first year, citizens expect to feel relief: prices stabilize, bills ease, reforms move. By now, a major structural fix, or three, should already be in place and visible to the public. The landfill reforms and tourism actions are legit, we cannot discount those, so are policy movements in education, but each morning people wake to burdens that remain, that affect every minute of life as they know it. For many, the grace period has run out. From here, the government stands on its achievements or is buried under its excuses.
Even the most ardent supporter of any government or political party should want visible improvement in the country. Sure, there are those who, come hell or high water, will back a political color no matter what; still, we dare say the majority of people on St. Maarten want positive, significant changes in daily life: lower bills, fair pay, reliable utilities, safer streets, and services that work.
There is an easy measure: name one life changing development that a voter could point to today if elections were held tomorrow. We will wait.
2026 and 2027 must look and especially 𝘧𝘦𝘦𝘭, very different