Minister Gumbs in response to Doran: "This player’s energy brought home results"

GREAT BAY--Minister of Public Housing, Spatial Planning, Environment and Infrastructure (VROMI) Patrice Gumbs on Wednesday issued a pointed response amid ongoing public discussion on Public-Private Partnerships, following recent statements by Egbert Doran, the former Minister of VROMI.

Addressing questions raised about the origins and effectiveness of partnerships associated with VROMI, Minister Gumbs said that partnerships only deliver results when they are actively maintained and pursued with good faith.

“The reality is, partnerships do not bear fruit if they are not watered in good faith,” the minister said. “Different players bring different energy, and certain energies yield certain results. This player’s energy brought home results.” Though he did not target his comments, that was clearly a "zing moment" to Doran, who is the former Minister of VROMI.

On Tuesday MP Doran called for greater policy alignment within the Council of Ministers, stating that public-private partnerships are a valuable and necessary tool for national development but must be applied consistently, including for the benefit of the country’s public schools.

Doran pointed to two recent government positions that, when viewed together he said, raise legitimate questions about coherence in infrastructure policy. On one hand, the Ministry of VROMI announced a partnership with the Gioia Group to rehabilitate the Simpson Bay Dock and surrounding public facilities, highlighting public-private cooperation as a pillar of modern governance, a move he applauds. On the other hand, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Youth and Sport (ECYS) has taken the position that infrastructure works cannot be accepted as donations for public schools, citing liability and accountability concerns. “We are clearly seeing two different approaches to the same concept,” Doran said.

Minister Gumbs said he took note of the press release from MP Doran, in which the MP argued that if Public-Private Partnerships can be used to rebuild docks, they can also be used to rebuild schools. The minister stated that he agrees with the principle, while emphasizing that additional care is required in any arrangement involving children.

The minister also rejected any suggestion that there is a lack of alignment within the Council of Ministers of St. Maarten regarding the value of Public-Private Partnerships. He reaffirmed that such partnerships are a cornerstone of the current government’s approach, as reflected in the Governing Program.

As an example, Minister Gumbs pointed to the cross-cutting nature of the recently presented intervention focused on the Simpson Bay Dock, the Police and Immigration Station, and the surrounding area.

Minister Gumbs stressed that interventions on public property and within public institutions must be cleared by the public sector, meaning government, to ensure alignment with national priorities and quality standards. He noted that this oversight policy is not new.

The minister said the public should consider the broader context of recurring claims that partnerships originated under previous VROMI administrations, alongside assertions that the current government and current minister are “doing nothing.”

“My question is where are the fruits of these partnerships?” he repeated, adding that results require more than announcements. Partnerships, he said, must be actively nurtured, responsibly managed, and executed in a way that delivers tangible benefits to the people of St. Maarten.

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