Minister Gumbs: “We have to get It together, now we have to execute, now we have to deliver”

GREAT BAY--Minister of Finance Marinka Gumbs closed the 2026 national budget debate on Thursday with a call for government, Parliament and the country’s institutions to move beyond the approval of the financial document and focus on execution, accountability and collective responsibility, declaring that the passage of the budget cannot itself be considered the achievement.

“Parliament has now provided government with the financial framework needed to continue carrying out its responsibilities and delivering for the people of St. Maarten,” Gumbs said.

Gumbs also used her closing remarks to directly acknowledge one of the central criticisms surrounding the 2026 budget, its late submission and handling. While government continued meeting monthly obligations despite the absence of an approved budget, including salaries and other recurring expenses, she said that could not be used to excuse the delay.

“The budget was late. That is a fact, and we must own it,” Gumbs said.

She said government heard the concerns raised by Parliament and the people of St. Maarten and expressed hope that the 2026 budget would be the last late budget to come before Parliament.

According to Gumbs, work on the 2027 budget is already underway. Government has received the advice of the Council of Advice and is moving into the next stage of the process toward submission to Parliament.

“We cannot go back and change what happened with Budget 2026, but we can learn from it, we can improve because of it, and we can do better going forward,” she said.

The minister also reflected on questions raised during the debate about whether government is where it needs to be and whether enough is being done.

Her answer, she said, required honesty.

“Everything is not going right, and I believe we must be mature enough as leaders to acknowledge that,” Gumbs said.

She stressed that acknowledging shortcomings does not erase progress, diminish the work of civil servants or suggest that government has accomplished nothing. Instead, she said responsible leadership requires recognizing where improvements are necessary and being prepared to make them.

“Everything will never be perfect, but perfection cannot be the standard we wait for before we act. When you know better, you do better,” Gumbs said.

From that reflection came what she described as one of the most important lessons of the entire budget debate.

“We have to get it together. Not individually, but collectively,” she said.

Gumbs made clear that she was not speaking only about the Council of Ministers. Her call extended to government as a whole, Parliament, public institutions and, where possible, the wider St. Maarten community.

She said the country is too small and the challenges confronting it are too significant for ministries and institutions to continue operating in silos.

The minister framed the way forward around what she described as the “three C’s”: communication, collaboration and coordination.

Better communication, she said, is required so that government operates with a shared understanding of what is happening, what needs to be done and where responsibility lies. Collaboration is necessary because many of St. Maarten’s problems do not begin and end within a single ministry, while stronger coordination is needed to ensure policies, resources and good intentions actually produce results.

Gumbs cautioned against allowing government responsibilities to become disputes about territory, personalities or who receives credit when a problem requires several ministries or departments to work together.

For residents waiting on government services, she said, internal government divisions are largely irrelevant.

“The person waiting for government to deliver a service does not care which ministry gets the credit. The business owner trying to make payroll does not care which ministry or department should have communicated with another department. The young person looking for opportunity does not care which institution was supposed to take the first step,” she said.

Gumbs also pointed to St. Maarten’s elderly population, saying those who worked, contributed and helped build the country deserve confidence that the society they helped establish will continue protecting their interests and dignity.

“They want government to work, and they have every right to expect us to make it work,” she said.

The minister said the responsibility extends to future generations, who are watching how the country is governed, how political leaders disagree and whether those leaders are capable of placing St. Maarten’s interests above individual interests once political disagreements have ended.

She said leadership does not require perfection, but it does require responsibility, including acknowledging when something is not working, listening when criticism is justified and having the courage to make corrections.

“Occupying a position of leadership is not the achievement. What we accomplish for the people while we are here is what matters,” Gumbs said.

It was that point that she brought back to the newly approved budget.

“The adoption of this budget cannot be the achievement. What we do with it must be the achievement,” she said.

With Parliament having completed its work on the 2026 budget, Gumbs said the responsibility now shifts firmly to government.

The budget is no longer merely a proposal before Parliament, she said. It is now an adopted financial framework carrying an obligation to execute the programs, policies and commitments contained within it.

To the people of St. Maarten, Gumbs encouraged continued scrutiny of government.

“Continue to hold us accountable. Continue to expect better from us, and continue to believe in what this country can become when we work together in its best interest,” she said.

Gumbs concluded by asking for wisdom in leadership, courage in making difficult decisions and humility among those entrusted with public office to remember whom they are there to serve.

The Finance Minister also paid tribute to the civil servants who worked behind the scenes throughout the budget process, emphasizing that preparation of a national budget is not the work of one minister, cabinet or department.

She thanked civil servants across government for their patience, dedication and long hours, while offering special appreciation to her cabinet and personnel within the Ministry of Finance for their work in bringing the budget process to completion.

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