Ottley: Families and businesses need electricity relief today, govt has the legal tools to act now

GREAT BAY--Member of Parliament Omar Ottley is calling on government to stop delaying meaningful relief for the people of St. Maarten and immediately use the legal mechanisms already available to regulate electricity tariffs and fuel costs, as done in Curaçao.

Recent announcements by Minister Grisha Heyliger-Marten concerning the signing of a Ministerial Decree to appoint BTP under the Electricity Ordinance, and the announcement to use a national ordinance containing general measures as the instrument to regulate the new tariff, have been presented as progress toward electricity reform. However, MP Ottley warned that this approach may take another year or longer before any real impact is felt by consumers already struggling with high electricity bills.

“The people cannot afford to wait another year while government slowly moves through administrative procedures,” Ottley stated. “Families and businesses need relief today.”

According to MP Ottley, the current legal framework already provides government with the authority to intervene immediately through the Price Ordinance, which allows for the regulation of electricity tariffs and fuel generation costs within a significantly shorter timeframe than the lengthy process tied to Article 12, paragraph 4 of the Electricity Ordinance.

Ottley also questioned why the Minister of TEATT has not yet fully exercised the authority already granted under the Price Ordinance to request the operational and financial data necessary from N.V. GEBE in order to finalize the draft Ministerial Regulation previously submitted.

“The authority to request this information has existed all along. The question the public deserves answered is: why was the data not demanded sooner so relief measures could already be in place?” Ottley asked.

MP Ottley acknowledged that many people question why these measures were not implemented during his tenure in government. However, he emphasized that efforts to provide relief were made at the time and that his current position in Parliament allowed him to more deeply analyze the legal framework and identify practical solutions already embedded in existing law.

As Minister of VSA, Ottley said he requested a reduction in the reconnection requirement for outstanding payments from 50% to 25%, allowing many persons to be reconnected. As Minister of TEATT, he said he reduced import duty tax to bring relief to people at the gas pumps.

“Some people ask why this was not done years ago. My response is simple: if someone found the cure for cancer today, would people be angry at the person that they did not discover it years earlier?” Ottley said. “What matters is that the solution is here now, and we should use it.”

Ottley further revealed that, as a Member of Parliament in opposition, he formally presented these solutions to the Minister in November 2025, including the legal pathways available under the Price Ordinance to obtain the necessary data from GEBE and implement relief measures.

“The law is clear. The Minister can demand the financial and operational information needed under the Price Ordinance. If necessary, the Public Prosecutor can even accompany the Minister to inspect the books of GEBE to ensure full transparency and compliance,” Ottley stated.

While acknowledging that appointing BTP may contribute to long-term regulation of the electricity sector, Ottley emphasized that long-term reform should not come at the expense of immediate action.

“We can pursue structural reforms while simultaneously implementing emergency measures to regulate electricity costs. These are not mutually exclusive actions,” he said.

MP Ottley stressed that government must move beyond announcements and begin delivering measurable relief to the people of St. Maarten.

“The legal instruments are already there. What has been missing is urgency and decisive leadership,” Ottley concluded.

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