PHILIPSBURG--Veteran Parliamentarian of the Windward Islands Will Johnson said the time is quickly approaching when the island governments of Saba and Statia have to decide if they will go via a court of law to secure their shares in utility company GEBE.
Johnson objected to language coming out of St. Maarten, in particular from Commissioner Theo Heyliger, referring to GEBE as a St. Maarten company and stressing on more than one occasion that St. Maarten subsidises GEBE's operations on Saba and Statia.
Johnson said GEBE is a company that belongs to the Windward Islands. "It was established by the Central Government for these three islands at time when Saba already had its own electricity company," Johnson explained. "Yes, t. Maarten makes the most profits indeed, because St. Maarten obviously serves more people. So it's not correct to look at what each branch of the company is doing and draw conclusions based on that," he said.
He continued: "If Saba and Statia have to go to a court of law to split up GEBE assets, the judge isn't going to say, 'Here, Saba and Statia, you can only get one per cent.' It will be much more than that. It will probably end up 60-20-20 or something like that. I am not involved in the island governments, but I know they've been trying to avoid things going in that direction. But they have met and will be meeting again to discuss a strategy to deal with GEBE's assets."
Commissioner Heyliger met with BES Commissioner Henk Kamp on matters related to the future of the utility company during a recent trip to Curaçao.
Heyliger and Kamp had met before to explore ways to deal in a mutually beneficial way with GEBE. The company's new concession for the production and sale of electricity on St. Maarten is in the final stage of completion, but with the dismantling of the Netherlands Antilles it has been pushed to make the new status date of 10-10-10. Both commissioners see the matter of GEBE as one that needs to be worked on to benefit the people of the islands involved.
Heyliger said the cross subsidy has been going on for a very long time, with St. Maarten residents footing the bill. Over the years, the infrastructure on St. Eustatius and Saba has grown and has been upgraded to surpass St. Maarten's. The power plants and related infrastructure are self sufficient and with more active involvement of the Dutch in the two islands, St. Maarten, as it becomes country, can now focus better on its own electricity situation.
Kamp showed much interest in the development of GEBE and what has been St. Maarten's role in the build-up of the company. The two commissioners plan to continue working to find a solution that does not burden the people of St. Maarten or St. Eustatius and Saba any additional fees or inconvenience.