Still Awaiting Response on DP Tabled Motion on General Utility Bill Relief for the Public
The DP Faction of Parliament and Prime Minister Wescot-Williams applaud the pending signing of the GEBE relief for Seniors, the MOU of which will be signed on Monday. A Press Release coming from the DP Faction and the Prime Minister’s Cabinet stated that any relief to the seniors of the country is a good sign and hopefully relief to the general population as per the motion table by DP Parliamentarian Roy Marlin recently will follow. Although we would have liked to see the relief extended to all residential consumers, our elderly will greatly benefit from this initiative. Throughout its governing, the DP has put the plight of the elderly high on the national agenda.
Nevertheless we are still awaiting the proposal as adopted by parliament in the Budget meeting on the 15th of January, whereby parliament indicated that the subsidy which was granted to Saba and St. Eustatius in the past be allocated to residential consumers," read the DP statement. "We remain firm on this issue, because GEBE thus far has not contested the premise that with the "cut-off" of Saba and St. Eustatius, reduction in the consumer price on St. Maarten is possible."
The Prime Minister also applauded the initiative and referred to her letter sent to the Managing Board of GEBE back in 2011, in which she stated the urgency of pensioners receiving relief on their utility bills and asked of GEBE that something be done.
It is not about tooting our own horn, but it has taken a long time, and we are all too aware that many of our senior citizens are primarily dependent on their monthly pension to make ends meet. With the increasing cost of fuel, it is extremely challenging for pensioners to survive on this small income, having to take care of their daily needs and at the same time pay exorbitant electricity bills.
In fact, the 2011 letter from the DP leader and Prime Minister to GEBE read in part: "I am of the opinion that after proper research, all pensioners who are solely dependent on their pension should qualify for the same "relief". These pensioners should be self-reliant and should not be living with relatives or a partner/spouse who have an income. A survey of the elderly in our community is presently being conducted and in the meantime I have requested that Social Affairs assess the position of the Belvedere Red Cross Apartments Senior residents".
The Democratic Party faction has recently sent a letter to Parliament President, Mrs. Gracita Arrindell calling for GEBE Shareholder Representative Minister Maurice Lake to give an update on the GEBE motion passed by Parliament on January 15. The DP also wants Lake to provide a timeline within which the motion will be executed.
In the motion, which was unanimously approved, DP Member of Parliament Roy Marlin sought to request GEBE Shareholder Representative to ensure that the operational subsidy formerly paid by GEBE for its operations in Saba and St. Eustatius go directly towards decreasing the fixed cost charged by GEBE to residential consumers. The MP wants the NAf. 5 to NAf. 7 million guilders that GEBE will now save annually, to benefit consumers; "While the Democratic Party faction in Parliament applauds the recent initiatives by GEBE to introduce alternative energy such as solar power, and reduce electricity rates for our senior citizens, the Democratic Party believes that the motion accepted by Parliament gives the basis for an immediate initial relief on GEBE’s direct electricity cost towards the consumers, especially taking into consideration the hard economic times that many residents find themselves in. Any relief given to the consumer at this point and time will signify an expansion of the spending power of the consumer and will assist the neediest in our community."