MP Wescot-Williams wants public meeting about GEBE
PHILIPSBURG — Democratic Party Member of Parliament and President of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams has asked Prime Minister Dr. Luc Mercelina to reconsider his decision to hold a meeting about utilities company GEBE behind closed doors. A public meeting should “allow the people to hear from the respective ministers about GEBE and it has nothing to do with any demand by the opposition for an open door meeting, but all with allowing the government to balance providing the public with information and safeguarding any national interest that could be affected by untimely and incomplete information that could jeopardize GEBE’s long-term survivability,” Wescot-Williams states in a press release.
The MP adds that the livelihood of citizens hangs in the balance and that people are “entitled to an uninterrupted supply of basic commodities such as electricity and water.”
Wescot-Williams asks the government to take action to protect vulnerable citizens, for instance by purchasing solar fans for the elderly adding, “we need to ensure that vulnerable groups are assured of at least one meal a day. This must be an island-wide undertaking.”
The press release refers to a pending meeting of parliament that was requested on September 19, 2023. “Questions have remained unanswered for months and the answers that were submitted in writing by the previous minister paint a picture of GEBE that belies the actual situation.”
Wescot-Williams blames the previous government for the current energy crisis: “Had the government been transparent during its interaction with GEBE, especially during the past governing term, we just might not have been in this dilemma.”
The MP also criticizes the previous government coalition of National Alliance and United People’s party for the way they handled the topic of renewable energy. “They approached the matter like they did with so many other things, lots of talk, fluff and hype, but in reality nothing. Four years of underperforming or overdoing and this is the result.”
In spite of her criticism, MP Wescot-Williams remains optimistic: “I am of the belief that sound judgment will prevail in the end because there are more who truly wish to see this crisis solved structurally than there are those bent on derailing the process for short-term political gain.”
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