Agreement should serve
as inspiration, says PM
WILLEMSTAD--Prime Minister Emily de Jongh-Elhage says she is very pleased that Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius have reached an agreement with the Dutch Government about constitutional reforms.
She told Wednesday’s Council of Ministers meeting that she understood from politicians of all island territories that they also were glad the agreement had been reached.
“I learned that the Dutch Government has taken the full responsibility for the wellbeing of all citizens of Bonaire, Saba and St. Eustatius. In the end that’s what it’s all about – the wellbeing of the people,” she said.
The Prime Minister believes Wednesday’s historic agreement must serve as an inspiration for St. Maarten and Curaçao to achieve their desired new constitutional statuses.
She applauded the manner in which the coalition and opposition parties of the three islands joined forces at the negotiating table to achieve their goal. “We can all have our differences of opinion, but when general interest is at stake we must pull together. That’s what happened in the Netherlands. A perfect example of what I have always meant by ‘unity.’ We must strive for unity to accomplish our goals,” she said.
De Jongh-Elhage is optimistic that the technical meetings next week between Curaçao and St. Maarten, the Dutch Government and the Central Government will be fruitful.
“Dutch Administrative Reform and Kingdom Relations Minister Atzo Nicolaï will be in Curaçao and St. Maarten from October 20 to 23. I’m confident that we can set the conditions and have a political meeting by the end of October or early November,” she said.
Hopes are high that during that political meeting Curaçao and St. Maarten can also sign an agreement with the Dutch Government outlining their future new constitutional statuses.
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