No reason to panic
That differences with the Dutch Government would arise over financial supervision as part of the agreement for the Antillean islands to obtain new statuses and receive substantial debt relief should surprise no one. After all, the Final Statement and the Transition Accord that followed it were merely frameworks and the devil is always in the details.
But to speak now of a hostile takeover or re-colonisation by the Netherlands, as some have, is nothing short of ridiculous. What The Hague wants is to prevent Curaçao and St. Maarten as autonomous countries in the Kingdom, but also the three “smaller” islands as overseas Dutch entities from making the same mistake as the governments in Willemstad have over the years and from again piling up debts.
That makes sense, but it is also perfectly understandable that the islands want to control their own affairs and not give up too much of the autonomy the Netherlands Antilles now has. Finding a balance between these two realities is easier said than done and after two days of meetings at the technical level in Curaçao there are reportedly still big and fundamental differences.
That is no reason to panic or get nervous. St. Maarten’s representative in any case remains optimistic, despite what he calls “whales” of important points on which there is no full agreement. That is the right attitude, because the agreement with the Dutch Government offers “The Friendly Island” a unique chance to get out from under the Central Government without a debt problem and with substantial financial assistance.
The suggestion that perhaps the remaining points of discussion should be lifted to the political level is a good one, although it could open a Pandora’s Box in terms of going back to talks about matters on which agreement in principle has already been reached. In the end it’s the elected officials of the islands and the Dutch Government who carry the political responsibility and must direct the professionals working out the details when it comes to major issues.
Hopefully the visit of State Secretary Bijleveld-Schouten and Minister Hirsch Ballin at the end of June and the preceding meeting of the political steering group can lead to a breakthrough. The constitutional quagmire has lasted far too long already.
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