For a change
News that the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament passed a motion warning St. Maarten it can only obtain country status if it meets all conditions in the area of justice will not be well received by the local political establishment. Granted, the elected representatives in the Netherlands have every right to their opinion, but the motion does raise questions.
For one thing, law enforcement on the islands is primarily a responsibility of the Antillean Government, which traditionally is dominated by Curaçao parties. Second, what exactly the island is not doing or doing wrong in this area is not detailed, while the Final Accord referred to was not exactly specific on what exactly is expected from the Island Territory at this point either.
Somewhat positive is the rejection of a much more far-reaching motion by the opposition to inform Kingdom partners the chances of St. Maarten getting country status are slim, while a third motion by the right-wing PVV party to put the local government on non-active duty and replace it with capable Dutch politicians pending elections did not get support from any other faction.
MP Leerdam, born in the Antilles, has a point in saying St. Maarten should stop getting angry at the Dutch Parliament for doing its job when it comes to taking a stance on the island’s future status and that the motion should be seen as a signal to the Dutch State Secretary in charge of Kingdom Affairs to stick to the agreements. However, he again conveniently forgets that ensuring an adequate system to maintain law and order and make improvements in the area of justice is the task of the Antillean Justice Minister, not the Executive Council.
But what’s perhaps most disconcerting about the recent statements coming out of The Hague placing in doubt St. Maarten’s readiness is that they came on the very same day the island was brushed by Category Three Hurricane Omar. The esteemed Dutch Members of Parliament who say they are so concerned about the island apparently did not think it important to pay much attention to the possible consequences of the storm.
The infrastructural damage alone was estimated at 20 million guilders, which the Dutch Government will be asked to furnish in the form of disaster relief, as it did after other hurricane hits in the past. One can only hope The Hague does not get too formalistic, in the sense that the island officially did not experience hurricane force winds as a result of the hurricane being relatively small, although some wind gusts and whirlwinds the system brought certainly seemed of hurricane strength and it was the sea that did most of the damage at the South coast.
Make no mistake: the assistance St. Maarten will be requesting is highly needed also to safeguard the tourism economy, which remains the foundation for country status in terms of earnings and employment. Perhaps that is something the Dutch MPs can focus on for a change.
Give us your opinion on this story ![[new]](/images/new.gif)
Post a message on our message board! Click Here!
