Today’s continuation of the Parliament meeting on disaster management and the recovery process following the passage of category five-plus Hurricane Irma promises to be interesting especially in light of recent developments. It seems there is a standoff between the Government of St. Maarten and the Netherlands regarding conditions for reconstruction aid that could seriously jeopardise the island’s ability to rebound from the widespread devastation caused by what is widely recognised as an extremely catastrophic calamity.
Up to now, neither side, personified by respectively Prime Minister William Marlin and caretaker Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Minister Ronald Plasterk, is budging. They remain diametrically opposed on the related issues of the Integrity Chamber and having the Netherlands handle border control.
The prospect of a third Rutte Cabinet taking office in The Hague this week without Plasterk’s PvdA party is not likely to change much, as his stance is supported by a large majority in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament. Still, with a new State Secretary for Kingdom Relations in Raymond Knops and Home Affairs Minister in Kajsa Ollongren there is at least an opportunity to discuss the matter with different persons, whose respective parties CDA and D66 have shown appreciation and understanding for the Caribbean territories in the past.
The urgency of the situation cannot be overemphasised. With local funds fast drying up due to lack of economic activity and the upcoming tourism season all but lost, individual inhabitants and the entire society will experience dire consequences if no solution is found soon.
In fact, the human suffering up to now is nothing compared to what awaits when workers can’t get paid and families no longer have money even for food and housing. Such a scenario would practically push St. Maarten back half a century to before the hospitality industry’s arrival as the country’s only source of income worth mentioning, on which the livelihood of just about every resident ultimately depends.
The reality is that without significant financial assistance, the Dutch side will quickly become very poor and most probably crime-ridden. Surely, that can’t be the intention of anyone, including the Kingdom Council of Ministers and the international community.
The people are crying out for reason and willingness to compromise to prevail.
