That the division of the assets and liabilities of the dismantled Netherlands Antilles has hit a snag (see Thursday paper) is most regrettable. It’s also very inconvenient for St. Maarten, which
had pledged to use its expected balance of some 60 million guilders to settle the huge arrears with Social and Health Insurances SZV and General Pension Fund APS.
There seems to be concern in Willemstad about the value given to real estate, including a 40-million-guilder price-tag for the Pointe Blanche prison. Having Curaçao, for example, keep the formerly Central Government-owned penitentiary is clearly not an option, so agreement ultimately needs to be reached.
This latest development can be seen as a bit of a slap in the face of the settlement committee consisting of well-respected professionals and headed by former Finance Minister Faroe Metry. The latter has reacted already by saying they had in any case done their job correctly,
Let’s hope it’s not just a question of local party politics in light of Curaçao’s elections later this year, perhaps to create the impression among the island’s voters that their interests are being protected by not “giving away” stuff to others. Such a perception obviously would be completely misplaced, as St. Maarten was just as much a part of the Antillean constellation as Curaçao and – for that matter – Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba now represented by The Hague, and has full rights to a fair share.
That one of the three parties involved wants to review certain aspects is to a certain extent understandable and even acceptable, but it should not take forever either. After all, October 10 will be six years since the new constitutional relations within the Dutch Kingdom took effect and it’s high time this issue is finalised once and for all.
A distribution code was set and the execution left to highly capable persons. Their work shouldn’t be put in doubt unnecessarily at this late stage and especially not for opportunistic reasons.
There has to be some kind of deadline.
