The request in today’s paper by Dutch caretaker Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk for public sector pensioners of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba to be patient may not go down well with everyone. After all, the retirees involved have already experienced a 3.5 per cent reduction in their allowance effective April, with the prospect of a second cut by no less than 12 per cent next year.
One reason mentioned for the continued dissatisfaction is that a deficit in means of the Pension Fund Caribbean Netherlands PCN could have been foreseen since it took over from its former Antillean predecessor APNA as a result of the constitutional changes per 10-10-10. Still, those now in charge of the fund have a responsibility to keep it healthy.
It’s in any case good to know that the outgoing Council of Ministers in The Hague shares concern about the social-economic situation on the three islands, the standard of living among vulnerable groups and the financial difficulties in which they find themselves. Of course, asking for space to find a different solution is one thing, but coming up with such quite another.
It’s also not clear to what extent the next cabinet of the Netherlands currently being formed will be of the same opinion. Nevertheless, people should be able to assume a certain level of continuity in government.
The good news is that some time remains to work on an alternative before 2018. However, if nothing is done it will also pass quickly, because the clock is ticking.
