THE HAGUE--Dutch State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops seems unimpressed by the warning of dismissed Member of the St. Eustatius Island Council Clyde van Putten of the Progressive Labour Party (PLP) that actions will be prepared in protest against the Dutch intervention.
The State Secretary sent a short letter to Van Putten yesterday, Friday, in which he replied to the correspondence of the former Councilman titled “urgent matter of national and international importance,” dated February 25, 2018. Knops sent a copy of his letter to the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament that same day.
In his letter to Knops, Van Putten warned that actions were in preparation and that these would be carried out in the short term in reaction to the temporary intervention by the Dutch Government in the St. Eustatius public administration.
“You are offering me a last chance to enter into a dialogue to prevent the actions that you mention,” stated Knops, who reminded Van Putten that it was the Councilman who refused to meet with the Committee of Wise Men when they were on the island to assess the situation.
“Also during my visit to St. Eustatius in November 2017 and on other occasions, you opted not to engage in talks with me. We did speak after the task negligence law was approved on February 7, 2018,” the State Secretary noted.
Knops also reminded Van Putten that he was dismissed. “With the implementation of the temporary task negligence law St. Eustatius on February 6, the Island Council was dissolved and you were relinquished from your function as Member of the Island Council,” he concluded his letter.
