Dear Editor,
It is normal and quite usual in the Caribbean to treat visitors and strangers with respect and extend the utmost courtesy. St. Maarten of course is no exception to that norm. So it strikes us as rude and insulting that you would invite someone for a meeting to discuss differences of interpretation on a colonial protocol, and then insult them. I have read in the press and on social media how some people side with the Dutch in this dispute.
One news outlet even suggesting that the pressure of the formation talks contributed to the abrupt and crude behaviour of PM Rutte. I beg to differ, for the entire Dutch political landscape has minced no words in their effort to clarify the balance of power between the Netherlands and the countries in the Caribbean.
Be it the First or Second Chamber, or the Council of Ministers, the point of departure simply is it’s ok for you to consider yourselves as equals, but we are a colonial power and don’t intend to recognize you as equals. The noise about this so-called Integrity Chamber is a clear example of who sticks to agreements or supersedes them by unilateral action. To try and explain I put the Dutch text and a free translation thereof.
Bullet point three of the agreement reads, “daartoe op zo kort mogelijk termijn, doch uiterlijk op 1 Juli 2015, door Nederland een kwartiermaker wordt benoemd die samen met de reeds door St. Maarten benoemde kwartiermaker wordt belast met de instelling en inrichting van de integriteitskamer”. English: To this end on a short as possible period, but ultimately no later than July 1, 2015, the Netherlands will appoint a quartermaster who will be charged with the already appointed quartermaster by St. Maarten with the formation and installation of the Integrity Chamber.
The fact that the Dutch did not live up to the agreement cannot give them the right to come two years after the fact to place their quartermaster with the illegal use of a Kingdom measure of higher supervision or an instruction. This Kingdom can’t survive in modern times with the draconian and dictatorial actions and behaviour of the Netherlands. We can and will no longer accept that our people are less than theirs, and can’t do anything for ourselves unless they lead it.
The argument that they are doing this for the people also doesn’t carry any weight when we see them squashing elections determining who can be part of government, or destroying laws the overseas countries enacted to level the playing field in the labour market. We don’t see their help coming in funds for the eradication of poverty, or the solution to the garbage problem that too would help the people. The Dutch, whatever their new policy is, simply want to place European Dutch civil servants in top positions, who history has shown to be disrespectful with unlimited authority.
We have seen, for instance, during the 1990’s when we were under higher supervision how they failed to train any locals and later on, when they left especially from the police force they took everything they came with. We were left just where we were before they came.
We need long-term structural solutions that must be found locally; we have the human resources and capacity and don’t believe they can do for us what we should do for ourselves. Like with the now infamous debt relief, many promises are not kept unless their people are put in charge. Enough is enough and if it takes closing the country down to illustrate our resolve, then so be it. We have spent much time and money educating our children, and we wish to see them make their contribution.
Elton Jones
