Dear Chairman and members of the Kingdom Relations Committee of the TK and EK,
Unfortunately, the meetings of the Committee on Kingdom Relations of the Tweede Kamer on comply or explain and on monitor broad welfare in the Caribbean Netherlands (of June 20 and 21, respectively) did not take place. As you know, I am a frequent follower of your Committee in the Lower House via the Internet or in person and I would have loved to have been there.
The difference in social welfare (between there and here) cannot be brought to the attention often enough, although one would expect that the equalization of the social minimum (and thus also the benefits) could finally be achieved. Especially now that an increase of AOW and other benefits will take place in the European Netherlands on July 1, and the Caribbean Netherlands once again appears not to be included. It is unimaginable that – by way of example – something does apply in Breda but not in Tilburg: too crazy for words; but if the municipalities are in the Caribbean Netherlands, it suddenly seems a lot easier to act differently than if they were European Dutch municipalities.
Concepts such as “arbitrariness” and “discrimination” demand priority attention in my head and in my perception red flags, horns and bells are going off everywhere, but the Kingdom Relations Commission apparently does not give a d**n. Indeed, preparatory talks are simply cancelled. Now I would also think that when the Ministry of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations provides the information on comply or explain the bias is ingrained in advance (something about butchers and judging one’s own meat). Why isn’t such education provided by a professor of constitutional law?
I have made the point before but I sincerely wonder how the laws (which have now gone into consultation and deal with the BSN and WOLBES/FINBES) relate to the Constitution in which all Dutch citizens should be treated equally in equal cases (why is there such a thing as a WOLBES/FINBES in the first place if the islands count as Dutch municipalities?). Since 10-10-10, the inhabitants of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba (collectively: BES) are all “Dutchmen” in the sense that these Caribbean Dutchmen should have the same legal context as you and me.
In fact, the Caribbean Dutchman enjoys even slightly more freedom because the Constitution gives the legislature room to make its own legislation for the public body if circumstances are substantially different from those in the European Netherlands. In my opinion, substantial differences are such that with the best will in the world they cannot be made equal. So certainly not every difference that happens to be there because people have decided to do so is substantial in nature!
And then there is another point to consider: where BES suggests that the three islands are equal, I believe it is the case that each of the three separate islands is a separate “public body” of its own, for which consideration would have to be given each time. If I read and understand the (Constitutional) law correctly, for the Caribbean Netherlands you have the European Dutch laws and other legal regulations plus three sets of island laws and regulations in the exceptional cases (which therefore have to be substantive in nature).
And we have been making up for 13 years why it is not so simple with which the legislature keeps getting stuck in the quagmire and sticking to discrimination at the government level. Among other things, the insistence on a Caribbean social legislation and a continuous bickering about a different social minimum than applicable in the rest of the Netherlands concerns, in my opinion, a “goat's path” with which the differences (and thus discrimination) are condoned or even defended by the government. When will someone stand up and say “the emperor is naked” (as in Hans Christian Andersen's 1837 fairy tale: “The Emperor’s New Clothes”).
Just before their departure from Schiphol I spoke with members of the Island Council of St. Eustatius and once again found that despite fine words they are not seriously consulted but that bills are simply strewn over their heads. In any case, this Island Council is not involved in the current proposals currently under consultation.
In the year in which slavery is so emphatically commemorated and eradicated from our world of experience, such an outrageously discriminatory action of the government is not appropriate! I call on parliament to respect and perfect the inclusion of the Caribbean Netherlands.
If I am wrong in my thinking: please explain it to me!
Yours sincerely,
J.H.T. (Jan) Meijer
Dear Editor,
On July 1, 2023, the Kingdom will be commemorating 150 years of abolishment of slavery in Suriname and the islands in the Caribbean side of the Kingdom. The King himself is set to apologize on this day. This day is an official holiday “celebrated” throughout the Kingdom with festivities. On St. Maarten this day is commemorated annually with the Diamond 26 Run for Freedom.
Currently there is a public debate concerning the 545 million euros the Dutch royal family is said to have earned from slavery and colonialism: whether or not the Netherlands should be held financially accountable for their role in slavery; if yes, the amount the Netherlands should be held accountable for, and what these funds should be used for and who should receive and manage these funds.
Even though there are no official answers to these questions, what we know for sure is that the Dutch government will make two million euros available for the organization of activities during the Slavery Memorial Year 2023-2024. Institutions or individuals would be able to apply for funding to organize these social and/or cultural activities.
As a person vying for legislative office, I question whether the two million euros is not missing a few more zeros behind the two. Nonetheless, I would rather these funds and any other funds that might become available in the near future, as a result of this matter, be invested in programs and projects on St. Maarten that would actually combat poverty in a strategic and structural manner.
There are many ways the Netherlands can contribute to poverty alleviation on St. Maarten. First and foremost, debt cancellation is a must. In addition to debt cancellation: in the same manner that country packages were created during a period of cost-cutting measures, as part of reparations: a country package can be created to eradicate poverty. Some examples of projects that could go into this country package are:
* a project to transform our university into a national accredited university ensuring that our students would not have to leave the island to follow tertiary education on an accredited level. In doing so, also make St. Maarten an attractive place for students in the region to come and study.
* Programs that would be beneficial to our districts and neighborhoods that focus on, for example, agriculture in the different neighborhoods.
* Rehabilitation/second chance programs for our prisoners to ensure a smooth transition back into the society after they serve their term.
* Projects that would transform loans of students from the Dutch Caribbean countries who finish their studies in a reasonable timespan in the Netherlands into free scholarships.
* Creating multi-purpose sport facilities that meet international standards. In such facilities we would be able to host recreational and educational activities on St. Maarten and preferably in every district. The focus of these projects is to ensure our kids are continuously engaged in activities that would keep them on the right path, while their parents work one or two jobs to provide for them.
Other examples are projects that focus on the development of safety-net programs for our children, seniors, single parents and the unemployed, such as nutritional programs for seniors, breakfast programs in our schools and after-school activities for our students.
In my opinion, this would be the only real way to actually show regret and finally tackle the effects of centuries of physical and mental slavery. I sincerely believe that these types of investment projects would pave the way for next-generation St. Maarteners to have a true opportunity to be successful, while we simultaneously attempt to alleviate and possibly eliminate poverty on St. Maarten.
Richinel Brug
Dear Editor,
Many islands in the Caribbean wish to enjoy the economic benefits of the yachting industry. Many are already doing this but the benefits are distributed unevenly. Every island wants to be the “capital of yachting” in the Caribbean but there is no clear winner yet but there are going to be winners and losers.
Firstly, we are talking about the “yachting industry”. Here in St. Maarten it is often referred to as the marine industry and I submit that this distorts the focus. Yachting is about pleasure boats exclusively. Marine is everything that floats or accommodates anything that floats and includes cargo and cruise ships. Here we hold the logic that because it floats it fits together with other industries where things float as well.
When it comes to regulation and development you need to select targets where the entities within the target behave in the same fashion which therefore facilitates regulation and facilitation. Yachts, cruise ships and cargo ships do not behave in the same manner. It makes no sense for them to be regulated or promoted by the same entities. Also, yachting tourists do not behave in the same manner as stay-over tourists. To be effective and cost effective the public sector entities that regulate or promote yachting should be only focusing on yachting and not be unproductively bundled with incompatible activities.
There are some territories that are fantastic yachting destinations but have great difficulty in extracting revenue. These are destinations that have great anchoring bays and beaches but they do not receive much financial benefit out of these natural assets. St. Maarten is the exact opposite in that Dutch St. Maarten has a poor offering in respect of tranquil anchoring bays but gets to enjoy substantial business as the yachts replenish, repair and connect. St. Maarten and French St. Martin have done well in this regard.
Unfortunately, Dutch St. Maarten has limited its revenues by imposing fees, are not transparent and incentivize yachts to visit St. Martin to a greater degree. Given that no island charges for anchoring, including St. Martin, it appears that we have given up a great deal of business in return for a revenue stream that cannot be known by the public and their impact on traffic is not measured.
The strong revenue streams that are enjoyed are:
Infrastructure rental (dockage)
Repair and replenishment activities
General hospitality spending
The repair and replenishment activity would appear to the main economic driver in our tiny niche, and the more successful they are the more income from other sources. The success of these activities depends on a range of details that are poorly studied and understood by decision-makers. In 2004 the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean did a study measuring economic impact. The recommendations never led to a plan of action to optimize the industry.
The industry is difficult to understand and assess; a problem that occurs in all islands. The complexity originates from the large range of differences within the market and behaviors of the customers. This should not put us off, but rather points to using advisors with insight to wade through the complexity. And then we need policy-making that is based on the actual industry and not based on a pretense that it operates in the same manner as stay-over tourism, cruise ship tourism or cargo handling. It does not.
Let’s do that and St. Maarten will move forward for the benefit of all.
Robbie Ferron
Dear Editor,
Annually in June, Island and Executive Council members of the BES islands and their staff travel to the Netherlands for the VNG Congress. It’s customary that the delegations add several meetings with ministries, various committees, and organizations to the agenda to sort of “kill two birds with one stone”, so to speak, while in the Netherlands.
Residents of Saba often believe these trips are nothing but mini vacations funded by the taxpayer’s money because developments and updates from these trips could be more transparent. During the last two weeks (June 5-16), the Island Council had a full agenda and discussed various issues with federal government representatives in the Netherlands and other organizations.
It was also a privilege to visit Schiermonokoog and learn about the challenges faced on the Wadden Islands, islands in the European Netherlands.
See the article published on the public entity Saba’s Facebook page for further details of the ICM agenda.
What is the VNG?
The Association of Netherlands Municipalities (Vereniging van Nederlandse Gemeenten, VNG), established in 1912, is where all Dutch municipalities are members, and other members are the countries Aruba and Curaçao. The public bodies Bonaire, St. Eustatius, and Saba have been members since 1995. Source:
https://vng.nl/artikelen/about-the-vng
Here's what your PEP faction is bringing back to the island;
1. A better understanding of these trips and the significance of them. The ministries expect more initiative from the island, and that’s a clear PEP goal. We will be contacting and communicating frequently with them. We should make more proposals instead of waiting for suggestions from The Hague. We are the experts of our islands. We need to start acting like it.
2. A promise to work closer with Bonaire, Statia, and even St. Maarten because it is necessary; forming and building working connections is vital. We had the great privilege of collaborating with Statia and Bonaire in various meetings while in the Netherlands, and we look forward to strengthening those bonds. A joint plan is coming, and we will make sure of that.
3. A governing program. A governing program is a plan that outlines the priorities for the governing term, giving the Executive Council the framework for executing its tasks. As far as we know, this has never happened on Saba. Please correct us if we are wrong. The WIPM party has let us know that they will be working on the governing program, and they will present it within the first 100 days after the election, and we will have the chance to discuss it during an Island Council meeting.
4. Greetings from some of the ministries and organizations we visited, which are pleased that there’s opposition again on Saba. They said hurray for democracy and congrats.
We must highlight how much we impressed the BES delegation and government representatives with our professional approach. As a solid and constructive team, we gained respect, recognition, and praise for our proficiency. We see this as a great start to forging meaningful connections and working for our fellow residents of Saba.
Outside the regular program, we met as the PEP Party with the Dutch Labor Union FNV and discussed the possibility of having a FNV Labor Union representation on Saba.
Furthermore, we spoke with the mayors of the different islands about a twinning project between both islands since we have numerous similar problems and issues. We also discussed the possible donation of a new boat for the Saba Sea Rescue. The other one is a cultural exchange between both islands. We made a lot of connections with various parties, and we will continue working on these connections.
Finally, this trip was once again an eye-opener to the current functioning of the Island Council. There is a necessity for much-needed training to upgrade ourselves as a body, operating in the interest of our people.
PEP made a clear plan of what we wanted to achieve during the two weeks in the Netherlands, and mission accomplished!!
We remain committed to working for you regardless of party colors/lines.
Saskia Matthew
Saba Island Council member for PEP party
Dear Minister of Education,
I am writing to express my deep concern regarding the recent issues surrounding the Foundation Based Education Exit Examination 2023 (FBE 2003) in St. Maarten. It has come to my attention that there have been inconsistencies and discrepancies in the evaluation process, which are adversely affecting the academic futures of our young children.
During various meetings and in relevant documents, it was stated that there would be discussions regarding the academic progress of students in the 5th and 6th grades, including their FBE exams. However, it appears that only during the placement period, the focus of the placement committees in the high schools has been primarily on the FBE results, and in some cases, solely on the FBE scores. This approach is causing unnecessary stress and anxiety among our children, as the FBE exam period is crucial for them. Furthermore, it fails to take into account the consistent efforts and potential they have shown throughout the entire academic year.
Adding to these concerns, it has come to my attention that the exam committee had to correct the FBE exam results on two occasions due to errors. If such corrections were necessary even after the initial corrections made in May and June, it raises questions about the reliability of the FBE results on St. Maarten.
Therefore, I kindly request a prompt response from your office addressing these issues. The teachers, as well, have expressed their frustration after numerous discussions on this matter at the high schools. It is disheartening to witness our children’s academic future being compromised in this manner. As a concerned and frustrated parent, I feel compelled to take this matter to the media if a satisfactory response is not received soon.
“It is not about how you started but how you end.” Delaying our voices being heard will only provide more opportunities for the schools to continue with practices that could potentially harm the academic prospects of our children.
We implore you to take immediate action to rectify these issues and ensure that our education system upholds the highest standards of fairness and integrity. Our children’s future should not be jeopardized due to administrative shortcomings or lapses in the evaluation process.
Thank you for your attention to this matter, and I trust that you will address these concerns promptly and effectively.
Name withheld at author’s request.
