THE HAGUE--Dutch Minister of Defence Hans Hillen has accused his St. Maarten Justice colleague Roland Duncan of "de-motivating" actions, where it comes to the Coast Guard.
Hillen stated this in a meeting with the Dutch Parliament Second Chamber's Permanent Committee for Defence, Wednesday. St. Maarten's non-payment of its 2010 contribution to the Coast Guard and the Dutch share of this joint operation in the Dutch Caribbean came up during discussions on the 2010 annual report of the Coast Guard.
Hillen and the Second Chamber were under the impression Wednesday that until that moment, St. Maarten had yet to pay close to 129,000 euros for 2010. However, The Daily Herald understands that the payment order was sent to the Finance Department last week and that the bill should have been paid by now.
Hillen responded to the non-payment in an agitated manner. "We lament that. St. Maarten is a problem and causes problems for the other islands." He said reminders had been sent to Philipsburg and that the tone in these reminders had become increasingly compelling. Hillen had expressed his concerns to Governor Eugene Holiday Prime Minister Sarah Wescot-Williams during his recent visit to St. Maarten.
Hillen partly blamed Duncan for the non-payment. He said the St. Maarten Minister was acting in a "de-motivating" way by not paying the bill and by hampering the promotion of Coast Guard personnel. He said he didn't know exactly why Duncan was acting like this, but he suggested that it could be the latter's agenda.
Hillen warned that while Duncan didn't seem to see much sense in having the Coast Guard, St. Maarten should be well aware of the added value of such an organisation. "It helps increase safety; it wards off criminals and drugs. It is short-sighted to squabble over that," he said.
Representatives of the liberal democratic VVD party and the Party for Freedom PVV want to reduce the Dutch contribution to the Coast Guard. The Netherlands covers almost 70 per cent of the operational cost and pays some 16 million euros for air surveillance. The Ministry of Defence contributes another 3.5 million euros.
"We contribute disproportionally. A well-functioning Coast Guard is very important for Aruba, Cura�ao and St. Maarten, and taking more responsibility fits in with these countries' striving for more autonomy," said VVD Member of Parliament Andr� Bosman.
Hillen argued that citizens of the islands already contributed more per capita than citizens of the Netherlands. St. Maarten pays four euros per citizen, while the Netherlands pays two euros per citizen. "Parliament underestimates the size of the Netherlands compared to that of the islands," he said.
The shortage of super-rigid inflatable boats used by the Coast Guard on the islands also came up in Wednesday's meeting. Parliament urged the Minister to address this issue. Hillen acknowledged that four boats divided over three stations were insufficient. He hoped to have two boats per station by the end of this year.
Parliament further questioned the fewer drug busts by the Coast Guard last year. The Minister assured that the Coast Guard was making all efforts to intercept as much drugs as possible, also in cooperation with the Dutch Navy. "They are working hard," he said.
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