THE HAGUE--The Dutch Parliamentary delegation that is coming to the Windward Islands at the end of this week is looking forward to open and honest discussions with their colleagues of Aruba, Cura�ao and St. Maarten. But the Dutch delegation also comes to listen to the concerns of the people, especially of the Dutch 'public entities' Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba.
"I am looking forward to again meeting our colleagues, also the working visits and the Meet and Greet events with the people," said Dutch delegation leader Brigitte van der Burg, who is the Chairperson of the Second Chamber's Permanent Committee for Kingdom Relations.
Vice-delegation leader Marijke Linthorst, who chairs the Kingdom Relations Committee in the First Chamber, considers the contact with the people of the islands very important. She said she would love to accommodate, "where possible," the wishes of a number of St. Maarten organisations, including several labour unions, to meet with the delegation, but she wasn't sure that it would actually work out because of the packed programme. Van der Burg said that she was looking at the possibilities to meet with the St. Maarten groups.
The Dutch delegation arrived in Cura�ao on Monday and will go to Aruba on Wednesday. They will be in Bonaire on January 5 and then come to the Windward Islands, where they will spend an entire week. The delegation visits St. Eustatius on January 6 and Saba the following day. The Inter-Parliamentary Consultation of the Kingdom takes place in St. Maarten from January 9 to 13. The delegation returns to the Netherlands on January 14.
The majority of the 13-member Dutch delegation has already visited the islands in connection with Parliamentary meetings. The Members of the First Chamber on the delegation are all familiar with the islands. Some Members of the Second Chamber - including Andr� Bosman of the liberal democratic VVD party, Eric Lucassen of the Party for Freedom PVV and Ronald van Raak of the Socialist Party (SP) - have never been here before.
And, for the first time ever, there will be two representatives of the PVV in the delegation: Eric Lucassen of the Second Chamber and Peter van Dijk of the First Chamber. Van Dijk is familiar with the islands and has even lived and worked in Cura�ao for a while.
The PVV is highly critical of the level of governance on the islands and two years ago, during the last Parliamentary Contact Plan meeting, PVV Member of the Second Chamber Hero Brinkman caused quite a stir on the islands with his bold remarks about corruption and nepotism.
Corrupt politicians
Brinkman's "successor" in the Kingdom Relations Committee Eric Lucassen said that he would be as candid and upfront as Brinkman and that he would not avoid any discussion where it came to corrupt politicians and bad government finances. "I get many e-mails from people on the islands who say that it is even worse than we think it is."
Lucassen said he was looking forward to visiting the islands to "see where our billions have gone" and warned that he first and foremost represented the PVV voters in the Netherlands, who don't want the Dutch Government to invest in the islands anymore.
"I want to see the situation. Billions have disappeared in a tropical pit and I want to see with my own eyes if that money was invested in the wellbeing of the people, as was promised. I want to talk to people about that and I want to listen to people who were duped by the corruption and the local politicians," he said.
Van Raak (SP) has high expectations of the visit. "We have to talk about the relations in the Kingdom. That is very necessary, because the Kingdom is a mess. I also hope that we can have open talks about nepotism and corruption. It is important to look each other in the eyes. There are big problems and we must talk about these issues."
Both Van Raak and Lucassen want to talk about the relations in and the future of the Kingdom. "The Netherlands is responsible for things like good governance on the islands, yet we cannot intervene because we don't have the tools to do so. We need clarity and not only on the rules. Who wants what in the Kingdom and how? We are all in this Kingdom together and we must agree on how to proceed together or how to go our separate ways," said Van Raak.
Movement of People
"The PVV is not happy with the islands and the current relations. I am not very optimistic how things are developing," said Lucassen. High on PVV's agenda for this Inter-Parliamentary Consultation in St. Maarten are good governance, tackling of corruption, the Kingdom Charter, the pending Law on the Movement of People (Rijkswet Personenverkeer) between the Dutch Caribbean and the Netherlands, as well as Antillean high-risk youngsters in the Netherlands.
The Law on the Movement of People, which is on the agenda, is also a cardinal issue for the ruling VVD party. Andr� Bosman said he would bring forward this issue on all islands, although "not in an offensive way."
"Fact is that this law is part of the Dutch governing accord and we have to discuss it. What are the major concerns and how can we come to an amicable solution that is beneficial to us all? We don't fancy more Antillean youngsters without an education coming to the Netherlands. Surely the islands can't object to that," said Bosman.
Vice-delegation leader Linthorst, who represents the Labour Party PvdA, said the movement of people and goods issue first needed to be solved within the Caribbean part of the Netherlands, before talking about movement to the Netherlands. She referred to the high cost of transport of both people and goods in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba.
Local atmosphere
Besides bringing forward their own issues, the Dutch MPs said they especially want to listen to the people and hear their concerns. "I am very curious. I am going to look and listen well. I want to feel the local atmosphere," said Bosman.
The individual Meet and Greet events in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba serve an important purpose to speak with the people. "It is a good opportunity to hear what's going on. What is going well and what not," said delegation leader Van der Burg (VVD). "We come to listen, also because we have made many mistakes, which have to be corrected," said Ronald van Raak.
"There are a lot of concerns on the islands, and rightfully so. But I am convinced that there were no bad intentions from the side of the Netherlands. I am hopeful that it will work out," said Linthorst.
Bosman said he wanted to "absorb as much information as possible" in anticipation of the meetings with members of the Dutch cabinet about the situation in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba.
Linthorst and Bosman said they would also voice their concerns about St. Maarten. "I am worried about the level of governance and the police," said Linthorst. Bosman said he remained concerned about St. Maarten's financial situation. "The process with the CFT (Committee for Financial Supervision, ed.) is still not running smoothly. I also wonder whether St. Maarten will be able to produce budgets that are realistic and durable for the future," said Bosman.
Van der Burg and Bosman said they were coming to the Dutch Caribbean with open minds and optimistic views. But, added Bosman, "Of course we will clash on some issues."
An important aspect is respect, said Linthorst. "I assume that we will all treat each other with respect. If you don't want to discuss certain issues, then don't," she said. (Suzanne Koelega)
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