PHILIPSBURG — President of Parliament Sarah Wescot-Williams is not pleased with the decision by the Dutch government to dismiss a draft kingdom law Dispute Regulation as submitted by the Prime Minister of Aruba. Instead, the Dutch insist on reviving an earlier proposal of its own that was at the time withdrawn under pressure of Curacao, Aruba and St. Maarten.
“The draft law, submitted by the prime minister of Aruba was the result of consultations between the parliaments of Curacao, Aruba and St. Maarten,” Wescot-Williams wrote to Prime Minister Luc Mercelina. She described the reaction from the Dutch government as “a surprise and a disappointment.”
Wescot-Williams is of the opinion that the Dutch decision sidelines the parliaments of the Caribbean countries. “It also disregards many of the recommendations of the Council of State.”
The parliament’s president noted that the Dutch state secretary had expressed as recently as May 2025 his preference for a kingdom-wide and joint approach to the Council of State’s advice.
“The consensus draft represented a concrete step forward in strengthening mutual trust and quality in the Kingdom,” Wescot-Williams wrote. “It is therefore concerning that the Dutch government has chosen to dismiss this joint effort.”
She asked the prime minister for clarification on six separate issues. Among them is a review of the process that was agreed upon by the Netherlands and the three Caribbean countries about the advice from the Council of State. Furthermore, she asks what the prime minister intends to do, now that the dispute regulation is – again – in the doldrums.
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