Motions Dutch Second Chamber present open-door opportunities for Sint Maarten

~ Comments and Proposals on follow up to Motions presented in the Dutch Second Chamber by Member of Parliament Drs. Jorien Wuite and other Dutch MPs ~

The following are just specific reactions and responses to the Three (3) Motions specifically mentioned in the article of the Daily Herald of Wednesday, November 2, 2012, as it relates to the Caribbean Netherlands.

This all has to do with the Meeting of the Dutch Parliament dated, Tuesday, November 1, 2022.

Motions proposed, accepted, and passed:

A) Fast forwarding the Introduction of a Social Minimum, due to the harsh realities that an increasing number of families on these Islands Bonaire, Sint Eustatius and Saba can no longer make ends meet.

The benchmark Social Minimum is no longer current with the increased food, energy and fuel prices, as well as the inflation.

But wages, unfortunately, stay the same with no increases being seriously discussed or in sight.

B) Second Motion adopted concerned the so-called “comply or explain” which indicates that the Dutch Government applies policies and regulations that would benefit on an equal basis the Caribbean Netherlands the same as The Netherlands unless there would be seriously justified and proven reasons why this would not be possible.

C) The Third Motion called on the Dutch Government to investigate how Cultural Collaboration between the Countries of the Dutch Kingdom can be strengthened.

Many other Motions were presented too numerous to mention at this point in time.

This Meeting of the Dutch Second Chamber in which some of the Motions were presented and voted upon favorably, can be used as open-door opportunities for dialogue, proposals, and approvals of policies and regulations that could realistically benefit the Dutch Caribbean Countries of Curacao, Aruba and Sint Maarten as well.

Can we see the Social Minimum, as what we refer to in the Dutch Caribbean Countries as Social Welfare Assistance?

There are many political as well as governmental possibilities, opportunities, and benefits in all this for the Dutch Caribbean Countries, especially our Country Sint Maarten since Dutch Member of Parliament Drs. Jorien Wuite and Dutch State Secretary of Kingdom Relations (BZK) Drs. Alexandra van Huffelen are both members of the Dutch Political Party D66, the second largest Political Party in the Current Dutch Coalition Government.

Both Motions elucidated upon in the above-mentioned A) and B) can also be looked into between the Netherlands and the Dutch Caribbean Countries, with the Government of Country Sint Maarten seriously looking into its Trust Fund or any other Dutch Funding to see whether or probably a Short Term Dutch Budgetary Reservation could be made available outside of the COHO since there potentially may exist some goodwill for Cooperation between the Netherlands and the Dutch Caribbean Countries.

All of this especially in a possibly Proposed Three (3) Years of Dutch Funding in these Cost of Living struggles that our People and Citizens are facing every day in all of the Dutch Caribbean Countries. While do understand that the Netherlands will be financially responsible for the Caribbean Netherlands.

In the Third Motion C) regarding the Dutch Government investigating how Cultural Collaboration between the Countries of the Kingdom can be strengthened, they are proposing appointing a Cultural Representative at the Dutch Government’s Representation in Curacao, Aruba, and Sint Maarten, meaning the Offices of BZK (Binnenlandse Zaken en Koninkrijksrelaties).

NOTE:

1. IAM proposing that since this Proposal would mean that these Cultural Representatives, who will be appointed to work in the Offices of BZK Curacao, Aruba, and Sint Maarten, and be financed by the Dutch Ministry of Kingdom Relations, it should be proposed that Civil Servant Representatives each from the Ministries of Culture of the Three (3) Dutch Caribbean Countries be assigned for a proposed period equal to the allotted time designated for these Three (3) BZK Representatives.

2. Proposing in addition as well, that the Dutch Government in its Budget of 2023, 2024, and 2025, create these Budgetary Reservations and Allocations for this possible Proposed Period of Three (3) Years, which would include All Budgetary Reservations and Allocations for this Cultural Collaboration Project for the Dutch Caribbean Countries of Curacao, Aruba, and Sint Maarten as well.

All of the above approved within the Dutch Budget of the Ministry of Kingdom Relations by way of the Dutch State Secretary of Kingdom Relations.

3. A Proposed Estimated Dutch Budgetary Reservation and Allocation based on facts and figures for this Social Minimum/Social Welfare Assistance for the Dutch Caribbean Countries.

4. Whatever Budgetary Reservation and Allocation that can be estimated and derived from the so-called Proposal “Comply or Explain”.

And so we as the Citizens of the Dutch Caribbean Countries applaud these Three (3) Main Motions that would relate to our Dutch Caribbean Countries and Entities, presented by Former Member of the Sint Maarten Democratic Party, Former Sint Maarten Minister of Education, Culture, Youth, and Sports, Former Sint Maarten Minister Plenipotentiary, as well as Current Dutch D66 Political Party and Dutch Parliament Member of the Netherlands, Drs. Jorien Wuite, along with the other Dutch MPs, who together presented and supported these Motions as well.

Achken Roberto Richardson
Sint Maarten Political Advocate