“Mr. Knops, do not disappoint us!”

Dear Editor,

Today is a black page in the political history of St. Eustatius. Even in the old days, when the Statia government, without significant support from the National government in Willemstad, had to operate with a so called wenselijkheids budget, which was not sufficient to cover the cost of good governance. But what happens now within our government did not take place. Lawlessness, dictatorial behavior, irresponsible expenditures, the practices to silence the opposition, and so on. At that time this did not happen!

After 10-10-10, we got a government that was closer to the local administration. Previously, there was beside the police officers only an official of the central government on St. Eustatius, this was the island receiver, a function which was even still combined with the task of Eilandsontvanger. Tasks that the Statia government had to do in the past without sufficient resources, are now carried out and fully financed by the Netherlands. Incidentally not something that was imposed, but what we asked ourselves.

And look where we are today. We have more resources than ever before. We have more tools than ever before. We can rely on more expertise and help than ever before. And we have made a mess of it.

And of course, There are still various imperfections in the present constitutional status. We all know the report Spies and the Ideeversa report that have not been dealt with. We all know that since 10-10-10 mistakes have been made and important things have not been picked up. However, this does not justify lawlessness, dictatorial behavior, nepotism, and corruption. And I am frankly disappointed in all those lawyers who, often for a great deal of money, advise our administration and apparently do not point out that violating the law, and not following the right procedures is not the solution, and yes, even counterproductive.

I am pleased that the recent debates in Parliament have also highlighted the fact that the Dutch government made mistakes. This does not mean, however, that the actions of Statia government are correct and acceptable.

The Hague did not or not adequately address poverty alleviation. The level of the within The Netherlands acceptable level of services on our islands has still not been established.

Opinions from the Ideeversa report regarding the free allowance for government have been ignored.

Only now, after the arrival of this new (Dutch) cabinet, a start has been made with the establishment of the social minimum.

Since the negotiations leading to 10-10-10, the Netherlands have been familiar with the enormous backlog in economic development, social housing and infrastructure. However, insufficient attention has been paid to this. Even a hurricane was needed to create awareness for this. In my view, the previous cabinet, and especially former minister Plasterk and state secretary Klijnsma, have failed to do so.

I hold on to the government program of this cabinet. This program includes all the points I have just mentioned, including the mention that the funds will be made available. Holland, and especially State Secretary Knops, do not disappoint us!

I have a lot of criticism towards the functioning of the Kingdom Representative and the College of Financial Supervision. The supervision of the RV has been largely insufficient. Proposals for appointments of civil servants are not properly assessed. It is not checked whether procedures are followed and whether the qualifications of the candidate were in accordance with the requirements of the function. This also brought, with the approval of the RV, persons in functions for which they were not suitable.

The CFT has systematically refused to review expenditures on their legality, even if there were strong indications that expenditures were not lawful. The college did not apply the rules of the FinBES as there were many expenditures that could not stand the test. And, of course, our island government felt therefore that they could continue with their practices.

Then the report of the Wise Men’s Committee. I’ve read it from cover to cover. The conclusions contained in the report I agree with.

It is a pity and a missed opportunity that the coalition parties have refused to cooperate with this report. Yes, even civil servants were forbidden to speak with the Commission. As a result, they have missed the opportunity to explain their side of the case and give their point of view.

I am pleased that the Commission is also quite critical of the actions and the attitude of the Netherlands.

Today the executive council is sent home. The island council has been dissolved. Am I happy? Well not really. Should it have happened this way? I think so. The island Council is at such a deplorable level that I see no other solution. We are not listening to the signals coming from The Hague. Government continues to attack them, insult them and insult them. They were not listening to the opposition at all. What ever they bring to the table is “dead on arrival”. I too must explain to my constituents now that the island council, which I am also a part of, has failed. It is clear that also for me this is therefore not a day to celebrate.

Then the law. A national commissioner will be appointed who will take over the tasks of both the governor, the executive council, and the island council. It will be his job to pull the ship St. Eustatius afloat again.

This extreme measure imposed on the island must result in serious improvements. Improvements not only in the functioning of the Government, but also in particular in improvements that are visible to the Statians, such as improvement in our economy, improvement of our infrastructure and the alleviation of poverty.

I am very concerned about the date for the next elections. This should originally be March 20, 2019. Personally, I have a considerable problem with it when those elections are not going through, a possibility that the, this week, adopted law permits. With the cancellation of elections not only politicians and political parties are punished, but also the voter. He or she shall be deprived of the right to use their democratic right to vote.

It is my plea to the State Secretary and to parliament to do everything possible to maintain the date of 20 March 2019 for the next elections. The work of the

National Commissioner does not need to end per that date. This official may also continue to play a role in a kind of transitional form after the elections. I hope that it is clear to the Secretary of State how important it is that all efforts need to be done to make these elections go ahead.

Finally, the topic of autonomy needs to be moved to the back burner. This discussion is not in the interest of the people of Statia. Priority instead must be given to strengthening of our island and our government. We need to become more self-sufficient. We need to create a community with an acceptable level of collective facilities, welfare, and wellbeing. Once we have realized this, we can think about an increased level of autonomy.

Koos Sneek