Reading today’s interview with Dutch State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops does not create the impression of any ill-feelings towards St. Maarten or its people. Like it or not, he has also shown considerable involvement, partly due to taking office soon after Hurricane Irma devastated the island.
That term ends soon after next week’s Second Chamber of Parliament election in the Netherlands, unless his party CDA gets back in government. The chance of that happening certainly exists, as the VVD of Prime Minister Mark Rutte is expected to remain the biggest party.
Although Knops’ demands and tactics have been questioned, he did not sit idly by when help was most needed after Irma and during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the 550-million-euro Reconstruction Trust Fund was placed under the World Bank and COVID-19 crisis liquidity support has been tied to strict conditions.
The thing is that the state secretary seems convinced that was the best way to handle it in both cases based on the local situation including pollical instability with an election every two instead of four years during the first decade of country status. In addition to frequent ship-jumping the Parliament in Philipsburg has seen at least half a dozen of its members become the subjects of criminal investigations since 10-10-10.
But many requirements insisted on by The Hague are related to the tourism economy and its ability to sustain society including the public sector going forward. They are apparently of the opinion that restructuring measures also regarding the labour market, financial services and fiscal matters are simply needed to allow a viable, self-reliant future.
While persons may disagree with that or their right to impose such, accusing the Netherlands of purposely wanting to impoverish the country so they can take it back over goes a step too far.
