The nomination of Maria Plantz for the Council of State (see Monday paper) is most welcome. St. Maarten has been without a member since Dennis Richardson stepped down to become Justice Minister in 2013.
While European Dutchmen are obviously in the majority, being represented on the foremost advisory body of the kingdom is not unimportant. For one thing, that’s where the Caribbean countries can object to decisions of the Kingdom Council of Ministers dominated by Dutch cabinet members.
A lot has been said and written about the “democratic deficit” within the kingdom and the need for a special dispute regulation. The latter is still to be realised, however, despite basic agreements between the Parliaments of the Netherlands, Curaçao, Aruba and St. Maarten on the issue.
In the meantime, it is the Council of State which in practice serves as a sort of referee between the kingdom partners. One advantage is that its members are not politically active, which means the positions they take should in any case not be geared towards getting re-elected.
Of course, the Council’s advice is not binding as – among others – Prime Minister Mark Rutte had pointed out in the past. Still, the rulings from such an esteemed entity are hard to dismiss and doing so requires proper justification.
There can be little doubt that Plantz has the qualifications for the job and her pending appointment is generally being applauded. It does mean someone else must now be found to serve on the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT, but surely there are other capable candidates available.
As the direct involvement of the Netherlands with St. Maarten grows also due to Hurricane Irma and its aftermath, it becomes even more crucial to have a voice within the highest echelons of government in The Hague. This appears to be very much a case of “the right woman in the right place at the right time.”
