The slow pace of Post-Hurricane Irma reconstruction and resilience efforts utilising the Dutch-sponsored Trust Fund was discussed during the completion of a Parliament meeting on Friday (see Saturday paper). Prime Minister Silveria Jacobs gave some facts and figures showing things are actually happening, but acknowledged that having to comply with regular World Bank investment financing rules, with which “St. Maarten has no or only very limited experience,” was an issue.
She spoke of “being frank in observing the capacity requirements of government and that everything cannot be done at once; capacity constraints exist.” Sometimes there can even be unforeseen circumstances such as the original contactor chosen to repair several hurricane shelters defaulting.
As reported today, Monday, State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops that same Friday in a letter to the Second Chamber of Parliament in The Hague said implementation of the projects had been taking too long, also citing lack of capacity at the St. Maarten government and execution agency the National Recovery Program Bureau (NRPB). He also mentioned slow decision-making, shortage of data and insufficient political stability especially in the second half of 2019.
It seems a bit ironic that this is coming from the Netherlands, which insisted on involving the World Bank that is well-known for its cumbersome procurement regulations and procedures in the first place, while the necessary expertise and know-how would obviously always be limited on such a small island. But even under the current strict requirements a more pragmatic approach, as the state secretary put it, should indeed be possible and it is never too late to realise that, and to take appropriate remedial action.
If technical assistance could be made available to speed up matters as parties concerned including the fund’s Steering Group and NRPB are already trying, that would be most welcome. A good example is boat wrecks lying untouched in and around Simpson Bay Lagoon already for almost three years.
However, there is no sense in finger-pointing at this juncture. All involved simply need to do whatever they legally and responsibly can to accelerate execution of the relevant plans, perhaps – with current the coronavirus-related socioeconomic crisis – now more than ever.
