Aruban Prime Minister Evelyn Wever indicated being close to completing talks with the Netherlands (see related story) on a third and fourth tranche of liquidity support. Her Curaçao counterpart Eugene Rhuggenaath is attending Friday’s Kingdom Council of Ministers meeting in The Hague probably for the same reason.
St. Maarten was still working with the Committee for Financial Supervision CFT on meeting conditions for the – already received – second tranche of COVID-19 loans, but once that has been done it too can enter into talks with the Dutch government on further financial assistance. The related requirements are no doubt tough, but an agreement should be possible if the other two Dutch Caribbean countries were able to achieve such.
One key factor mentioned is adjustments made to the entity that is to supervise structural reforms on the islands. The term “development” was to reportedly be added to Curaçao’s version, while for Aruba that is apparently “recovery.” In both cases the idea is seemingly to focus more on investments rather than austerity measures alone.
Moreover, this body will no longer assume the authority of the local government or parliament, at least according to Oranjestad and Willemstad. An evaluation halfway through its six-year term was also being discussed.
But aside from those necessary negotiations, St. Maarten must also display confidence in the island’s tourism economy and its ability to bounce back even from this unprecedented coronavirus-related crisis perhaps faster and stronger than many including officials in The Hague may realise. Parliament’s motion (see Monday paper) calling for rapid antigen-testing at the ports of entry to attract greater numbers of visitors is thus quite understandable.
This presents challenges like an appropriate quarantining location for airline passengers who test positive on arrival. However, other destinations have successfully adopted similar policies simply because their dominant hospitality industry depends on it.
Of course, the results must be reliable enough to keep the added risk at an acceptable and manageable level. Nevertheless, it ultimately involves the people’s livelihood.
