Dutch State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops. (File photo)
THE HAGUE--Despite criticism of the law proposal to establish the Caribbean Entity for Reform and Development COHO, Dutch State Secretary of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops is proceeding with the legislation process to get the COHO established.
In a letter he sent to the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on Friday, Knops announced that as soon as an agreement has been reached on the adapted COHO Kingdom Law proposal in the Kingdom Council of Ministers, it will be sent to the parliaments in the kingdom. “The aspiration is to do so before the summer recess,” he stated.
Knops said he hoped to continue the “good collaboration” with the Dutch Caribbean countries in drafting a reaction to the critical advice of the Council of State to the COHO law proposal. This so-called further report (“nader rapport”) and an adapted COHO proposal based on this report require approval of all four countries, he explained.
“As soon as an agreement has been reached on this in the Kingdom Council of Ministers, the further report, together with the kingdom law proposal, will be sent to the Parliaments of Aruba, Curaçao and St. Maarten, and the Second Chamber. The intention is to do so before the summer recess,” Knops stated.
In the letter to the Second Chamber, the state secretary also explained a few aspects of the Council of State advice on the COHO law proposal, which was leaked in the media. Knops explained that by law, advice of the Council of State only becomes public when it is sent to the Second Chamber accompanied by the further report and the law proposal.
“On March 11, the Council of State submitted its advice on the COHO Kingdom Law proposal. Unfortunately, I had to comprehend that some two weeks later, the advice was leaked in various Caribbean media. Naturally, this was not the intention,” he stated.
Knops explained that the confidential nature of the Council of State’s advice was discussed with the prime ministers during a consultation on March 18. “This consultation focused on determining a common process to arrive at a reaction to the Council of State’s advice on the COHO law proposal. After this consultation, on March 19, I sent the advice to the governments of the countries, and the prime ministers could take note of it.”
The state secretary explained to the Second Chamber that, considering the situation that evolved after the leaking of the confidential document, he decided, based on the advice of the Council of State and after consulting the three prime ministers, to make a highly unusual exception by publishing the advice and the law proposal. He said this decision was also taken because it was important to have a public debate based on facts.
Knops used the occasion to clarify media reports that the COHO law proposal infringed on the Charter. “Other than the suggestion that has been created in some areas, the kingdom law proposal, according to the Council of State, is not in contravention of the Charter in a fundamental sense.”
