Former St. Maarten Minister Plenipotentiary and first-ever Dutch MP of St. Maarten descent Jorien Wuite listened to words of gratitude from President of the Second Chamber Vera Bergkamp as Bergkamp bade farewell to all leaving Dutch MPs.
~ Receives applause for her efforts for Caribbean ~
THE HAGUE--On Tuesday, December 5, 79 Members of Parliament (MPs) left the Dutch Second Chamber of Parliament following the recent elections. Jorien Wuite, former St. Maarten Minister Plenipotentiary and first-ever Dutch MP of St. Maarten descent, was one of them. In her speech, President of the Second Chamber Vera Bergkamp reflected on the importance of Wuite’s efforts for the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom of the Netherlands.
“Dear Jorien, you introduced us to Aunt Marjorie and the resilience of St. Maarten. Doing so, you brought the Caribbean and European Netherlands closer together. You proved how important it is that the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom are personally represented in the Chamber. Moreover, you demonstrated that you have a big heart for culture. I sincerely hope that the new Chamber will take up both batons. I would like to thank you in all the languages of the Kingdom: Masha dank, thank you very much, het ga je goed!,” Bergkamp said.
Wuite announced in August that she would not be standing for re-election for the Dutch parliamentary elections.
Besides Wuite, four other members of the Permanent Kingdom Relations Committee of the Dutch Second Chamber of Parliament left the Chamber: Atje Kuiken (PvdA), Joba van den Berg (CDA), Kauthar Bouchallikht (GroenLinks) and Sylvana Simons (BIJ1). Only Roelien Kamminga (VVD) and Don Ceder (CU) will keep their seats, but it is uncertain whether they will resume their efforts for the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom in the Kingdom Relations Committee.
The new Dutch Second Chamber of Parliament will be sworn in today, Wednesday, December 6.
