National Ombudsman Reinier van Zutphen on Thursday during the presentation of the 2019 annual report in the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament sought attention for the increased poverty in the islands caused by the corona crisis. Photo credit: Jeroen van der Meyde.
THE HAGUE--National Ombudsman Reinier Zutphen during the presentation of his 2019 annual report to the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on Thursday made an urgent call to support the people in the Dutch Caribbean during the harsh times caused by the coronavirus pandemic.
Van Zutphen said all islands were in crisis, but that St. Maarten had gone from one crisis into the next. “First there was Hurricane Irma in 2017. Now they are battling the consequences of the corona crisis. Let us hope and pray that no hurricane will come. That would be devastating, and maybe it would be the end for what St. Maarteners want to achieve together for their island.”
The National Ombudsman sought attention for the steep increase in poverty and the needs of tens of thousands of people in the islands when it comes to basic food items. He asked the Second Chamber and the Dutch government to assume their responsibility towards the other parts of the kingdom.
In 2019, the National Ombudsman received 220 complaints from the Caribbean Netherlands, compared to 191 in the previous year. Slightly over a third of complaints concerned the public entities: of which the majority, 61, were about the Bonaire government. Twelve complaints were received about the public entity St. Eustatius and three about the public entity Saba.
Over half of all complaints (140 out of the 220) were brought to the Ombudsman’s attention during the personal consultation sessions in the islands. The Ombudsman was able to resolve the majority of complaints with a simple intervention, it was stated in the annual report.
The residents of Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba are able to call on the support of the National Ombudsman if they experience problems in their dealings with government authorities. In contrast to the procedure in the European Netherlands, complaints about the public entities can be submitted directly to the National Ombudsman as the first point of contact.
Extra investments
Not everyone living in Bonaire, St. Eustatius or Saba knows about the National Ombudsman. “We are therefore making extra investments in providing information about what we do and how we can help. Information about our key areas of concern is now available in Dutch, Papiamentu and English.”
In 2018, the National Ombudsman formulated the following objectives: We wish to be more visible to the people of the islands so that we can offer help when needed. We wish to contribute to good governance by ensuring that both government authorities and citizens are aware of the right to complain to an independent organisation such as the National Ombudsman.
“We are helping public authorities in the Caribbean Netherlands to professionalise their internal complaint-assessment procedures. We do so by various means, including workshops on good governance and best practices for public sector employees. We are also working to ensure that our own staff are able to deal with complaints promptly and effectively by offering extra training in law, culture and language.”
In March, August and November 2019, National Ombudsman staff visited the islands to hold consultation sessions for residents and run workshops for public sector staff who deal with complaints. Meetings with senior officials also took place.
During the visits, the staff dealt with a number of complaints concerning government organisations. Wherever possible, an immediate solution was found. In the past, for example, correspondence from some authorities has been in Dutch. The National Ombudsman has arranged for them to receive letters which they can understand. In 2020, the National Ombudsman and the Ombudsman for Children will once again make three working visits to the Caribbean Netherlands.
Investigations
In 2019, the National Ombudsman devoted particular attention to complaints assessment by the Caribbean Netherlands Police Force KPCN. This investigation involves both personal interviews and a study of past case files. It will be completed during the first half of 2020.
Not all residents of the Caribbean Netherlands are able to fully take part in society. One significant cause of social exclusion is poverty, which is a serious problem in the region. The high-risk groups include seniors on pension, young adults and single parents, many of whom live on or below the poverty line.
In 2019 and 2020, the National Ombudsman and the Ombudsman for Children will conduct a detailed examination of the problems affecting these vulnerable groups. The starting point is always the personal experiences of the people themselves.
“We find it very important to listen to first-hand accounts of the problems they face in their dealings with the government, and we wish to investigate what role the government itself plays in this regard. The first stage of our investigation, which was concerned with senior citizens, was completed in September 2019.” The National Ombudsman concluded that an effective poverty-reduction policy for this group should be pursued as a priority. People whose only income is the AOV pension find it very difficult to make ends meet and many are living in extreme poverty. The cost of living is too high and amenities such as public transport are woefully inadequate. An integrated and properly coordinated approach is now needed to give senior citizens financial security.
The investigation examining poverty among young adults and single parents is to be conducted jointly by the National Ombudsman and the Ombudsman for Children. The second phase of the overall investigation, focusing on young adults, began in December 2019 and will be completed in mid-2020.
The third phase, focusing on single parents, is also expected to be completed in 2020. The National Ombudsman and the Ombudsman for Children will then publish their conclusions with regard to poverty and poverty reduction in the Caribbean Netherlands.
