THE HAGUE--The objection of the St. Eustatius Island Council to the decision of Dutch Minister of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations Ronald Plasterk to impose administrative supervision on St. Eustatius and to give a financial instruction has been rejected.
The Island Council and also the Executive Council of St. Eustatius on July 17, 2015, formally objected to the June 10, 2015, decision of Minister Plasterk to impose administrative supervision through the National Government Representative (Rijksvertegenwoordiger) and to order the public entity St. Eustatius to compensate its budgetary deficits and to improve its financial management.
Plasterk informed the Island Council per letter dated August 21, 2015, which was sent to the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament on Thursday, more than one month later, that he deemed the objection inadmissible. As such he would refrain from further handling the appeal and the Island Council would also not be given the opportunity to verbally clarify its objections.
According to the Minister, the Island Council cannot be considered an administrative body and as such it cannot file an appeal based on the Administrative Jurisdisction Law for the Caribbean Netherlands (Wet Administratieve Rechtspraak).
Plasterk stated that the June 10 decision relates to daily management of the public entity, such as the managing of revenues and expenditures, the taking of decisions, also regarding personnel. “These tasks are not delegated to the Island Council, but to the Executive Council.”
In Plasterk’s opinion, his decree of June 10 doesn’t hamper the functioning and authorities of the Island Council. “For that reason the Island Council cannot be earmarked as a stakeholder in the June 10 decision.”
The formal objection of the Executive Council on the other hand has been deemed admissable by the Minister. The Executive Council may argue its objections during a hearing which will take place in St. Eustatius on October 2, 2015. An advisory committee of the Ministry of Home Affairs and Kingdom Relations BZK will be present at the hearing.
