We come to listen
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By Suzanne Koelega
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THE HAGUE--Six Parliamentary group leaders in the Second Chamber are arriving in St. Maarten today, Friday, for a visit to all Dutch Caribbean islands.
The programme, originally scheduled to end on Sunday, October 23, was shortened to Thursday, October 20, because the group leaders have to attend a debate on the upcoming European Summit on Saturday, October 22. They will fly to Cura�ao on Tuesday, continue to Aruba on Wednesday and visit Bonaire on Thursday morning, from where they return to the Netherlands the same day.
The Daily Herald spoke to the group leaders and delegation leader President of Parliament Gerdi Verbeet before their departure to ask them about their expectations, the discontent on the Dutch ?public entities? Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba, and the situation in Cura�ao. ?We want to listen to what the people have to say.? The delegation will be in Saba on Saturday and Sunday, and in St. Eustatius and St. Maarten on Monday.
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President Gerdi Verbeet
?We are here to talk with people, listen to the problems, see what we can do, show true interest. We are sincerely interested in the developments and we will listen well. That is why we have included meet-and-greet events in St. Eustatius and Saba. This trip will be successful if we have spoken to not only politicians, but also with people.
?I hope it will be a constructive visit, one of cooperation and understanding. We don?t always have to agree with each other, but we have to respect one another. I am truly curious to know how things are going one year after the new relations went into effect. It has been a pressure-cooker process. Whoever thought that it was going to be easy wasn?t paying attention. It is logical that there are start-up problems. I would have been surprised if there weren?t any.
?It is a true pity that we can only stay in St. Eustatius for such a short time. But I had to take into account that some of the delegation members are religious and we have to respect their Sunday rest. That is why we will stay in Saba for the weekend. We can only travel in Parliament?s recess and it simply wasn?t possible to stay in St. Eustatius for a full day. I hope to make it up another time.?
Verbeet has visited the Dutch Caribbean several times, also privately. She spent Christmas in St. Maarten and Saba last year. ?Visiting the islands feels a bit like coming home.?
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Stef Blok (VVD)
?Priority number one for me is discussing an arrangement to curb the migration of young, uneducated youngsters, mostly from Cura�ao, who are causing trouble in Dutch cities. The VVD wants the requirements for Antilleans coming to the Netherlands to be the same as the conditions that apply to European Dutch people who want to live on the islands.
?People should be able to sustain themselves and they cannot have a criminal record. A provision to send back people who don?t qualify is part of that arrangement. The governing accord mentions such an arrangement and there is an adopted motion of the Second Chamber. The VVD wants this realised in half a year.
?Being autonomous means that the countries have to hold up their own pants. The Netherlands can assist, but it shouldn?t cost money. I am very careful about invoking article 43 of the Charter because it traditionally leads to resistance.
?The countries have elected their own governments. If people find that government is corrupt, they should elect another. The Netherlands is not there to solve the problems and bring a cheque.
?I don?t have much to say about the Rosenm�ller report. It is Cura�ao?s problem. I am a people?s representative of the Netherlands. I will talk to the politicians about the threat to use violence against Dutch citizens because it is a core task of every country to guarantee the safety of visitors and strangers.
?The discontent on Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba is a reason to speak with people. We want to hear the nature of the complaints. I want to be fully informed about the issues, but also about the opportunities that cooperation with the islands offer. It is evident that the islands cannot have the same level of prosperity as in the Netherlands. We cannot be blamed for that, because it has always been like that.?
Blok is visiting the islands for the first time and suggested climbing to the highest point in the Caribbean, Mount Scenery.
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Job Cohen (PvdA)
?I am curious to see how the constitutional reform has worked out. It is an enormous transition that has to be further worked out in a number of areas. It is important to speak with the people. I want to hear the other side. I will surely make use of the meet-and-greet opportunities with the people.
?The Rosenm�ller report indicates that there are serious questions regarding integrity. Cura�ao?s Parliament should make the first move. The report?s findings have to be discussed. Cura�ao?s Parliament should take the report bloody serious and get to work. I assume that our safety and that of Dutch people in Cura�ao will be safeguarded.
?There is every reason to be well-informed about the discontent in Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. The new relations only went into effect one year ago and that takes some getting used to. Where necessary, we will discuss the issue with the Dutch Government, because the islands are part of the Netherlands.?
Cohen has visited Cura�ao and St. Maarten once before, in his then-capacity of Amsterdam Mayor.
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S. van Haersma Buma (CDA)
?In these times it is important to keep contact and to be open and honest with each other, especially one year after the new constitutional relations have gone into effect.
?The most acute issue is the Rosenm�ller report and its execution. It?s not about whether the message in that report is to Cura�ao?s liking. It is about getting to work with that message and that is a task, a decision of Cura�ao?s Parliament.
?You cannot say, ?We don?t like the message so we will question the entire report.? The ties between the Netherlands and Cura�ao go back many centuries and that is worth a lot. But there can also be tension. I am not impressed by threats, only by deeds.
?I feel very responsible for Bonaire, St. Eustatius and Saba. We have to remain alert. We have a responsibility, a role as Dutch Parliament. I am curious to hear what the people think and feel. I want to hear the concerns. I hope that we will not only hear complaints but we also talk about opportunities.
?We should not focus on accusations, but together look for the way that we want to go. There are limitations to what we can do, because we also have to cut expenses in the Netherlands.?
Van Haersma Buma has visited Aruba and Cura�ao once before.
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Alexander Pechtold (D66)
?I am very interesting in the current issues and I don?t mean the Rosenm�ller report. I am not going for that. It would be very bad if we hamper the process of Cura�ao?s Parliament, Minister Donner and the Kingdom Council of Ministers. It is their thing and we shouldn?t get in between. We are not the Judge on Wheels.
?Fact-finding and relations management is important for me, whether there is a big difference between legislation and practice. Disappointments are a given in these complicated processes. It has only been one year, but we have to be open for the needs of the people there.
?We are going to listen. It is a good thing that there is time in the programme to meet with people. But we are not the Ombudsman that says, ?Shout away and we will solve it immediately.? People should not expect that we are going to change everything.
?It is important for the Parliamentary group leaders to learn about the issues and the local culture. That leads to more understanding for that part of the Kingdom. I am convinced that the visit will lead to more understanding. We won?t come with solutions, that is not our task. I am not asking for appreciation, but the visit is an important gesture.?
Pechtold has paid at least 17 visits to the islands, many of which as then-Minister of Kingdom Relations.
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Jolande Sap (Groen Links)
?I will listen carefully to the stories of what is happening. We have to give people the feeling that we are truly interested in their vision. I want things to go well for the islands. Politicians should want that and I think that is what the people want too.
?We must have a solid shared future in the Kingdom. The integrity issue has to be further investigated. It is not about victimisation, it is about building a future together. Talking can also have a de-escalating effect. Good governance, proper finances and a balanced budget remain important.
?The solution for a displeasing message of the Rosenm�ller report is not to go against the messenger. It is about maximum transparency. You must stand for that if you really have nothing to hide, otherwise you create the impression of covering up.
?The pending legalisation of same-sex marriages, abortion and euthanasia are taboo. We understand that it is not pleasant, but it is needed. Abortion has to become safer. We are not preaching that there should be more abortions. Homosexuals have a right to a family life. In the Netherlands, we also defend the rights of minorities and we do that with the same passion on the islands.?
Sap has never visited the islands before.
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Kees van der Staaij (SGP)
?I am curious, I want to see and hear what the islands are about. I want to talk to the people, hear their story. It is good to measure the temperature, especially one year after the new constitutional relations have gone into effect.
?I value respectful mutual relations in the Kingdom. We should not treat each other in a degrading manner. We should not patronise, but help each other. We shouldn?t say, ?It is not working and it will never work.? Accusations that the Netherlands is acting like a coloniser don?t contribute to positive relations in the Kingdom.
?The visit of the Parliamentary group leaders is not a panacea, but should be seen as a sign of positive involvement. I expect decisive action if there are urgent signals of wrongdoings. We all very much value integrity.
?It is important to talk when there is unrest and discontent. You don?t solve issues at a distance, via e-mails, but through personal proximity.?
Van der Staaij has been to Colombia five times in connection with the adoption of his children, but he has never been to the Dutch Caribbean.
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Absent from the delegation will be Party for Freedom PVV leader Geert Wilders, Socialist Party (SP) leader Emile Roemer, Party for Animals leader Marianne Thieme and ChristenUnie Parliamentary group leader Arie Slob, who cancelled at the last minute to prepare for the European Summit debate.
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