WILLEMSTAD - A large part of the Second Chamber of the Dutch Parliament looks back with little enthusiasm at the autonomy that Curaçao and St. Maarten have enjoyed over the past ten years. This Saturday it will be exactly ten years ago that the islands became separate countries within the Kingdom.
Since, according to various parties, little has improved in recent years, it will be "no party" on Saturday. This week the Second Chamber discussed the budget for kingdom relations for 2021.
"It failed," said SP member Ronald van Raak about 10 years of autonomy. He wants an investigation into the decision-making around 10 October 2010, the day the new status took effect.
The PVV wants the countries to "take their own responsibility". Machiel de Graaf of PVV calls on the countries to leave the Kingdom themselves if they want to solve their problems completely by themselves.
According to the VVD, they have the potential to become "the Monaco of the Caribbean", but the countries cannot bear their autonomy now.
According to GroenLinks member Nevin Özütok, there is the "hard message" to the islands that inequality in prosperity and well-being must be tackled. However, forcing reforms in exchange for corona support may be going too far, she thinks.
