THE HAGUE, WILLEMSTAD - Members of the Dutch Parliament are requesting to see the contract with the Klesch Group as the new operator of the refinery in Curaçao.
In the laundry list of questions that the standing committee for Kingdom relations normally fires at the Dutch government after the Interparliamentary Kingdom Consultation (Ipko), this time also contains a few questions about the future of the Isla refinery.
The committee asks this not only for itself, but also for their colleagues in Curaçao. Apparently, the viewing of the agreement can be done confidentially. The Dutch MPs are also curious as to whether the Netherlands has been involved with advice about the agreements to be made with Klesch or has provided assistance in any other way during the negotiations.
The 83 questions vary widely, and they concern all six islands in the Caribbean. Many obvious topics are mentioned, such as the issue of Venezuelan refugees. In this context, questions are asked about Curaçao's policy and possible requests for assistance to the Netherlands regarding asylum seekers, but also about residence and work permits for migrant workers, and the role of NGOs.
The poor situation regarding the reception of migrants in the barracks also gives rise to a number of questions.
In a broader context, there are questions about medical cooperation on the islands and about the Central Bank of Curaçao and Sint Maarten (CBCS). The committee wants to know why it was not possible to make agreements between the new hospitals in Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten about specialist care, so that more patients and care funds can stay within the Kingdom.
"What possibilities do you see for making agreements about the distribution of specialist medical care?"
There are concerns about the CBCS, the questions show. The financial stability on Curaçao and Sint Maarten could be jeopardized and there are also concerns about political influence at the Central Bank. Questions are also asked about the role of De Nederlandsche Bank (DNB) in the policy at the CBCS.
"In the context of the Kingdom, is the Netherlands partly responsible for the proper functioning of the CBCS?"