THE HAGUE - The Dutch Senate wants the new cabinet to give higher priority to improving the relationship with the Caribbean parts of the Kingdom. A motion to that effect by Senator Paul Rosenmöller (GroenLinks) can almost certainly count on a large majority in the vote this week.
Rosenmöller submitted the motion on Tuesday evening at the end of a long policy debate with Undersecretary of Kingdom Relations Raymond Knops. The party spokespersons showered him with compliments for his efforts and involvement. But they were also critical of his way of communicating. This would partly be the cause of the deteriorated relations with the islands, some senators argued.
Wrong image
Knops disputed that conclusion. He emphasized that he had such a good relationship with administrators overseas that differences of opinion do not stand in the way of cooperation. The minister suggested that the media and some politicians on the Caribbean side, among others, are creating a wrong image. Nevertheless, he got the message to weigh his words better in the future.
The debate was intended to reflect on how kingdom relations have developed in the expiring term of office. The senators noted that there is “a lot of room for improvement”. “It can always be better”, Knops defended himself. "A lot has been achieved, but many new problems have also arisen."
More ambition
Rosenmöller, who chairs the Senate Committee for Kingdom Relations, but acted as spokesperson for his party in the debate, thinks that the next government should show more ambition in the field of kingdom relations. He therefore submitted a motion that was supported by most of the other parties. Even Knops acknowledged "that we could go a step further."
The motion will be voted on tomorrow Tuesday. That is well in time, because before the formation negotiations can begin, The Hague will first take three weeks to fix the problems caused by the former government informateurs and the outgoing prime minister.